Apis Newsletter February 13, 2009

Dear Subscribers,

While I was away at the American Beekeeping Federation http://abfnet.org meeting in Reno, some freezes came to Gainesville.  Vegetable growers were afraid of losing plants and many had the bed sheets and plastic out to cover their yard plants.  The maples have mostly bloomed here now; the red propeller seeds are falling and spinning in the wind.  It has warmed up considerably in the last week, and also rained fairly heavily prior to the freezes and so the risk of fire has been somewhat abated.  Meanwhile prescribed fires to thin out vegetation in some areas continue.

The new Apis newsletter Ezine is slowly gaining subscriptions and I will continue to post messages at the old site pointing to the new ezine at http://apis.shorturl.com.  An archive of newsletters can also be seen at http://home.ezezine.com/1636_2/.  This effort is supported by Bee Culture magazine, which also sponsors the brand new Global Beekeeping Calendar http://my.calendars.net/bee_culture

On the heels of the Federation meeting, the Apiary Inspectors of America and American Association of Professional Apiculturists met in Gainesville.  Presentations at all these events reveal that pesticides appear to be much more of a problem when it comes to bee loss, and a lot of this may be beekeeper inflicted.  Surveys of chemicals in pollen, comb and bees show that the miticides fluvalinate, amitraz and coumaphos are more likely to be found in the honey bee’s environment than others, including neonicotinoids and fungicides, although they too are often found in high levels.  Information is also being gathered about the sublethal effects of these chemicals, especially on brood, but also on longevity of emerged adults exposed to pesticides during larval development.  Finally, there is evidence that pesticides can act synergistically and the unintended co nsequences on bee colonies are significant.  These results suggest that the practices of using hard chemicals to control Varroa must be reexamined.  This is especially true for beekeepers using off-label products.

More information is also coming out that Nosema ceranae and a boatload of viruses are implicated in Colony Collapse Disorder.  Although problems in themselves, they are much worse on honey bees that have been weakened by Varroa infestation.  Some believe that the antibiotic fumagillin, thought previously to be benign and a cure for nosema, is really hard on bees that are already “sick.”  The dosage amount is also a problem; the new nosema may require a different treatment regimen.

Nutrition is also being carefully looked at by scientists.  There’s more evidence that feeding pollen patties is extremely beneficial, especially to colonies going to almonds.  And high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) feeding could be more problematic than previously thought.  Of particular concern is the quantity of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) found in some of the food being used.  Although generally produced by heat reacting on fructose, there is evidence that the HMF content may rise to unacceptable levels simply when water is added to HFCS.

Both meetings contained updates from all the USDA bee laboratories, including the one in Logan, UT that emphasizes non-Apis bees.  http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=54280500 the Tucson lab http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=53420300, Weslaco lab http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/site_main.htm?modecode=62-04-00-00 , Baton Rouge lab http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=64-13-30-00, and Beltsville l ab http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/site_main.htm?modecode=12-75-05-00

Funding for bee research was also reported at these events.  Two large efforts are ongoing, the five-year, $5 million ARS Area Wide Program on bee health http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/feb08/honeybee0208.htm and the  $4.1 million Coordinated Agriculture Program (CAP) on bee health and protection http://www.csrees.usda.gov/newsroom/news/2007news/pollinatorcap.html  Other agencies funding bee research are The National Honey Board http://www.honey.com/ , The Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees http://www.honeybeepreservation.org/ , and Haagen Dazs http://www.helpthehoneybees.com/

I am experimenting with collecting web sites of significance and will be putting them into each issue of the Apis newsletter by month.  See February’s list at http://www.publish2.com/newsgroups/february-2009/.  Some have already been mentioned above.  Others of significance this month are news of AHB in Utah, Spanish bee photography contest, honey bee funding and the stimulus package, a South African interactive bee map, use of statistics in science, pesticide contamination of bees and honey, bee health in France, how honey bees count, water shortages in Australia and California, importing bees from Australia, Varroa in Hawaii etc.

