News

Town Beekeeping Requirements Inquiry

We are looking to compile a list of towns that require you to pay for a permit to have bees within the town limits.
We would also like to know what that fee is if you know.

We need to have of list of all towns in North Carolina;
also if any town have incentives to keep bees.

Thanks for your help. This will help as we go forward.

Paul Newbold
North Carolina State Beekeepers Association
Master Beekeeper Committee
Born & Bred Committee

Paul Newbold
beefarmer1349@gmail.com
252-264-0245 H
252-312-4629 C

Latest issue of the Wolfpack’s Waggle
Hi everyone,

Greetings from the NC State Apiculture Program!

You can now access our latest issue of the our program’s newsletter, the Wolfpack’s Waggle, which can also be found as usual through:
https://entomology.ces.ncsu.edu/apiculture/wolfpacks-waggle-newsletter/

The slow start to the spring means a delayed research season, which has everyone on edge. Typically we are up and fully running at this point, but we are just only now gearing up to do our experiments for this summer. At last count, we have 20 different projects for which we are actively collecting data this year, which is an astounding level of productivity.

Two of our off-campus postdoctoral researchers, Dan Charbonneau (UPenn) and Daiana De Souza (Galveston), are temporarily here at NC State to conduct their field research.

Samples have been flying into the Queen & Disease Clinic this year, so our services seem to be gaining traction in the industry.

All four of the graduate students in the program (James, Joe, Hannah, and Lauren) are heavily involved in their respective projects, but they each also have one or more side projects that they’re actively participating in.

It is clear that when we look back on things, this will be a very busy summer!

I hope everyone is keeping up with their bees this spring! Sincerely, David

******************************
David R. Tarpy
Professor and Extension Apiculturist
Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology
Campus Box 7613
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7613
TEL: (919) 515-1660
FAX: (919) 515-7746
LAB: (919) 513-7702
WEB: http://entomology.ces.ncsu.edu/profile/david-tarpy/
EMAIL: david_tarpy@ncsu.edu
************
Join the new Beekeeper Education & Engagement System (BEES)
Like us on FaceBook
Follow us on Twitter (@NCSUApiculture)

Bee Informed Partnership
(BIP) 2018 SENTINEL APIARY PROGRAM

The Bee Informed Partnership is looking for participants in their Sentinel Apiary Program. Below is the information we received from them.
________________________________________

My name is Dan Reynolds, and I’m a research specialist with the Bee Informed Partnership: https://beeinformed.org/

We research colony survivorship and provide diagnostics for beekeepers across the US.

I am reaching out to beekeeping organizations and representatives for participation in the fifth year of the Sentinel Apiary Program. We had a great year for participation in 2017 and are looking to do the same for 2018.

Spots are limited, so if this is something that you or your club might be interested in, please let me know and I can reserve a spot for you.
The program starts in May and we have a little over a month to get in those last applications.

This program is specifically suited to beekeeping groups or smaller beekeepers. Beekeeping organizations often use the program as a teaching tool for new beekeepers, or have an individual participate on behalf of the group as a benchmark diagnostic tool for colonies in your area.

You can find more information about the Sentinel Apiary Program on the Bee Informed Partnership website, which can be viewed here:

Sentinel Apiary Program

Please feel free to ask us about how beekeeping clubs specifically use the program.

Details:

The Program consists of six months of sampling (May-October) for either 4 or 8 colonies
(8 is recommended, but if you will only have 7 or fewer in 2018 then 4colonies is an option).

Participating in the Program means you will:

1. Take monthly samples of ~300 bees from each colony and mail them to our lab to be processed for Varroa and Nosema

2. Perform a routine health inspection of each colony during each sampling (we ask you to record Frames of Bees, Brood Pattern, and Queen Status)

3. Optional: share hive scale data (if you already have one or want to purchase one, we have several supported vendors which can be found here: https://beeinformed.org/programs/sentinel/

What we do for you is:
1. Provide all materials and instructions needed to complete sampling
2. Send you diagnostic reports about your Varroa and Nosema levels within two weeks of receiving your samples

3. Keep all of your data in a safe, anonymous online database so it can be viewed by beekeepers in your region as a “Sentinel” or first line of defense for watching Varroa levels.
Varroa map can be seen here: https://bip2.beeinformed.org/sentinel/
Hive Scale map can be seen here: https://bip2.beeinformed.org/hive-scales/public

Past Sentinel participants say the Program helps improve your colony health monitoring, record keeping, and Varroa management. It can also be used as a valuable teaching tool to share with new beekeepers, or other beekeepers in your area or beekeeping club. Plus, non-participating beekeepers in your area will benefit from being able to see your Sentinel data shared online as a benchmark for colony health in their region!

