| Letters from the President | |||
| July 2006 | |||
| March 2006 | |||
| January 2006 | |||
| November 2005 | |||
| September 2005 | |||
| February 2005 | |||
| December 2004 | |||
| October 2004 | |||
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July 2006 Bill Bundy The Virginia State Beekeepers Association held the Summer Meeting at Smith Mountain Lake on June 9-10. The focus of the meeting was "The Latest on Controlling Varroa, Small Hive Beetle and other Threats" led by James Ellis, Ph.D., from the University of Georgia, Marion Ellis, Ph.D., from the University of Nebraska, Zachary Huang, Ph.D., from Michigan State University, Charles Mangolda, Environmental Specialist, VDACS and Wyatt Mangum, Ph.D., from University of Mary Washington. While there has been a lot of energy focused on hive pests, these talks were most informative both by reviewing known information and introducing new information that are not easily available to working beekeepers. Zack Huang addressed two broad areas in his talks. First, he discussed the roles of pheromones, particularly Juvenile Hormone which he first discovered and characterized, in determining the division of labor among honey bees. Juvenile hormone is particularly important in the transition of nurse bees to worker bees. He has shown that by regulating this hormone, nurse bees can be converted to worker bees earlier than normal or retained as nurse bees longer than normal depending on the needs of the colony. He has also shown that worker bees can revert back to nurse bees especially when there is a need for more royal jelly or wax production. In a second talk, Dr. Huang reviewed the role of the bee endocrine glands and pheromones in the honey bee. Identification and synthesis of these substances can lead to some very useful products for beekeepers such as the use of Nasanov pheromone as an attractant of swarms. Jamie Ellis took us through an animated and humorous lecture on the biology and habits and control of the small hive beetle. He followed that with another lecture on the various research programs that are underway for the control of this pest. While it is not a widespread problem in our area currently, there are known infestations locally and it is likely that the problem will grow. None of the current methods are particularly effective and they involve chemicals that must be used with caution. He reported on a new optimistic findings with a naturally occurring nematode that may be sown in the soil around the hives and appears to be quite safe for both the beekeeper and the environment. His current philosophy is that the beetles are here to stay and our best defense is to maintain healthy colonies that will hold the beetle populations in check on their own. Marion Ellis reviewed all the currently approved treatments for Varroa mites and their relative effectiveness. He then reviewed a couple of his studies on powdered sugar treatments and oxalic acid treatment. On powdered sugar, he felt the Dowda method was marginally effective since many of the bees are not adequately powdered in the process. He has shown, however, by driving all the bees from the hive into a catch box (quite ingenious!) and coating them all with the powdered sugar, that they can get rid of 80-90% of the mites. The technique was quite labor intensive for the beekeeper, but effective. Oxalic acid has been approved in Europe and Canada for a number of years. He has been leading the group to provide the data necessary to gain approval in the US which is apparently quite close. He hopes that the treatment will be approved by this fall. Wyatt Mangum gave a slide presentation the Apimondia Conference in Ireland as well as a visit with a group of Irish beekeepers who have set up a breeding program to save their native bee. Charles Magolda gave very practical presentation on safe handling practices for all the approved pesticides that beekeepers use in managing pests and predators. Charles is a beekeeper, former apiary inspector and currently works with the Virginia Office of Pesticide Services in VDACS. There were two notable issues from the Business Meeting.
