The Polk County Beekeepers Association was formed earlier this year to support local beekeepers. Beekeeping is harder than it looks and is complicated by the ups and downs of the bee activity throughout the year. With all the parameters and permutations of issues and concerns, the local bee association is a support for new beekeepers. Seasoned beekeepers are also welcome and needed to help answer questions and to support the beekeeper community as it grows.

Bees are currently in the active spring/summer honey period working with the flora blooming. Monitor the plants blooming in the area to determine what the bees have to work with at any given point in time. Bees use the plants in bloom for making honey. Soon the Sourwood trees will be blooming as well as the summer flowers. After the summer activity dies down, beekeepers will be working the honey in the hive and then getting the hives ready for the fall season and then transition the hives into the winter season.

The next meeting of the Polk County Beekeepers Association will be Thursday, June 16 at 6 p.m. at the Ag Center in Mill Spring. The guest speaker will be Phil Holbert, of Holbert Bee Supply in Saluda. He will demonstrate working the two hives at the Ag Center.

All attendees who would like to watch should bring their bee suit or bee jacket and veil. Following the demo, we will share in the potluck and have a question and answer session. All are welcome to attend whether you have a hive and would like to learn more or you are a seasoned beekeeper and would like to support the new bee community or would like to join in community with a really nice group of folks.

Please bring a dish to share and your own plates, silverware, and cups to cut down on waste and help support the environment. Meetings will be held monthly on every third Thursday at the Mill Spring Agricultural Center from 6-7:30 p.m. through the fall. The meetings will feature speakers with demos and question and answer sessions so that the local bee community can become more knowledgeable.

If you have questions about beekeeping in Polk County or the Polk County Beekeeping Association, please contact Ansley Roberts at the Office of Agricultural Economic Development at 828-894-2281 or Ansley@polkcountyfarms.org.

-article submitted
by Lisa Krolak