CATCH THE BUZZ - Movento and Ultor Pesticides Pulled

CATCH THE BUZZ

Two Stories from The Xerces Society and Pollinator Protection Big Win for Bees: Judge Pulls Pesticide

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NEW YORK (December 29, 2009) – A pesticide that could be dangerously toxic to America’s honey bees must be pulled from store shelves as a result of a suit filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Xerces Society. In an order issued last week, a federal court in New York invalidated EPA’s approval of the pesticide spirotetramat (manufactured by Bayer CropScience under the trade names Movento and

 

Ultor) and ordered the agency to reevaluate the chemical in compliance with the law. The court’s order goes into effect on January 15, 2010, and makes future sales of Movento illegal in the United States.

And, the reaction, from Bloomberg News…

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=awNvfcIKf4AY

Bayer ‘Disappointed’ in Ruling on Chemical That May Harm Bees

By Alan Bjerga

Dec. 29 (Bloomberg) -- A Bayer AG unit is “disappointed” by a U.S.

judge’s ruling that may prevent distribution of its spirotetramat insecticide, a spokesman said. Environmental groups say the chemical causes harm to honey bees.

U.S. District Court Judge Denise Cote on Dec. 23 ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to rescind approval for spirotetramat, which inhibits cell reproduction in insects. Cote said the EPA didn’t properly seek comments or publicize the review process. The judge in New York ordered the ruling stayed until Jan. 15 and sent the matter back to the EPA.

Spirotetramat, sold under various names including Movento, was approved for use in the U.S. last year, even though the agency was aware of its potential harm to bees, Cote said. The Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental organization in New York, and the Xerces Society, a Portland, Oregon, a wildlife conservation group, challenged the EPA’s actions.

The insecticide is fit for use and the ruling is based on EPA processes rather than product safety, Jack Boyne, a spokesman for Bayer CropScience LP, a unit of the Leverkusen, Germany-based company, said in a statement. The chemical “has shown excellent performance with regard to bee safety,” he said. Bayer is “evaluating our options”on how to respond to Cote’s ruling, he said.

Pest killers have been linked to honeybee colony collapse disorder, or mass deaths of the insects, which have been reported since 2006. Bees pollinate $15 billion of U.S. plants each year, according to the U.S.Department of Agriculture.

Viruses, mites, pesticides and poor bee treatment have been suggested as primary causes of the disorder, which has been reported in at least

35 states, as well as in Europe and Asia. The Bayer insecticide was approved in Australia in August, and the company said at the time that it also had been cleared for use in Canada and Austria.

Information provided by Eric Mader

National Pollinator Outreach Coordinator The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

The Xerces Society is an international nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. Our Pollinator Conservation Program works to support the sustainability and profitability of farms while protecting pollinator insects. To join the Society, make a contribution, or read about our work, please visit www.xerces.org.

 

This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping. Watch this space, our web page, Brushy Mountain Bee Farm, and thedailygreen.com for registration information on our upcoming webinar on Urban Beekeeping.

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CATCH THE BUZZ - New Crop Loss Program Available for Honey Crops

CATCH THE BUZZ

New Supplemental Revenue Program Announced for 2008 Crop Losses, Including Honey

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 24, 2009 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA has implemented the new Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments program (SURE) in accordance with the 2008 Farm Bill. Vilsack also encouraged producers to visit their USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) county office beginning on January 4, 2010, to participate in the program if they suffered crop production losses during the 2008 crop year. This includes loss of a honey crop.

"This program is an important component of the farm safety net and will provide financial assistance to producers who have suffered crop losses due to natural disasters," said Vilsack. "Producers will receive payments beginning in January, in time to help them with planning for next year's crop."

SURE provides crop disaster assistance payments to eligible producers on farms that have incurred crop production or crop quality losses. The program takes into consideration crop losses on all crops grown by a producer nationwide. SURE provides assistance in an amount equal to 60 percent of the difference between the SURE farm guarantee and total farm revenue. The farm guarantee is based on the amount of crop insurance and Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage on the farm. Total farm revenue takes into account the actual value of production on the farm as well as insurance indemnities and certain farm program payments.

To be eligible for SURE, producers must have suffered at least a 10 percent production loss on a crop of economic significance. In addition, producers must meet the risk management purchase requirement by either obtaining a policy or plan of insurance, under the Federal Crop Insurance Act or NAP coverage, for all economically significant crops. For 2008 crops, producers had the opportunity to obtain a waiver of the risk management purchase requirement through a buy-in provision. Producers considered socially disadvantaged, a beginning farmer or rancher, or a limited resource farmer may be eligible for SURE without a policy or plan of insurance or NAP coverage.

In addition to meeting the risk management purchase requirement, a producer must have a farming interest physically located in a county that was declared a primary disaster county or contiguous county by the Agriculture Secretary under a Secretarial Disaster Designation. Regardless of a Secretarial Disaster Designation, individual producers may also be eligible for SURE if the actual production on the farm is less than 50 percent of the normal production on the farm due to a natural disaster. For SURE, a farm is defined as all crops in which a producer had an interest nationwide.

There is a provision for loss of your honey crop due to some causes. An information file on causes not covered for loss of a honey crop can be found at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/sure_bkgder_122309.pdf

For more information on the new SURE program, please visit your local FSA county office or http://www.fsa.usda.gov, specifically at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=diap&topic=landing

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CATCH THE BUZZ - How Bees Land

CATCH THE BUZZ

Final moments of bee landing tactics revealed

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Bee Supply Companies have for years sold a hive stand that had a slanted landing board. When asked why slanted, and why that particular slant, the answer has always been, that's the way it's always been. Perhaps there is a better reason.

