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The Stinger - Newsletter of the Alabama Beekeepers Association

August 2017

August 2017

Newsletter of the Alabama Beekeepers Association

Inside This Issue

Letter from the President — by David Ellis

Letter from the Secretary — by Susan Ellis

Letter from the Vice-President — by Bill Evans

Letter from the Treasurer — by Bonnie Funderburg

Season of the Swarm (part 3) — by Geoff Williams and Jack Rowe

Regional Beekeeping Organizations Updated—by Jerry Carter

Local Club News — by Patti Butler

2017 Nominations Committee for Election of Officers and

Board of Directors on page 11

Annual Meeting Registration Form on page 16...Register be-

fore September 10th and save!!!


June 2017

Here we are, August, the hottest time

of the year in Alabama. Believe it or not it will

soon be time to get our hives ready for winter.

Before we know it, we will be extracting the

last of the nectar flow as the Goldenrod and

Asters complete their blooming. Just make

sure to leave enough food stores for the ladies

to make it through the winter and hopefully

into the spring.

Next month, September 22 and 23, we

will be meeting in Clanton for our annual

meeting. Bill Evans has been hard at work get-

ting everything lined-up, planned out, and ready for a successful meeting.

This past year has been a busy one. I have visited many area clubs

throughout the state and have plans on visiting even more in the coming weeks.

I recently visited Tri-County Beekeepers Club in Vernon, Alabama, just 3 miles

from the Mississippi state line. It was a special night as they were celebrating

their first year of being a club. Patti Butler presented the founding members

with certificates and thanked them for their dedication in helping to make the

club grow and be the success that it is in that part of the state.

I hope everyone is planning on attending the state meeting. Please,

make sure to pre-register. This helps us to ensure that we have enough food,

drinks, handouts, seating, etc. for everyone to enjoy during the meeting. See

you at the meeting!

David Ellis

President, Alabama Beekeepers Association

Letter from the President

David Ellis

Letter From The Secretary

It is hard to believe that next month will be our annual state meeting in

Clanton. I certainly hope that everyone has marked their calendar for Friday and

Saturday, September 22 and 23 for this year’s meeting. I have been working

with Bonnie on some projects for the meeting and I think that you will enjoy the

results. Looking forward to seeing you in Clanton.

Susan Ellis

Secretary, Alabama Beekeepers Association


August 2017

Letter from the Vice President

Planning for the ABA Fall

Conference is nearing completion (Thank

Goodness!). All of the auditorium speakers

and all of the classroom speakers have been

selected and they have committed. A major

change in the schedule this year is that all

three classrooms will be devoted to

instruction and honey judging will be in a

separate, secure room.

There will be six one-hour sessions

on Friday, September 22nd and five one-hour

sessions on Saturday, September 23rd. That

allows eleven hours of auditorium presentations and 33 hours of classroom

presentations. With a total of 33 classroom hours available over the two days,

most topics presented on Friday will be repeated on Saturday, so if there is a

conflict regarding which classes you want to attend, you will get a second

chance.

Topics range from things of interest to beginning beekeepers to the

most experienced among us. Speakers have been selected for both their

expertise and their presentation skills, so that every hour will be enjoyable and

worthwhile for you.

In an effort to encourage more registrations, Bonnie and I are working

with our webmaster, Bob Fanning, to make the registration and payment process

fast and easy with both being completed online – no “mail-in” required. There

will be a “fillable” registration form with a link for you to make your secured

payment by credit card.

We hope that the 2017 ABA Fall Conference will set a new record for

attendance, so please help support your association and broaden your

beekeeping knowledge and skills. We hope to see you there!!!

Bill

ABA Vice-President

Bill Evans


June 2017

It has been a busy couple of months for

me, trying to get all this calendar information

put together.

Now I can start thinking about the

annual meeting. This two day annual event is a

must. If you have never been before this is your

chance to meet beekeepers from all across the

state. It is your chance to meet in person the

suppliers from bee supply companies both here

in Alabama and across the U.S We will have

two days of classes, plenty of vendor and fellowship time and lots of food. For

$45 your registration fee covers you for both days, two continental breakfasts,

two lunches and a banquet for Friday night. I hope to see you there. A

registration form is in this Stinger or can be found online at

www.alabamabeekeepers.com.

