Welcome
We meet on the 2nd Monday of the month at 7:00 PM in Towne Hall, a wing of Towne Bank located at 137 Mt. Pleasant Rd.,Chesapeake, VA 23322. The public is invited to join us for socializing and the meeting. Meeting Schedule
Our mission includes:- Elevating the standards of beekeeping through sustainable apiculture
- Instruction and mentoring of new beekeepers
- Continuing the education of experienced beekeepers
- Supporting urban and suburban backyard beekeeping
- Providing pollination for local agriculture
- Educating the public about the importance of honey bees in pollination and the dangers of pesticide overuse
- Promoting the use of honey and other hive products
Installing a SwarmThe 2012 Field Day for new beekeepers included instruction on installing a swarm collected the prior evening.  Select a frame of brood with open larvae from a colony and shake or brush the clinging bees into their original colony. When the swarm is installed in a hive with open brood, their instinct to care for the young will overcome the desire to abscond. This will also help the beekeeper determine if the new colony is queenright. If the bees initiate queen cells on the introduced frame of larvae, there is no queen in the new hive.
 Install the frame of open brood in the box which will house the swarm. Notice some frames temporarily removed to accommodate the swarm. The swarm bucket with bees is behind the box. The bucket top is loosened, but not removed and the bucket tapped on the ground to knock the bees to the bottom of the bucket prior to quickly removing the bucket lid.
 Working rapidly, dump the bees into the opening created by temporarily removing the frames. Do not be concerned with removing debris from the swarm capture at this time.
Last Updated (Sunday, 15 April 2012 10:55) Beekeepers Buzzing About New Bee Hive GrantBy Ashley McLeod
April 11, 2012 - PotomacLocal.com RICHMOND, Va. – Beekeepers across Virginia soon will be able to get government money for creating new beehives – a move legislators hope will resurrect the state’s dying bee population. During this year’s regular session, the General Assembly passed legislation to establish a $175,000 fund and award beekeepers as much as $200 for every new beehive, up to $2,400. Gov. Bob McDonnell recently signed the two bills, SB 354 and HB 300, into law. Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, sponsored the Senate bill. He hopes the money will encourage beekeepers to create more beehives. “We’ve seen declining bee populations throughout Virginia, and they are the foundation of agriculture,” Deeds said. “If they’re not pollinating flowers and plants, crop production begins to lag.” State apiarist Keith Tignor is responsible for educating and training beekeepers in Virginia. Tignor said his office has received numerous phone calls from Virginia beekeepers interested in the grant program. “We estimate that there are between 20,000 and 30,000 beehives in Virginia, around 2,000 to 3,000 beekeepers, and most maintain an average of between 10 and 12 hives,” Tignor said. “Beekeeping is a very important part of Virginia, in many different aspects.” Last Updated (Thursday, 12 April 2012 13:39) |
Foragers 4-H Beekeeping Club of Hampton Roads!How to make a High Reach Swarm Catcher
Kobalt Texture Brush Item #: 85797 | Model #: 8110 http://ow.ly/a5lAq
You may find a different solution. What I needed was the the screw-in mop handle receptical and a flat, broad base.
Last Updated (Thursday, 05 April 2012 19:21) |
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