Thursday 26 March 2009

CATCH THE BUZZ WYman's Gives $50,000

CATCH THE BUZZ

Wyman’s Of Maine donates $50,000 for CCD Research




Wyman’s Wild  Blueberries of Maine today presented $50,000 to the Department of Entomology at Penn State, to support research into the causes and cures of Colony Collapse Disorder.


Find out what’s new at Mann Lake www.mannlakeltd.com/catchthebuzz/index.html
Ed Flanagan, Wyman’s President said flat out...no bees, no blueberries, and Wymans’s is taking a stand to help. They testified at a Congressional hearing in support of increased USDA funding last June, and now have made this substantial donation. The company has also issued a call to action for consumers, noting a portion of their wild blueberry purchases will be used to fund that commitment.

 Wyman’s of Maine has been growing and marketing wild blueberries for over 125 years. Still family owned, they harvest berries from over 10,000 acres of their own wild blueberry barrens and from the coastal hills, ridge lines and fields of other Wyman growers from Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI. With a focus on sustainable food, the company’s tag line is “Recommended by Future Generations” Find out more at www.Wymans.com.


This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeepingwww.BeeCulture.com

Supporter of EAS 2009 www.EasternApiculture.org

CATCH THE BUZZ Comments to EPA on Imidacloprid

CATCH THE BUZZ

These comments, submitted by the National Honey Bee Advisory Board to EPA concerning the registration of imidacloprid, a systemic pesticide produced by Bayer Chemical Company, have been edited here because of length. But the stories have not been changed or altered. The NHBAB consists of beekeepers from both the AHPA and the ABF, and represents most of the nation’s commercial beekeepers. EPA now must act on these and other comments regarding this compound. At the same time, this group of beekeepers and Bayer are meeting to discuss continued research with this compound. Time will tell if increased regulation, or more precise research improve the situation. 




Beekeepers from around the United States, and around the world, have had persistent problems associated with the use of the systemic pesticide imidacloprid.   Since the first uses of imidacloprid in France in 1994 on sunflowers beekeepers reported problems.  Soon the condition was given a name in France:  “mad bee disease.”  Problems reported by beekeepers, combined with mounting independent scientific data, caused the French Minister of Agriculture to suspend the use of imidacloprid on sunflowers in January of 1999.  In February 2004, France extended the suspension to include uses on corn.   At the same time they further broadened the ban on systemic insecticides to includ e the chemical fipronil.  

 In Europe the debate goes on, important data from toxicity studies is being produced.  Conclusions from this data vary.  The chemical manufacturers continue to maintain that the systemic compound imidacloprid is safe for use around honeybees, native pollinators, birds, and does not pose an unreasonable risk to the environment.  Reports from the field, however, are telling a different story.   The recent dramatic increase in use of imidacloprid on a greatly expanded list of cropland, rangeland, forest, residential, and recreational (golf courses and parks), has greatly increased exposure of pollinators to contaminated nectar and pollen expressed from flowering crops and weeds.

 Imidacloprid is only one of six product formulations in the broader class of “systemic neonicotinoids.”   Although only imidacloprid is currently ‘up’ for public comment, all six of these products in this class are of great concern to beekeepers.  Much attention has been given to the seed treatments such as Gaucho, a trade name for a formulation of imidacloprid.

 Recent data from Penn State on crabapple trees, although unpublished, and not yet replicated is extremely concerning.  Two controls, and two treated trees were used in the experiment.  After three weeks no imidacloprid was detected.  However the next spring pollen samples from pollen sacs and anthers tested over 900 ppb combined Imidacloprid and 2 principal degradants: 5- hydroxe and olefin.  In nectaries the combined number was 1,450 ppb.  Although further research is required for this study to be properly concluded, the initial data raises questions about how imidacloprid is stored and translocated in woody plants, like fruit trees. 


Find out what's new at Mann Lake www.mannlakeltd.com/catchthebuzz/index.html
Farmers, pesticide applicators, and beekeepers all look to EPA to provide guidance on safe and unsafe ways to apply these economic poisons.  We will quote the public comment of Roger Haldenby (Plains Cotton Growers, Inc. tracking number 808bfe56, February 23, 2009) on Imidacloprid:  “There are reports of imidacloprid toxicity to bees, birds, earthworms, and some fresh water crustaceans.  The impact of imidacloprid on these organisms can be mitigated by proper application of the insecticide in accordance with label instructions.”