Landing is tricky: hit the ground too fast and you will crash and burn; too slow and you may stall and fall. Bees manage their approach by monitoring the speed of images moving across their eyes. By slowing so that the speed of the looming landing pad's image on the retina remains constant, bees manage to control their approach. But what happens in the final few moments before touch down? And how do bees adapt to landing on surfaces ranging from the horizontal to upside-down ceilings? Flies land on a ceiling by simply grabbing hold with their front legs and somersaulting up as they zip along, but a bee's approach is more sedate. Mandyam Srinivasan, an electrical engineer from the Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland and the Australian Research Council's Vision Centre, knew that bees must be doing something different from daredevil flies. Curious to know more about bee landing strategies Srinivasan teamed up with Carla Evangelista, Peter Kraft, and Judith Reinhard from the University of Queensland, and Marie Dacke, visiting from Lund University. The team used a high-speed camera to film the instant of touch down on surfaces at various inclinations and publish their discoveries about bee landing tactics in The Journal of Experimental Biology on December 28 2009 at http://jeb.biologists.org.

First the scientists built a bee-landing platform that could be inclined at any angle from horizontal to inverted (like a ceiling), then they trained bees to land on it and began filming. Having collected movies of the bees landing on surfaces ranging from 0deg. to 180deg., and every 10deg. inclination between, Evangelista began the painstaking task of manually analysing the bees landing strategies, and saw that the bees' approach could be broken down into 3 phases.

Initially the bees approached from almost any direction and at any speed, however, as they got closer to the platforms, they slowed dramatically, almost hovering, until they were 16mm from the platform when they ground to a complete halt, hovering for anything ranging from 50ms to over 140ms. When the surface was horizontal or inclined slightly, the bees' hind legs were almost within touching distance of the surface, so it was simply a matter of the bee gently lowering itself and grabbing hold with its rear feet before lowering the rest of the body.

However, when the insects were landing on surfaces ranging from vertical to 'ceilings', their antennae were closest to the surface during the hover phase. The team saw that the antennae grazed the surface and this contact triggered the bees to reach up with the front legs, grasp hold of the surface and then slowly heave their middle and hind legs up too. 'We had not expected the antennae to play a role and the fact that there is a mechanical aspect of this is something that we hadn't thought about,' admits Srinivasan.

Looking at the antennae's positions, the team realised that in the final stages as the insects approached inverted surfaces, they held their antennae roughly perpendicular to the surface. 'The bee is able to estimate the slope of the surface to orient correctly the antennae, so it is using its visual system,' explains Srinivasan. But this is surprising, because the insects are almost completely stationary while hovering and unable to use image movement across the eye to estimate distances. Srinivasan suspects that the bees could be using stereovision over such a short distance, and is keen to test the idea.

Finally the team realised that bees are almost tailor made to land on surfaces inclined at angles of 60deg. to the horizontal. 'When bees are flying fast their bodies are horizontal, but when they are flying slowly or hovering their abdomen tilts down so that the tips of the legs and antennae lie in a plane that makes an angle of 60deg.' explains Srinivasan: so the legs and antennae all touch down simultaneously on surfaces inclined at 60deg. 'It seems like they are adapted to land on surfaces tilted to 60deg. and we are keen to find out whether many flowers have this natural tilt,' says Srinivasan.

Srinivasan is optimistic that he will eventually be able to use his discoveries in the design of novel flight control systems.

This article is published in the Journal Of Experimental Biology http://jeb.biologists.org

REFERENCE: Evangelista, C., Kraft, P., Dacke, M., Reinhard, J. and Srinivasan, M. V. (2010). The moment before touchdown: landing manoeuvres of the honeybee Apis mellifera. J. Exp. Biol. 213, 262‑270.

Full text of the article is available ON REQUEST. To obtain a copy contact Kathryn Knight, The Journal Of Experimental Biology, Cambridge, UK. Tel: +44 (0)7876 344333 or email kathryn@biologists.com

This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping. Watch this space, our web page, Brushy Mountain Bee Farm, and thedailygreen.com for registration information on our upcoming webinar on Urban Beekeeping.

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CATCH THE BUZZ - Write In For A Langstroth Stamp

 

CATCH THE BUZZ

Langstroth's 200th Birthday- A Science Celebration

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Two hundred years after his birth in 1810, Rev. Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth, known as the “Father of American Beekeeping," will be honored, thanks, in part to the growing buzz of the sustainability movement. Langstroth's discovery of "bee space" and his invention of the movable-frame honey bee hive will be celebrated with a national network of exhibits, workshops and seminars and, with your help, perhaps a commemorative

U.S. postage stamp as well. Langstroth was employed as a tutor, a minister and a schoolmaster in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania in the 1830s and 1840s. Fascinated by their honeycomb, he began his beekeeping hobby with "two stocks of bees in common box hives." Before long he was exploring

the subject of beekeeping in depth. He observed his bees and sought to understand their ways in order to build better hive boxes which would allow him to combat the destructive wax moths, and collect surplus honey without harming the bees or damaging their wonderful honey comb.

