Come hear our own, sage PN Williams present...

Integrated Pest Management for VARROA DESTRUCTOR,

   Keep your eyes open!  Don't be surprised if you see a fall swarm or two this late in the year.  Check out this site for a great video on Hiving a Swarm found on a low tree branch using a tilted board.

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   The 2010 Eastern Apicultural Society's (EAS) Annual Short Course & Conference just concluded on Aug 6th, in Boone, North Carolina.  It was a huge program held across the challenging campus of Appalachian State University.  While the program got off to somewhat of a rough (disorganized) start on Monday, it went on to provide very interesting presentations and debates, as well as microscopy and apiary demonstrations, by national beekeeping celebrities, noteworthy researchers/academics, and local NC Master Beekeepers throughout the rest week.

   Monday through Wednesday held the two Short Course tracks (Beginning and Advanced), and Wednesday through Friday held the actual Conference.  Vendors in attendance included Walter T. Kelley, Brushy Mountain, Better Bee, Dadant, and Rossman Apiaries, among others.  Also on Wednesday, Brushy Mountain hosted workshops, tours and a bar-be-que night repleat with a whole hog on the pit and a blue grass band on the site of their factory, store and apiary (pics below, courtesy of Linda Tillman of Linda's Bees).

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Mourning the loss of one of our own... Jon Peacock, 78, of Morrow, GA, died June 23, 2010 at Emory Hospital following complications from open-heart surgery.  Jon was a past President, Newsletter Editor, and Board of Directors member of the Tara Beekeepers Association, as well as the club's "1992 Beekeeper of the Year."  Many of you will recognize Jon's smiling face from the Tara Beekeepers' Christmas parties over the years, which he regularly attended with high spirits.  Jon was a 12-year veteran and reservist of the US Navy.  He served the public as a gunsmith in his Imperial & King George Gun Repair Shop. He was active in the Morrow First United Methodist Church and the Boy Scouts of America.  He was an venturous traveler, prolific reader, cultivator of friendships and protector of animals.

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   I hope that you didn't miss our annual picnic outing on Saturday, June 19th!  For any of you who couldn't be there, you missed plenty of food, fun & games on a beautiful summer day at the Reynolds Nature Preserve.  Along with the fried chicken and ice-cold drinks, there was a colorful menagerie of pot luck side dishes and tasty desserts.  The winners of the smoker and hive-lift contests, among other games, picked from a varied assortment of available beekeeping prizes.  We owe a special thanks to the club's President & Secretary, Gary & Linda Cook for their hard work in bringing it all together. 

 

   Look out!  It's almost time for the Georgia Beekeepers Association's next semi-annual meeting.  On September 17-18, 2010, the GBA Fall Meeting is going to be in Callaway Gardens (Pine Mountain, GA - only 1.5 hours from Atlanta, down I-85 S).  The fantastic line up of speakers includes Larry Connor (author of "Increase Essentials" & "Queen Rearing Essentials," among others) and Debbie Delaney.  The dirt-cheap, $45 fee includes two days of meetings, lectures, AND your 2011 GBA membership dues... What a deal!  Don't miss it - bee there!!!  :-)

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   The Tara Beekeepers Association's Fall Beekeeping Short Course for Beginners will be on Saturday, October 16, 2010 from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm at the Reynolds Nature Preserve, 5665 Reynolds Road, Morrow, GA 30260. Click on Events for more information and specific instructions for registration.