How to Sign Up & COSTS:

The price for the Program is:

$275 for 4 colonies or $499 for 8 colonies.

If you would like to participate, please fill out the enrollment form:
https://www.ncbeekeepers.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018_Sentinel_Enroll.pdf

and send a check made payable to University of Maryland to:

Dan Reynolds
Bee Informed Partnership
4112 Plant Sciences Building
College Park, MD 20742

Please let me know if you have any questions at all. I’d be happy to talk more about the details of the Program!

Happy Beekeeping,

—
Dan Reynolds
Faculty Specialist
Bee Informed Partnership
University of Maryland
Entomology Department
4112 Plant Sciences Building
College Park, MD 20742
301-405-3799

Subject: NCSBA Summer Meeting Advance Registration Open Now

NCSBA Beekeepers,

The information for the summer meeting is now posted on the NCSBA website and registration is open. The event will be held on July 19, 20, and 21 at Blue Ridge Community College which is located near Flat Rock and Asheville, NC. Our speakers will include: noted author and researcher, Dr. Tom Seeley of Cornell University; the President of the American Apitherapy Society, Fredrique Keller; NCSU researcher and North Carolina State Cooperative Extension Apiculturist, Dr. David Tarpy; and Phil Craft, the author of the “Ask Phil” column which appears in Bee Culture magazine. There will be expanded outdoor programs in the green spaces of the campus. Visit https://www.ncbeekeepers.org for complete information. Nearby hotel space is in high demand during the summer so make your reservations early.

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Subject: Spring Meeting Silent Auction

Dear Members:

Like you, we are looking forward to the Spring NCSBA meeting in New Bern March 1 through 3. The Silent Auction is a fun way for clubs and individuals to support NCSBA! If you or your chapter would like to enter one or more item we would LOVE to include them. Here is what you need to know:

• Print and complete a brief form (attached) for each item you would like included in the auction.
• Bring items (or have someone bring them) to the auction area at the Convention Center between 8 and 10 am on Thursday morning. Unfortunately, we will not have access to the space before then.
• Upon receipt, we will register items, prepare an auction sheet and display items.
• Some of the smaller, general use items may be moved to door prizes where your support will be announced to the group at large.
• The silent auction will close at 10 am Saturday and the winners will be announced and posted. All items should be collected by noon on Saturday.

Your participation is what has made the Silent Auction a successful part of the Spring Meeting in the past. We look forward to seeing what you bring this year!

Kirsten Lewis
Tar River Beekeepers
This Email was sent on February 24th 2018

Subject: Spring Meeting Silent Auction

Dear Members:

Like you, we are looking forward to the Spring NCSBA meeting in New Bern March 1 through 3. The Silent Auction is a fun way for clubs and individuals to support NCSBA! If you or your chapter would like to enter one or more item we would LOVE to include them. Here is what you need to know:

• Print and complete a brief form (attached) for each item you would like included in the auction.
• Bring items (or have someone bring them) to the auction area at the Convention Center between 8 and 10 am on Thursday morning. Unfortunately, we will not have access to the space before then.
• Upon receipt, we will register items, prepare an auction sheet and display items.
• Some of the smaller, general use items may be moved to door prizes where your support will be announced to the group at large.
• The silent auction will close at 10 am Saturday and the winners will be announced and posted. All items should be collected by noon on Saturday.

Your participation is what has made the Silent Auction a successful part of the Spring Meeting in the past. We look forward to seeing what you bring this year!

Kirsten Lewis
Tar River Beekeepers

Master Beekeeper Program
Testing & Other Events Schedule at the Spring Meeting

The Master Beekeeper Committee would like you to know that there are events that precede the opening of the NCSBA Spring Meeting in New Bern on Thursday, March 1st 2018.
The meeting will officially open at 12:30 and the first presentations will begin.
If you have arrived at the New Bern Convention Center and are looking for something to do before the meeting starts, and before the vendors are set-up and ready to conduct business, you may find these events interesting and beneficial.
Thursday, March 1st,
From 10 a.m. till noon, the MBP will be offering
1.) Advanced Review
2.) “Ask The Experts”

Advanced Review
As in the past, members of the Committee will be covering what to expect on a Journeyman or Master Beekeeper exam and offering tips on how to prepare to take one.
For this session, the topics highlighted for this review at the advanced level will be:
Colony sociology and behaviors;
Hive Products (honey, wax, propolis, pollen);
Pollination and Plants
(Past reviews have included anatomy, pests and diseases, anatomical systems, glands, pheromones, and colony communication.)