 Systemic pesticides, like imidacloprid, work on a different principal.  The chemical is taken up into the plant tissue, and becomes systemic.  Active chemical is moved throughout the plant including the nectar and pollen of the treated crop plant, or inadvertently treated weed.  Once the chemical is in the nectar and pollen of the plant, no protective means can be employed to protect the pollinator who gathers the poisoned food. There is no “label warning” currently to protect pollinators from imidacloprid tainted nectar and pollen.  EPA does not have “safe label” instructions for imidacloprid.

In an advertisement for Premise 200SC, an imidacloprid product for termite control, Bayer states,  “Premise 200SC interferes with (the) instinctive social behavior (of termites), contributing to the termites’ demise. Low doses of Premise 200 SC disorientate the termites and cause them to cease their natural grooming behavior.  Grooming is important for termites to protect them against pathogenic soil fungi.  When termites stop grooming, the naturally occurring fungi in the soil attack and kill termites.  Premise 200SC makes fungi 10,000 times more dangerous to termites.  Nature assists Premis in giving unsurpassed control.”  (Bayer Premise SC Brochure)


For a comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the country and around the globe seewww.my.calendars.net/bee_culture/To send Your Calendar events to us, send to info@BeeCulture.com
Major incidents have been reported by beekeepers linked to imidacloprid.  EPA is aware that their incident reporting database of pesticide effects on honeybees is not working.  At the December 2, 2008 meeting between US EPA Office of Pesticide Programs and Beekeepers, the beekeepers explained how the incident reporting system, which utilizes state departments of agriculture and chemical manufacturing companies, is not reporting beekeeper field incidents with pesticides. The beekeepers at the meeting presented a wall chart showing all incidents reported to EPA and then detailed how their own personal incidents, as well as incidents of colleagues not there.  Providing a mechanism for reporting bee incidents was one of the eight “action items” listed as coming out of that meeting. 

 Recognizing that EPA is not aware of beekeeper incidents related to pesticides, we would like to provide you with a partial list of our own.  Many beekeepers will be reporting their individual incidents independently.  The list below by no means should be considered as complete; it only attempts to showcase a few of the most prominent incidents.  Many commercial beekeepers have had problems related to the use of imidacloprid.


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The largest incident involved seven beekeepers in North Dakota and Minnesota with Gaucho, a product formulation of Imidacloprid seed treatment on canola.  The seven beekeepers initiated legal action against Bayer Crop Science in Federal Court. Private laboratory tests performed on the beekeepers’ wax comb and honey in barrels.  “ADPEN analyzed the material for imidacloprid, carbofuran, dichlotvos and coumaphos.  They found residues of imidacloprid in all of the samples.  The levels of imidacloprid found ranged from 22 to 671 ppb.  These levels are much higher than the LD50 and are certainly killing honeybees and causing sub lethal effects”  (Mayer sworn and notarized DOC dated 12th January 2007).  Chris Charles explained that placing these boxes on top of his hives would cause an immediate die off of the fie ld bees.   Concerns about this lethal mix in his wax combs caused him to replace his entire comb with new.   He observed that his bees recovered after being given new fresh wax.

 Clint Walker relates his experience with imidacloprid and cotton in Texas. “In the summer of 2006 we shipped 500 bee hives to the cotton fields of West Texas.  It was a drought year where the only green plants were under irrigation.  During the active bloom phase of the cotton it was treated with aerial and ground applications of imidacloprid (Gaucho and Admire) for aphids. All of our 500 hives received sustained exposure to this chemical with no immediate ill effects.  Our crop was short due to the drought.  As we relocated the bees back to our home territory (Central Texas) in the early fall, the bees were strong and apparently healthy.”

 By In January of 2007 we began to see a significant portion of our nearly 2000 hives begin to collapse with Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) symptoms.  As we searched for an explanation to our losses, a disturbing pattern emerged:  All of the collapsing hives had been in West Texas four months earlier. We saw no CCD in the Central Texas bee colonies. This was the only difference in the cultural practice of the bees that collapsed and those that were healthy.”