New Officers were elected as follows:
The second issue is that it is likely that VSBA will be hosting the EAS meeting in August 2008. It is also likely that it will be held somewhere in northern Virginia. It will be a wonderful opportunity for everyone to participate and attend the meeting. March 2006 Billy Davis Beginning Beekeeping in Loudoun is again a full house. Several students regretfully had to be asked to attend in Clark (Upper Shenandoah) and others were sent to Prince William with Tom Berry. Pat Haskell has a full house in Northern Virginia Beekeepers Association meeting in Falls Church High School. Spotsylvania County, also with Pat Haskell, is well attended. I do not have the final count, but the number of family units is in the 100 range. Many families have several members in attendance, so the number of people far exceeds the units enrolled. Great year all in all. Mentor numbers this year have expanded to include several of our newer beekeepers with a couple years experience under their belt. Mentors of long standing will assist when and where needed. An old adage goes like this “The teacher must learn in order to teach”. Good luck to all! Most of you are aware that the woodenware portion of the class has been taught by the host club for a few years. This year the host club will also teach pest, predators and diseases. Bill Bundy will be teaching the added classes for Loudoun, John Lewis for Upper Shenandoah and Kathy Miller for Upper Piedmont. The Virginia Queen Project is still very much alive, although suffering from growing pains. There is no doubt in my mind that had we proceeded this past fall and winter to nail a co-op together the project would be ahead of the schedule we are currently following. Funds are a major problem, as in all new ventures. Lack of funding coupled with my teaching responsibilities and the necessary “day” job have caused the project to drag. There is no time frame for the first queen deliveries because the clock does not start until the drone population is up to sufficient numbers. When that occurs transfers will begin and 24 days later we have marketable queens. Pat Haskell, Jeff Pfoutz, and I have carried the project financially and physically and will continue as far as we can. Several members of Loudoun and other nearby clubs have given volunteer time to help and we really appreciate the effort. Kathy Miller, Eric Petitpierre, Bill Bundy, Clark Griffith, and Sam and Cindy Juzbasich have all worked hard on the project and deserve a BIG THANK YOU. All of their work is directed toward the day when we can truly say we have done it; we have produced acclimated market queens in our region. Once that point is reached I will feel much more confident in seeking contributors to whatever form of organization we ultimately become. Spring management changes will become an absolute necessity for any individual who wishes survive in beekeeping. We must develop the techniques and practices of a self sufficient and self sustaining enterprise and that move must be in the not to distant future. We either learn to manage our bees or they will manage us. The problem is this: in avoiding the queens and packages coming from known and suspected contaminated areas of the south means we must delay the bees’ natural instinct to swarm until the queen can be produced locally or obtained from northern producers. This is an area Bill and I intend to cover with the membership Tuesday night. African honey bees will be addressed directly with open discussion of the latest information we have. January 2006 Billy Davis I trust everyone is ready to resume some sort of normal life post-holiday. The least we should do is reflect on the past year and begin to set in place corrective habits to overcome the mistakes and errors. Further to reinforce the positive actions should be paramount as the more we do so the more apt we are to replace the erroneous actions. Yes we all make mistakes and some of us seem to repeat those mistakes, I being paramount among us. Example being the massive stinging I endured from a colony of Italian bees in one of the support yards. In a hurry as always I did not have any protective gear with me while mowing the yard. The bees took exception to this procedure. I knew better so I definitely will try to avoid that lapse in “best practice”. In the mode of reflecting let’s ask a few questions which will hopefully stimulate the process needed to initiate corrective measures. DID I:
The above is a very partial list, but the basic query should be; when I undertook to keep bees did I realize critter husbandry is predicated on the statement “I care.” My opinion as to the results:
