Thursday 29 January 2009

CATCH THE BUZZ Dry year in California

CATCH THE BUZZ

A dry year in California will affect pollination businesses everywhere.

A water shortage in California almond growing country this spring will have ripple effects in pollination businesses in every state for the rest of the year. When almond contracts were paying premium prices because there was ample water but a shortage, or preceived shortage of colonies for pollination, and the price of almonds was high and looking to get higer, rental prices were high enough for beekeepers to head west. They could stay for the winter, pollinate almonds in the spring, and then head back home to make honey. With excess colonies in California this year due to trees coming out of production, and lots of healthy colonies looking for a pollination home, crops down the road, both figurtively and seasonally will have to look twice at colony availability and crop demand. Wise beekeepers are already looking ahead to see what this change may bring and adjusting their movements accordingly.

The following is from Central Valley Business Times, released today...

The Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) second snow survey of the winter season indicates snow water content is 61 percent of normal for the date statewide, the department says Thursday.

“The low precipitation in January and snowpack results from today’s survey indicate California is heading for a third dry year,” says DWR Director Lester Snow. “We may be at the start of the worst California drought in modern history. It’s imperative for Californians to conserve water immediately at home and in their businesses.”

Manual survey results were taken at four locations near Lake Tahoe, and combined with electronic readings, indicate a statewide snowpack water content of 61 percent (49 percent in the Northern Sierra, 63 percent in the Central Sierra, and 68 percent in the Southern Sierra.)

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Last year at this time, snowpack was 111 percent of normal, but the driest spring on record followed resulting in a second consecutive dry water year.

Local water agencies are updating Urban Water Management Plans, and DWR is facilitating what water transfers may be available through its Drought Water Bank program. Many providers have already enacted mandatory or voluntary water rationing and it is likely more agencies will require some form of rationing if dry conditions persist.

Storage in California’s major reservoirs is low. Lake Oroville, the principal storage reservoir for the State Water Project (SWP), is at 28 percent of capacity, and 43 percent of average storage for this time of year.

With only two months left in what is normally the wettest part of the season, it is growing increasingly unlikely that enough precipitation will fall to end the drought, DWR says.

Continuing dry conditions and regulatory agency restrictions on Delta water exports are limiting water deliveries to farms and urban areas, the department says. A “Biological Opinion” from the National Marine Fisheries Service to protect salmon and steelhead is expected in March and is the latest action that may further reduce pumping capability.

DWR’s early estimate is that it will only be able to deliver 15 percent of requested State Water Project water this year to the Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley, Central Coast and Southern California.

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Central Beekeepers Alliance

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Giving a Home to Solitary Bees

Posted: 28 Jan 2009 12:59 PM PST

wood block solitary bee houseLots of people would love to keep honey bees, for various reasons, but they can’t do it because they live in cities or suburbs with by-laws against beekeeping. But that doesn’t mean they can’t help take care of the earth’s essential pollinators in other ways!

The Urban Bee Barn

During a lively conversation at the grocery store checkout, one day, a man in line told the rest of us shoppers about his innovative version of urban beekeeping: a “bee barn” among the birdhouses near his patio.

This “bee barn” provided an artificial habitat for native bees in and around this man’s downtown property. It was basically a shaped chunk of wood, decorated to look like an old-fashioned barn with a hip roof, that had all sizes of holes drilled in it. When he put it out in the spring, wild bees — solitary bees — took up residence in the holes, picking whichever hole was the right size for them, and stayed all season.

The bees pollinated gave the man’s children a wonderful close-up view of Nature in action, and pollinated his patio tomatoes. Win-win!

solitary bee houseI didn’t ask this man where he’d got his “bee barn” because I figured it would be easy enough to track down a source on the Internet… but I haven’t yet found anything that’s quite like what he described.