 Dave Hackenberg tells his story of CCD on the East coast.  In 2004, when our bees were first exposed to imidacloprid, we saw things happen in our bees that we have never seen before.  Good colonies of bees run through pollinations and honey crops over the summer that we now know were exposed to Assail in Apple pollination and Admire in pumpkin pollination, by fall when no new food was coming into the hives, began to collapse at a rapid pace, leaving nothing but a queen and a few bees in the boxes.  The farmers that I work with are sensitive to using anything that would hurt my bees because they recognize how important good pollination is to the success of their crops.  They were told by their chemical suppliers that these ‘new’ pesticides were ‘safer’ for honeybees and they could even apply them during bloom without damage to the bees.  We did not see any dead bees in front of our hives while they were in these pollinations.  In the fall, it was clear that the bees that had been on honey locations were OK with normal mortality of 10 to 15% loss, while the pollination hives had 75 to 80% loss.   The ‘surviving’ pollination hives were not healthy and they failed to build properly in the spring.  We saw this same problem with pollination hives in 2005 and 2006.  It was in the fall of 2006 that we began to associate these losses with summer pollination exposure.  Since then we have communicated to our growers some of our concerns and the losses have gotten better in apple pollination where the grower had ‘options’ to use other products.  In pumpkin pollination, the growers have not had such luck since there are few other ‘approved’ products available to them. 

 Gene Brandi tells his story of watermelon pollination in California. “Another route of imidacloprid exposure to which my bees have been subjected is by chemigation with Admire on watermelons. Growers who chemigate with pesticides highly toxic to bees are not required to notify registered beekeepers in California, so I was not aware until after the fact that this practice was occurring.  In the summer of 2007 I pollinated watermelons with nearly one thousand colonies of my bees.  After approximately 50% of these colonies died during the following winter (compared to an 18% winter loss in my colonies that did not pollinate watermelons), I contacted the grower and discovered that the watermelons had been chemigated with Admire. My colonies that were not in watermelon pollination were exposed to other products, and yet did not sustain the same magnitude of w inter loss.  Although I do not have conclusive proof that exposure to imidacloprid was the cause of this bee loss, the correlation of this loss to watermelon pollination was enough for me to stop pollinating watermelons.

Dave Mendes tells his story of orange orchards in Florida. “I am a commercial beekeeper operating 7500 hives for honey production and crop pollination in the states of Florida, California, Maine, and Massachusetts. I participated in a research project organized through Penn State from March 2007 until January 2008 to follow a group of beehives through a complete season to monitor several different conditions in these hives to determine what factors may contribute to hive mortality.  I was one of three beekeepers in this study who each selected 18 to 24 hives that would be sampled each time they were moved to a new location.  My hives were sampled 7 times during the test period.  I started the stud y with 18 hives and ended with 4 hives total and only one of these was in good enough shape to produce honey or pollinate an agricultural crop.  The first samples taken while the bees were in Florida citrus showed levels of 14 to 17 ppb of imidacloprid in the pollen inside the hives.   I spoke to the grove manager and found out that Admire Pro had been applied to the younger trees in his grove (40,000 trees in a grove of 600,000 trees) in February as a ground application as the trees began to bloom.  The research on imidacloprid that I could find showed levels of 3 to 5 ppb as the highest recorded levels in citrus nectar or pollen.  I inquired to Bayer Crop Science and the Florida pesticide regulatory people to find out more about what effect these levels of imidacloprid could cause in my beehives.  I found very little information that addressed my concerns.

 Imidacloprid, a systemic insecticide, moves through the treated plant to the nectar and pollen.  The chemical remains persistent in soils for several years, can be taken up by subsequent plantings and weeds, and expressed in their pollen and nectar.   No mechanism exists to protect honeybees from this exposure.  Due to the vitally important nature of pollinators we recommend that imidacloprid be removed from use in the United States.  Simply stated there is just no way to protect bees from this danger. 

 The reader may ask how did we find ourselves at the point where an extremely dangerous chemical compound has come into such widespread use, threatening the very existence and viability of the pollination framework of the country.  The answer is simple.  Deregulation, the same concept which precipitated our financial collapse, has precipitated an environmental collapse no less serious.  At the same time that financial institutions were being given a free reign to regulate themselves on the naive assumption that industry knew best, pesticide regulation was being turned over from EPA to industry on the same assumption.

 US EPA used to do pesticide screening in honeybees, do pesticide toxicity study themselves, but today industry directs and funds the critical toxicity studies to determine product safety themselves.  The studies are shown to EPA for registration purposes, then filed away as “proprietary information” far from the scrutiny of the public eye.  Enforcement actions are not taken by EPA; instead these critically important functions are delegated to individual state departments of agriculture, under an arrangement ironically called a “primacy agreement.”