BAD NEWS: Please get your dues up to date as those that are two years in arrears will be dropped from the rolls in January, 2006. GOOD NEWS: We can correct this individually. Check with those you know and remind them to get dues in if they just forgot. We do not want to lose a single beekeeper. THE AFRICAN BEES Those who have been paying attention surely have heard rumors or statements by others about the “Killer Bees”. Beekeepers should never allow such a phrase go by unaddressed. This is Hollywood and has become not unlike the “Big Lie” that told often enough and emphatically enough becomes the general perceived truth. They do have many differences but there is no difference in the sting or its venom. They are very defensive and perceive a threat at a much greater distance than do the bees we have been keeping. Anyone that tries to be macho working bees without protection will pay, big time. We do not need panic nor do we need acceptance of misinformation. MAAREC web site is being updated in late January, but the current site is advisable reading. Dr. Dewey Caron even has a book only on the African Bee. Every beekeeper out there better get with the program. A few points one should take note of. We are generally sloppy around our properties. Pretty little “show bird houses” in the yard. Africans love them. Old pots, buckets, or old boxes in the barn yard are ready made homes for the Africans. Auto junk yards are ready made condominiums. DO I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION? Be very careful in your explanations. Refer serious inquires to a person more knowledgeable. Many of the club leaders in Virginia and especially the EAS Master Beekeepers in Virginia are doing their level best to prepare. There will be some incidences in the state this year and that will increase over the next few years. Tampa, Florida and Mobile, Alabama are entrenched populations which will spread northward at a rate of about 100 to 300 miles per year normally, Bill Bundy and I attended a meeting in November sponsored by BANV at Falls Church High School. Dennis vanEngelsdorp gave a working Power Point presentation on the African Bee (Apis melliferaa scutellata). MAARC will have the work completed on the presentation by the beginning of February and posted on their web site. The accompanying paper will basically be a guide to “train the trainer”. Every member of LBA should have been there as we seldom get such an opportunity to glimpse such a major undertaking in its development. November 2005 Billy Davis Everyone is ready for the winter. Right. Beekeepers operate on faith and hope during this time on the year. There are those who let the bees do their thing and since the bees seem to be fine they just let them alone. There are others who do everything within their power to give the bees every possible advantage as winter approaches. Most of us are continually amazed in the spring when some colonies that were strong in the fall are dead, and some seemingly weak are alive and cooking. Some beekeepers succumb to frustration, others just dig in deeper. First impulse is to blame anything except ourselves, who in nearly all cases must share some responsibility, even if it was that last feeding which was late, mouse guards not installed or just not monitoring closely enough for diseases or pests. The latter is by far the most observable problem among the beekeepers, be they students or otherwise. This year the classes will be emphasizing more work with the mentors in the bee yard. We will be insisting on more inspections and more detail in the inspections. Mites and the diseases which follow must be of increased concern to every one of us. The point, without belaboring it, is monitoring the mites and doing it on a regular schedule. Perform knockdowns (chemicals or fumigants for a selected short period) for a period of time, say 24 to 72 hours and do a count. Records kept and matched with the hives. Using the data amassed by the USDA Tucson Lab to assist in the evaluation of a given colony and its predictable survivability. All this in the hopes that corrective measures can be initiated and an otherwise doomed colony saved. With Rebecca’s permission, I would like Jeff to prepare a presentation on this technique as he has worked with the Tucson system and has some of his own data to back it. In short, present company included, I encourage all to increase our stewardship. Just in case you need this important information on sugar
feeding:
(In case you wondered, the rectangular Gatorade jugs are ¼ cup shy of the volume of the round Gatorade jugs and the Cranberry jugs are ½ cup larger.) Vital information is it not? The African bees are well established in Tampa, Florida, Mobile, Alabama, and Northwest Louisiana. We need to raise our awareness level, but do not spread any rumors. A recent experience with some local EMT’s was somewhat unnerving to me and I hope it was isolated. More on this later. I am somewhat excited with the data we have collected on the queen and drone mothers of the Virginia Queen Project. Some colonies had no mites for spring, summer and fall of 05. Now let’s see who survives the winter. September 2005 Billy Davis State meeting: Those of you who did not make the trip to the Tidewater area missed an above average meeting. Alan Fiala did an outstanding job with the program and the Tidewater Beekeepers were exceptional hosts. Don’t duck, it will be our turn in the not too distant future to be the host. Read Alan’s report in the state newsletter. EAS: Possibly coming to Virginia in 2008. I say possibly, without a doubt. If there are not enough Beekeepers interested in this body of knowledge to step forward and volunteer to help see this endeavor through to success, then this may not occur. It has been voted by the state to host the conference. That was simple, now the work begins. Yes this far ahead of the date. A conference attended by some 5-600 cannot just occur because someone wants it. When the committee list and the various task of those committees is listed in the next Virginia Beekeepers Association, look through the list and if you have the skills necessary to accomplish the goals of any of the various committees please step forward. More later. EAS will be the main topic of the September meeting with each attendee discussing his or her experiences. Secondarily we will use as an “around the room”. Summer management: (Preparing for winter)
