Meeting Calendar
Our Next Meeting
Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
Knox County Beekeepers Association 2023 New Location
New Day 1st Thursday of the Month
(Monthly meetings are at First United Methodist Church 3316 Kingston Pike Knoxville TN 37919 unless noted on schedule or announced at previous monthly meeting.)
Knox County Meetings in Green
February 5, 2024
Neranza Blount will show her encaustic paintings and has slides to show the process. It involves melting beeswax and adding pigments and painting with the liquid. The second speaker is Chris Davis, commercial beekeeper (Strawberry Plains Honey Company) who will discuss some of the challenges he faces. Not sure which of the numerous challenges that he has will be discussed, but it should be a lively discussion.
March 4, 2024
Scott Venable from Pellissippi State Community College will be discussing his research at the school's bee yard.
April 1, 2024
Robin Arnold (Arnold Honeybee Services) will discuss queen rearing and splits.
May 6, 2024
Joe Stocker will be our presenter. He will bring power point presentations and invite members to request aspects of some areas and devote the meeting to main topics which suit us.
Separately, the club will have booth space at the Honor Fountain City Day on Memorial Day May 27th at technically Fountain City Lake Park or the duck pond for short. Mike Beal has been kind to sponsor the club's entry. We need some volunteers to help set up at 8 am and take down after 4 pm. The hours are 9 to 4. Members of the club are invited to bring bee related items for sale such as honey, bees wax candles, craft items related to bees and bee keeping. The club has educational items to show to the general public, so beekeepers from the club can help explain to the visitors to the booth the importance of this industry.
June 3, 2024
We are fast approaching the end of the spring nectar flow, so be thinking about harvesting honey and cappings. Our featured speaker is Monica Hackett who will be speaking about all things related to wax. She will cover preparation of wax for use in a wide variety of applications: candles and cosmetics, lip balms etc. Burts Bees products began from a humble start to become big business. Hope you will make it to learn her techniques for refining wax and beyond.
See you Monday at 7
July 1
Come join us for a discussion of practical honey harvesting. Requirements for labelling and sale. Wax collection. Moisture content measurement. Etc.
With the honey supers off it is a good time to measure mite load and discuss treatment options. Good reviews for new and experienced beekeepers.
Thursday August 1st,
First United Methodist Church, 3316 Kingston Pike, will be our annual picnic. It will start a little earlier at
6:30 pm
in the fellowship hall. Please bring a side dish or dessert. It is on the lower level so the entrance to it is from the rear of the building. Many of the club members may be familiar with the building as we have used it over the years when displaced by early voting.
Thursday September 5th,
First United Methodist Church, 3316 Kingston Pike
We will discuss management of hives through fall honey flow and early winter. Assessing health and food stores. Be aware as the queen slows down and there is scant brood it is a good time to use the club's oxalic acid vaporizer to attack Varroa. Mites under the brood cappings are spared so a second treatment about a week later is recommended. As last year we had sign up sheets and $20 fee for two treatments assuming you are treating 2-4 hives, we are not reserving for large operations.
October will be the new beekeepers short course, I will have sign-ups for topic areas plus for Beardsley 2025.
Our class of Beardsley 2024 will present their individual perspectives on new beekeeping.
Lynda will be accepting fair entries Thursday Sept 5 from noon to 7 pm at the Jacobs building at Chilhowie Park. Please consider volunteering to man the honey booth during the fair. Lynda will have sign-ups for time slots and a limited number of tickets and parking passes for those who help as volunteers.
Thursday October 3rd
New and future beekeepers come to an introductory short course Thursday October 3rd at 7 pm.
First United Methodist Church 3316 Kingston Pike 37919. We will cover aspects of starting, acquiring bees, equipment, protective gear, and hive placement on your land. Our association has an instructional apiary (bee yard) at Beardsley Gardens where supervision and hands on mentoring take place for the first spring/summer season in your new hive. By the end of the summer you will experience the handling not only of your own bees but that of fellow classmates. We have room for about 20 so be sure to attend and get signed up if you catch the “bug” to raise honeybees.
Thursday November 7th
Phil Haar, Knox County Extension Agent, and beekeeper will discuss fall assessment of hive health and things to do to insure winter survival. Also we will have sign-ups for the club oxalic acid vaporizer. Two treatments about a week apart after the queen slacks off laying eggs so little capped brood is the best time. November to early January should work. Rental is $20 for the two treatments for up to 4 hives including the oxalic acid. You get the vaporizer for the day x2, not the week so others have access.
Something else we might consider as a club is a gift to the church (since it is rent free to us to use the space). Would club members be willing to donate a jar of honey for sale in the church narthex at $1/oz, so 1 lb of honey for $16. The sale of the honey would go to the church coffers. If we could get about 20 jars that would make a little over $300 for our contribution back for the space. If you can contribute bring it to the November meeting.
Jumping ahead the December meeting is a potluck so we meet at 6:30 instead of 7. There will be a dirty Santa drawing of gifts so bring a wrapped gift (under $20) to join in. Plus we will take time to get better acquainted with some friendly get to know you games.