Concerning the stimulus package, it appears that there is in fact no money in the stimulus package for beekeepers or honeybee insurance. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,488487,00.html  There is, however, a test insurance program being conducted by RMA that has created some comments http://www.wtop.com/?nid=111&sid=1559080

===========================================

Gleanings from the February 2009 Bee Culture:

The President of Apimondia writes that preparations for Apimondia 2009 are well underway and it’s not too soon to begin preparations for journeying to France. http://www.apimondia2009.com/pages/?all=accueil&idl=22 . Martin Braunstein from Argentina reflects on the history of trade in honey bees and how most of the problems are not reflective of legal trade, but instead illegal importations and ill advised scientific experiments.  William Shepherd, SE Kentucky, complains that Tammy Horn is justifying strip mining by advocating apiforestation.  She replies this is not the case and is only a response to land that has already been strip mined.  Gert Van Eizenga of the Netherlands asks why all the fuzz about Apis cerana in Australia.  It is a gentle bee, a pollinator and cannot hybridize with mellifera.

Editor Flottum discusses Florida’s honey standard initiative and reports that the frenzy is about to start in the California almonds. He concludes that beekeeping has changed more  in the last two years than in the last twenty and provides a list of things successful beekeepers are doing to keep their bees alive.

New books on the shelf include The Honey Revolution, a sequel to The Hibernation Diet, the UK Beekeepers Annual (directory of beekeeping associations and organizations), and The Super-Organism, that “tells the story of social insects with unsurpassed insight and eloquence.”

Clarence Collison takes a closer look at vitellogenin.  This storage protein is responsible for much that goes on in bee biology, including life span and colony survival.  Read how its level in queens varies and what that might mean for reproduction.

Joe Latshaw reflects on his micro instrument for micro breeders, designed for use with the “flexible insemination technique.”  Read how this instrument has been designed to facilitate use by the greater number of beekeepers interesting in stock propagation.

 Jason Nelson compares bees and humans when it comes to consuming and digesting pollen.  Most folks already know who the winner is, but you can read in this article why this is so.

Joe Traynor writes that all pollens are not created equal.  Read why more beekeepers are looking at nutritional conditions of colonies and what can be done about them.  Ominously, he says blueberry, sunflower and corn have low protein levels, and sunflower is the crop that French beekeepers have associated most with CCD.

Scott Debnam and colleagues describe the etiology of Colony Collapse Disorder up to one year prior to collapse.  Read how the symptoms shift over time what are some of the options for those who consider combining affected colonies with those not exhibiting symptoms.

The Science of Bee Culture, Volume 1, No. 1 is published as a supplement to this issue.  It contacts four reviewed articles: a modified two-queen system allowing drone brood removal for Varroa control, a comparison of small hive beetle reproduction in differing soils, effects of Varroa infestation on queen introduction and supersedure, and risks of feeding pollen supplement when small hive beetles are present.  These alone are worth the price of this issue.

 Larry Connon is up to number four on his list of 10 challenges for sideline beekeepers.  Read his observations on colony loss and what beekeepers are doing about it, including using summer increase, locally adapted stock, early mite control, and overwinter feeding.

Jim Tew says there’s plenty beekeepers can do in winter when the bees are inactive.  Read what topics he thinks and writes about during this time.

Editor Flottum ponders pollination.  He lists a lot of things to think about should one consider commercial pollination.  Read his analysis of one beekeeper’s method to determine a pollination price and the four biggest obstacles in this service enterprise.

 Bill Ruzicka provides a history and present status of TheVernon Stock Improvement Project in Canada.  He is the only one left of the original group of breeders still producing this and to his knowledge there has been little introduction of other bee strains.  Read his inventions developed over 30 years in this innovative project.

Ann Harmon asks if it isn’t time to give up the term “hobbyist beekeeper, especially in these times when beekeepers are asking for help from legislatures?”  She asks the readership for ideas on what to replace it with such as small-scale, artisanal, sustainable.

 Grai St. Clair Rice reports on the October 2008 meeting of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign http://www.nappc.org/ and the Pollinator Partnership http://pollinator.org .  Read how tempers flared with reference to pesticides and what the groups will be working on in the future as the “responsibility for the health of pollinators has become political.”

 Ross Conrad reviews American Foulbrood, which he says could be in danger of being overlooked given so much attention on exotic problems and CCD.  Read how he controls foulbrood naturally and what treatments he recommends.

 In all the news that fits, there is a discussion of pesticide reporting by beekeepers.  This is quite low and there is concern that few incidents would make regulators unresponsive to beekeeping concerns.  It is suggested beekeepers followup any losses with pesticides by reporting them to their state regulators with copies to federal governmental offices in the EPA by e-mailing Mastrota.nicholas@epa.gov and Kish.tony@epa.gov

 In the Bottom Board Ed Colby reports good news from the Colorado Beekeepers Association meeting.  Some beekeepers have few problems with bee health it seems in  Colorado.  Read why this is so.

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.