 This is the essence of the scientific method. Those who might think that Langstroth was an unlikely scientist would be misunderstanding the role of science in our lives. The scientific method involves experiencing the world in which we live, responding to the curiosity that naturally resides inside us, devising a method of observing and recording, testing and confirming

our expectations, and evaluating the results we achieve. It is available and valuable to each and every one of us, just as it was to Langstroth. In the words of Thomas D. Seeley, Ph.D., Professor of Biology at Cornell University’s Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, “Without Langstroth's invention of the movable-frame hive, I'm sure that the honey bee would not have become the best studied insect on the planet.”

 Langstroth’s efforts gave us a way to raise large quantities of bees, keep them healthy and collect their honey in a truly sustainable way, without destroying their home. We all owe him a debt and the year 2010, his 200th birthday year is a great time to start repaying that debt in ways that benefit us all.

 The Down to Earth Project of the Science Friday Initiative • 4 West 43rd Street, NY, NY 10036

Step One in repaying our debt to Langstroth will be the study and appreciation of his efforts and what those efforts have yielded. Throughout the year 2010, the Down to Earth Program will be developing and coordinating a network of national workshops, exhibits and gatherings to teach and learn about the considerable science connected with the honey bee. There is so much more to what we will be doing in the next year to celebrate Langstroth's birthday, which I will describe at a later date. But I don't want to conclude this introduction before explaining Step Two.

 Step Two in repaying the debt we owe Langstroth would be to convince the U.S. Postal Service that we all deserve a commemorative postage stamp created in honor of his 200th birthday. It is my hope that the beekeeping community, anyone who enjoys honey, and everyone who appreciates all the foods we eat which would not be available without the work of the honey bee, will write a letter or sign a petition encouraging the U.S. Postal Service to honor Langstroth in this way at this special time.

Please spread the word. A flood of letters is necessary to convince the Postal Service how important Langstroth is to Americans across the country, and how a commemorative stamp would help him achieve the recognition he has so far been denied. The stamp is especially important at a time when honeybees are threatened by colony collapse disorder, and people all over the country, even in urban areas, are helping out by embracing beekeeping. Get everyone you know on board the postage stamp campaign, and have them tell their friends.

 The U.S. Postal Service Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee meets in January 2010, so please write a letter today. We need a pile of letters waiting for them when they arrive at their meeting. Letters sent directly to the Postal Service will be most effective. Below, please find the address to which people should send those letters. For those wishing to include their names on petitions which I will be preparing and submitting, as well as anyone who wishes to let me know they support this project, please send an email to me at LLL200@scifri.org and include your Zip Code so that we may know the breadth of our support. Or Write To: Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee c/o Stamp Development, U.S. Postal Service 1735 North Lynn St., Suite 5013Arlington, VA 22209-6432

 The Down to Earth Project of the Science Friday Initiative • 4 West 43rd Street, NY, NY 10036

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Apis Newsletter Template

Dear Subscribers,

I am just back from addressing the Colorado State Beekeepers Association.  Like others this group is going through a period of adjustment due to addition of new members and emergence of many urban beekeepers in the State.  I provided them some ideas concerning my reflections found in the shared vision statement I published some time back.    Ann Harman’s article this month is really appropriate to this discussion.  Read why it’s time for the East Cupcake Beekeepers to take a hard look at their governance issues.  I  also discussed the root causes of CCD and the honey standard, both found at the Apis web site.

I left Denver in snow flurries as a line of de-icing machines, complete with modified  cherry pickers, applied anti-freeze to all airplanes before taking off.  I got off just in time as  a blizzard descended on the Mile High City and then took off across the country’s midsection.  I returned to 78 degree weather in Jacksonville, but now we will experience temperatures in the mid 30s here tonight. Let’s hope our southern bees will not bee to hard pressed during this cold front.

Florida is gearing up for the new year with the North American Beekeeping Conference coming to Orlando, January 12-16.  This is a mega meeting with most of the alphabet soup organizations attending from both the  U.S. and Canada, including AAPA and ABRC, CAPA, CHC, AIA, etc.   See details at the revamped ABF web site.  Advance registration is available through the rest of December.

There’s a lot of buzz about the proposed L.L. Langstroth postage stamp. Please write to the Stamp Advisory Committee, directly. Tell them: "LL Langstroth, the Father of American Beekeeping, deserves a commemorative stamp." If everyone could get 3 other people to send a letter to the Postal Service imagine the flood of letters. Citizen's Stamp Advisory Committee c/o Stamp Development U.S. Postal Service 1735 North Lynn Street Suite 5013 Arlington, VA 22209-6432 Want to know more? Check out these links: Patent #9300 LL Langstroth's 200 Birthday Celebration Send a Letter OR Send an Email. Or for the biggest impact, do BOTH!” http://scifri.org/dte/about/projects/bee-science/postage-due/

Bee City is for sale for $375,000, if it hasn’t sold already.  Retire to South Carolina in style see: http://www.beecity.net/ (in this market probably the biggest problem would be financing—cash is king right now)

Fran Bach reports that the Western Apicultural Society now has a home page complete with past issues of its newsletter .  The next WAS conference will be in Salem, Oregon at the end of August 2010, with Dewey Caron driving it. Stay tuned for more details as they emerge.  This now makes a trifecta of EAS, HAS and  WAS for training beekeepers.

