Saturday 28 February 2009

CATCH THE BUZZ Serious Money From Haagen-Dazs

CATCH THE BUZZ

Haagen-Dazs Makes Second Gift For Honey Bee Research & Education

Serious Money For Needed Projects. So Where Are The Rest Of The Businesses That Rely On Honey Bees?




Last year, Penn State and all-natural, superpremium ice cream manufacturer Haagen-Dazs teamed up to investigate Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a mysterious ailment that has decimated honeybee colonies across the United States. This year, Haagen-Dazs has expanded that partnership with a second gift of $125,000 to support ongoing and additional research and educational programs related to honeybees.

The new funds will support the following projects:

• Two Haagen-Dazs Graduate Fellowships in Pollinator Health will be created, each offering $25,000 stipends. One will be awarded to a current graduate student and the other will be used to recruit an additional graduate student, both of whom will be working on topics such as pathogens of bees and native pollinators, the role of pesticides in declining bee health, parasites of bees, effects of infectious disease on bee physiology, and ecology and manipulation of native bees.

• The Citizen-Based Native Bee Survey, an ongoing effort to determine the species and population sizes of native pollinators in Pennsylvania, will receive $15,000.

Find Out What’s New At Mann Lake www.mannlakeltd.com/catchthebuzz/index.html

"The information from this survey is key to helping understand the full impact of declines in honeybee and other native pollinator populations," said Dennis vanEnglesdorp, Penn State senior extension associate and acting state apiarist for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

• The purchase of high-pressure liquid chromatography equipment for pesticide analysis will be supported with $45,000. According to Diana Cox-Foster, professor of entomology and co-chair of a national working group of CCD researchers, this equipment more easily separates and allows for detection of chemicals in a sample — for example, individual pesticides in pollen, wax, and bee samples — that are potentially harmful to honeybees and other pollinators. Initial screenings can be performed using this equipment before more expensive analyses are undertaken.

"We anticipate that this piece of equipment will greatly facilitate the determination of how pesticides are impacting honeybees and other pollinators," said Cox-Foster.


For A Comprehensive Listing Of Beekeeping Events Around The Country, and Around The Globe see www.my.calendars.net/bee_culture/

Send YOUR Beekeeping Event Schedule to info@BeeCulture.com to be included on our Global Beekeeping Calendar and in Bee Culture magazine.


Subscribe to the Apis Newsletter www.apis.shorturl.com
• The Master Gardener Program at Penn State will receive $15,000 to support the Pollinator Education Program, a statewide initiative established with last year's gift from the Haagen-Dazs brand.

Through the program, Master Gardeners teach homeowners and gardeners how to establish local, pollinator-friendly plantings and habitats. The new funding will enable expansion of the program by which homeowners can have their own gardens certified as pollinator friendly.

In addition, demonstration gardens across Pennsylvania are being developed and maintained by local Master Gardeners. A portion of the funds will provide graduate assistantship support during the summer for the program's ongoing survey of the preference of pollinators for different cultivars of flowers at extensive demonstration gardens in Landisville, currently being undertaken by Robert Berghage, professor of horticulture.

For more information on honeybee research at Penn State, visit www.ento.psu.edu/HoneyBeeResearch.html.

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

www.BeeCulture.com

A proud sponsor of EAS 2009 www.easternapiculture.org


 

 

Friday 27 February 2009

CATCH THE BUZZ WINTER STILL ALIVE AND WELL

CATCH THE BUZZ

 

AccuWeather.com News Forecast
So, you thought spring was really here? Maybe, maybe not.




Bastardi Says End Run of Winter Could Yield Snowstorms

State College, Pa. -- 26 February 2009 -- According to AccuWeather.com Chief Long-Range Forecaster and Expert Senior Meteorologist Joe Bastardi, it will be a "reluctant spring in areas that have had the hardest winter."

More winter weather is on the way for the Northeast, as a negative North Atlantic Oscillation Pattern (NOA) is "notorious this time of year." A negative NAO leads to storminess along the Eastern Seaboard.


Find Out What’s New At Mann Lake www.mannlakeltd.com/catchthebuzz/index.html
March and April are predicted to be colder-than-normal months, but by May, the weather will warm above normal across much of the country as true spring finally starts.

He added that several temporary warm-ups will happen for the East Coast in the next few weeks. "Each warm surge that we see in the next couple of weeks won't be the true end of winter," he said.