 The problems faced by the beekeeping industry are not limited to one single chemical compound.  They are in fact linked to a pervasive regulatory failure.  When the EPA was first set up, it was in response to environmental challenges of an unprecedented nature.  At that time the country was using 200,000,000 pounds of active ingredient chemical pesticides.  Today that number is over 5,000,000,000 pounds of active ingredient.   Simply put, the country is drowning in chemicals.  These very “economic poisons” are doing their job too well, and because of the deregulation process we are faced with a perfect storm today capable of destroying our countries pollinator base which will carry with it agricultural and environmental catastrophe.

 The fundamental change which is necessary is to return to a system at EPA which independently tests chemical compounds before they are released for widespread use. Precaution and prevention are words which need to return to environmental protection. Massive field experiments, such as what has occurred with the neonicotinoid class of systemic insecticides is just too high risk of a behavior.  Environmental catastrophe such as global warming, and our current pollinator crisis are big flashing warning lights.  These warning lights are there to tell us something, they are telling us to take action before it is too late.


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

www.BeeCulture.com

Supporter of EAS 2009 www.EasternApiculture.org

 

Sunday 22 March 2009

CATCH THE BUZZ BEES AT THE WHITE HOUSE

 

CATCH THE BUZZ

An Organic Garden and honey bees move to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.




From the perspective of probably every beekeeper in the U.S., the first day of spring, 2009, should be one of the most memorable in decades. It was on that day that Michelle Obama announced that not only would there be a garden on the White House lawn, the first since FDR’s Victory Garden, but there would be, yes, BEE HIVES!

The chefs at the white house are looking forward to cooking with locally grown fresh vegetables (and sharing what they can’t use with a soup kitchen near the White House), and being able to use honey in some of their recipes. Honey produced right outside their kitchen door.

Mrs Obama readied the garden plot on the first day of spring with the help of a couple dozen local fifth graders. They worked to remove the sod and loosen the soil in preparation of planting of the spring crops. The L-shaped plot will contain year-round vegetables once completely established, with vegetables, berries and other tasty edibles. All will be raised organically.

To complete the garden, two bee hives will be moved in early this week. They will be managed by a White House employee who is a beekeeper and lives nearby. The hives belong to the beekeeper.

We found out that the beekeeper was a subscriber to our magazine, so we had a contact and were fortunate to have a phone conversation late last week. But, of course, there has to be some preparation for all this, so everything we discussed had to remain off the record. He is, however, a three year veteran beekeeper and had a strong desire to keep bees and beekeeping in front of the folks who live where he works, and to keep reminding them of the importance of the pollination efforts their bees will be performing.


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


 

As far as we can tell, there’s never been a bee hive at the White House, so this first-ever apiary event is something that beekeepers everywhere are excited about. The calls and contacts received in our office once this broke exceeded any event in the 23 years I’ve been here.


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


 

At the ground breaking on Friday the kids, with the help of the First Lady removed sod and started the process. In a couple of weeks the planting will take place. The early spring garden, as with many early spring gardens will be red romaine lettuce, oakleaf lettuce, sugar snap peas, butterhead lettuce, radishes, shallots and shell peas, onions, chard spinach, kale, collards and a host of herbs including sorrel, thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary, marjoram, chives, chamomile, garlic chives and hyssop. There’s also carrots, dill, cilantro and parsley. Some mints and rhubarb will be going in too. Later, squash, tomatillos, some berries, and perhaps more, since the garden is to be a year-round source of vegetables.

The L shaped garden is 40’ tall, 40’ wide at the bottom, and the width at the top of the L is 20’. There are marigolds, nasturtiums and zinnas lining the two walkways through the garden. Several raised beds surround the garden.

An organic garden and beehives at the White House...it doesn’t get much better, does it?


This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping www.BeeCulture.com. Proud supporter of EAS 2009, in Ellicotville, NY. www.easternapiculture.org

 

Saturday 21 March 2009

Friend, Spring has sprung. Here are some tips to get ready.


Happy Spring, Friend!

Issue #012, March 21, 2009. In This Issue...

--On a Personal Note...

--You Can Build a Chicken Tractor - the Book Will Soon Be Available!