The Bamboo Bee House

However, I did find a couple of ““>bee house” or two on Amazon.com, like this one made from a lot of pieces of bamboo. Since the bamboo is hollow and comes in different thicknesses, naturally, according to how far along the stalk the section has been cut, it makes a suitable home for bees.

Wooden Block Bee House

You could also make your own bee house, like Lise Mahnke, who wrote up her construction method (complete with photographs) on Dry-Ideas.com, based on the bee house built by Robert Engelhardt (shown at the top of this page).

Or follow the instructions in this “how to” video of the Build a Bee House” “science project” lesson from YES magazine:

There are more than 1000 species of native bees in this country, according to Pollination Canada, and they’re struggling to survive in this modern world the same way that honeybees are — so a frustrated wannabe-beekeeper could do a lot worse than to set up a home for those wild bees!

Post from: Central Beekeepers Alliance

Wednesday 28 January 2009

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Dennis vanEngelsdorp Video: Where have the bees gone?

Posted: 27 Jan 2009 11:49 AM PST

Dennis van Engelsdorp, the Acting State Apiarist for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, has been studying Colony Collapse Disorder and the sudden disappearance of honeybees.

In this video of a lively talk given by vanEnglesdorp at the Taste 3 food and wine conference, the “bee crusader” compares CCD to the ‘flu and explains some of the strange and mysterious discoveries about colony health that make CCD such a challenging problem — and what can and should be done about it.

He pins the decline of pollinators on what he calls “Nature Deficit Disorder” (NDD) — for which the iconic image is the sterile “green desert” of lawn that has replaced the diverse ecosystem of the meadow.

The talk is aimed at a general audience, not a bunch of beekeepers, so it’s a great introduction to honeybees, beekeeping, and colony collapse disorder… but there’s lots there for even the most experienced beekeeper to hear and enjoy.

You’d think it might be a depressing talk, but far from it — vanEngelsdorp’s own excitement about the fascinating world of pollination is contagious. In fact, we only wish that all speakers were as entertaining!

Post from: Central Beekeepers Alliance

Agenda for NB Beekeepers 2009 Annual Meeting

Posted: 27 Jan 2009 09:28 AM PST

The following notice is published at the request of the New Brunswick Beekeepers Association, our provincial organization.

New Brunswick Beekeepers Association Annual Meeting
7 February 2009
Moncton Lions Community Centre
473 St. George Street,
Moncton, New Brunswick

AGENDA

1. Call to order
2. Approval of Agenda
3. Minutes of Last Annual Meeting 2008
4. Business Arising from Minutes
5. Financial Reports
6. Introduction of Guest Speaker – Georges Martin, University of Montreal,
CRSAD, Deschambault, Quebec
7. Provincial Apiarist Report – Chris Maund
8. Chief Inspector Report – Fletcher Colpitts
9. Regional Reports
10. Canadian Honey Council (CHC) Maritime Delegate Report – Tom Trueman
11. Correspondence
12. New Business
13. Resolutions
14. Election of Directors
15. Adjournment

Notes: Coffee will be served at 9:30 a.m. and meeting will begin at 10:00 a.m. Pizza will be served at 12:00 noon at a cost of $7.00 per person. A Board of Directors meeting will follow the Annual Meeting.

Post from: Central Beekeepers Alliance

Monday 26 January 2009

CATCH THE BUZZ Honey Standard Gaining

CATCH THE BUZZ

Support and Momentum For Honey Standard Gaining Daily! Is Your State In Line To Change?




This message from Nancy Gentry...

Given the ongoing concerns over transshipments and contamination of honey and the six-part investigative report on honey laundering which began appearing December 30, in the Seattle-Post Intelligencer, the campaign for the state-by-state adoption of the Honey Standard gained momentum in Fresno at the National Packers & Dealers Association meeting and the American Honey Packers Association and then at the American Beekeeping Federation in Reno.  I had the pleasure to address all three associations and am pleased to announce that both the American Honey Packers Association and the American Beekeeping Federation endorsed the state-by-state adoption of the U.S. version of the Revised Codex Standard for Honey in their 2009 resolutions. Both associations will continue to urge the FDA to adopt Revised Codex as the national standard, even though the FDA denied the petition by the major industry groups in August citing “other agency priorities.”