It will be an early spring for western Texas into Arizona and the southern Rockies.

As for the mid-Atlantic, the region does not average much snow, and Washington, D.C., has had a relatively snowless winter, adding, "We did predict slightly below-normal snowfall for D.C."


For A Comprehensive Listing Of Beekeeping Events Around The Country, and Around The Globe see www.my.calendars.net/bee_culture/

Send YOUR Beekeeping Event Schedule to info@BeeCulture.com to be included on our Global Beekeeping Calendar and in Bee Culture magazine.


However, Joe does not rule of the possibility of one or two storms to hit the mid-Atlantic before the end of the winter weather season.

The West and southern Plains have suffered from a lack of rainfall, but Joe is optimistic that the regions will have relief in April and May. The Southeast will most likely have a dry pattern much of spring which could cause problems for crops.


Subscribe to the Apis Newsletter www.apis.shorturl.com
Joe said the Midwest from Minnesota to Chicago and the Northeast from Boston to Youngstown, Ohio, have had the worst of winter so far due to a persistent storm track that has changed very little all winter.
This message brought to you by Bee Culture, the magazine of American Beekeeping  www.BeeCulture.com

 

 

Thursday 26 February 2009

CATCH THE BUZZ EVEN MORE FROM HAAGEN-dAZS

CATCH THE BUZZ

 

 

Haagen-Dazs Donates more money. Three years later, scientists still stumped over what's mysteriously killing off entire hives




Over the last three winters, more than one in three honey bee colonies in the U.S. have mysteriously died; a staggering phenomenon scientists have named Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD. And for the second year, the Haagen-Dazs brand is taking the lead in driving solutions to solve this dire puzzle threatening our food supply and stumping scientists from around the world.

Because honey bee pollination is required to produce one-third of all the natural foods we eat, honey bees play a critical role in ensuring we have enough food to feed our growing population.

Why hasn't the cause of CCD been identified? Three basic factors are hampering research into the crisis: lack of awareness among the general public, lack of action aimed at alleviating the problem, and lack of funding to determine the root cause and address much-needed solutions.

The Haagen-Dazs brand has found that while consumer awareness of the honey bee crisis increased in the last year, largely through the brand's education efforts, the study revealed that only a little more than half of consumers are aware of the crisis. And only one in six is aware of something specific that they can do to help the honey bees(1).


Find out what’s new at Mann Lake www.mannlakeltd.com/catchthebuzz/index.html


Funding on the scale required to seriously tackle this issue also remains elusive. The Farm Bill approved by Congress last year included a provision to fund more research, yet Congress has not yet allocated the money, putting the allocation in question. In the meantime, bees continue to die by the billions.

That's why the Haagen-Dazs brand is stepping up for a second year and redoubling its Haagen-Dazs loves Honey Bees(R) campaign efforts. Elements of the campaign include:

  • A second donation to UC Davis and Penn State Universities of $250,000. This brings the brand's total donation for honey bee research to a half million dollars over two years.

  • Continuation of the Haagen-Dazs brand's public education efforts with:

    • A special flavor, Vanilla Honey Bee, and all "bee-built" flavors (flavors that use at least one honey bee-pollinated ingredient) of ice cream, sorbet, frozen yogurt and bars proudly carry a HD loves HB(R) symbol and message under the lid.

    • A full-scale awareness effort, coupled with unique print and online advertising.

    • Part of the brand's donation to UC Davis is being used to create a Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven - a one-half acre bee-friendly demonstration garden coordinated by the California Center for Urban Horticulture. Visitors to the garden will be able to glean ideas on how to establish their own bee-friendly gardens and help to improve the nutrition of bees in their own backyards.

    • An upgraded interactive website (www.helpthehoneybees.com) premiering in April with a focus on examples of how consumers have gotten involved in helping to save the hardworking honey bees.

"Thousands of people reached out to join in our efforts to save honey bees over the course of the year. We're making a difference but there is still much to be done," said Ching-Yee Hu, Haagen-Dazs brand manager. "We are so proud to continue our support. This is a problem bigger than simply protecting our source of all-natural ingredients, like the almonds in our Vanilla Swiss Almond flavor. This issue affects our ability to provide food for our tables."

