6:30 President, Doug Galloway, gave the invocation and started the meeting. New members and visitors introduced themselves briefly and were welcomed.
Officer’s Reports
Secretary, Sara Kennedy:
Minutes from March were emailed earlier this week, with a few paper copies available at the meeting. March minutes were approved.
The swarm list on our website has been updated. Please let Sara or Tracey if you want to be added or removed, or if your information needs to be updated.
Treasurer, Julia Brown:
The treasurer’s report was emailed earlier this week, with a few paper copies available at the meeting. The treasurer’s report was approved.
Program Chair, Mickey Hollar:
Next month’s speaker will be Master Beekeeper Bryan Fisher, talking about making splits.
Leo Sharashkin will be speaking about vertical hives at the Mother Earth News Fair in Asheville on April 27.
Vice President, Tracey Carriker:
GAP forms were handed out to everybody present. You can put multiple activities on a single form, and the GAP committee will organize them later. If you received a form at the meeting, please note that the contact person listed is out of date. Please turn these forms in to Tracey. If you weren’t at the meeting or would like another copy, please let Tracey know.
President, Doug Galloway:
We are still looking for a candidate (or candidates) to take on the presidency starting in 2020, and Doug would like to have them shadow him for the remainder of the year to assist in a smoother transition. Please contact Doug if you are interested.
Old Business:
Support your local bee businesses! Eddie Hicks still has nucs available for this year; Robert Smith has queens. H.S. Greene has sold out of packages for this year but still has equipment. His new store is now open 8-5 Monday-Friday and 8-12 Saturday. Linda Moretz is selling equipment by appointment.
As a reminder, we are donating a basket of honeybee related items for the Silent Auction at the NCSBA Summer Conference. Proceeds from the Silent Auction go to support Dr. Tarpy’s lab. If you have an item you wish to contribute, please bring it to a meeting and give it to either Doug or Tracey.
Remember to please contact your state congressperson in support of House Bill 334, which will provide $2 million in funding to replace and upgrade Dr. Tarpy’s lab and support his continuing bee research. You can find your representative and their contact information at ncleg.gov.
New Business:
Mary Jaynes is recovering well from her surgery, and the oncology / pathology report was good news.
Bud Faw had multiple bypass surgery and is recovering at home. He would enjoy visitor and calls. He will be downsizing his bee operation and may be selling equipment.
Iron Horse Auctions is holding an online auction of Brushy Mountain’s remaining equipment. Most of their inventory was picked up by Mann Lake, so the auction is what was left over.
The Catawba Valley chapter has invited us to their May meeting, where Lynn Williams will be speaking on the Mighty Bee Mite Killer, as new heat-based treatment for varroa. The meeting is at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, May 20, at the Catawba County Agricultural Resources Center. 1175 South Brady Avenue in Newton. If there is sufficient interest, we can arrange a carpool.
Starting in June, we will have a new meeting location. We will be at the United Presbyterian Church, 415 Pennell Street, NE, Lenoir. Thanks to the efforts to Danny and Mary Jaynes and Patrick and John Muldoon, the church as agreed to allow us to use their Multi-Purpose room for our meetings on a donation basis. We need to discuss how we will handle the donation. Two ideas are $25 per meeting, or half of each month’s bucket donations. This will be discussed further at the May meeting. We will be back at Blue Ridge Energy for May.
7:00 — Guest Speaker: Dr. James Nieland, Chiropractor at Family Chiropractic in Wilkesboro, “Health Lifting for Beekeepers and Health Benefits of Honey”
Dr. Nieland began with an overview of the health benefits of honey and other products of the hive. Honey can increase energy, regulate blood sugar, boost immune systems, aid in wound healing, boost memory, improve sleep, improve respiration, improve epithelial tissue, and may have anti-cancer effects. Royal Jelly can regulate blood pressure, reduce symptoms of PMS, ease allergy symptoms, and is probiotic.
He then transitioned to taking care of ourselves so that we can take care of our bees. He spoke of the importance of exercise and stretching, getting enough sleep, correct posture, good nutrition and hydration. He recommends drinking ½ your body weight in ounces of water daily—i.e. a 150 lb person should drink 75 ounces (just over 9 cups) of water each day.
He then focused on safe lifting. Remember that full supers and hive bodies are HEAVY. Basic lifting technique means turning to face the object, standing you’re your feet shoulder-width apart, bending your knees and not your back, keeping the weight close to your body and between your shoulders and waist, keeping your shoulders back to engage the postural muscles that protect the spine (and the shoulders), and lifting slowly and smoothly. Avoid lifting and twisting at the same time; to move an item, move your feet, not your waist or spine. Use the right tools to help you. Consider getting a back brace—Lowes carries some, but be sure to get one that fits both your height and your girth.
He touched on some special circumstances specific to beekeeping. If you work on a slope, keep the weight centered over your downhill leg. If lifting supers from above the height of your shoulders, do not arch backwards. Keep your head in a neutral position and lift through your shoulders, while keeping the weight close to your body.
He recommended a few stretches/exercises that can be done daily:
-Starting on your hands and knees, lift one leg and the opposite arm to horizontal. Repeat 30-50 times on each side.
-Hold the top of a pushup (plank) for 30 seconds. To make this easier, drop to your knees but keep a straight line from shoulders to knees. To make it more challenging, stay on your toes but drop to your forearms.
-Sit on your feet, then bend at the waist, stretch your arms forwards, and bring your head toward the ground (child’s pose). Slowly walk both hands from side to side.
-Sit in a chair and bring one knee towards the opposite shoulder.
Lastly, he reminded us that there is a hive for every body. If the Langstroth hive is too much lifting for you, consider Warré, vertical, or top-bar hive designs.
If you would like a copy of the slides from Dr. Nieland’s talk, please let Doug know.
Meeting Adjourned at 8:00.
34 people in attendance, including visitors and children.
Minutes submitted by Sara Kennedy, Secretary
Upcoming Events:
Future Chapter Meetings at 6:30 pm:
2019 Chapter Meetings/Tentative Schedule of Speakers
May 16: Bryan Fisher / Splits – Blue Ridge Energy
June 20: Dr. Bill Herring / Anaphylactic Shock
July 25: TBD (Note date change because of EAS)
Aug 15: Annual Picnic
Sept 19: Emily Trescot / Wax Comb and Candles
Oct 17: Robert Smith / How to Build Affordable Woodenware/Sizes
Nov 21: Debbie Mitchell
Dec 19: Annual Christmas Dinner
Caldwell County Beekeepers Class 2019
Practical Test June 22, weather permitting
Future Conference Meeting
Eastern Apiculture Society Meeting from July 15 -19, in Greenville SC
Summer 2019 NCSBA Meeting, August 8-10 in Hickory NC.