 

Florida will be the first state in the nation to have adopted Revised Codex as their standard of identity for honey (find text of Florida’s standard in Jan 09 ABJ.) On November 19, 2008, our Commissioner of Agriculture, Charles Bronson, signed the rule, clearing the way for its obligatory four-week publication in Florida Administrative Weekly. The formal adoption will be announced by the end of January or first of February.


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Now other states must join Florida and initiate campaigns for adoption of the Standard.   To date, GA,NC,KY,TN,VA,WV,MD,NY,OH,OK,SD,ND,UT,PA,IA and Oregon have  indicated they want to see adoption of Revised Codex in their state.. Already, GA, TX, WI, MD, KS and California have committees at work on getting their standard by the end of the year, and other states will begin as soon as Florida makes the announcement. I am addressing the Kansas State Beekeepers Convention on March 7th.

 

I have pledged my support to these beekeepers and will help them and others any way that I can to see Revised Codex adopted in their state. When meeting with your department of agriculture, present a written proposal and approach them in a spirit of cooperation; ultimately, it will be their decision to adopt the standard, so it is very important to keep the discussions moving in a positive direction; adults can disagree, yet still work together for a common cause…If you need assistance drafting your proposal or obtaining any of the afore-mentioned documents, I will be happy to assist…

 

You can contact Nancy Gentry at  386-684-3433, or farmbees@gmail.com

Subscribe to the Apis Newsletter www.apis.shorturl.com


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Central Beekeepers Alliance

Central Beekeepers Alliance

New Website for City Beekeepers

Posted: 26 Jan 2009 02:06 AM PST

urbanapis.comA new online community dedicated to urban (and suburban) beekeepers, has just been announced. Site owner Michael Franklin, a landscape designer and “beekeeping enthusiast” from Louisiana, says he hopes UrbanApis will grow into “a place where beekeeping hobbyists can exchange information to help them become better beekeepers and connect with other enthusiasts in their area.”

Some of the features he’s been working on:

  1. Original Articles — improve your skills and knowledge
  2. Municipal Codes Search — to find out the codes related to beekeeping in your area, including state regulations where applicable
  3. Hive Diaries — keep track of your activity or publish photos for everyone to see
  4. Retail Directory — find supplies online
  5. Message Boards — get in touch with other urban beekeepers and trade experiences

The site is just getting started –it launches officially on 1 February 2009 — so the information is still sparse (and much of it is specific to beekeepers in the United States), but this seems to be one of the few websites that sets out with a focus on urban beekeeping. City-dwellers with bees or an interest in keeping honeybees can check out this new community at www.UrbanApis.com.

Post from: Central Beekeepers Alliance

Sunday 25 January 2009

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Georges Martin to Speak at NBBA

Posted: 24 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST

Georges Martin, University of Montreal, has been confirmed as guest speaker for the New Brunswick Beekeepers Association (NBBA) annual general meeting in Moncton on 7th February 2009. His topic will be the Influence of Feeding Protein Supplement on the development of Honey Bee Colonies and Integrated Pest Management.

For more information about the NBBA meeting, please contact Ann Vautour at evangelinemiel@hotmail.com.

Post from: Central Beekeepers Alliance

Saturday 24 January 2009

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Orders Accepted Now for Early Queen Bee Shipments

Posted: 23 Jan 2009 12:40 PM PST

Peter Mewett of Stirling, Ontario, advises that he is importing Italian and Carniolan queen bees from Chile and Australia this year. Throuh April and May, the queens will be flown into Toronto, where they will receive their CFIA inspection, and can be shipped to customers from there or picked up at Peter’s home. Supplies are limited, and the deadline for orders is 8 March 2009. For more information or to place an order, please visit www.earlyqueenarrivals.ca.

