The Yellow Jessamine Garden Club met on Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at 6:30 p.m., nine members were present.
The meeting was set in motion by President Mishue welcoming each member. She thanked the hostess Frances Tyler for the meal and being the program leader for our discussion on bees.
The pledge to the flag of The Garden Club of South Carolina was recited and Terry Hayes did the devotion and prayer for the meal.

The program then began with Frances Tyler welcoming Lee and Doris Lamb, who run a honeybee keeping business at their home in Minturn, SC. Mrs. Lamb gave a very informative lesson on bees and gave a sample of their honey. Fun fact, for honeybees to produce 1 lb. of honey they will pollinate 2 million flowers. Man-made honey keeping reservoirs are called hives where in nature they are called a nest. Beekeepers use smoke to confuse the bees, making them think there is a fire, so they protect the honey and don’t sting. Worker bees are female and have a short lifespan and once they sting, they will die. When the bee stings it releases a pheromone to attract other bees to know where to sting and they all instinctively sacrifice themselves to protect the queen/hive.

Queen bees, however, live an average of 3-5 years and drone (male bees) will mate 5-6 times with the queen before they will die.
There are also nurse bees that care for the larva/babies and provide them with a richer honey called “royal jelly” to help them grow. Scout bees are a part of the hive that seek out new food sources and the bees have a unique language through movement, vibration, and pheromones to communication this direction with one another.
Bees are a huge support to the growth of trees, flowers, and other plants in our ecosystem, but their existence is becoming threatened and there are ways we can help protect and build the population. For example, plant a bee garden, plant flowers that bloom all season or multiples times during the year, plant native flowers to your area, help support local beekeepers, avoid using harsh pesticides and go organic, plant certain trees like cherry, holly or crepe-myrtle, and create a bee bath.
Next Projects and Litter Chairman, Larue Bracey, discussed putting out the last bales of pine straw on the next warmer day at JP Camp Roadside Park. Ways and Means Chairman, Mary Ricks, recapped the success from the Holiday Goodness Bazaar in November and thanked everyone for all their hard work. Frances Tyler gave the birds report and gave us the interesting fact that birds fluff their feathers in winter to retain body heat. They have muscles that lift the feathers to provide insulation and produce 25-30% more feathers during the winter for this process. She also presented the club with the financial report.
We are looking forward to spring, longer days and new adventures with The Yellow Jessamine Garden Club.
After drawing for the door prize, the meeting was adjourned.
The next meeting will be held on February 1, 2022 with hostess Terri Pittman and program provided about bees from leader Betty Hubbard at the Dillon Wellness Center.
The Yellow Jessamine Garden Club of Dillon is a member of the National Garden Clubs, Inc., South Atlantic Region of Garden Clubs, The Garden Club of South Carolina, Inc., and Coastal District of The Garden Club of South Carolina.