For A Comprehensive Listing Of Beekeeping Events Around the Country and Around the Globe see


www.my.calendars.net/bee_culture/  Send your events in today for this Global Listing to info@BeeCulture.com


The brand encourages everyone to find a way to become a bee crusader in 2009. Do your part to help save the honey bees. Here's how you can make a difference:

  • Create a bee friendly garden with plants that attract honey bees. Select a plant with a long growing season or a group of plants that together will offer flowers from spring through fall. A great resource for information can be found at www.helpthehoneybees.com, or from the horticulturalist at your local plant nursery.

  • Avoid insecticides in your garden. Instead, promote good bugs (called 'beneficial insects') in your garden - bugs that will happily eat the bad bugs chomping on your plants. A comprehensive resource for information is www.ipm.u cdavis.edu/ and http://horticulture.psu.edu/extension/mg

  • Every time you buy a Haagen-Dazs ice cream bee-built product, a portion of the proceeds of the sale go toward helping the honey bees.

  • Tell a friend - The honey bee disappearance is already having an effect on the world's most beloved foods. However, many people have yet to learn about this issue and how they can help. Visit www.helpthehoneybees.com to send a Bee-Mail or to create your own animated honey bee to help spread the word.

  • Visit the Haagen-Dazs Bee Store at www.helpthehoneybees.com - All proceeds from our bee store will fund CCD and sustainable pollination research at Penn State and UC Davis.

For full details on how the Haagen-Dazs brand is helping honey bees and how you can take part, please visit www.helpthehoneybees.com.

About Haagen-Dazs

Crafted in 1961 by Reuben Mattus in his family's dairy, Haagen-Dazs is the original superpremium ice cream. True to tradition, we are committed to using only the purest ingredients in crafting the world's finest ice cream. Truly made like no other, today Haagen-Dazs ice cream offers a full range of products from ice cream to sorbet, frozen yogurt and frozen snacks in more than 65 flavors. Haagen-Dazs products are available around the globe for ice cream lovers to enjoy. For more information, please visit www.Haagen-Dazs.com.

(1) According to a recent survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation on behalf of the Haagen-Dazs Brand


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOURCE Haagen-DazsThis Message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping

www.BeeCulture.com

 

 

CATCH THE BUZZ HONEY BEE GARDEN DESIGN DONE

CATCH THE BUZZ

It's a honey of a garden, the judges unanimously agreed.(But did anybody ask a honey bee?)

 

The Sausalito-based Sibbett Group created a series of interconnected gardens with such names as "Honeycomb Hideout," "Nectar Nook" and "Pollinator Patch" to win the international bee-friendly garden design competition, a gift to the University of California, Davis, from the Haagen-Dazs(R) brand. The design, the work of landscape architects Donald Sibbett and Ann F. Baker, interpretative planner Jessica Brainard and exhibit designer Chika Kurotaki, will be brought to life this summer on a half-acre site at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Roadon the UC Davis campus.

Last December Haagen-Dazs ice cream committed $125,000 to the UC Davis Department of Entomology, with $65,000 earmarked for the garden. The Haagen-Dazs brand and UC Davis will determine how to use the balance of the gift.
The key goals of the garden are to provide bees with a year-round food source, to raise public awareness about the plight of honey bees and to encourage visitors to plant bee-friendly gardens of their own.

"We'll not only be providing a pollen and nectar source for the millions of bees on

Bee Biology Road
, but we will also be demonstrating the beauty and value of pollinator gardens," said design competition coordinator Melissa "Missy" Borel, program manager for the California Center for Urban Horticulture. "My hope is that it will inspire everyone to plant for pollinators!"

"The winning design fits beautifully with the campus mission of education and outreach, and it will tremendously benefit our honey bees at Bee Biology," said Lynn Kimsey, professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology. "The garden will be a campus destination."
Kimsey served as one of eight judges who unanimously selected the design from among 30 entries, submitted from as far away as England. The winning team will be honored at the garden dedication in October, where they will be presented with an engraved name plaque . They will also be given the sweet reward of free Haagen-Dazs ice cream for a year.