--Stay on the Homestead Full Time With Niche Selling

--Homesteading and Chickens

--So You'd Love to Homestead, But...

--Gardening Back to Basics

Lots of great information, so take a break from planting and read on!


Happy Spring!

The best season of the year has officially sprung in our neck of the woods, the time for putting in gardens, ordering those baby chicks and dreaming about those summer and fall harvests. So I'm sending you a few extra tips to help you in your plans and dreams. So take a break from all that garden work, fix yourself a lemonade and read on!

But On a Personal Note...

I've been battling health problems and have not been able to work on this website, as well as other projects as much as I would have liked. I am starting to recover, however, and will soon be back up to full speed.

You Can Build a Chicken Tractor - The Book Will Soon Be Available!

This handy guide will take you step by step through the process of building your very own chicken tractor, with lots of great information, such as the tools you'll need, how to acquire free wood, how to get your chickens and brooder (almost) for free, and lots of tips on how to care for your flock.

Both the ebook and the print edition will be available in April, 2009.

Homesteading and Chickens

Like love and marriage, the two go together like a horse and carriage. Here are some reasons why acquiring a small flock should be one of the first things you do when you start homesteading.

So You'd Love to Homestead, But...

You don't have that acreage yet, you say? Well, never fear! You can pursue the self-reliant life anywhere, even if you live in an apartment complex. Homesteading is a state of mind just as much as it is a location. Here are some tips to get you started.

Gardening Back to Basics

Plants grow best in loose soil that isn't trampled down. Adding raised beds to your garden are an investment that ensure your plants have the best possible growing environment. Here are some tips.

Would you like to have a more productive and bountiful harvest? Feeding your plants with the best, possible soil is the most important thing you can do. Here are some tips on composting to give your garden a powerful boost.

And finally, mulching your plants will ensure they stay warm and protected from the elements.

And as always, happy homesteading!


Like this issue of Successful Homesteading? Please forward it to a friend! And if a friend did forward this to you and you like what you read, please subscribe here.



Comments? Ideas? Feedback? I'd love to hear from you. Just reply to this zine and tell me what you think! And thanks!


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Thursday 19 March 2009

CATCH THE BUZZ USDA Recovery Money

CATCH THE BUZZ

USDA Spends $28 Billion in Stimulus Funds


From American Fruit Grower

Last week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced USDA will be delivering its first actions implementing the $28 billion provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). 
  

"President Obama responded extraordinarily to a crisis unlike any since the Great Depression and his efforts and that of the USDA will have a significant impact not only in rural communities but in communities across the country struggling with today's tough economic times," said Vilsack. "Implementation of programs in the act will help stimulate local economies, create jobs as well as protect and restore the environment." 
  

Funding will help rebuild and revitalize rural communities as well as help stimulate local economies and create jobs throughout the country. Some of the projects:

  • The Farm Service Agency (FSA) will use immediately $145 million of the $173 million provided in the Recovery Act for its Direct Operating Farm Loan Program, which will give 2,042 farmers – almost 50% are beginning farmers and 10% are socially disadvantaged producers - direct loans from the agency.

  • USDA Rural Development Agency will initially provide nearly 10,000 rural families with $14.9 million ($1.17 billion in loan guarantees) for homeownership financing, creating or saving more than 5,000 jobs.

  • USDA Rural Development will release funding for more than $400 million in pending applications for Water and Waste grants and $140 million in pending applications for Water and Waste Direct Loans. Nearly 13,000 jobs will be created by 400 water and wastewater projects.

  •  


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


  •  

  • The Forest Service has released nearly $100 million of the $1.15 billion for hazardous fuels reduction, forest health protection, rehabilitation, and hazard mitigation activities on federal, state and private lands. Over 1,500 jobs will be created through shovel ready projects for urban youth and individuals involved in urban forestry, restoration projects fire prevention, roads, bridges, buildings, and recreation facilities.

  •  


  • For a Comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the country, see www.my.calendars.net/bee_culture/

  • To send in information to this calendar, send along to Calendar@BeeCulture.com

  •  

    The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will release up to $145 million to restore frequently flooded land to its natural state; create jobs in rural communities nationwide when landowners establish these floodplain easements; as well as restore and protect an estimated 60,000 acres of flood-prone lands nationwide through the floodplain easement component of its Emergency Watershed Protection Program.

  • Plus, NRCS released $80 million to improve fish and wildlife habitat and create or restore wetlands.

