Hello Beekeepers, Members and Friends,

I’d like to thank our members for entrusting me with the club presidency for a second year. I’m looking forward to continuing to build our membership and activities to better serve beekeepers across the three counties.

I encourage you to join or renew your TCBA membership for 2023. You can do so online at https://toecanebeekeepers.net/join/. Of course, we’ll continue to accept checks via mail or at meetings. Despite inflation, we’ve kept membership at $10 for individual or $15 for family.

Joining the club has many benefits, not the least of which is a chance to enjoy the fellowship of beekeepers in this area. Members also can use the club’s honey extractor equipment and enjoy many educational opportunities via speakers at meetings and hands-on clinics.

The executive board has lots of great plans for the coming season including new speakers for all levels of beekeepers, mentoring opportunities, hands-on training, multiple educational programs, and special events like the Black Jar Honey Contest and Members-Only Picnic.

NCSBA Spring Meeting

Our state beekeeping organization, the North Carolina Beekeepers Association, of which we are a chapter, has opened registration for their spring conference. It will be in Monroe, N.C., outside Charlotte. You can register online.

You can save $15 off the $60 meeting cost if you are a member of the NCSBA, so consider joining or renewing your membership in the state association as well.

On the subject of the NCSBA, you may have received a direct appeal from President Doug Vinson to support the new apiculture laboratory at NC State as well as the endowed professorship in support of the lab. The NCSBA’s “$10 Challenge Program” asks members to send an additional $10 with their membership dues to help meet the goals of the lab and professorship. Contributing will help finance continued beekeeping research at NC State. As a club, Toe Cane Beekeepers Association already has contributed $500 to this effort, but individual contributions are also appreciated.

Bee Health

Finally, Appalachian State University has asked us to publicize a survey they are conducting about good beekeeping practices and disease management. If you have five minutes, consider taking this online survey. All responses are confidential.

This is an excellent time of year to consider oxalic acid vaporization treatments for varroa mites. Educate yourself on best practices for controlling varroa mites by visiting one of the best overall educational websites the Honey Bee Health Coalition and its Varroa Management Guide.

Best wishes to you, your families and your bees during the holiday season,

Ed Geouge
President