As usual, we are asking those who will, to bring a dessert to the

meeting. We usually serve cookies and brownies , something small like that

with Friday’s lunch and then cakes, pies, etc. at our other two meals. So

whatever dessert you bring will be used. Last year we had exactly enough to

cover our meals. Thank you to all those that made that possible. See you in

September.

Bonnie Funderburg

ABA Treasurer

Bonnie Funderburg

Letter from the Treasurer

Alabama Beekeepers Association 2017 Fall Conference &

Annual Meeting Friday & Saturday, September 22nd and 23rd

As in the past few years, the 2017 meeting of the Alabama Beekeepers

Association will be held at the Clanton Conference and Performing Arts Center

in Clanton, Alabama. Bill Evans, our program chairman this year, has arranged

for some really good speakers: Dr. Jim Tew, retired from Ohio State University,

is a Honey Bee Specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Dr.

Geoff Williams is Assistant Professor of Insect Pollination & Apiculture at

Auburn University, Jennifer Berry is the Laboratory and Apiary Manager at the

University of Georgia Honey Bee program, Dr. Kristi Crowe-White is a


August 2017

Professor in the Department of Human Nutrition & Hospitality Management at

the University of Alabama, Dr. John Hurst retired as an obstetrician and he now

keeps and researches honey bees, Randy Hamann, Wes Caudle and John

Mynyard are Apiary Inspectors with the Alabama Department of Agriculture &

Industries.

Along with these speakers we will have several Alabama Beekeepers

teaching classroom sessions or doing workshops. There will definitely be

something for everyone, beekeepers and non-beekeepers alike. There will be

classes for beginners and for those who have been keeping bees for a while, as

well.

The following is a list of motels in the Clanton area. The addresses and

exit information will be on the Alabama Beekeepers website:

www.alabamabeekeepers.com. Holiday Inn Express, 205-280-1880; Best

Western, 205-280-1006; Key West Inn, 205-755-8500; Days Inn 205-755-

2420; Scottish Inn, 205-251-1962; and Inn of Clanton, 205-280-0306.

Your registration fee will feed you both days, continental breakfasts;

Friday lunch, Friday evening banquet, and Saturday lunch.

We will have several vendors at the meeting, usually five of our major

vendors come, The Kelley Beekeeping Co., Rossman Apiaries, Mann Lake,

Dadant from High Springs, FL and Brushy Mountain and several other smaller

vendors. Keep a lookout on our website of the vendors that confirmed that they

will be coming. Our major vendors will bring your pre-ordered items to you

with little or no shipping cost. Mann Lake is unable to do this because they fly

here, but anytime you spend more than $100 with them, they offer free shipping

and they also have a dealer in Clanton, Chilton Feed & Seed.

We will also have our honey show with judging. The rules for items

you can enter will be on the website. There are various types of honey, candles,

beeswax products etc.

Our vice president, Bill Evans, will have some fabulous door prizes

valued at around $2,000. We will have some great meals at this event.

The most important thing you can do is register early. We need to

know how many are coming, how many to feed, how many chairs, how many

name tags, etc. With an anticipated crowd of four hundred, we cannot wait

until the last minute. Please register as soon as possible. The fee for two days

is $45 and for one day only is $25. If you register after September 8th, the fee

will be $55 for two days and $30 for one day.

Thanks. We are looking forward to another great meeting and to seeing

all of you there.


June 2017

Season of the Swarm – Part 3: OK Then, How Do I Stop This?

By William Rowe1 & Geoff Williams2

1The Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Fairhope 2Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn

Will you have to deal with a swarm at some point? Do bears poo in the woods?

But, by employing a few simple, yet effective management strategies you can keep swarming to a minimum, and perhaps even add a few colonies to your growing empire along the way.

There are two basic swarm prevention techniques that every beekeeper should employ:

1. Afford your colonies with room to grow (Fig. 1) – remember, congestion promotes swarming!

2. Head your colonies with young, productive queens (Fig. 2) – remember,

diminished queen pheromone promotes swarming too!

Even if you fervently employ both these strategies, one of your colonies will

invariably try to swarm at some point. The reasons for this vary. Perhaps you

didn’t provide enough room soon enough? Perhaps your new plump queen

wasn’t as productive as you first thought?