I trust everyone was able to
complete the honey removal from their hives and thoroughly examine each and
every colony for any problems they may have and take appropriate action if and
where necessary. Sure, in the most
perfect of perfect worlds. We have for the most part
been under a nectar and pollen dearth for several weeks. The rains, few and far between, have not
helped since the sun has greatly affected the aspiration of the plants. The plants appear healthy, however the
quality of the pollen in most cases was very limited not to mention the limited
nectar production. Those who have not
begun feeding both pollen or pollen substitute and syrup may well be limiting
the colonies ability to survive the winter. I say this considering the bees we currently keep leave a lot to be
desired. Yes, there have been successes
and many bees come through the winter and go gang busters, however look back
over the past few years and consider the supercedures within weeks of
installing packages, sudden queen disappearances, just plain poor performances
and mites by the hundreds on a mite drop count. This is just in the early part of the
season. Many colonies stumble through the summer and
expire before Christmas. What about the
colonies that appeared to be in good shape in late March and two weeks later
dead? Therefore, even if correct
management by the beekeeper was clear bees were still lost. This year is a down cycle, but don’t relax
and let your guard down. You ask around
and find a friend who followed a certain program and the bees made it through
so I will do that this year and save my bees. Don’t bet the farm that it will work for
you this year. Nothing remains constant nor equal year in
and year out. I am not discouraging one
from following what appears to be a successful program. This writer believes we have
a genetically based problem. I do not
exclude myself from those being singled out or questioned for repeating the
same mistakes. Bottom line, “we are
our problem”. To outline a few of
the areas we need to seriously consider: Should we continue to import bees from outside our
climate matrix, particularly the south? What part does acclimation to our area have on the
survivability of our bees? Why do we
accept what seems to tolerate the proliferation of lax inspection policies and
procedures that allow pollinators and migratories to be held to a different set
of standards than our hobby and sideline beekeepers? Why do we tolerate corporations who promote investors
from outside the farm community resulting in the total fiasco in the California
Almond orchards Bees from Australia?
Why did not these growers (farmers) establish their own bee yards? Why did the authorities allow these bees with
possible African genetics return to their area of origin? We have some great scientists in our country that
constantly must be subservient to bureaucrats and politicians with their
supporting corporations ruled only by the bottom line.
Why do we continue to believe we can do
nothing? This is just an indicator of
some matters no one seems to be willing to look into. What should we have done? Before we answer the question
let’s look at a best of all possible Bee-world scenario for the hobbyist and
light Commercial Honey Bee Steward. [Honey Bee Stewards as the better among Beekeepers and strictly
opposite to the Box Keepers and "Bee-Havers".] I will not sacrifice my Bees for a few
jars of honey therefore I will remove all market honey from my hives in the
first week of July. With the honey removed I will clean the hives up and
thoroughly examine my colonies for any iregularlrities. I will perform any
corrective action needed from whatever source. I will treat those maladies
selectively and specifically, doing so in the recommended way with the
recommended products. I will determine the stores available and their
sufficiency for the task ahead allowing for any unexpected weather adversity. I have made the decision to re-queen my
existing colonies. Having made the determination, I will assess my overall
situation in the enterprise and list the genetic priorities needed in order of
my emphasis. I have to look for a queen that has the possibility to deal with
the mites and the ability, all other things being equal, of her progeny to over
winter. I will not abide with those following single trait breeding programs,
therefore I will consider the traits the breeder is doing additional intense
work on and not omit the other traits that make for a well rounded good doing
line of Bees. I will not omit or overlook any trait
that is deemed important to a Honey Bee program such as Honey production, Rapid
Spring buildup, Pollen collection pro-activity, resistance to brood diseases,
resistance to Tracheal Mites and Gentle behavior. Additional to these, I will
look very carefully at the Breeder behind the Queen Producers I am considering.
