The Beekeepers of Gilmer County will be using a new apiary at a local vineyard to educate the public about the importance of the honeybee.
Establishing the apiary, located at Buckley Vineyards, was a “community project,” said Bill Emery, the club’s vice president.
Vineyard owner Kevin Buckley allowed the club to use the property, while several local businesses contributed materials and supplies so the project could come to fruition, he explained.
“It’s because of Mr. Buckley that all this is possible. He was generous enough to provide a location and prepare the site,” Emery said. “Eagle Ridge buildings Ellijay donated a 10x16 building for us to use. Lowe’s donated the material for our fence. Tractor Supply provided materials to bear-proof underneath the building that was not protected by the electric fence. Gilmer Printing and OMG Printing provided printing services. North Georgia Co-Op provided the mulch for our apiary and Hawkfield Farms provided employees and additional material and expertise to build our fence.”
Jim Harris, bee club president, said Smith Farm Supply and O’Reilly Auto Parts also donated supplies.
“We are very grateful for the Buckleys and for all the businesses (who contributed),” said Harris.
So far, the club has six colonies of bees at the site. Members are currently in the process of settling the bees after moving the colonies and finishing work on the the new apiary. An official ribbon cutting was held last week.
“These are fairly new hives, and we are getting them ready for public consumption,” said Emery. “We’re also still doing some landscaping, and there are still a few more items we have to do to make it physically safe for people. In the next two to three weeks, we should have everything totally complete.”
When all of that has been accomplished, the club plans to hold educational seminars for new beekeepers and anyone interested in beekeeping on Saturday mornings beginning at 9 a.m.
“We open the hives and show them how to do inspections and take care of the bees to keep them alive, which is hard to do (especially) if you’re just beginning,” said Emery.
“There’s a lot to beekeeping. The more you get into it, the more you realize you don’t know,” said Harris.
“We try to direct the educational seminars according to the season. We talk about (things like) the diseases bees can get and how to prepare through the winter. We (also) provide the bee suits.”
Honey production is another topic that’s covered. Bee club members harvest honey from their hives, and proceeds from honey sales help support the club and its various activities.
“We have sourwood, and we have wildflower,” said Harris.
The Beekeepers of Gilmer County meets the second Monday of each month at the Burger King in East Ellijay. Anyone interested in beekeeping is invited to attend.
“Every bite of food comes from some sort of pollinator, particularly honeybees. Without bees, we’d starve to death,” Harris said.