Because of this, it’s always important to regularly inspect your colonies to

Fig 1. These colonies in northern Alberta, Canada are fully supered in preparation for the nectar flow. Photo by G. Williams.


August 2017

gauge their status. The trick is to not visit them too much, or too little. Every

other day is certainly wayyyyy toooo much! Give your colonies room to

breathe, but also consider queen development. Colonies typically swarm a few

days before new queens emerge. Therefore, if you have a knack for spotting

queen cells, you can space your inspections 7-10 days apart during the height

of the swarming season, depending on your schedule. During your inspections,

keep your eyes open for signs of congestion and for those peanut-looking

queen cells. Consider lightly shaking or brushing some bees off the frame to

help with your inspection. Check for opened or sealed cells. Remember, they

typically occur on the bottom of the frame, but they can appear in the middle

too.

If you do see opened queen cells, inspect them for larvae and royal jelly (it’s a

white, shiny liquid) (Fig 3). If the cells are occupied, that means that new

queens are on their way. The colony feels strong enough to swarm! At this

stage, drastic steps are needed to prevent swarming. It’s time to take charge!

Fig. 2. This newly mated queen (the copulatory plug is marked by the blue arrow) should contain enough sperm to last several years. It’s generally recommended that beekeepers replace their queens every 2-3 years; however, beekeepers have recently reported the need to replace queens more frequently. Photo by G. Williams.

Fig. 3. Queen cells of

different stages that

have been cut from

a frame. The blue

arrows denote

uncapped queen

cells; each contains

a larva bathed in

royal jelly. Photo by

G. Williams.


June 2017

If you are looking for a big honey harvest, feel confident in your current queen

(you see lots of brood and capped cells), and the queen cells you find are

uncapped, you can give your colony a second chance by cutting the new queen

cells out. This will either delay swarming or, if you are extremely lucky, stop it

altogether. Make sure you simultaneously add a super to the colony to give your

bees room to grow. If you see queen cells about one week later, then it’s time to

seriously consider your next steps because THAT COLONY WANTS TO

SWARM.

Various methods for efficient swarm control exist. Most consider that the main

components of a colony are:

1. The queen

2. The brood

3. The flying bees (aka the foragers)

If any one of these elements is removed, then your colony’s urge to swarm

should subside.

Davis and Cullum-Kenyon of the British Beekeepers’ Association provide

excellent examples of how to perform different swarm control strategies in their

book. For example, you can:

Remove the queen – Place your original queen, along with some workers

(about 1-2 frames worth), into a nucleus hive containing empty frames. The

break in brood rearing will naturally depopulate your hive, and by doing so,

diminish the chances of swarming. Remove all but one or two healthy-

looking queen cells in your original hive so that a new queen can be

produced. If all goes well, your colony will produce a new queen in no

time. But, should this not happen, your original queen (in the nuc) will

serve as an insurance policy. If you’re nervous about using your fingers to

collect your queen, try one of the many queen catchers on the market. Make

sure that you keep a watchful eye on your little nuc to ensure it has enough

food and is tightly packed to protect against small hive beetle! This method

will still promote honey production in your original hive. Or...

Remove the brood – To simulate a natural swarming event, slide your hive

over to the side about 2 feet, and place a new empty hive box in its place.

Next, move a brood frame and your queen to the center of your new hive

box; fill up the remaining space in both your hives with empty frames, and

place any honey supers onto your new hive. Like in the previous section,

remove all but one or two healthy-looking queen cells in your original hive

so that a new queen can be produced. In the meantime, watch all your flying


August 2017

bees go to the new hive housing your original queen as they return from

their foraging trips. After 1 week, move your original hive about 2 feet to

the other side of your new hive. Again, watch all your foragers return to the

latter. This will help bolster its bee population. This is called the Pagden

Method, and will result in two colonies depleted of bees that are unlikely to

swarm. This will result in colony increase. Or...

Remove the flying bees – Shift your colony to one side by about 2 feet, and

replace it with a nuc box holding a queen and a few brood frames

containing nurses. These frames can be poached from other colonies,

whereas the queen could be one that you ordered or reared yourself. All

your foragers will quickly join the nuc, thereby depleting your original hive

just enough to prevent swarming. Alternatively, simply swap positions of

your soon to swarm colony with a relatively weak hive. This method will

promote honey production, and potentially also colony increase.