The two things additionally concerning me is the ability of my Bees to deal with
the Varroa Mite and the ability of my Bees to over-winter and come into the
spring strong, healthy and raring to go. Examining the above two areas Wintering
and dealing with Varroa, let us dissect each. First, dealing with Varroa there
are two current fields of thought and work being done on both. We have all heard
of SMR Bees (Suppression of Mite Reproduction) and many just shake their head
realizing there is still some controversies over whether this is a Varroa
specific Hygienic behavior, or some other related behavior such as hyperactive
Larva. I could care less which of these positions survive the “NaSayers” and
“criticalizers”, but Hygienic behavior is part and parcel integral to either
position. Therefore hygienic behavior and SMR should be considered as elements
of the same desirable trait. Let us not forget the other traits and select only
for a single trait for that leads to trouble from which we may not recover or a
case of “the medicine is worse than the disease”. Wintering ability is a very elusive
thing. The weather patterns this winter have had periods of weather that the bee
could have moved around in the hive and their instincts should have stimulated
them to move extra stores within the cluster and in proximity to the cluster,
however the hives I have examined exhibit classic starvation indicators. This
has been somewhat typical over recent years. The Queen breeders are often
blamed, as is the beekeeper not to mention the weather or the queen shutting
down too early and on and on. No one knows for sure, but allow me to advance one
more consideration. Well over a hundred years now we have been bringing bees and
queens up from the South. The weather down south does get cold but the pattern
is quite different. Might it be possible that certain lines of the bees have
lost their genetic propensity to adapt or to survive our winters? May be that is
reaching far a field, however I do not believe the possibility should be over
looked. All the above considerations have been plugged into the
local effort underway to breed Bees acclimated to our area. We just want
healthy, active and productive bees that are predictable. With that we have
eliminated all variables except the Beekeeper and that is the task of the club
to find, promote and support the best among our students and ultimately us.
Present company excluded as this project will probably have to be completed by
others, hopefully from among us. Yet another year and we are or are we not any closer to solving the maladies that
beset our critters direct and indirectly the result of the pest, Varroa Destructor.
I think we all realize there is no silver bullet. Yes there is work being done in
hopes that a bacteria will attack the mites, which is possibly the closest thing
to a silver bullet currently being considered, especially if one is looking for a
nonchemical solution. It seems that every time we think a solution is easy there are draw backs such as
the viability of our Queens, Drones or some other negative item such as the
mites developing resistance to the cure. Let’s face it, Beekeeping will never
return to the leisure routine of the hobby or sideline practitioner of the
midtwentieth century. We all get that helpless feeling from time to time. Some
pick themselves up by their boot straps and "keep on keeping on" while others
just fold the tent so to speak, fade into the background muttering about "them
damn mites did me in". From the information coming in across the area this could
very well be one of the worse years for Northern Virginia since 93 as to colony
mortality and we are not even into the heart of winter, not to mention the critical
last weeks of February and the month of March. I truly hope I am wrong, that what
I see is just a false conclusion. Agriculture after all is truly 50% HOPE! This said I do not ascribe to the position recently espoused by some "experts"
condemning those seeking alternative answers not considered by some as
mainstream or sanctioned or whatever nah-sayers currently use to condemn
those optimistic individuals who keep trying. Not unlike the crawfish in the bait
bucket pulling any individual who tries to break away back down in the bucket.
"Enough already"! It seems there are several sets of criteria that determine the particular
caste to which these critics belong. Briefly, The current purist ascribe to
the "scientific methodology" as prescribed by Karl Pearson, (1937). Pearson
stated that a) define the problem, b) gather the background information, c)
form a hypothesis, d) make observations, e) test the hypotheses, f) draw
conclusions. and g) communicate those conclusions. Close examination of this
method as applied
one realizes that failure due to mistakes or what ever is really the way we
learn, by our mistakes which we seldom publish much less talk about, thus the
mistakes are repeated or slanting the data to fit ones personal opinions not to
mention twicking the results toward the desired results sought by the funding
party. Researchers must be allowed to proceed with work unhampered by
bureaucratic sandbaggers or stone-wallers for whatever personal reason they
create delays in work which they have no idea the need or the urgency thereof.
Unlike the Government research center problems, university researchers have to
depend on Grants from sources that insist on facilitating the research toward
needed results. Do these charlatans openly commit such unethical acts? No.