Post from: Central Beekeepers Alliance

Honey Bees on CBC Radio

Posted: 23 Jan 2009 08:58 AM PST

CBC radio has announced that the popular science program Quirks and Quarks, hosted by Bob Macdonald, will feature the collapse of the honeybee and the possibility of a crisis in our food supply as a result.

Honey bees are the unsung heros of agriculture — their ceaseless hunt for nectar ensures our food crops are fertilized. In fact, without the honey bee, agriculture would be in a pretty sorry state. The problem is, things aren’t looking good for bees. Over the past few years, two-thirds of the North American honey bee population has mysteriously disappeared, a disturbing phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder. American science journalist Rowan Jacobsen has been following the honey bee decline, and in his new book, Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis, he explores the complex world of the honey bee, our precarious dependence on them, and the frightening consequences if they continue to die out.

This program will air on Radio One on Saturday, 24 January 2009, at 12:06 p.m., with a rebroadcast on Monday evenings at 11:06 p.m. It may also be heard on Sirius satellite radio. Past shows are usually made available on the website, for those who miss the broadcast.

Post from: Central Beekeepers Alliance

Friday 23 January 2009

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Project Apis m. Funds Honey Bee Research

Posted: 22 Jan 2009 01:16 PM PST

project apis m Project Apis m. (PAm) is a nonprofit organization established in December 2006 to fund and direct research aimed at improving both the health of honey bee colonies and crop production. Active parties include representatives of the American Honey Producers Association (APHA), the American Beekeeping Federation (ABF), the National Honey Board (NHB), California State Beekeepers Association (CSBA), and California almond farmers.

Following are some highlights from the latest newsletter, available on the group’s “new and improved” website (www.projectapism.org) :

  • Project Research — PAm is studying the movement of neonicotinoid insecticides into pollen and nectar, and helping to fund a Bee Diagnostics Center at Washington State University (WSU).
  • Follow a 4-Step Program for keeping bees healthy — Dr. Marla Spivak, Apiculture and Social Insect Professor at UMN, promotes a 4-Step Program to keep bees healthy. These four steps include:
    1. Knowledge – know the clinical symptoms of bee diseases and pests and their life cycle as they relate to honey bees,
    2. Prevention – how can YOU, the beekeeper, take control in areas where you can thwart pest and disease transmission (i.e., replace combs, locate colonies in remote areas, feed bees well in times of dearth),
    3. Prevention – what can BEES themselves do on their own to limit pest and disease transmission (use bees selected for resistant traits), and
    4. Control – use chemical controls only as a last resort.
  • New virus discovery in US honeybees — Varroa Destructor Virus 1 (VDV-1) has been discovered in US honeybees. This virus was discovered among bees in Europe in 2006. It is carried by both honey bees and varroa mites.

The group’s emphasis is on research studies with “realistic and practical usefulness for beekeeping businesses,” and the News and Research sections will be of some interest to beekeepers in general.

Post from: Central Beekeepers Alliance

Thursday 22 January 2009

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Central Beekeepers meet 10 February 2009

Posted: 21 Jan 2009 02:24 PM PST

Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Central Beekeepers Alliance Meeting
Agricultural Research Centre, Fredericton, NB
7:30 p.m.

Want to learn more about Beekeeping? Central Beekeepers meet on the second Tuesday of the month. Visitors and new beekeepers are always welcome!

Most meetings include an educational session, group discussion, or hands-on demonstration for the benefit of beginning beekeepers in central New Brunswick.

The Agricultural Research Centre ("Experimental Farm") is located at 850 Lincoln Road, Fredericton, New Brunswick. Entry is from the parking lot at the back of the building, at door "B".

For a map to the Agricultural Research Centre, see our Next Meeting page.

Post from: Central Beekeepers Alliance