Ask the Experts
A panel made up of Master Beekeepers, Apiary Inspectors, and NC Cooperative Extension agents will be available to answer questions.
The panel will be:
Bill Moran: NCSBA Master Beekeeper, MBP Committee (research and practical exams)
Eric Talley: NCSBA Master Beekeeper, NCSBA Regional Director
Adolphus Leonard: NCDA&CS Apiary Inspector
Will Hicks: NCSDA&CS Apiary Inspector
Mike Carroll: NC Cooperative Extension Agent, Agriculture
Tom Glasgow: NC Cooperative Extension, Director Craven County, Horticulture

Bring your questions about beekeeping experiences; pests and diseases; the NCSBA organization; plants; agricultural practices, and more.

TESTING will be on Friday from 1pm to 4pm. March 2nd
No written test issued after 2pm. Journeyman and Master practical done 1 till 4

TESTING on Saturday from 9am till 12 noon. March 3rd
No written test issued after 10am. Journeyman and Master practical done 9 till noon

Those wishing to take the written test – please email mbp@ncbeekeepers.org and let us for planning on how many copies to have on-hand, and for space & time for practical exams.
We need just your name the test you plan to take.

If you have additional questions call or email
Paul Newbold at 252-312-4629
Doug Galloway at 828-612-1531
Email: mbp@ncbeekeepers.org

Anticipated MBP Testing for 2018/2018 (Journeyman and Master exams are only given at state events)
2018: March NCSBA Spring Meeting New Bern
2018: July NCSBA Summer Meeting, near Asheville
2018: October MBP Fall Regional Testing (only one location this year – likely mid-state)
2019: Spring NCSBA joint meeting with SCBA, likely near Charlotte

Paul Newbold
beefarmer1349@gmail.com
252-264-0245 H
252-312- 4629 C

Master Beekeeper Program update for Spring Conference at New Bern

Before the Conference begins…

Thursday morning 10am till 12 noon:
Refresher and Review for Journeyman and Masters. Also meet the MBP Committee.

Thursday morning 10 am till 12 noon.
Ask the Experts

If you have a question, we’ll have an answer.
Bring your question to our panel of “EXPERTS”. Master Beekeepers Bill Moran and Eric Talley and State Inspectors Adolphus Leonard and William Hicks, and representatives from the NC Cooperative Extension

TESTING will be on Friday from 1pm to 4pm. No written test issued after 2pm. Journeyman and Master practical done 1 till 4

TESTING on Saturday from 9am till 12 noon. No written test issued after 10am. Journeyman and Master practical done 9 till noon

Those wishing to take the written test, please email mbp@ncbeekeepers.org and let us know for planning purposes – thank you.
We need just your name the the test you plan to take.

If you have additional questions call or email
Paul Newbold at 252-312-4629
Doug Galloway at 828-612-1531
Email: mbp@ncbeekeepers.org

Paul Newbold
beefarmer1349@gmail.com
252-264-0245 H
252-312-4629 C

Latest Issue of the WOLFPACK’S WAGGLE

Hi everyone,
Greetings from the NC State Apiculture Program! You can now access our latest issue of the our program’s newsletter, the Wolfpack’s Waggle, which can also be found as usual through:
https://entomology.ces.ncsu.edu/apiculture/wolfpacks-waggle-newsletter/
The beginning of a new year always brings reflection about the previous. We’ve had another successful year, with 11 peer-reviewed publications (a record high for our program, second year in a row) and 8 presentations at scientific meetings. We had 14 active grants totaling $3.2M, and we have 20 people in the program. We have been joined by our new project manager, Sharon Munger, who has really helped to facilitate all of the logistics within the program and has been a fantastic addition to our team. On the extension side, collectively we delivered ~15 presentations and workshops to various beekeeper groups for ~2,800 individual contacts, and we were covered by four media stories on our work. Our Queen & Disease Clinic is growing ever-more popular among beekeepers and queen producers, and it is really starting to gain traction in becoming a self-sustaining resource for beekeepers to ascertain the reproductive quality of queens (and drones) and the disease levels in their colonies. Overall, 2017 was a great year, and we hope the same for 2018!
I hope everyone is getting their bees ready for winter, and may they all survive happy and healthy through next spring! Sincerely, David