In addition to these methods, one can take a quick and dirty approach by

making a ‘split’ that divides up the resources of your hive (the brood, food, and

bees). You want to ensure that both boxes have frames with equal amounts of

eggs, brood, and bees, and that you have removed all queen cells in the nuc

containing your original queen. The other ‘queenless’ nuc should contain 2-3

opened, good-looking queen cells (cut everything else out), or no queen cells at

all if you plan to add an adult queen you purchased or reared. Be sure to place

frames appropriately, with those containing pollen adjacent to the brood, and

those containing honey frames on the outside. Then, insert enough new frames

with foundation to complete each box. Both nucs will be sufficiently

depopulated to prevent swarming. This method will promote colony increase.

As you can see, there are several ways to skin a cat (or prevent a swarm). Each

method has its benefits, such as promoting honey production or colony increase.

Each also requires practice! Decide what you plan to do before you arrive at the

apiary; this will make sure you are fully prepared and confident to do what you

need to do!

Further resources

• Davis, I. & Cullum-Kenyon, R. 2012. BBKA Guide to Beekeeping. A

& C Black Publishers Ltd, 192 pp.

• Graham, J.M. (Ed.) The Hive & the Honey Bee. Dadant & Sons, Inc.,

Hamilton IL. 1057 pp.

• Seeley, T.D. 2010. Honeybee Democracy. Princeton University Press,

280 pp. Public lecture available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=JnnjY823e-w (Accessed 9 April 2017).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnnjY823e-w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnnjY823e-w


June 2017

About the authors… Geoff Williams

Assistant Professor

Insect Pollination & Apiculture

Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology Auburn University, Auburn,

AL 36849

[email protected]

http://enpp.auburn.edu/geoffrey-williams/

https://www.facebook.com/auburnbees/

William (Jack) Rowe Regional Extension Agent Forestry, Wildlife and Natural Resource Management The Alabama Cooperative Extension System, 8300 Highway 104, Fairhope, AL 36532-3322 [email protected]

http://www.aces.edu/directory/u/wjr0001/ https://www.facebook.com/

Alabama-Community-Forestry/

Parts 1 and 2 can be found in the April and June issues.

This blog is reprinted from: https://auburnbees.com/news/

Check it out for other informative blogs by William “Jack” Rowe and Geoff

Williams.

During the business meeting at the Annual Meeting an election of

officers will take place. Should you have someone in mind for a position on

the board or as an officer please contact someone on the Nominating

Committee. They are working hard to support the Association. Speaking of

support, your nominations should be someone that will work for the Alabama

Beekeepers Association. Someone willing to devote time for your organization.

Give this some thought and contact the nominating committee with the name.

This year’s Nominating Committee members are listed om the next page. If

you should have any questions about nominating someone, or would like to

know more information, please ask one of the committee members.

mailto:[email protected]

http://enpp.auburn.edu/geoffrey-williams/

https://www.facebook.com/auburnbees/


http://www.aces.edu/directory/u/wjr0001/

https://www.facebook.com/Alabama-Community-Forestry-298207310285410/?ref=page_internal

https://www.facebook.com/Alabama-Community-Forestry-298207310285410/?ref=page_internal

https://www.auburnbees.com/news/


August 2017

National Honey Bee Day

A day for Honey Bees...A program for the entire year

The national honey bee day was organized and started in 2007 this will be the

tenth year for the event to be held at the Attalla City Park on hwy 77 in Attalla,

Alabama from 9 am until 4 pm. Set up begins at 8am. The event is open to the

public at no cost and would be a great chance for beekeepers to offer their

honey and wax products for sale or just to promote beekeeping. There is no cost

to anyone who wishes to setup or just to attend. To reserve a table and tent call

David Kelton at 256-523-4767 or email at [email protected]

Thanks

FOR BETTER BEEKEEPING

David Kelton

2017 Nominations Committee for Election of Officers and

Board of Directors:

Chairman:

Jerry Carter- (205) 213-1673 [email protected]

Northern District:

Lionel Evans (256) 431-4741 [email protected] or

[email protected]

Lonnie Funderburg (205) 625-3464 [email protected]

Central District:

Ricky Grace (205) 221-3389 [email protected]

Kathy Coleman (334) 541-3317 [email protected]

Southern District:

Rebecca Fritschie (850) 512-6325 [email protected]

Rebekah Hargraves (865) 617-9935 [email protected]











June 2017

Alabama Mountain Beekeepers Association—meets the last Thursday of the month at

6:00PM; 1590 Tabor Road Cut Off, Gadsden, Al. 35904. Barbara Pavey: President;

256-504-5510

Baldwin County Beekeepers Association--meets the first Monday of the month at

6:45PM; PZK Hall, 17933 Al hwy-104, Robertsdale, Al 36567. Rebekah Hargraves:

President; 251-964-0559 www.baldwinbees.com

Bibb County Beekeepers Association—meets the first Thursday of the month at 6:30;

Cahaba Lily Center on Main Street in West Blocton, Al. David Hamm: President; 205-

913-6789; [email protected]

Blount County Beekeepers Association—meets the fourth Thursday of every month,

except November and December, at 6:30; Blount County Resource Center, 62561 US

Hwy 231, P.O. Box 188, Cleveland, AL 35049. Jerry Carter: President; 205-213-

1673; [email protected]

Central Alabama Beekeepers Association—(Montgomery, Elmore and surrounding

counties) meets the fourth Thursday of the month at 6:00PM; Elmore County Extension

Office, 340 Queen Ann Rd., Wetumpka, Al. 36092’ Allyson Andrews: President;

[email protected]

Chilton County Beekeepers Association—meets the first Thursday of every month at

6:00PM; Clanton Recreation Center, 309 1st St., Clanton, Al. Larry Wyatt: President;

[email protected]

Conecuh County Beekeepers Association—meets the third Tuesday of each

month @ 6:30 PM at the Conecuh County Extension Office, 102 Liberty

Street, Evergreen, AL 36401. Contact is President: Billy Blair, 251-236-3774.

[email protected].

Cullman County Beekeepers Association—meet the second Tuesday of the odd

numbered months (January, March, May...ect.) at 6:00PM; Main ALFA Building, 307

Main Street, Cullman, Al. Phillip Garrison: President; 256-734-5963

East Alabama Beekeepers Association—meets the second Tuesday of every month at

6:30PM; Ashland Housing Authority Meeting Room, 35 East Circle Drive, Ashland, Al,

Luke North: President; Contact Jeff Monroe for more information: 256-872-1113

Cell or 334-864-0094 office [email protected]

Etowah County Beekeepers Association—meets the first Thursday of the month at

6:30PM; Carnes Rec Center, 102 Case Ave. SE, Attalla, Al., 35954. David Kelton:

President; 256-523-4767; [email protected]

Regional Beekeeping Associations









August 2017

Jackson County Beekeepers Association—meets the first Thursday of every month at

6:30PM; Jackson County Farmers Federation Building, 23625 John T Reid Parkway,

Scottsboro, Al. Keith Fletcher : President; [email protected]

Jefferson County Beekeepers Association—meets the third Thursday of every month

except December at 6:30PM; Birmingham Botanical Gardens, 2612 Lane Park Road,

Birmingham, AL 35223. David Ellis: President; [email protected]

Limestone County Beekeepers Association—meets the second Thursday of every

even month (Feb, April, June...ect.) at 6:00PM; Limestone County Water Authority,

17218 Hwy 72, West Athens, Al, 35611. Lionel Evans: President;

[email protected]

Lower Alabama Beekeepers Association—(Butler and surrounding counties) meets

the second Saturday of odd numbered months (January, March, May...ect.) at 2:00PM;

Antioch Baptist Church, 2303 Old Stage Rd., Greenville, Al. Ralph Pugh: President;

334-799-2252

Madison County Beekeepers Association—meets the second Thursday of every odd

month (January, March, May...ect.) at 6:30PM; Huntsville Botanical Garden, 4747 Bob

Wallace Avenue, Huntsville, Al. Ricky Walls: President; [email protected]