It’s time to circle the wagons as more and more beekeepers begin to have problems keeping bees in Urban areas.  I am making a list of what municipalities indeed have both bee friendly and bee unfriendly ordinances.  The idea is that any fight to legalize beekeeping should not be a local thing, but something that might better be nation wide.  There’s more strength in numbers.  So send me the name of the community you keep bees in and what is the current status.  Also include a copy of any ordinance that specifically states whether beekeeping is legal or not and why.  This will begin to provide the ammunition for a country wide-effort to legalize beekeeping everywhere.  As an example, check out Ypsilanti City.

All you beekeeping teachers out there take heed!  We no longer can say that Apis is an exotic genus introduced to the New World by Europeans.  :Engel, et al., found their bee, which they named Apis nearctica, in a fourteen-million-year-old shale formation in the Stewart Valley Basin in west-central Nevada. The remains were partially disarticulated, but enough components were there that it could be diagnosed as a honey bee. A. nearctica closely resembles a contemporary species from Germany, Apis armbrusteri. It was found in company with fossil ants and wasps, one group of which is characteristic of forested environments.

‘Since only one specimen was found, we can’t know whether A. nearctica was social or solitary. But its European relative A. armbrusteri was represented by a swarm of workers that had succumbed to carbon dioxide at a hot spring. (Ludwig Armbruster, an arch-category splitter, described a number of separate species based on variations among the bees and named them after his friends and colleagues. Later researchers decided they were all the same kind of bee.)

‘Two questions come to mind: how did A. nearctica get to Nevada, and what happened to it? Through geological time, North America has had land connections with both Asia and Europe. During the Miocene epoch, when A. nearctica was extant, only the route from Asia—an early version of Beringia—was open.

EPA (in cooperation with Oregon State University) has launched a new portal for the reporting of ecological incidents related to pesticides, through their "National Pesticide Information Center" website. This is an effort by the Office of Pesticide Programs to improve the quantity and quality of incident data they receive for pesticides, so please check it out, use it, and get the word out to other interested parties!

Editor Flottum writes: “WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rolled out proposed guidance for new pesticide labeling to reduce off-target spray and dust drift. The new instructions, when implemented, will improve the clarity and consistency of pesticide labels and help prevent harm from spray drift. The agency is also requesting comment on a petition to evaluate children’s exposure to pesticide drift.

“The new label statements will help reduce problems from pesticide drift,” said Steve Owens, the assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances. “The new labels will carry more uniform and specific directions on restricting spray drift while giving pesticide applicators clear and workable instructions.” 
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Gleanings from the December 2009 Bee Culture

Lynn Kallus, Merry Point, VA agrees with  Jim Tew and is about to intentionally annoy her neighbors and friends.  John  Koster writes that the Allendale NJ Borough Council voted unanimously in October to rescind a ban on apiaries.  Joe Traynor says that guttation is the latest buzz in beekeeping circles and was discussed at Apimondia 09 in France  .  LeRoy Miller, Jr. Galion, OH asks about winter cover as described by Dave Hemendinger in the October 09 issue.

Sky and Basil Campbell, Athens, GA suggest more research be done on organic beekeeping methods by those studying this area.  Peter Leighton, Jackson, NJ suggests a way to increase genetic diversity.  Peter Smith, Great Missenden, England sends a great picture of a wasp nest in his attic complete with wasps; a thing of beauty he says.  Joe Fitzpatrick, Blue Bell, PA suggests different placement of small hive beetle refugia traps.  Jim Cowan, Aberdeen, WA asks if bees are getting gentler; his experiences show they are.  Enos Miller, Ogdensburg, NY decides he likes 1/8 inch mesh for bottom boards rather than ¼ inch. 

David Bancalari, Norfolk, England is looking for a diseased comb and a web developer; for details, e-mail david@bnacalari.fslife.co.uk. John Hoffman, Mt. Holly Springs, PA uses a mirror to check his brood chamber via an open bottom board.  A Concerned Reader urges caution for Lyme disease; if one feels fatigued seek a physicians advice as if caught early the disease can be treated.  Robert Helmacy, Hop Bottom, VA is concerned that CCD articles do not point directly to neonicotinoids (imidacloprid and others in the same class).  This concern nets a response from Editor Flottum concerning the complex nature of CCD.

Postage Due, celebrating honey bee science with the 200th birthday of L.L. Langstroth, indicates that a flood of letters is needed to the U.S. Postal Service Service Citizens’ Stamp Committee for their January meeting.  Write CSAC, c/o Stamp Development, U.S. Postal Service,  1735 North Lynn St., Arlington,  VA 22209-6432 and also e-mail: lll2000@scifri.org.

New for the beekeeper is Beekeeping 101 by Dana Stahlman, ISBN 9780984275304; bulk orders from stahlmanapiaries@aol.com.  The 90-minute documentary, The Vanishing Bees looks to open pretty soon and is being marketed to bee clubs; $100 nets five copies to be sold or given away.  Bee-Pro Max patties are being offered by Mann Lake Supply, http://www.mannlakeltd.com and the IBRA publishes a number of volumes, including Anatomy and Dissection of the Honey Bee, Beekeepers Protective Clothing and Skeps, Tools and Accessories, http://www.ibrastore.org.uk.
  
Clarence Collison takes a closer look at Varroa and small hive beetles a virus vectors.  Read how both organisms are culpable.
Reed Johnson discusses When Varroacides Interact, a heretofore little studied situation that has big implications.  Read  the situation surrounding P450 detoxification and what happens when you mix chemicals as humans sometimes have with catastrophic results (Tylenol and excessive alcohol).

Dan Stiles set up a camera system with motion detector in his back yard.  Look at some  of the images that resulted.

