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 for the October meeting were emailed earlier this week, with a few paper copies available at the meeting. October minutes were approved.
Treasurer, Julia Brown:
The treasurer’s report was emailed earlier this week, with a few paper copies at the meeting. The report was approved.
We still need a Treasurer for 2020. Please see Doug or Sara if you are interested.
Program Chair, Mickey Hollar:
Our next meeting on December 19 will be our holiday party. We have reservations have been made at the Captains Galley in Granite Falls. The address is 4345 Hickory Blvd.
For our January 16 meeting, Seth Nagy, our Caldwell County Extension Agent, is organizing a special program for us. It will include one of Dr. David Tarpy’s NCSU BEES programs that are normally available for a fee on line. Due to the required electronic communications, that meeting will be held at the Caldwell County Library in Conference Room #6.
Please talk to Ron Cifu if you have ideas for speakers for next year.
Vice President, Tracey Carriker:
Tracey was not present at the meeting.
President, Doug Galloway:
Robert Smilth is home and recovering well from his burns. He did not sustain any damage to his lungs or eyes.
We are now officially incorporated as a 501c3 nonprofit with the state of North Carolina, and in the process of receiving that status with the IRS. When this process is completed, donations to the club will be tax deductible.
Please support your local bee businesses. In addition to Linda and H.S., there is a new bee store, King Bee, open in Morganton, owned by a member of the Burke County Beekeepers.
An update from the State Board: for 2020, the GAP program will be awarding $300 to any club that qualifies.
Committee Reports:
Beginner’s Bee School:
Next year’s Beginners Bee School will be February 15, 20, and 22. The cost will be going up to $75, including materials and membership in NCSBA and our chapter. We will again be using the book Beekeeping for Dummies, 4th edition.
Old Business:
No other old business.
New Business:
No other new business.
7:00 — Guest Speaker: Emily Trescott – “Cleaning Wax and Making Quality Candles”
Emily is a fourth-generation beekeeper, and she spoke with some additional comments from her father, Tim Trescott. The family ran a commercial migratory beekeeping operation until they were wiped out by tracheal mites in the late 80s, at which point they switched to a business built on rendering beeswax. They have developed a process for reclaiming useable beeswax from slumgum. (Slumgum is the sticky black mess left over after ordinary home rendering of old comb.) They will buy slumgum in any quantity. They cook the slumgum under pressure in boiling water, which causes the trash to sink and the wax to float where it can be skimmed off. It takes four to six hours to force all the wax out of a batch of slumgum, and the final waste product looks like compressed dirt.
After giving us an overview of their business, Emily turned to offering advice for home candlemaking. She reviewed the advantages of beeswax over paraffin: paraffin is a petroleum product, while beeswax is hypoallergenic, slow-burning, and releases negative ions which help to clean the air. She suggests always using wax that has been refined to remove the propolis, as propolis sticks to the wicks and causes sputtering. An old tee-shirt can be used to filter wax. Additionally, she advises using 100% cotton, square-braided wicks, and avoiding wicks with zinc cores.
Presto pots are good for melting wax. Beeswax melts at 150ºF and should be poured into molds at 165-170ºF. Overheated wax will burn and is more likely to stick to a mold. Never leave a burning candle unattended—Emily shared a story of scorching her worktable while learning that first-hand. A good place to shop for supplies is www.candlewic.com.
At the end of her talk, Emily offered a variety of candles, rendered wax blocks, and complete candlemaking kits for sale.
Meeting adjourned at 7:20
31 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
Dec 19: Annual Christmas Dinner at Captains Galley in Granite Falls
2020 Chapter Meetings/Tentative Schedule of Speakers
Jan 16: Seth Nagy presents a video from Dr. Tarpy’s BEES program
**location change, January: Caldwell County Library, Conference Room #6**
Feb 20:
March 19:
April 16:
May 21:
June 18:
July 16:
August 20:
September 17:
October 15:
November 19:
December 17: Holiday Party
Caldwell County Beekeepers Class 2020
Feb 15, 20, 22