Beekeepers of the Neuse Board of Directors members show the new equipment purchased through an N.C. AgVentures Grant to members during their monthly meeting. From left, are: Richard Custer, Buddy Scott, Caroline Corey, Trent Howell and Janet Ott. (Beekeepers of the Neuse courtesy photo)
Beekeepers of the Neuse members attended the University of Mount Olive’s Ag Fest on March 21 to show a new hive monitor system to more than 2,000 students and attendees. From left are: Cary Faulcon, N.C. Certified Beekeeper; Janet Ott, president of Beekeepers of the Neuse; and Buddy Scott, N.C. Journeyman. (Beekeepers of the Neuse courtesy photo)
Weight equipment placed under this honeybee hive sends weight data to the cloud. (Beekeepers of the Neuse courtesy photo)
GOLDSBORO — Beekeepers of the Neuse (BKOTN), a local advocacy group for beekeeping education, has been awarded a $2,900 grant through the N.C. State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ N.C. AgVentures Grant Program.
“We are thrilled to have been selected as recipients of the NC AgVentures Grant,” said Janet Ott, BKOTN president. “This funding will allow us to implement important education and outreach initiatives to benefit our local and surrounding beekeeping communities.”
The grant funding helped BKOTN purchase weight scales, hive monitoring devices, a Hive Hub for Wi-Fi connectivity, and a Bluetooth transmitter.
This equipment will collect data to help beekeepers make informed decisions about maintaining the health of the honeybee colonies and hive maintenance in their apiaries, Ott added.
“What really excites me about getting the SolutionBee hive monitoring equipment is the data we will collect,” she said “We will be able to chart the hive weight and internal temperature and humidity of the hives. This will help beekeepers understand when the nectar flow starts in the spring and when we should add another super (honey box) to our hives.
“It also helps us know when a dearth (a lack of nectar) occurs, so we can begin to feed the bees. For new beekeepers, this is necessary to learn so they can develop their skills, keep their hives alive, and become better beekeepers. Seeing real data and visuals will be an invaluable learning tool for all of us. Another learning advantage with this equipment is the accessibility of data in the cloud so our members can view it from their home computers.”
Beekeepers also will be able to see swarming and robbing events occurring when they are not at the apiary. Robbing occurs when bees invade and steal honey/nectar from other colonies or sugar/corn syrup from feeders used to deliver syrup.
“By showing beekeepers real data and what is happening at our apiary, it’s much easier for them to understand and helps us teach them how to resolve any of these problems with proper intervention,” Ott added.
Collecting hive data can provide new and seasoned beekeepers with detailed information to educate and to train them about hive maintenance and how to keep honeybee colonies healthy and sustainable.
“We are deeply grateful to the N.C. AgVentures Grant Program for its support of our mission,” said Kim Guillemette, BKOTN treasurer and board member. “Our members are so excited about this educational format that they helped contribute to cover additional expenses needed for this project.
“We are thankful to our members and to have received our first grant.”
The N.C. AgVentures Grant Program, administered by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, aims to strengthen agricultural initiatives across the state by providing financial assistance to farmers and agricultural organizations for innovative projects.
Beekeepers of the Neuse is a beekeeping organization based in Goldsboro that has supported local beekeeping education in Wayne and surrounding counties since 2012. The local group has more than 90 members with 72 of these beekeepers owning one or more hives.
The club’s apiaries provide an educational resource for hands-on training for new and continuing education for beekeeping members.
It hosts a Beginners Bee School each year that is open to the public and held at the University of Mount Olive.
Apiaries owned by BKOTN provide honey at community events such as the Taste of Wayne County, We Dig It Farm Fest, University of Mount Olive AgFest, National Honeybee Day, and the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair.
Beekeepers of the Neuse is a registered local chapter with the N.C. State Beekeeping Association with more than 4,000 members statewide and is the largest state beekeeping organization in the country.
For more information about Beekeepers of the Neuse, visit Beekeepers of the Neuse on Facebook or email neusebeekeeper@gmail.com.
