Haywood COUNTY CENTER
Bees and Beekeeping News
May 24, 2019
This month's meeting will be Tuesday, June 4, at 7:00PM, at the Haywood County Extension Center. The program this month will be on "Commercial Beekeeping," and presented by Dave Cowart.  If you have heard Dave speak before you know he is an engaging presenter. Make plans to attend, and bring a beekeeping friend!

Tulip Poplar Bloom
Tulip Poplar Flow Nearing End
The Tulip Poplar flow has so far been great and the hives I have seen are all make honey.  In order to help the bees dehydrate the nectar down to the 18.6% moisture level needed before they cap it, you can help them by increasing ventilation.  Beekeepers do this in a number of ways. The simplest is to place a small piece of gravel or a stick on top of the inner cover, lifting the telescoping cover slightly.  Another way is to place small twigs or popsicle sticks between the supers, again simply aiding in getting the moisture out of the hive.

NCSBA Names June Cooperative Extension Appreciation Month!
The following will appear in the summer 2019 edition of the Bee Buzz

The North Carolina State Beekeepers Association has officially declared
THE MONTH OF JUNE as COOPERATIVE EXTENSION APPRECIATION MONTH

The Smith-Lever Act of U.S. Congress established the Cooperative Extension Service in 1914, and the NC Agricultural Extension Service was founded soon thereafter operating in partnership with the state's land grant colleges (modern day NCSU in Raleigh and NC A & T Univ. in Greensboro).

Two short years later, in 1916, N.C. State Extension and the U.S. Department of Agriculture reached an agreement and a beekeeping...
Blooms Sequence Through the Year
We are soon coming to an end of the Tulip Poplar and Locust nectar flows.  Some of you will have a Basswood bloom that will produce a surplus honey flow, but it is somewhat dependent on just where you are in the county.  Other than that there isn't a nectar flow that will produce much if any surplus honey.  Therefore, if you have some garden space available, you may want to consider planting buckwheat.  This plant will quickly germinate and mature in 70-90 days producing a white flower that yields an abundance of nectar. 
Since most plantings are small you won't get a big honey surplus, but it will certainly give the bees something to visit and nectar to collect.  Buckwheat honey is a dark honey.  You can see a season long schedule of what blooms when here.
To learn more about buckwheat...
Women Owning Woodlands: Managing for Pollinators & Native Species
Join other woman landowners and land management professionals to grow your network and learn about:

-Importance of pollinators and native species
-Creating and enhancing pollinator habitat
-Financial and technical assistance programs

Program includes classroom-based programs and field tour.
   
Thursday, June 13, 2019
830 AM - 4:00 PM
Mountain Research Station
265 Test Farm Rd
Waynesville, NC 
Cost: $10

Registration is required by Friday, June 7. Cost for the workshop is $10, and includes lunch and materials. Limited scholarships are available for those that need financial assistance to attend.  Space is limited so register early!

This workshop is supported by Renewable Resources Extension Act funding form the USDA Institute of Food and Agriculture.
NC State University and N.C. A&T State University work in tandem, along with federal, state and local governments, to form a strategic partnership called N.C. Cooperative Extension.