Larry Connor looks at bee biology and how it effects colony management.  Read his analysis of pollen foraging and use by bees, nectar collection, water collection and even resin collection.

Ross Conrad says there are two approaches to requeening, actively doing so as part of management or letting nature take its course. Read how Mr. Conrad confesses he has never re-queened  a colony because he basically simply lets the bees do it.

Allen Lassiter describes producing queens in North Carolina.  He looks at Spring Bank Apiaries as an example of a growing number of “micro-breeders.” Read why timing is so essential in this activity.

Jill Jonnes describes the Paris Beekeeping School.  See pictures of beekeepers in the Jardin de Luxembourg in the 6th Arrondisement. See another discussion  at the old Apis Newsletter site.

Jim Tew has jumbled thoughts at what new beekeepers should know about old beekeepers and vice versa. Read about penalties for today’s mistakes, changes in information technology and compartmentalization.  These are all part of a very new boat that is current beekeeping.

Melanie Kirby begins a several part series on integrated top-bar hive management.  Read how the Peace Corps experience in Paraguay in 1997 shifted her thinking and what that means for fusion of  both top-bar and Langstroth beekeeping technique.

Joe  Traynor discusses immunity and resistance in the honey bee world.  Read his prescription for maintaining healthy bee colonies.

Walt Wright objects to the double deep brood chamber for several reasons.  Read what configuration he uses and why.  See his point of view at http://www.beesource.com.

Ann Harman writes it’s time for a change.  Read what this means for governance of beekeeping associations.

Abbas Edun looks at acerola, aconite, and globe artichoke as natural remedies.  Read what each plant appears to be good for and how to use it.

Leonard Riepenhoff writes that to be a good beekeeper one must keep good records.  Read why diaries aren’t just for lovesick girls.

I met the Bottom Board guy, Ed Colby in Longmont, CO  this month.  He’s a unique individual to bee sure.  Check out this month’s contribution “Vandals In The Apiary,” as he searches for answers to this timeless problem.

Sincerely,


Malcolm T. Sanford
beeactor@apisenterprises.com
http://apis.shorturl.com

Bee sure to subscribe to Catch the Buzz, Bee Culture's latest releases of importance to beekeepers.  Also access the Apis Information Resource Center , which contains archived articles, listing of  posts on blogs, web sites, and links to related materials.  .

CATCH THE BUZZ - Spray Drift Comments Deadline Close

Because of the Importance of this message we have been asked to resend it to our subscribers. If you have not responded to the request to comment on the proposals EPA is suggesting for regulating pesticide spray drift please do so...the hive you save may be yours.... CATCH THE BUZZ   EPA Proposes New Pesticide Labeling to Control Spray Drift and Protect Human Health Protein feeding pays off with better bee health, better survival, better production, and better wintering.  Learn More. Find out What’s New At Mann Lake right Here WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rolled out proposed guidance for new pesticide labeling to reduce off-target spray and dust drift. The new instructions, when implemented, will improve the clarity and consistency of pesticide labels and help prevent harm from spray drift. The agency is also requesting comment on a petition to evaluate children’s exposure to pesticide drift. “The new label statements will help reduce problems from pesticide drift,” said Steve Owens, the assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances. “The new labels will carry more uniform and specific directions on restricting spray drift while giving pesticide applicators clear and workable instructions.” The new instructions will prohibit drift that could cause adverse health or environmental effects. Also, on a pesticide-by-pesticide basis, EPA will evaluate scientific information on risk and exposure based on individual product use patterns. These assessments will help the agency determine whether no-spray buffer zones or other measures – such as restrictions on droplet or particle size, nozzle height, or weather conditions – are needed to protect people, wildlife, water resources, schools and other sensitive sites from potential harm. In addition to the draft notice on pesticide-drift labeling, EPA is also seeking comment on a draft pesticide drift labeling interpretation document that provides guidance to state and tribal enforcement officials. A second document provides background information on pesticide drift, a description of current and planned EPA actions, a reader’s guide explaining key terms and concepts, and specific questions on which EPA is seeking input. These documents and further information are available in docket EPA–HQ–OPP–2009–0628 at http://www.regulations.gov . In a second Federal Register notice, EPA is also requesting comment on a petition filed recently by environmental and farm worker organizations. The petitioners ask EPA to evaluate children’s exposure to pesticide drift and to adopt, on an interim basis, requirements for “no-spray” buffer zones near homes, schools, day-care centers, and parks. EPA will evaluate this new petition and take whatever action may be appropriate after the evaluation is complete. For further information and to submit comments, please see docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0825 at http://www.regulations.gov . More information: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/spraydrift.htm   This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping,   Subscribe to Malcolm Sanford’s Apis Newsletter right here For a comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the country and around the globe, check out Bee Culture’s Global Beekeeping Calendar

EZezine

Central Beekeepers Alliance : Central Beekeepers Meet 12 January 2010

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Central Beekeepers Meet 12 January 2010 Posted: 06 Dec 2009 07:46 AM PST Central Beekeepers will hold our regular monthly meeting on 12 January 2010 at the Agricultural Research Centre (see map). Tuesday, 12 January 2010 Central Beekeepers Alliance Meeting Agricultural Research Centre, Fredericton, NB 7:30 p.m. Visitors and new beekeepers are welcome. Central Beekeepers Meet 12 January 2010 comes from the Central Beekeepers Alliance of New Brunswick, Canada. For more information on Honey Bees and Beekeeping, please: * Visit http://cba.stonehavenlife.com * Subscribe to our RSS feed * Get free updates by e-mail

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CATCH THE BUZZ - Disaster Sign Up Due

CATCH THE BUZZ 

ELAP DISASTER PROGRAM APPLICATION DEADLINE DECEMBER 10, 2009

From the ABF Web Page, Dec 4, 2009

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Any beekeeper interested in applying for aid through the ELAP program – Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees and Farm-Raised Fish Program – must make application by December 10, 2009, at their County Farm Service Agency Office (FSA). This application covers losses in 2008 and in 2009 through September 10 for commercial colonies.