Find out what’s new at Mann Lake www.mannlakeltd.com/catchthebuzz/index.html
"We had so many wonderful garden concepts submitted that making the final choice was really difficult," Kimsey said.
The Sibbett Group design zeroed in on sustainability and visitor experience. The four interconnected gardens, "Honeycomb Hideout," "Nectar Nook," "Pollinator Patch" and "My Backyard" form the "physical and interpretive framework for our honey bee haven design," the authors said. A series of trails connect the gardens. Trellises define the entry ways and reinforce the passage to the next space.
"Incorporated into each of the four sections are gathering spaces that serve as orientation points for guided tours, facilitated programs and 'chat time' with beekeepers and entomologists," the team explained. Identification labels will help visitors know more about the plants, or what they can plant in their own yards.
The design also includes a "Learning Center" building and paths labeled "Orchard Alley," "Save the Bee Sanctuary," "Round Dance Circle" and "Waggle Dance Way."
Judges initially narrowed the 30 designs to six, and then focused on diversity (the winning design has 40 different plants), bloom balance, vision, generational learning, cost feasibility and attention to detail. Judges also declared the Sibbett Group design "the most river or environmentally-friendly."

For A Comprehensive List Of Beekeeping Events Around Country and Around The Globe www.my.calendars.net/bee_culture/


In addition to Borel and Kimsey, the panel of judges included:
David Fujino, executive director, California Center for Urban Horticulture at UC Davis; Aaron Majors, construction department manager, Cagwin & Dorward Landscape Contractors, based in Novato; Diane McIntyre, senior public relations manager, Haagen-Dazs ice cream; Heath Schenker, professor of environmental design, UC Davis; Jacob Voit, sustainability manager and construction project manager, Cagwin and Dorward Landscape Contractors; and Kathy Keatley Garvey, communications specialist, UC Davis Department of Entomology.

Schenker praised the Sibbett Group design as "beautiful and very functional." "The interpretive elements are imaginative," said Schenker. "I think this design team has a great range of expertise and has taken a very well-rounded approach to the program."
Majors said the cost estimate was well organized and the cost of materials very realistic. "The introduction outlined how the design was scalable which shows the collaborative approach of the four-person team and their willingness to work with budget," he said.
Honey bees pollinate more than 100 different U.S. agricultural crops, valued at $15 billion. However, in recent years, the nation's beekeepers have reported losing from one-third to all of their bees due to a mysterious phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder.


Subscribe to the Apis Newsletter www.apis.shorturl.com
In response, the Haagen-Dazs brand launched the "Haagen-Dazs Loves Honey Bees" campaign in February 2008, committing a total $250,000 donation for bee research to UC Davis and Pennsylvania State University, and redoubled its efforts in 2009 with a second $250,000 donation, bringing the brand's total donation for honey bee research to a half million dollars. It also formed a scientific advisory Bee Board, created an educational Web site and introduced the new Vanilla Honey Bee ice cream flavor. Bees are crucial to nearly 50 percent of their all-natural flavors.
During the last several months, the public has answered the Haagen-Dazs brand's call to action by donating more than $30,000 to support additional honey bee research at UC Davis. In addition, numerous companies have launched programs to donate a portion of their proceeds to UC Davis honey bee research.


This Message Brought To You By Bee Culture,

The Magazine Of American Beekeeping

www.BeeCulture.com

 

Wednesday 25 February 2009

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Central Beekeepers Alliance

When the Snow is Over the Bee Hives

Posted: 24 Feb 2009 05:13 PM PST

In the aftermath of a major winter storm, such as the blizzard that hit New Brunswick this week, many of our bee hives might end up buried in a snow drift. While a good blanket of snow around a bee hive is good insulation, I have to confess that I get worried when our hives disappear completely underneath the white stuff.

on snowshoes at the bee hives That’s why I got out the snowshoes and shovel today, and went out to take some snow away from the upper entrances.

The hives in this picture are doubles, set up on a stand made from hefty timbers, and this is the first time in 10 years we’ve had so much snow that the upper entrances were completely covered. Only the top of the outer covers, and the rocks we put on top to hold the covers down, were still visible when yesterday’s snowstorm ended.

Fluffy snow has a lot of air trapped in between the flakes, and the relative warmth of the hive body itself tends to create a little air space between the hive and the snowbank — much as you’re likely to see a gap along the edge of a house foundation where the snow has melted away — so I’m not particularly concerned about the bees suffocating. Except when ice forms at the upper entrance.

And ICE is exactly what I found at one of those hives.

Inside the bent-metal wind guard that we always put around the entrance when we wrap the hives for wintering, a chunk of ice had formed that almost sealed up the whole entrance. The open area was less than a quarter-inch square, I’d estimate.