******************************
David R. Tarpy
Professor and Extension Apiculturist
Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology
Campus Box 7613
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7613
TEL: (919) 515-1660
FAX: (919) 515-7746
LAB: (919) 513-7702
WEB: http://entomology.ces.ncsu.edu/profile/david-tarpy/
EMAIL: david_tarpy@ncsu.edu
************
Join the new Beekeeper Education & Engagement System (BEES)
Like us on FaceBook
Follow us on Twitter (@NCSUApiculture)

Updating NCSBA Chapter contacts, information, and officers for 2018

Hello NCSBA Chapter contacts. It’s time to verify or update your Chapter’s contact information and officers for 2018. This is a three-fold request. Please take the time to read through it.

CHAPTER CONTACT:
Please send me the name, email address and phone number of someone in your Chapter who has agreed to receive email from the NCSBA and to then share it with your other officers and members in a timely way. We consider this to be a very important responsibility. The designated contact is often the President but not always — depending upon who handles communications within your Chapter. The email address and phone number will be printed in the Yellow Book under your Chapter listing unless you tell me not to.

CHAPTER INFORMATION:
Please verify your Chapter information as listed in the 2017 Yellow Book, especially your website or Facebook page address (your choice as to which you want to list, but only one). Also check the information for your Chapter on the NCSBA website at http://www.ncbeekeepers.org/chapter and http://www.ncbeekeepers.org/county-chapters/state-map . Verify by saying “All’s O.K.” if it is, or send me the correction.

2018 CHAPTER OFFICERS:
Please send a list of your 2018 officers, even if they are the same as in 2017. Include the titles as they appear in your bylaws, if possible. If you have three directors and they have staggered terms, indicate how long they have served (e.g.,3rd year, 2nd year, 1st year). Send only the names and titles, not phone numbers or email addresses. If phone numbers and emails addresses are included on the list, be aware that I do not cross-check them with what’s in the database, so submitting them to me is not a way to update them. Updates to members’ contact information should be sent to membership@ncbeekeepers.org or call 336-933-1917. Remember that if an officer is not a 2018 NCSBA member by March 7, he or she will not be listed in the Yellow Book.

Please send all three of these updates in one email to me at membershipsecretary@ncbeekeepers.org with the name of your Chapter somewhere in the subject line.

That makes if so much easier when dealing with over 75 Chapters.

Thanks,

Todd Walker
NCSBA Membership Secretary

Submission deadline for 2017-2018 GAP notebooks;
a new GAP guide for 2018-2019

 

Dear Chapter Presidents,

I hope 2018 finds you and your bees doing well. For Chapters planning to
enter the NCSBA Golden Achievement Program (GAP) competition for the
2017-2018 year, remember that the notebooks are due at the Spring
Conference by noon on Saturday March 3 or they can be mailed to me to
arrive by then. Please go to the NCSBA website and print out the GAP
Guide and summary if you have not already done so. You may use the one
with “2016-2017” or “2017-2018” in the title (they are essentially the
same). Do not use any that you may see titled “2018-2019”.

After the spring conference, we plan to introduce the new “2018-2019 GAP
Guide” which is hopefully more user-friendly. We increased the
threshold in some sections and even added in a few new categories. I
would be happy to email you a copy of the 2018-2019 guide if you would
like to see it sooner for your planning purposes, but we did not want to
confuse things by posting it on the website before the 2017-2018
deadline had passed.

Please let me know if you have any questions, I will be happy to answer
them.

Thank you,
Melinda Miller
GAP Chair
melindamiller1980@yahoo.com

Updated 2018 Chapter email list;
new Membership Secretary;
“black jar” honey contest

Hello Chapter contacts. This is the first message sent through the
updated Chapters email list for 2018. We’re checking for any bad
addresses. No action from you is requested. If you have any questions
about the Chapter list and your role as the contact for your Chapter,
check out the Q&A posted on the NCSBA website at
https://www.ncbeekeepers.org/q-a-for-chapters .

Reminder: on January 1, Todd Walker became the new Membership Secretary.
He has also been the Membership Coordinator (processing membership
dues) since October, so it’s a great dove-tailing of responsibilities.
I’ve enjoyed my 2.5 years working with the Chapters. Thanks for helping
me with my various requests. I think we’ve come a long way in improving
the system and procedures. As for my plans, I’m continuing to serve the
NCSBA in a different role: I’ve been the acting-treasurer since August
and will continue for a few more months until we have a new Treasurer in
place.