The ELAP continues until October 1, 2011. After this initial period, losses must be reported to FSA within 30 days of discovery.

The ABF Legislative Committee is working with USDA to improve the regulations; however, the deadline will stand and applications must be filed by the deadline in the beekeeper’s headquarters county. Interested beekeepers are urged to apply to meet the December 10 deadline, then work with the FSA office to perfect their claims as new instructions are developed in Washington.

Additionally, beekeepers must be enrolled in the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) to qualify for the ELAP.

Eligible losses are feed being raised for bees and losses of colonies or beehives. The feed losses must be for feed intended as feed for the producer’s bees. In either case, the losses must be due to adverse weather or other eligible loss condition.

To be eligible for a loss of bees due to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), the beekeeper must provide documentation to support that CCD was the cause. An acceptable document includes, but is not limited to, a CCD certification by a registered entomologist, Cooperative Extension specialist or Land Grant University.

The above is a general summary of the current regulations. More information is available from the FSA county office. The full regulations were published in the Federal Register on September 11, 2009, beginning on page 46665.

This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping,   

Subscribe to Malcolm Sanford’s Apis Newsletter right here

 

For a comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the country and around the globe, check out Bee Culture’s Global Beekeeping Calendar

 

 

 

CATCH THE BUZZ - New Pesticide Reporting Page available

 CATCH THE BUZZ

New Pesticide Abuse Reporting Page Available

by Kim Flottum

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Protein feeding pays off with better bee health, better survival, better production, and better wintering.  Learn More.

Find out What’s New At Mann Lake right Here

 

The EPA, in cooperation with Oregon State University, has launched a new portal for the reporting of ecological incidents related to pesticides, through their "National Pesticide Information Center" website. This is an effort by the Office of Pesticide Programs to improve the quantity and quality of incident data they receive for pesticides, so please check it out, use it, and get the word out to other interested parties!

The portal is not without a few problems. Pertinent information asked for on the 4 page query include the type of incident you wish to report...terrestrial, aquatic, both, for plants or bees.

They also want significant contact and location information, which makes sense, including your state and county, but also the number of affected entities, date observed, the weather when the event occured and a short overview of the event.

But here's the kicker, in my opinion...you need a significant amount of pesticide information...or they don't let you finish the report. They want the Product name and the active ingredient, and if possible the EPA Registration number (which is conveniently located on the label, in case you didn't know). They also want the formulation, evidence of misuse, how certain are you it was misused, and whether it was an aerial or ground spray.

I'm quite certain they want more, but since I didn't have the registration number, I couldn't get past that page on the report, so had to quit...This is a short coming on this what-could-have-been very useful report for beekeepers. Maybe product names and formulations and active ingredients and registration numbers are move available to people other than beekeepers. But when you find a dead hive you probably don't have ample opportunity to carefully read the label. Thus, this reporting device is meaningless. That is unfortunate.

To take a look at this report, and if you have a registration number, go to the web page below and make a report...

http://npic.orst.edu/eco

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This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping,   

Subscribe to Malcolm Sanford’s Apis Newsletter right here

For a comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the country and around the globe, check out Bee Culture’s Global Beekeeping Calendar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Central Beekeepers Alliance : Ag Museum Curator Seeks Antique Honey Tins from Maritimes

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Ag Museum Curator Seeks Antique Honey Tins from Maritimes Posted: 23 Nov 2009 01:55 AM PST Do you happen to have a collection of old New Brunswick (or Nova Scotia) honey tins stashed away in your attic, barn loft, or honey house? If so, would you be willing to loan one of them to the Canada Agriculture Museum? I am looking for an antique or vintage honey tin from the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia for an exhibit on beekeeping in Canada "Taking Care of Beezness" that I am curating at the Canada Agriculture Museum in Ottawa. The gist of the concept is to have a tin from each of the provinces to make the point that beekeeping is practiced accross the country. The exhibit opens in March 2010 so I am beginning to feel worried that those two provinces's beekeepers will not be represented. Please e-mail me if you can help! Thank you; Franz Franz Klingender is Curator of Agriculture at the Canada Science and Technology Museum, Ottawa, ON. You may reach him by email at fklingender@technomuses.ca. Ag Museum Curator Seeks Antique Honey Tins from Maritimes comes from the Central Beekeepers Alliance of New Brunswick, Canada. For more information on Honey Bees and Beekeeping, please: * Visit http://cba.stonehavenlife.com * Subscribe to our RSS feed * Get free updates by e-mail

