2011 WORKSHOPS AND OTHER EVENTS
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We occasionally have workshops open to all who are interested. The workshops are often at a member's home and usually focus on some aspect of hive management while we examine the member's colonies. They are always interesting. Please join us!
Other events include educational affairs at local festivals and farmers markets and the occasional bee removal. Also included in these pages are documentation of some of the visits of members to their own colonies.
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08 OCTOBER 2011 MULE DAY FESTIVAL
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Our second trip to Mule Day was again an exciting event. Our tent turned out to be by itself because we needed electricity for Betty Ward to demonstrate how to make skin cream. This turned out to our advantage in that we could handle larger numbers of persons in a more relaxed atmosphere than when we have been closely nestled amongst other exhibitors along a Midway.
Once again the opportunity to taste various flavors of honey was a draw to our tent. Most had at best only a vauge knowledge of different honeys and were amazed to learn about the range of their colors and tastes. Then of course they wanted to know how we knew from what flowers the honey was made. An excellent introduction to beekeeping.
This year Gordon 'Tick' Bufford brought his observation hive and it turned out to be a hit with both young and old. Carol Williamson, Betty Ward, and Agatha Coggins, among others, helped at the hive. Don Williamson specialized in helping young persons into helmet and veil.
Members who helped with logistics and/or staffing included: Carol and Don Williamson, Tick Bufford, Tony Sheppard, Glenn Galau, Betty Ward, Wanda O'Callaghan, Duncan Gannon, Agatha Coggins and Doc Spears.
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Photos by Glenn Galau © 2011
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12 SEPTEMBER 2011 CLUB'S ENTRY IN THE STATE HONEY SHOW
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The Georgia Beekeepers Association held its fall meeting on September 10-12, 2011 at the Henry County Extension Office in McDonough, GA.
The high point of the event for our members at the meeting was The Club's entry in the State Honey Show's category of 'Local Club Display'. Contributors to the display included Betty Ward, Carol Williamson, Don Williamson, Wanda O'Callaghan, Patrick Phelps, Gregg Hudson, Duncan Gannon, and Gray. Although the Display may look somewhat small, rest assured a lot of work went into its design and construction and we thank our members for representing our Club in such a fantastic style. Shown below are (top) Wanda and Betty and (bottom) Gray and Carol. Gray is holding the tangible fruits of The Club's efforts, an Award of Merit. One more recognition of our Club and its impact on local beekeeping. Thanks to all who were involved!
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21 MAY 2011 MARIGOLD FESTIVAL
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The Oglethorpe County Bee Club once again had a full exhibit at the Marigold Festival in Winterville GA on 21 May 2011, this being our third outing at this event. Eleven members participated. We sold 52 bottles of honey and 30 people signed our guest book. Honey tasting was again a popular activity. We thought it a successful educational and recruiting event.
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Photos by Glenn Galau © 2011
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29 APRIL 2011 FARM DAY
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The Oglethorpe County Bee Club attended Farm Day at the Oglethorpe County Extension Service Facility. Carol Williamson and Glenn Galau gave a six-minute talk and demonstration to each of about eight groups of young children. Other demonstrators included Rayle Electric Cooperative, the Georgia Forestry Commission, goat herders, dairy owners and others.
The children wanted to touch everything: the laminated photos, the smoker, and especially frames of new and drawn foundation. They were remarkably polite with each other as the items were slowly passed around with too little time for everyone to fondle each of the items.
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Photo by Glenn Galau © 2011
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20 MARCH 2011 WORKSHOP
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Not all goes well with keeping bees. About eight persons examined a colony in Hull which had died during the winter from lack of honey. No honey had been left on the hive for winter; rather a large top feeder with sugar water was in place. For some reason the placement of hardware cloth, normally used to help prevent bees from drowning in the water, had been misplaced so that the bees could not get to the sugar water.
There were two strange patterns in some of the comb. One had extensive circular resection suggestive of something eating the wax and several had linear removal of comb. The hive had a novel set of beetle traps, which showed some evidence of being useful.
Several supers containing frames spun out for honey had been left in the open near the colony last summer for the bees to clean out. Because these were out in the open, as expected they had not been invaded by wax moths. Still, nice to see when things work as advertized.