It’s hard to imagine how there could have been much ventilation going on, to prevent moisture build-up inside the hive. And here’s a piece from The Biology and Management of Colonies in Winter (PDF document) written by Adony Melathopoulos, Beaverlodge Research Farm, Alberta — one of the educational freebies on the CAPA website — that made me glad I’d gone out to check the entrances:

It is estimated that bees produce 0.68 kg of water per kg of honey they consume. This water is important to the bees and they use it to dilute honey, feed brood and flush metabolic wastes from their bodies. Nonetheless, some of this water escapes as a vapour, which in itself is important as brood develops best at 40% relative humidity. A problem occurs, however, when outside temperatures drop. Cold air does not hold as much water as warm air, so as warm moist air leaves the cluster, it condenses on the comb. Bees can cope with some moisture outside the cluster, but if the moisture accumulates and begins dripping back on the bees it saps them of heat. This issue is significant when we consider the role of the upper entrance in your colonies.

Since the main role of the upper entrance, in winter, is to vent extra moisture from the hive, I think it just makes sense to keep it clear of snow — especially when there’s a spell of milder wet weather in the forecast, and a risk that the fluffy soft-fallen snow could turn into solid ice.

But that’s just one beekeeper’s opinion, based on what I read and observe.

And there’s a saying that if you ask 10 beekeepers a question, you’ll get 11 different answers — so let’s hear yours, too! Do you try to keep the top entrances of your hives clear of snow in winter?

Post from: Central Beekeepers Alliance

Wanted: 4-Frame Stainless Steel Extractor

Posted: 24 Feb 2009 11:59 AM PST

Sterling Clark (Minto area of NB) asks:

Anyone got a stainless steel 4 frame extractor to sell ( or even better - give)
Does not need a motor, I can rig that up.

Please feel free to drop a note in the comments here, if you don’t know Sterling and have a way to contact him directly but have an extractor to spare.

Post from: Central Beekeepers Alliance

Tuesday 24 February 2009

CATCH THE BUZZ NewS From The Honey Board

CATCH THE BUZZ

The Latest Newsletter from the New Honey Board




 

National Honey Board Posts Research Information on Web Site

The National Honey Board (NHB) recently posted on its Web site a summary of ongoing and past NHB-sponsored research projects devoted to maintaining the health of honey bee colonies.

You can find this information by going to www.honey.com, clicking on the Honey Industry tab at the top of the page, and clicking on the Research category.

The Research Summary will be updated anytime a project is completed or initiated.  Posting of detailed results may be delayed until publication of those results by the researcher(s).  


Find out what’s new at Mann Lake www.mannlakeltd.com/catchthebuzz/index.html


National Honey Board Continues Providing “Freebie” and Other Materials to the Beekeeping Industry

At its first full meeting in November, 2008, the new National Honey Board voted unanimously to continue providing the annual “Freebie” to beekeepers and honey industry members to help them promote honey.  This has traditionally been a recipe leaflet/brochure.  Other promotional and educational materials are available for a nominal cost.  Materials are also available for fairs, special events and to educators.  Visit the Honey Industry section of www.honey.com or call the National Honey Board office at 800-553-7162 for more information.


For a comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the country and around the world see www.my.calendars.net/bee_culture/
New Research Proposals to be Reviewed

Approximately $245,000 is available for NHB funding of new research to find ways to maintain the health of honeybee colonies.   The NHB received 25 proposals by the February 15, 2009 deadline.  The NHB’s Research Committee, along with a selected panel of industry people, will be reviewing the proposals within the next few weeks to select research projects for funding.


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


National Honey Board to Continue Core Marketing Programs

The National Honey Board’s 2009 marketing programs will continue the core activities seen in recent years, and expand on some.  Core program areas include:

  • General Consumer Public Relations

  • Hispanic Public Relations

  • Foodservice and Chef Education

  • Applied Science, including public relations and advertising to food processors and bakeries

  • International Market Development

  • Minor League Baseball Promotions

The largest activity is public relations, delivering success with food and beauty media outreach.  NHB’s public relations agency pitches honey information, honey stories, press releases, and honey images to food and beauty editors across the country to generate publicity in various media without having to pay for expensive advertising. 

The single largest promotion in 2008 was with three Minor League Baseball teams, promoting honey as each team’s natural energy booster.  For 2009, the NHB will work with five Minor League Baseball teams to promote honey at the ballparks and with related activities.  The Minor League Baseball season runs from April through September.  Watch for more information on www.honey.com in the near future.

With bulk or ingredient sales accounting for nearly half of all honey sales, the NHB is expanding its efforts to target food processors and bakeriesInternational marketing activities will focus on the Middle East, the largest market for exported U.S. honey. 
Hispanic public relations and foodservice and chef education round out the list of NHB’s continuing core marketing programs.