Mobile County Beekeepers Association—meets the second Thursday of the month at

6:45PM; Grace Tabernacle Church, 2001 Dawes Road, Mobile, Al. Johnny Johnson:

President; contact Jane Spicciani for information; [email protected]

Northeast Alabama Beekeepers Association—(Calhoun and surrounding counties)

meets on the second Thursday of each month at 6:30PM; Calhoun County

Administration Building, County Extension Auditorium, 1702 Noble Street, Anniston,

Al. David Goodson: President; contact Jerry Gilbert for information

[email protected]

St. Clair County Beekeepers Association—meets on the fourth Thursday of each

month at 7:00 PM; Riverside Marina Building across the street from the Riverside Fire

Dept. Lat. N33.604328°, Long. W86.202918°. Jimmy Carmack: President; 205-966-

5223; [email protected].

Sand Mountain Beekeeping Association—(Marshall and surrounding counties) meets

on the third Thursday of each even numbered month (February, April, June...ect.) at

6:30PM; Guntersville Public Library, 1240 O’Brig Avenue, Guntersville, Al. 35976.

Bob Cole: President; 256-894-4449; [email protected]

Saugahatchee Beekeepers Association—(Lee and surrounding counties) meets the







mailto:[email protected].



June 2017

first Tuesday of even months (February, April, June...ect.) at 6:00PM; Lee County

Extension Office, 600 7th Street, Suite 4, Opelika, Al. Samantha Shaw: President; 334-

467-2453 [email protected]

Shelby County Beekeepers Association—meets the second Thursday of each month at

6:30; Hope Christian School, 419 Philippians Blvd, Pelham, AL 35124. George

Baldwin: President; 205-516-0918; shelbybees.org

Southeast Alabama Beekeepers Association—(Coffee and surrounding counties)

meets on the first Thursday of the month at 7:00 PM; Coffee County Extension Office,

1055 East McKinnon Street, New Brockton, Al. Tim Faulkner : President; 334-674-

0687; [email protected] Contact: Phillis Wilson: Secretary; 334-735-3343 for

more information

Southwest Alabama Beekeepers Association—(Escambia and surrounding counties)

meets the Third Monday each month at 6:30; Pentecostal Holiness Church, 839 Palafox

St, Flomaton, AL 36441 Bill Blair: President 251-236-3774;

[email protected]

Tallapoosa River Beekeeping Association—(Tallapoosa and surrounding counties)

meets the third Thursday of every month at 6:00; Dadeville Recreation Center, 116 Kids

Ct, Dadeville, AL. Keith Robinson: President; 334-362-0956; [email protected]

Tennessee Valley Beekeeping Association—(Lawrence and surrounding counties)

meets on the second Thursday of every even numbered month (February, April,

June...ect) at7:00PM; Moulton City Hall, 720 Seminary Street, Moulton, Al. Jo Ann

Clark: President; Contact David Hicks for more information; [email protected]

The Queen’s Castle Beekeeping Association—(Escambia and surrounding counties)

meets the last Saturday of the month at 9:30AM; 21980 US Hwy 29

Andalusia, AL 36420. Annie Jo Peavey: President; contact number (OJ and Lucy

Blount) 334-222-0751

Tri County Beekeepers Association—(Lamar, Fayette, and Marion Counties) meets

the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30PM; Vernon Housing Authority Community

Room; 230 Strickland Circle, Vernon, Al. Patti Butler: president; 205-695-3779

Walker County Beekeeping Association—meets the fourth Monday of every month at

6:30PM (except July and December with a picnic to be scheduled in July); Ext Svc

Bldg, 1501 N. Airport Road, Jasper, AL. Lonnie Funderburg: President; 205-625-

3464; [email protected]

West Alabama Beekeepers Association—(Tuscaloosa and surrounding counties)

meets the third Thursday of the month at 6:00PM; Tuscaloosa Extension Auditorium,

2513 7th Street, Tuscaloosa, Al. 35401. Vince Wallace: President; 205-339-3318;


mailto:shelbybees.org







August 2017

Upcoming Events…

National Honey Bee Day…………...Saturday, August 19th

N. Al. Beekeepers Symposium……..Saturday, August 19th

ABA Annual Meeting………………Friday, Sept 22nd & Saturday, Sept 23rd

For details on events or to add your event call Jerry Carter at 205-213-1673 or

e-mail to: [email protected]

There are sure to be a lot of Summer fairs and festivals, send them in to get

them listed!!!

