Gaston County Beekeepers Association

09/02/2026

September is National Honey Month. Buy local honey from your local beekeepers and support their stewardship of the amazing honey bee

08/31/2026

https://beeculture.com/varroa-a-persistent-threat-to-honey-bees/

Roman Bondarenko, Beekeeper and Apitherapy Specialist Figure 1. Varroa on a pupa. Photo: Roman Bondarenko. Varroa destructor is an external parasitic mite that feeds on both brood and adult honey b…

08/22/2026

The Members picnic was a blast! So many members brought deserts for us all to try. Bo and Kim Fletcher cooked our dinner.

Henry Bess won the clubs most prestigious award, President Emeritus. Thank you Henry for all the hard work and love you’ve put into our club!

08/21/2026

https://entomologytoday.org/2026/08/20/koldo-belaska-trap-protect-honey-bee-hives-yellow-legged-hornets/

A simple tubular trap placed in front of honey bee hives cut yellow-legged hornet attacks by about fivefold in Spanish field tests, helping bees forage normally while capturing the invasive predator and limiting impact on nontarget species.

08/19/2026

Our monthly meeting for August is just a week away. Join us August 25th at 7pm. We will have guest speaker Todd Swanson for a discussion on winter preparedness. Todd has been a beekeeper for over a decade in North Carolina, having started in Charlotte/Mecklenburg, then moving to the Caldwell County area, and finally settling in Ashe County where he has been the President of the Ashe County Beekeepers Association for the past 3 years. Todd currently operates approximately 70 beehives in Ashe, Watauga and Wilkes counties, and serves on the NC State Beekeeping Board of Directors as a Mountain Regional Director for the West NC Mountain area. He recently accepted a position on the NC Policy Board for Beekeeping and Pollination Services. Nothing brings more excitement and joy than sharing his love of beekeeping with young people and new beekeepers. Todd is also the Director of the High Country Honey Festival, happening on October 3, 2026 in Ashe County.

08/03/2026

Just in case you were wondering what yellow legged hornets look like and what to be on the look out for. Notice the dark bodies and distinctive yellow legs from the mid leg segment down. Not to be confused with European hornets which are larger and yellow body segements and have a reddish brown head or the bald faced hornet with a black body and white head/face.

07/28/2026

Not good news, our two counties to the east and one to the south are confirmed. Yellow legged hornets. Now confirmed York, mecklenburg, and union counties. Best bet they are already in gaston.

07/24/2026

Don't forget to get your rsvps in for our cookout next week in place of monthly meeting

07/10/2026