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| PRESIDENTS LETTER KERRY OWEN MAY 3RD. 2010 Well all the “CHITTER CHATTER” we’ve been discussing at schools and bee meetings is starting to make more sense now. It always helps to see it in person and in fact it really helps to refresh our minds from time to time ourselves and practice what we preach. We all strive to be great beekeepers however the bees can show us quickly how much they are in charge. This time of year the good ones are boiling over with bees and the lousy ones need to go - so you can drop a swarm in the box. The Poplar, Vetch, Blackberries and clovers are in bloom and the privet is on the way. The healthy overwintered colonies are finishing up their first super and blocking the queen downstairs if you don’t need the honey you can leave it on for now to keep the queen from laying eggs in the honey super. I wish I could do that but I only have 2 supers for each hive so I have to extract as soon as the bees cap the honey. I believe you should have at least 3 supers for each hive just in case you hit the jackpot. So in other words looks like I won’t be ready for the jackpot honey flow. Oh well, anyway the bees look good so I got the first part right this time. Let’s get together and discuss our fun adventures of beekeeping at the next Pickens County Beekeepers Association meeting May 13th 2010 at the Farm Bureau building on Hwy 178. Keith Boley will be in charge of the refreshments and I “bet cha” he brings KFC. So be there about 6:30 so we can eat before we start the meeting at 7:00 PM. Howard Hillar will be speaking on pesticides and chemicals and such and he has a great deal of experience in this field being a County Extension agent. We will all gain a great deal of important information so please come if you can. This meeting will also give an answer question session for the new beekeepers that may need your advice. See you at the meeting and bee well. Kerry |