Austin, Texas, Site of Next Meeting of the National Honey Board

The next meeting of the Board of Directors of the National Honey Board (NHB) will be held in Austin, Texas on April 23-24, 2009 at the Austin Courtyard Downtown Convention Center,

300 East 4th Street, Austin, TX  78701
.  NHB meetings are open to the public. 


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

www.BeeCulture.com

 

 

 

Monday 23 February 2009

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Inside an Observation Hive

Posted: 23 Feb 2009 06:10 AM PST

A glass-fronted indoor hive, located at Gilbey’s Gallery in Keswick Ridge, New Brunswick, allows even the most nervous visitor to get up-close-and personal with an active colony of honey bees.

observation hive

    Click on any of the photographs at right to see a larger version. Top to bottom, they show:

  • The front of the observation hive, doors open;
  • Busy nurse bees tending the brood; and
  • The queen bee and workers.

In the top photo, notice the vertical arrangement of frames. This is a working hive, and capped honey is clearly visible in corners of the top frame. The bees have access to the outdoors via a tube through the outside wall of the house, but not to the indoors.

In the second photograph, you can see the white larvae in the uncapped cells as well as the wax-capped brood.

The third photograph shows how the queen’s distinctive long abdomen makes her out from the much-smaller worker bees, her daughters. Yellow pollen fills one cluster of honeycomb cells in this picture, while some other cells are shining with stored nectar.

Cabinet doors are normally kept closed over the glass, to create the comfortable darkness of a normal brood chamber and make the hive look like any other handsome piece of furniture.

Unless a visitor is told the secret, he’d never know that he was sharing a livingroom with tens of thousands of honeybees!

A much smaller observation hive — just two frames, with plexiglas on both sides — makes a wonderful public education tool for giving talks on beekeeping to schools or community groups. Even people who say they “don’t like bugs” seem to be fascinated by the compact community of live bees.

Photographs of Earl Gilbey’s observation hive were taken by DeVerne Jones, Toronto, ON.

Post from: Central Beekeepers Alliance

Wednesday 18 February 2009

CATCH THE BUZZ Avoiding GM Beet Sugar

CATCH THE BUZZ

Food companies pledge to avoid GM beet sugar




By Caroline Scott-Thomas, Food Production Daily

Over 70 companies have vowed not to use or sell genetically modified beet sugar by signing a registry set up by food safety, environmental and corporate watchdog organizations on Saturday.

The first GM sugar beet crops – which were Monsanto’s Roundup Ready sugar beets – were harvested in the fall, but signatories of the Non-Genetically Modified (GM) Beet Sugar Registry have said they are worried about a lack of knowledge about the long-term health and environmental impacts of GM beet sugar. The Center for Food Safety (CFS) added that one of the reasons for creating the registry is to give consumers a choice about whether they eat foods containing GM sugar in the absence of mandatory labeling for GM foods. < /span>

Jeffrey Smith, director of the Institute for Responsible Technology – one of a dozen sponsors of the registry – said: “We need to avoid the all-too-common situation of finding out a product is harmful after it has been approved and widely distributed. Requiring that GM foods be labeled is the only protection consumers have if they want to avoid eating GM foods.”


Find out what’s new at Mann Lake www.mannlakeltd.com/catchthebuzz/index.html
CFS asserted that the US Environmental Protection Agency increased allowable levels of herbicide residue on GM sugar beet roots “at the request of Monsanto.”

Monsanto’s Roundup Ready sugar beets are modified so that the crop is resistant to the company’s Roundup-brand herbicide, allowing farmers to quickly kill weeds without killing the crop.

No one from Monsanto was available to comment prior to publication.

Contamination concerns

CFS has also said that the recent mercury contamination of high fructose corn syrup has made companies particularly nervous about the introduction of unlabeled GM beet sugar to the US food supply.

It said: “The registry shows the food industry’s increasing apprehension about the government’s ability to adequately regulate food production technologies.”


For a comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the world, see www.my.calendars.net/bee_culture


Tom Stearns, president of High Mowing Organic Seeds, which has also sponsored the registry, expressed concern that GM sugar beets would cross-pollinate with related crops such as chard and table beets, meaning that the issue could affect other foods and food ingredients.