One other thing: I hope to see many of you at the spring conference in
New Bern. I’m organizing something that I hope will be fun for many: a
“black jar” honey contest. More information will be posted on the
conference web page later. Bring honey to enter or be a judge!

Happy new year to all. Thanks for your continuing contributions to bees
and beekeeping in your local area and beyond.

Suzy Spencer
2017 NCSBA Membership Secretary
January 9 2018

MBP Quizzes and Games for JANUARY are up. Also NEW are suggestions for TOPICS for the Educational Portion of Chapter Meetings; added to the MBP section of the NCSBA website.
If you are receiving this as the designated contact for your Chapter, please share this information with your other officers and members. [Read more…] about MBP quizzes and games & TOPICS for CHAPTER MEETINGS

Updates for your Chapter contact’s email address and phone number

Dear Chapter contacts:

On November 17, I sent out a request through the Chapters email list asking for updated Chapter contacts’ email addresses and phone numbers for 2018. To date, I have received responses from only 21 of 79 Chapters. If yours has not responded, please take a moment to review the original message posted on the NCSBA website under “NCSBA Announcements” dated 11/17/17 and follow that procedure to respond as requested.

The link to the Q&A information mentioned in that announcement is https://www.ncbeekeepers.org/q-a-for-chapters/ . I’d like to get these updates by December 31 so we can start the year with an accurate Chapter email list.

Do not send your new list of officers now. That will be requested later.

 

Thanks. Suzy Spencer NCSBA Membership Secretary

MBP Quizzes and Games for DECEMBER will be FREQUENTLY MISSED QUESTIONS.
If you are receiving this as the designated contact for your Chapter, please share this information with your other officers and members. [Read more…] about MBP Quizzes and Games for DECEMBER will be FREQUENTLY MISSED QUESTIONS

NCSBA Spring Conference:

hotel deadline and advanced registration

If you are receiving this as the designated contact for your Chapter, please share this information with your other officers and members.

 

We hope many of your members are planning to attend the NCSBA spring conference in New Bern, NC March 1-3, 2018. The cut-off date for the discounted rate for most of the hotels is February 16. The conference webpage lists the hotels and rates as well as the schedule of events and speakers.
https://www.ncbeekeepers.org/education/statewide-conferences/2018-ncsba-spring-conference

Advance registration for the conference will be available through FEBRUARY 16. Advanced registrants will get a $10 discount. We encourage members to register and pay on-line, but they can also download a registration form and go through the mail-in process. To register at the lower member rate, individuals must have paid their 2018 NCSBA membership dues. That means received and fully-processed by the NCSBA, not just turned into the local Chapter. They can also pay dues directly to the NCSBA when they register for the meeting (this option will be presented during the on-line registration process).

Thanks for your help in promoting the conference and notifying your members about these deadlines and opportunities.

Todd Walker
Webmaster

Update your Chapter contact’s email address for 2018
Chapter contacts:

It’s time to start updating the NCSBA Chapter email list for 2018.
Please do the following to help this process run smoothly so we can have
the new list ready by the first week of January.

1. Read the information titled “How the NCSBA communicates with
Chapters…” posted on the NCSBA website under “Chapters” (
https://www.ncbeekeepers.org/q-a-for-chapters ). That will answer
questions you may have about this important email list and who should be
your designated contact.

2. Do not “reply” directly to this email. Draft a separate email with
the name of your Chapter somewhere in the subject line and send it to
chapterupdates@ncbeekeepers.org . In the body of the email, provide
three things:

a. the Chapter contact email address for 2018 (some Chapters use a group
email address which is fine for our purposes)

b. the Chapter contact phone number (unless you prefer not to provide
one)

c. the name of the person providing the information

3. Ask the contact to check their spam folders the first few weeks of
January to make sure our emails are not landing there. Remember: you
can check what has been sent through the Chapters list by looking under
“NCSBA Announcements” on the NCSBA website.

If you will not know who the new contact will be until after January 1,
please still reply back so we know this. We will continue to use your
2017 contact information until you send in the update.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT SEND IN YOUR 2018 OFFICERS’ LIST NOW. That will be
requested later in 2018. However, now is a good time to check the 2017
Yellow Book to confirm that the information listed for your Chapter is
correct (the where/when for meetings, your website address, etc). Also
check the information posted on the NCSBA website under the “Find a
Chapter” feature. Send any corrections to me.

Questions? Email me at chapterupdates@ncbeekeepers.org.

Thanks…
Suzy Spencer
NCSBA Membership Secretary
chapter email sent out on November 17 2017