Central Beekeepers Christmas Dinner 2009 Posted: 22 Nov 2009 07:45 AM PST Central Beekeepers Alliance – Christmas Dinner Saturday, 5 December 2009 Time: 6:30 p.m. Location: Lincoln Lions Club, 2239 Route 102, Lincoln, NB Cost per person: $12 RSVP Please call Dan Richards at (506) 455-4922 as soon as possible to reserve your place for the Christmas Dinner. Map to Lincoln Lions Club: View Larger Map Central Beekeepers Christmas Dinner 2009 comes from the Central Beekeepers Alliance of New Brunswick, Canada. For more information on Honey Bees and Beekeeping, please: * Visit http://cba.stonehavenlife.com * Subscribe to our RSS feed * Get free updates by e-mail

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Apis Newsletter November 20, 2009

Dear Subscribers,

This issue of Apis is somewhat delayed as I attended an acting workshop put on by Landmark Education.  This provided me a greater depth of understanding of  my personality; especially empowering is to consider yourself a character in your life which is really a play, and not you.  It took three days to distinguish who I was really, not the actor I portray in life.  This is only the 11th time the workshop has been given. The good news, I can deduct  the fairly pricey tuition as part of my activities (personal development) under the  rubric of Apis Enterprises, which also includes my acting career. 

We had a scare with hurricane IDA, but she went up the east coast and dumped gobs of rain on the Carolinas.  The downside was we got little rain out of the system.  It turned cool and then hot again.  It is normal to be in the 80s here well into November.

The Florida State Beekeepers Association held its 89th annual convention in historic Monticello, FL early this month.  I provided a report that the Association is growing by leaps and bounds; membership doubling in the last three years.  We elected a new executive whose  responsibility will be to ensure those bright eyed, bushy tailed new members will renew their membership in succeeding years.  This apparently is also happening around  the country.  I put up a discussion about this on the the Association's web site.

The  Cooperative Extension System Bee Health  site is mentioned in this month's Bee Culture and is certainly worth a look.  The newest edition provides an upclose and personal look at European foulbrood.  In addition, it provides a closer look at the American Association of  Professional Apiculturists (AAPA), which has published a position statement on the health of the U.S. honey bee industry.

I am grateful for the following  that was both a compliment and poem, communicating Christmas greetings somewhat early:

Christian greetings.   Information gap it intends,loose part to join the ends,Good and latest with facts contends.All of us happily recommend a round of applause just for  Apis Journal.   A lot in this time we have gained much of it,we have retained and we hope that the goal was attained.No article will go unexplained.Applause and applause to  Apis Journal.May you have the gift of faith  and the blessing of hope.Merry Chrismas to all staff and to all readers of  Apis Journal.    Kind regards to all,   Christopher Saboi <saboichristopher@yahoo.com> Kenya.

Given the extent that introduced exotic pests have affected U.S. beekeeping, especially tracheal mites, Acarapis woodi, and the Asian mite, Varroa destructor, the news coming out of Australia is disquieting.  This was published by editor Flottum in his electronic ezine, Catch the Buzz. "

"Australian biosecurity workers have found the 50^th Asian honey bee (Apis cerana) nest in far north Queensland as the more than two-year fight to eliminate the invaders moves to a new area.  Queensland state Primary Industries Minister Tim Mulherin says the latest nests were discovered by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service and a local council.

“One infestation was found on a business premises in the Cairns industrial suburb of Portsmith,” he says. “It was the 50th Asian honey bee infestation found since the pest was first detected in Cairns more than two years ago. The nest was destroyed along with another infestation at Greenhill.  Earlier, the Yarrabah Aboriginal Council's head ranger reported a swarm of foraging Asian Honey bees in the Yarrabah area, about 10 miles southeast of Cairns.  Mulherin says the nest, the first detection in the Yarrabah area, was found among mangroves and was destroyed. We have now destroyed 52 Asian honey bee nests and Biosecurity Queensland is determined to seek and destroy every infestation,” he says." 

An article in this month's Bee Culture by Doug Sommerville, author of the beekeeper's nutrition bible,

Fat Bees Skinny Bees, discusses the possible problems that  Apis cerana and relatives might bring to beekeeping  down under.

This month's links on Publish2 include those about a beekeeping education project, pollination and human livelihoods, intelligence of Africanized bees, the crazy raspberry ant, Bermuda's queen rearing  initiative, what has been called the honey bee reproductive groundplan, the effect of beekeeping in Kurdistan, epigenetics and honey bees, evidence of toxicity of hydroxymethylfurfural and the documentary film, The Vanishing of The Bees.  I would appreciated anyone who would care to comment on this application.

The Ecological Incident Information System is now up and running.  Also phone 703-305-7695 to report bee kills.  All incidents should be cataloged for the future health of the beekeeping industry.

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Gleanings  from the  November, 2009  Bee Culture Magazine

Gordy Fawcett, Medina, OH writes that Editor Flottum's blog http://www.thedailygreen.com is one of the few reliable sources of beekeeping information on the web and  applauds the urban beekeeping initiative that Bee Culture has begun.  Howard Kogan no longer subscribes to American Bee Journal for he now finds Bee Culture "more  well rounded." 

S. MacReynoldson, London, England,  believes he's discovered link between honey bee illness and leaf blowers.  Ariane St. Claire wants to know what's in  Megabee.  George N. Bryan, Hyrum, UT discusses his problems with the Big Brother Hyrum City Bureacracy and promises to continue the fight to keep bees in that municipality.  A "Larry" in South Carolina has developed a forced air system using an inexpensive Wal-Mart fan in stored supers, which looks to keep wax moths at bay.  Kristina Z. wants to know what attracts bees to urine-soaked charcoal.  Mike Thomas, Lewisberry, PA writes that plans are well underway  for the next rendition of Honey Bee Awarness Day, August 21, 2010.  