“Overseas markets have already rejected other GM products, so the economic future of many of our nation’s farmers is being needlessly risked,” he said.


Subscribe to the Apis Newsletter www.apis.shorturl.com
The registry has been signed by 73 grocery chains and food producers so far, documenting a pledge to “seek wherever possible to avoid using GM beet sugar in our products” and urging the sugar beet industry to avoid using GM beets.

A full list of companies that have signed the registry is available here .


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

www.BeeCulture.com

 

 

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Nova Scotia Beekeepers’ Association AGM 2009

Posted: 17 Feb 2009 07:35 AM PST

Wondering what to do on these cold winter days? Make plans to attend the 51st Annual General Meeting of the Nova Scotia Beekeepers’ Association!

Dates: Friday, 6 March - Saturday, 7 March 2009
Location: Debert Hospitality Centre, Debert, Nova Scotia
Guest speaker:Dr. Medhat Nasr
Registration: $20.00

Guest speaker:
Dr. Medhat Nasr, Provincial Apiculturist with the province of Alberta, has extensive experience in apiculture both as a researcher and as a provincial apiculturist. Medhat will speak on Hive Health, Varroa Control, Nosema research and will be available to answer questions put forth from the group.

The full Agenda for the NSBA AGM is at the bottom of this page.

Meals and Accomodation:
Rooms are available at the Debert Hospitality Centre with a March special of $60.00 per person/per night HST extra (shared accommodation). The $60.00 charge includes Friday supper, Saturday breakfast and Saturday lunch.

To reserve a room, either:
a) call 902-662-4074
b) email dhc@eastlink.ca
c) visit the Debert Hospitality Centre website at www.debertcentre.ca

The Debert Hospitality Centre brings in their food for the various meals and therefore needs to know how many people will be eating over the March 6-7 weekend. If you are planning to attend the meeting and not stay at the Centre but would like to join the group for dinner on Friday night or have lunch on the Saturday then you will need to call 902-662-4074 to let them know that you plan to eat at the facilities. Cost for meals - Breakfast $ 9.00, Lunch $ 10.00, Supper $ 12.00.

Make sure you call the Hospitality Centre to reserve whatever meals you would like or accommodation you need.

For more information about the Nova Scotia Beekeepers’ Association annual general meeting, please contact:
Joanne Moran jmoran@gov.ns.ca


AGENDA
Nova Scotia Beekeepers' Association 51st Annual Meeting
Debert Hospitality Centre, Debert, NS
6-7 March 2009

Friday March 6th
1:30pm Registration ( $20.00 fee to help offset AGM expenses )
( Children under 12 years of age, no charge )

2:00 Introduction and welcome from NSBA President

2:10 Wildlife damage compensation program George MacIntosh
Transport of bees on highways, regulations Michael Balsum

3:00 Refreshment Break

3:15 Guest speaker, Dr. Medhat Nasr Alberta Provincial Apiculturist

5:00 Meal Break

6:30 Business Meeting
- Approval of agenda Joanne Moran
- Minutes of 2008 AGM Joanne Moran
- Business arising from the minutes Joanne Moran
- Financial report Joanne Moran

7:00 Social - Cash bar

Saturday March 7th
NSBA Business Meeting

8:30 Registration ($20.00 fee to help offset AGM expenses)

9:00 Introduction and welcome from NSBA President
Presidents report Roger Morash
CAPA report Joanne Moran
CHC report Tom Trueman
2008 Nosema research update Geoff Williams/Catherine Little
Research Proposal Lise Charbonneau/Elisabeth Wallace
Russian queen project update Jerry Draheim
Bees and blueberries Joe Slack

10:15 Refreshment Break

10:30 - Presentation of Strategic Plan Gary Morton

11:00 - New business
- Resolutions
- Election of officers
- 2009 Budget Joanne Moran

12:00 Lunch Break (Lunch can be purchased on site or is included in your overnight accommodation fee)

1:00 Guest speaker, Dr. Medhat Nasr Alberta Provincial Apiculturist

2:00 Industry Info Session

- Overwintering nucs - Menno Reimer
- Faye Langille
- Testing equipment for presence of lead - Tony Philips

3:30 Adjourn

Post from: Central Beekeepers Alliance

Tuesday 17 February 2009

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Map: Forage Plants for Honey Bees

Posted: 17 Feb 2009 04:08 AM PST

HoneyBeeNet is one of the more surprising finds on the NASA website. There you’ll find a Honey Bee Forage Map showing the 14 regions of the Ayers and Harman honey bee forage map, “based on natural patterns of land use and flora.”

