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Written by Sam Price
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Friday, 22 January 2010 |
New River Valley Beekeepers’ Association
Beginning Beekeepers’ Course
Syllabus
March 27, 2010
220 Price Hall, VA Tech Campus
08:00-09:00 Registration and receive class materials.
09:00-09:10 Welcome.
09:10-10:00 Honey Bee Biology: A basic class on honey bee biology which includes breeds, castes, lifecycles and behavior. (Laura Link)
10:00-10:10 Break
10:10-11:00 Honey Bee Biology: A continuation of 09:10-10:00 class. (Laura Link)
11:00-11:10 Break
11:10-12:00 Diseases and Pests: A class on the diseases and pests of honey bees and their treatment. (Laura Link)
12:00-12:30 Lunch (Box lunch provided)
12:30-13:30 Seasonal Beekeeping: Keeping bees through the year in the New River Valley. What to do with your bees each season of the year. (Mark Chorba)
13:30-13:40 Break
13:40-14:30 Living With Honey Bees. Hive site selection, the good neighbor policy, and the requirements of the law to the best of our knowledge. (We are not lawyers.) (Lynn Tobias)
14:30-14:40 Break
14:40-15:30 Hive Products: Honey harvest, beeswax, propolis, etc. (Lynn Tobias)
15:30-15:40 Break
15:40-16:30 Beekeeping Equipment: Hive components, protective equipment, manipulation equipment and harvest equipment, its construction and use. (Jerry Borger)
For next week’s afternoon session, please remember to bring your protective gear (hat & veil as a minimum; gloves, jacket, or more if you choose.) Let the instructor know in advance if you need to borrow equipment.
April 3, 2010
220 Price Hall, VA Tech Campus
08:00-08:30 Sign-in and be seated.
08:30-09:55 First Hive—First Months: How to get your first hive and what to expect over the first few months. (Jerry Borger)
09:55-10:05 Break
10:05-11:30 Basic Hive Evaluation: What must be done to the hive, when, and why. (Glenn Buss)
11:30-12:30 Lunch (Box lunch provided).
Please remember to bring your protective gear (hat & veil as a minimum; gloves, jacket, or more if you choose).
IF CLASS SIZE IS GREATER THAN 25 STUDENTS, HALF AT A TIME WILL VISIT THE TECH APIARY. THE OTHER HALF WILL HAVE THE OPTION OF LISTENING TO A “HIVE INNOVATIONS & TIPS” PRESENTATION. IF CLASS SIZE IS 25 OR LESS, FOLLOW INSTRUCTOR’S GUIDANCE.
FIRST GROUP:
During lunch, the first group will move to VA Tech Bee Lab.
13:00-14:30 Hands on training at the VA Tech Bee Lab. (Nancy Adamson and Aaron Mullins)
14:30-15:00 (Optional) Return to Price Hall for final session
15:00-16:30 Hive Innovations & Tips (Jerry Borger)
SECOND GROUP:
12:30-14:00 (Optional) Hive Innovations & Tips (Jerry Borger)
14:00-14:30 Move to the VA Tech Bee Lab
14:30-16:00 Hands on training at the VA Tech Bee Lab. (Nancy Adamson and Aaron Mullins)
Directions to Price Hall: From Christiansburg, take Rte 460 West (bypass) towards Blacksburg. Pass the sports complex exit. The next exit is Price's Fork. There is a sign that says downtown. Take the Price's Fork exit towards downtown of Blacksburg (east). At the 2nd traffic light, West Campus Dr., turn right. Follow West Campus drive just past the Drill Field (you'll see the large central lawn of campus, the Drill Field, to your left and the Duck Pond to your right), turn left into the parking area by Price Hall. Price Hall is on the corner of West Campus Drive and the south side of drill field. For a map of the campus, visit: http://www.vt.edu/where_we_are/maps/index.html. It is okay to park in spots marked S or F/S on the weekend.
The class will meet in 220 Price Hall. If the side door (closest to the parking lot) is not open, please come to the front of the building. The front steps lead to the 2nd floor, where the workshop will be held.
Directions to Price's Fork VT Bee Lab (for p.m. sessions on April 3rd): From Christiansburg, take Rte 460 West (bypass) towards Blacksburg. Pass the sports complex exit. The next exit is Price's Fork. Follow the sign that says downtown, and take the Price's Fork exit after the overpass (west) away from the town of Blacksburg.
(From Price Hall, return to Rte 460 West (bypass) and continue past the Price’s Fork exit.)
You'll pass a BP station on the right, then a Food Lion grocery store and Blacksburg Elementary and Middle Schools on your left. A mile or so after the schools, you'll see an auto repair shop on the right, M&M Tire. The very first drive on the right after M&M Tire is the VT Price's Fork facility. You'll be able to see the bee yard (about 20 colonies) from the road. Pull up to the group of buildings and park anywhere you can without blocking someone. The building closest to the bee hives is the Bee Lab. If you find yourself in the town of Price's Fork, you've gone a little too far. |
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Written by Sam Price
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Wednesday, 06 January 2010 |
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So, You Want To Be A Beekeeper? Presentations, 2010
Members of the New River Valley Beekeepers’ Association will make “So, You Want To Be a Beekeeper” presentations at various area libraries during Saturdays in January 2010 addressing all aspects of getting started in beekeeping (costs, equipment needed, time required, procedures for acquiring and keeping bees, expectations for honey harvest, etc.) Presentations last approximately 60 minutes plus time for questions. Those interested will be able to sign up for a Beginning Beekeeper’s Class. Address questions to
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, 540-382-1798.
Schedule of presentations:
9 Jan at 1:00 pm
Christiansburg Library
125 Sheltman Street
Christiansburg
16 Jan at 11:00 am
Jessie Peterman Library
321 West Main Street
Floyd
23 Jan 10:00 am
Radford Library
30 West Main St
Radford
23 Jan at 1:00 pm
Blacksburg Library
200 Miller Street
Blacksburg
6 Feb at 1:00 pm
Meadowbrook Public Library
267 Alleghany Spring Road
Shawsville
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Scientific American Report on CCD |
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Written by Sam Price
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Tuesday, 31 March 2009 |
Thanks to Nancy Adamson for pointing this out. Here's the latest word on Colony Collapse Disorder: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=saving-the-honeybee The mysterious ailment called colony collapse disorder has wiped out large numbers of the bees that pollinate a third of our crops. The causes turn out to be surprisingly complex, but solutions are emerging By Diana Cox-Foster and Dennis vanEngelsdorp |
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