John G. Hoffman, Mt. Holly Springs, PA writes about his observations conjured up by Jim Tew's article on wintering  honey bees.  Many of the various methods of insulating combined with the screened open bottom board are promising.  Larry Hensley, Florissant, MO sends a photo of comb built under a screened bottom board.  The Purvis crew, Leoma, TN has put up their business for sale.  The good news is they are downsizing, not going away  and will continue to maintain the Goldline Bee.

Finally, Alvalea Fong, Oregon City, OR is looking for a basic beekeeping book in Chinese.  Contact Editor Flottum for contact information if you find one.

The biggest buzz this month has got to be the newly designed Bee Culture web page.  They have pulled out all the stops on this, including all kinds of resources to find bee  associations, inspectors annd others involved in U.S. Beekeeping.  Most exciting is the digital edition, which will  roll out next month and will cost only $15.  This  is especially good for foreign subscribers, who will stand to save a lot on  postage.  Check out the sample digital copy to see the possibilities.  Note that this is still in beta version, which means Editor Flottum asks that anyone encountering problems, please contact him.  One example is that the digital edition may not function with all browsers currently in circulation.

Editor Flottum waxes on the Asian honey bee situation.  Read what his take is on  the precautions APHIS and Australians are implementing to ensure none of these critters reach U.S. shores.  The historical record on this is not encouraging.

Two resources are listed in the What's New section, the book Honey for Health & Beauty by both a physician and chef, and Bees in Art, the world's first art gallery devoted to honey bees.  Also check out the new mite control MAQS based on formic acid and  new frame holders from hotarcwelding200@yahoo.com.  Check out the Beehaus, a pricey example of new materials incorporating a mesh floor.  Finally, consider composer Marjorie de Muynck's Vibrational  Healing  Music.

Clarence Collison takes a closer look at the mysterius Dufour's gland.  It is ten-times greater in volume in a queen than a normal worker gland and also is found in all female hymenopterans (ants, bees and wasps)

Steve Sheppard reviews a special issue on  "Bee Conservation" in Apidologie 40:193-416.  It contains  twelve papers providing a bigger picture of the importance of bees as pollinators. 

Marla Spivak and colleagues declare that the hygienic stock developed at the University of Minnesota is in good  hands.  This is the first certifiable stock to be delivered  to the beekeeping community.  Read more about this at the new Extension Bee Health site.  Keith  Delaplane follows this with a discussion of the CAP grant.  This is a $4.1 million endeavor that also partners with the extension site.  He promises more articles on the results of this initiative in the future.

Mike Hood takes on Integrated Pest Management for beekeepers.  Read how he says this  technology is changing the ways beekeepers think.  This is the first of a four-part series.

Jim Tew concludes: "There goes the neighborhood."  Read  why bees are not always in the right or best places and how they and exotic plants might cooperate with unintended consequences.

As noted elsewhere, Doug Sommerville concludes that Asian honey bees found in Australia are  not good news. Read in depth what this might mean to beekeepers everywhere.

Kitty Keifer describes how the Cards of Merrimack Valley Apiaries get their bees ready for California.  Read how this is all about timing and honey bee population control.

Jennifer Berry says that three independent studies have concluded that small cell foundation does not do much for Varroa control.  Read the results and materials and methods summary.

Larry Connor complains that beekeepers are not getting the best training.  Read how includingbiological and geographical information into courses would provide an improved way to "think like a bee."

Ann Harman provides a list of possible activities for the East Cupcake Beekeepers Association.  Read why Robert of Roberts Rules of Order should take a back seat in many meetings.

Tom Obrien believes a long Langstroth hive has many potential benefits for both bee and beekeeper.  Read how a five-foot Lang might be in your future.

Ross Conrad reveals that Apis is after all not an exotic genus.  Read how Apis neartica was found the Americas and what its discovery means.

Connie Krochmal believes in small trees for bees.  Read her list including dogwood, smoketree, redbud, mountain ash and golden rain tree.  The latter is no small tree in some areas of Florida.  As in India it can reach 25 feet with a crown to match.

Roger Hoopingarner, a pioneer in the SMR, now VSH initiative, gives further impetus to the idea that continuous selection is necessary in the direction of Varroa tolerance.  Read how all beekeepers can take advantage of this technology right now and what it might mean to the future of beekeeping.

In all the news that fits, read about the fire at A.H. Myer and Sons, new citrus releases in California, Chinese importers pleading guilty to selling adulterated product, the mega meeting in Orlando in 2010 and the New Zealand company that plans to sell premium beehive shares in an innovative marketing campaign for manuka honey.  Read too about Virginia and Carl Webb of Clarkesville, GA winning  again The Best Honey in the World at Apimondia in Montpellier, France.  Finally, view  the trailer of the new movie "Vanashing of the Bees" in the UK.

Ed Colby writes about his vacation to Minnesota to learn how to rear queens.  Read about his experiences at airports in getting his queen cells packed in a thermos jug through security.  The ease with which this happened brings chills to any one interested in keeping exotic biological material at bay. 

Sincerely,


Malcolm T. Sanford
beeactor@apisenterprises.com
http://apis.shorturl.com

Bee sure to subscribe to Catch the Buzz, Bee Culture's latest releases of importance to beekeepers.  Also access the Apis Information Resource Center , which contains archived articles, listing of  posts on blogs, web sites, and links to related materials.  .