Mailing list for the Person County Beekeepers Association, Roxboro, NC

[Inge Kautzmann <ibk AT imageray.net>]

Hello All,

At this week's meeting we'll be discussing best beekeeping practices. So that we are not jumping around in our discussions and to keep us on track and on topic I have included a list below of some of the things we'll be covering.

In order to make this a learning experience for everyone we will need participation from as many folks as possible, not just a handful. Most of you have bees and therefore have something of value to contribute. Please take a look at the list and think about what has worked for you in these areas and what has not. Jot down some notes and bring those to the meeting.

We will compile all the best practices from our discussions into a PCBA beekeeping handbook, so the more you contribute the more valuable this reference material will be.

Discussion Topics

- Mite Assessment – how do you administer the sugar shake test

- Mite Treatment – methods, timing, follow up

- Feeding – carbs and protein

- Dealing with weak hives – when do you let it ride and when do you intervene, type of intervention

- Splits – methods, timing, follow up

- How do you work a colony – use of smoker, from where to you pull the first frame, do you use a frame holder, etc

- How do you evaluate a frame

- Honey extraction – timing, prep, extraction, clean up

- Smoker lighting

- Hive beetle assessment and treatment

- Equipment storage

If you have a tip or best practice that does not fall into one of these categories we'll save some time at the end to include those items.

Thanks,

-Inge