Click on the map to see a list of honey bee forage species and their blooming periods for any region within a state. bee forage plants map

Although the text says “state” on all pages (e.g. “state of NB” for New Brunswick’s listing), this resource really does give plant information for our provinces — forage plant species and blooming periods.

The large pink area of the map that covers the northern boreal region of Canada has no species listed at present, but clicking on other areas of the map will take you to a list of honey bee forage plants for that area. The most important nectar sources for honey bees are highlighted. Here in the Maritimes, however, where the bee season is rather short, the earlier blooming species (such as maple, alder, dandelion, and willow) are important as sources of pollen as well as nectar. Pollen sources are needed for brood production to help the bee colonies build back up to strength after wintering over.

[Thanks to Bob Seaman for suggesting this link.]

Post from: Central Beekeepers Alliance

CATCH THE BUZZ Counterfieit Food Increasing

CATCH THE BUZZ

Food counterfeiting, contamination outpace international regulatory systems

Michigan State University analysts find growing threat




CHICAGO — Intentionally contaminated Chinese milk killed several children and sickened 300,000 more, causing concern around an increasingly connected world economy. Demand for inexpensive products virtually guarantees future repeats of food adulteration and counterfeiting from overseas, Michigan State University researchers said, as trade volumes overwhelm regulatory oversight.

Nobody can guarantee safe food, said Ewen Todd, but governments need to improve controls by promoting increased corporate responsibility, identifying vulnerabilities and assessing risks. Todd, a professor of advertising, public relations and retailing, conducted a symposium on the safety of imported food today at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting held in Chicago.

Increasing risk-based inspections and sampling; improving the detection of food system signals that indicate contamination; improving immediate response to contamination events; and improving risk communication all should be part of a more stringent regimen, Todd said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspects less than 2 percent of the food coming into the country, while 13 percent of America's food is imported, Todd said.


Find out what's new at Mann Lake www.mannlakeltd.com/catchthebuzz/index.html


"It's a worldwide trend. First of all, transportation is easier, trade is easier," he said, while consumers are increasingly well traveled and have higher expectations. "We want stuff in the winter when we can't grow it."

Between the extremes of accidentally contaminated food and terrorism via intentional contamination lies the counterfeiter, seeking not to harm but to hide the act for profit. The melamine incidents are such examples. As an industrial chemical that mimics protein content in tests was added to milk and subsequently created kidney problems for children.

Product counterfeiting is the focus of a presentation by John Spink, an instructor at the National Food Safety and Toxicology Center and director of the Packaging for Food and Product Protection (P-FAPP) initiative, both at MSU. He is developing a criminal justice program focused on food counterfeiting."We take a risk-based approach to analyze where the gaps are and look closer at where there is a higher reward for fraud," he said. "Counterfeiting goes back to Roman times, when French wine had a seal of Roman origin," he said. "Products are moving around the world so fast now that there's more opportunity for fraud. When food was di stributed more regionally, there was less potential for large-scale fraud, or outbreaks of any kind."


For a comprehensive listing of beekeeping event around the world, see www.my.calendars.net/bee_culture/


Recent instances of counterfeiting or contamination include conventionally grown vegetables sold as organic; fish sold as a more premium species; milk and pet food adulterated with melamine; catfish (and honey) containing banned antibiotics; toothpaste contaminated with diethylene glycol (a base chemical in antifreeze); and canned energy drinks of unknown origin labeled with brand names.

Pharmaceutical counterfeiting has attracted most of regulators' attention until recently, he said, but those companies are required to report adverse affects or similar problems, while food companies and other manufacturers are not.


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


"At MSU, our approach to anti-counterfeiting strategy is extremely interdisciplinary to address the many aspects of the risk," Spink said, including public health communication, supply chain and packaging security. "Overall, we take a holistic, strategic perspective on the human element that led an individual to perceive an opportunity and then act — this perspective is led by criminal justice, social anthropology and basic business economics. Of course other important disciplines are intellectual property rights law, food law, medicine, nursing, public health, international trade, psychology, consumer behavior, retailing, management, economics and business."

MSU's international experience also gives it a valuable perspective by understanding source country economies and cultures, Spink said.

Also participating in the forum were presenters from the FDA and Cargill Inc., representing regulatory and corporate perspectives.


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

www.BeeCulture.com