Membership Report

Members as of 06/13/17 —————————————————791 New Members —————————————————————-15 Renewals————————————————–—-—————–-05 Members as of 08/14/17 —————————————————811

[email protected]

Wiregrass Beekeeping Association—(Houston and surrounding counties) meets on

the first Thursday of the month at 7:00PM; Houston County Extension Office, 1699

Ross Clark Circle, Dothan, Al. Steve Loveland: President; contact at

wiregrassbeekeepers.com/contact

...and for our friends near Douglasville Ga.

West Georgia Beekeepers Association—meets the fourth Monday of the month at

6:30; American Legion, 6449 Bankhead Hwy, Douglasville Ga. For more information

contact Marilynne Parker, President 770-949-6640

I have tried to verify every organization on this list, please look over your club’s

information and let me know if there are any mistakes. If you are a member of an

organization not listed please let me know. If you would like to add any contact

information or other information to your organization’s listing, please send to

[email protected] or call me at 205-213-1673. Please help us keep this list up-to-

date. Thank you to everyone who sent in corrections and updates to this list.



mailto:wiregrassbeekeepers.com/contact



June 2017


August 2017

The Tri County

Beekeepers Association

(Fayette, Marion and

Lamar Counties

celebrated “one year as a

beekeeper’s club” at their

June 20th meeting in

Vernon, Alabama. A

surprise visit and address

to the group by State

Beekeeper’s President,

David Ellis and State

Beekeeper’s Secretary,

Susan Ellis, was enjoyed

by everyone! The group shared homemade snacks and drinks. There were

enough door prizes for everyone. The 23 2016 Charter members were

recognized with certificates. There are currently 26 members in the club.

In the past year the club enjoyed informative monthly meetings and a

new beekeepers school last fall consisting of four two-hour classes on the

fundamentals of beekeeping. All were well attended with from 16 to 36 people

at meetings.

Monthly meetings are held the third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM

at the Vernon Housing Authority Community Room (230 Strickland Circle,

Vernon, Alabama).

Club President- Patti Butler, Vice President- Mary Yates and Secretary/

Treasurer- Sarah Stockman.

For more information contact Patti Butler at 205-695-3779.

Local Club News

Members of the Tri County Beekeepers

Association enjoy their one year anniversary

I have received some wonderful pictures and recipes to share with you in future

issues. With all the information about the annual meeting and club listings I

have run out of room for this issue. Please do not stop sending in recipes and

photos. Look for them in upcoming issues. Thank you to all those who have

contributed to The Stinger. Let’s keep working to make this newsletter better.

Jerry


June 2017

Lookout Mountain Honey Bees It’s honey harvesting time. We now carry a full line of extractors. We have 2 frame manual, 4, 6, and 8 frame in both manual and electric models and 12 frame electric. Call for pricing. We have hot and cold uncapping knives, strainers, and bottling buckets. The 2 frame manual crank extractor with bottling bucket, 400 micron strainer and a 600 micron strainer is our special, priced at $133.50 plus shipping.

We also have fogger kits (see photo) for eliminating mites in your hives for $135. The kit includes instructional video, new fogger, fogger applicator pipe, mineral oil, and wintergreen. This method is not toxic to you or your bees. We also have complete hives, with bees and 2017 queen, for sale for $250. For All your Beekeeping needs contact us at: 256-523-4767 [email protected] Lookout Mountain Honey Bees 1590 Tabor Cut Off Gadsden, Al 35904 Thanks FOR BETTER BEEKEEPING

David Kelton



August 2017

Rear your own queens using the cell punch method. No tedious transferring of

delicate larvae. This kit includes the cell punch tool as well as some other use-

ful items to get you started raising queens. Also included is 2 pages of instruc-

tions with color photos. To obtain your kit send $20 plus $2.50 shipping to:

Wil Montgomery

1401 Lakemont Drive S.

Southside, Alabama 35907 Kit will ship the next day

Looking for something? Check the classi-

fieds. Do you have something to sell? List

it in The Stinger… Call 205-213-1673 or e-

mail [email protected]


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