The way it works is through third parties internal and sometimes external
indirectly making it know the desired results would sure help the institution
succeed in funding in the future. No researcher likes the feeling of impending
unemployment. Need I spell it out? I once heard this described as "The Grand
Conspiracy". I am not sure there is an easy answer to the problem. Take the
case of formic acid and a few other even less desirable concoctions being used
by bootleggers. Very few Sideliners or Hobbyist can obtain such items. How can
we continue to encourage new Beekeepers to keep trying when this double
standard is tolerated? Private research centers similar to the Howard Hughes Medical Centers would
be a dream come true. One of the dreams of mine was to help begin a Center
for Sustainable Living in Northern Virginia. A place where research, teaching
and practical application thereof was isolated from the funding which would come
from non-corporate private sources through a managing trust. At my age it is
doubtful I would live to see such a place. However, I do believe the Northern
Virginia Queen project could in some way be a microcosm of that original dream. I’m sorry this is somewhat disjointed and spastic, but this license allows me
to let off steam. I feel better now. See you all Wednesday night. The weather is now giving signs of what seems to be an early onset of winter.
Hopefully everyone is prepared or in the final stages of preparation. The Bees
seem to be very busy on task that seems to indicate an early and long winter.
I do not have a crystal ball, but experience leads me to believe this is what
is ahead. How did I arrive at this conclusion? The Queens, for the most part, shut down early this year relative to the
recent years. In fact it reminds me very much of the early winter of 1994/95
and there are several of us who remember that bear of a winter. I truly hope
I am wrong. The Bees were busy this week removing the chilled larva from last
week’s cool snap as well as any bees with deformed wings, the result of the
Varroa Mites. I have not seen but a very few Drones of late indicating the
purge has occurred some three to four weeks early. There has been some indication
of movement laterally of stores into the flue (thermal path over the cluster)
especially pollen indicating the Queen and court maintenance supplies are in
position for severe conditions. I hope everyone has had mouse guards in place for several weeks and the
2:1 syrup is still on the hive. I personally leave syrup on all winter for
added insurance, even when sugar candy is placed over the colony cluster in
late Jan or early February along with a Pollen or pollen substitute patty.
If you are one of those that remove feeders before real winter, please be sure
of the stores in the hives. The SARE Team has found too many hives that are
light, in fact we could almost mark them dead out even now so don’t cut your
girls short. No. 2:1 sugar syrup will not freeze even in a hard winter. You say mold is
growing on the syrup. One really does not want the syrup to ferment, however
the mold in the absence of fermentation does not bother the bees. Fermentation
will cause dysentery if the bees have to feed on it. If normal supplies are
present they will not consume bad syrup. Two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
per gallon will retard fermentation as well as help the bees with any gut
problems. Add one level teaspoon of cream of tartar will prevent mold when
combined with the vinegar. The Core teachers for the 2005-year have begun to work on the new and somewhat
modified schedule and class changes. There will be more time for actual work with
the Bees provided the weather cooperates. The introduction to Honey Bees will be
presented at an open house at least once before the classes begin and the first
session will consist of welcome and registration for the first half the allocated
time. This allows for a proper registration and visitation with the new class
we have always needed. The second half the class will be "Physical order of the
hive". This is a physical examination of the typical occupied hive and a very
brief introduction to the races with the first call to order Bees. The second
session will consist of Wooden Ware I and II. Session three will be dynamics
and social ordering of the colony. Pest and predators will be the fourth session.
The fifth session will be the first year Beekeeping followed the next session on
the second year beekeeping, special task and issue challenges. The Loudoun
classes will begin on the first Friday of March and every Friday until complete.
The big change will be the Saturday the 19th March hands on introduction to the
Bees at a host Bee yard if we are not able to put together a teaching Apiary
before the date. April 2 will be a Student/Mentor activity date and a bad
weather day for the March 19 date. The Field Day and Bee arrival is tentatively
set for April 9. There will be package Bees available from Willbanks via
Larry and Dane again this year, however do not forget the students get the
right of first refusal so get on the list as soon as it is compiled. The
first Nucs will be built around the 16th of April and ready around the first
of May. The second group will be ready with Northern Virginia Queens, hopefully
around mid to late June. The Queen project is coming together slowly but surely.
Those who wish a part in this endeavor are welcome. There will be enough tasks
to go around. The Mentor project, the library and the expanded outreach are not
forgotten just on a side burner awaiting a member to step forward. SARE is
still ongoing as is the field note compilation on the vinegar machine. |
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