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Photos by Glenn Galau © 2011
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27 FEBRUARY 2011 WORKSHOP
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A workshop was held on 27 February in Lexington to examine two colonies which had been started last year and most recently visited on 31 January as described in the workshop below. Thirteen people attended, the weather was perfect, and only two persons were stung a single time each. This was the first experience with bees for several in the group.
Honey was being capped and pollen stored in new and old comb. There was capped brood in the bottom hive bodies in a good pattern. There were few, if any, hive beetles.
An excellent introduction for novices, and there were several extended conversations between experienced and less experienced beekeepers before breaking up after nearly two hours together.
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Photos by Glenn Galau © 2011
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31 JANUARY 2011 WORKSHOP
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A workshop was held on 31 January in Lexington to examine two colonies which had been started last year. The weather was predicted a day earlier to be good enough for a brief visit. Attendance was low because of the late notice, but Jim and Agatha managed to get down to the lowest deep hive box of one of the colonies where they discovered open and capped brood, indicating a laying queen. Honey was obviously being collected and stored in the upper suppers of both colonies. Both were judged to be strong.
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Photos by Glenn Galau © 2011
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22 JANUARY 2011 BEEKEEPING FAIR
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"Have you ever thought about keeping honeybees or would you like to learn more about them? If so, the Beekeeping Fair is for you. At the Fair you will learn about honeybees, beekeeping equipment, honey production, and using beeswax. Come taste the many kinds of honey. Brochures, catalogues, refreshments, and door prizes. Presented by the Oglethorpe County Bee Club. For information, contact Carol Williamson at beeclub@ocbeeclub.org or call Agatha Coggins at (551) 208-0720." - From ads in several media
As suggested at our last meetings, members of OCBC put together a Beekeeping Fair at the Oglethorpe County Library from 9:00 am to 12 noon. Ads announcing the Fair ran in the The Oglethorpe Echo and the library listed it on its Web site. It was intended for people who are interested in becoming beekeepers and a chance for beekeepers to exchange ideas and knowledge. There were at least forty visitors and many stayed much longer than they had intended. The main attraction turned out to be Don Williamson's Top Bar Hive, but members at most of the tables were busy all morning. We thank all the members and friends who made this event possible.
Among the displays and activites:
Greeting and registration for door prizes; Literature and catalogs (Agatha Coggins)
Equipment, including smoker, hive tool, parts of a Langstroth Hive (Duncan Gannon and Patrick Phelps)
The Top Bar Hive, an attractive alternative to the Langstroth Hive (Don Williamson)
Clothing, veils and gloves (Wanda O'Callaghan)
Honey tasting table; how to extract and bottle honey (Gray)
Honey Jars and Containers (Frank Alexander, Inmark Corporation)
Hive Products, including wax, cream and candles (Betty Ward)
Copies of First Lessons in Beekeeping by Dr. Keith Delaplane for sale (Betty Ward)
Everything about bees (Carol Williamson)
The ocbeeclub.org website and its resources (Glenn Galau)
Refreshment table including coffee, orange juice, water and doughnuts ('Doc' Spears)
Greg Derda and Gregg Hudson helped throughout and several other members stopped by during the Fair
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Our thanks also to the following for their contributions to the Fair:
Bells Food Store
Brushy Mountain Bee Farm
Duncan Gannon
GloryBee Foods
Goodness Grows, Inc.
Heaven's Honey Harvest
Hidden Lake Farm
Mills Farm
The Oglethorpe Echo
Oglethorpe Feed & Farm Supply
Rossman Apiaries, Inc.
Rotary Club of Oglethorpe County
Wildwood Farm
Winterville Frames
Wolfskin Growers
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Photos by Glenn Galau © 2011
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JANUARY 2011 "SWEETNESS & LIGHT" EXHIBIT
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Please visit this professionally mounted and informative exhibit through January at the Oglethorpe County Library. They are in the display cabinet in the foyer and in a free-standing 360-degree exhibit case in the main reading room. Carol Williamson and Betty Ward assembled it using materials of their own and donations of items from Wanda O'Callaghan and with graphic art support from Don Williamson of Winterville Frames. Many of its items are used at local festivals in which the OCBC has a tent. This exhibit is definitely worth a special visit to the Library! While you are there, look for Library holdings about beekeeping and let us know what you think it needs. Our mission is primarily educational and providing materials to local libraries is certainly one way to help accomplish it.
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Photos by Glenn Galau © 2011
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