There was a good story on NPR’s Morning Edition yesterday about the recent uptick in backyard beekeeping. You can read or listen to it here…
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128574280
Just a reminder that our next meeting will be August 10th. Members should arrive at 6:30 pm with a side dish to share. Ricky will be cooking a pig or chickens or both…to be determined.
The Wake County Beekeepers will be conducting a beekeeping short course, on August 21, 2010 from 8am to 5:30pm. Cost will be $25 to include, book, handout and hotdog lunch. Class will be limited to the first 50 registrations and will be held at the Raleigh Police Club, 3500 Leonard Rd. Knightdale, NC. For more info contact Ricky Barbour at (919) 269-0108
Bug Fest is on September 11th 8:00 am – 4: 00 pm. We need volunteers for 2 time shifts options and 2 volunteer stations. Time shifts available are 8:00 am -12:00 pm and 12:00 pm-4:00 pm (Your Choice). The volunteer stations are food and educational (Your Choice). To volunteer contact Tim Huffman at: 919-269-6790 or timjoehuffman@aol.com.
Remember that your volunteer credits go toward the chapter of the year and the Master Beekeeper credits.
From the Governor’s Press Office:
On Tuesday, June 22, Gov. Bev Perdue suited up in beekeeper attire and approached a job perhaps no other North Carolina governor has tackled – pulling honeycombs from beehives with thousands of honey bees buzzing nearby. The governor assisted Danny Jaynes, vice president ofthe North Carolina Beekeepers Association and his wife Mary Jaynes, as they removed the trays of honeycombs from the hives.
“That’s a lot of honey!” Gov. Perdue exclaimed, as she removed a narrow honeycomb literally dripping gold.
The two beehives sitting on the north lawn of the executive mansion in Raleigh were installed late last year, after grounds supervisor Gerald Adams decided to explore the benefits of having bees to pollinate the gardens on the grounds. Adams, who oversees production of a number of crops used by the first family and donated to local area food banks, has already seen a dramatic difference.
“Apple trees that have never had more than a handful of apples on them now show 50 or 60 or more,” he said. “The pollination benefits of the bees have been clear already within the first six months of having the hives.”
“The honeybee is not only North Carolina’s state insect, but also a crucial player in North Carolina agriculture. Their role in pollinating our crops is essential, and often overlooked by people who don’t know the important part they play,” said Gov. Perdue. “Having the bees here on the mansion grounds not only gives us a chance to boost our own fruit and vegetable production, but also serves as an education tool for the school groups and tours who visit the mansion regularly.”
So just how much honey did the group harvest? According to Danny, nearly 12 gallons, or some 150 pounds. The honey, which was inspected and deemed “Grade A,” will be bottled and used at the mansion, given as gifts from the governor and first gentleman, and donated to local food banks.
Early on the morning of June 22, Danny Jaynes joined other WCBA members and Governor Bev Purdue to harvest honey from hives on the grounds of the Governor’s mansion in Raleigh. These hives are maintained by the mansion’s groundskeeper, and enjoy quite a buffet of flowering plants. Posted here are some pictures taken by WCBA members at the event.