  •  


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

  •  


  • Additionally, NRCS released $50 million last week for rehabilitating aging watershed structures to protect lives and property and public infrastructure.

  • Roughly $80 per family per month for over 31 million people for food assistance each month which will stimulate local economies. It's estimated that for every five dollars spent through SNAP, $9.20 of local economic activity is generated. In addition, ARRA provides nearly $300 million to help states administer SNAP. The first $145 million will be released this month to assist States in responding to increased need.

  • An additional $5 million in funding is provided for the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) for facility improvements and equipment upgrades. This is in addition to the over $114 for food distribution on Indian reservations this year. This program provides a vital service. Reservations and tribal lands are often remote with limited service from grocery stores. It provides commodity foods to low-income households, including the elderly, living on Indian reservations, and to Native American families residing in designated areas near reservations and in the State of Oklahoma. Currently, there are approximately 243 tribes receiving benefits under the FDPIR through 98 ITOs and 5 State agencies.

  • In addition, the Recovery Act provides additional funding for the Emergency Food Assistance Program. Through this program, USDA provides commodities and administrative funds to states for further distribution to local organizations that assist the needy, including food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens. The first $25 million to support administrative functions will be distributed this month.

   The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) was signed into law by President Obama on Feb. 17, 2009. More information about USDA's efforts regarding the Recovery Act is available at www.usda.gov/recovery.


 

This message sponsored by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping 

www.BeeCulture.com

 and sponsor of EAS 2009. www.Easternapiculture.org.

 

 

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Beekeeping Magazines Go Online

Posted: 18 Mar 2009 01:40 PM PDT

BeeKeepers QuarterlyThe BeeKeepers Quarterly edited by John Phipps, has just announced that it’s taking its show online. The UK beekeeping magazine can now be seen on the Web at www.bkq.org.uk. The March 2009 and May 2009 issues will be “free samples” for beekeepers to try it out, and there will be a small subscription charge for future issues.

This news comes from Kim Flottum, editor of Bee Culture - The Magazine of American Beekeeping, who is a regular contributor to the BeeKeepers Quarterly). Flottum notes that Bee Culture, too, will be releasing a digital edition later this year.

Other digital beekeeping magazines include Bee Craft (UK) and MidWest Beekeeper (US). So far, the American Bee Journal is not available on the Internet, but you can subscribe to the Journal through its website, or view the Table of Contents, Covers, and an index of articles in past issues.

Post from: Central Beekeepers Alliance

Wednesday 18 March 2009

CATCH THE BUZZ Digital Buzz...

CATCH THE BUZZ

BeeKeeper's Quarterly Goes Digital

A second Beekeeping Magazine has gone digital and the Publishers are just beginning to weigh the ramifications and popularity of this style of edition. Their low key announcement came across yesterday. Kim Flottum, Bee Culture editor, is a regular contributor to the Quarterly, and Bee Culture Magazine and the Quarterly reciprocate subscriptions in each country.


The BeeKeepers Quarterly can now be seen on the web at www.bkq.org.uk

 This will be a free, try it and see service to beekeepers for the March & May 2009 editions.

There will be a small charge to subscribe after this time


Bee Culture will be releasing our version of a digital edition later this year, once all the pieces are in place. You can view the Quarterly, a UK companion magazine to Bee Culture, expertly edited by John Phipps at the address above. We'd be interested in your opinion of this format once you look at it so please get back to us once you view it at info@BeeCulture.com with comments, thoughts or opinions. Let us know if you have problems or complaints, and if you like the format and technology.
This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping www.BeeCulture.com

Tuesday 17 March 2009

CATCH THE BUZZ WV FIRES BEE INSPECTOR. WHY?

 

CATCH THE BUZZ

West Virginia Fires State Bee Inspector

Canturbury wants to know why? What do WV Beekeepers have to say?

From the Charleston Gazette




CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia has fired the longtime chief inspector of its growing beekeeping industry, and at least one legislator wants to know why.


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


Delegate Ray Canterbury told fellow House members Tuesday that George Clutter was dismissed as the state's apiarist last week.


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


Canterbury, R-Greenbrier, blames the state Department of Agriculture for the firing and wants Clutter reinstated. An agency spokesman declined comment.

Canterbury, a bee enthusiast, says Clutter helped nurture the industry from scattered hobby clubs to more than a thousand beekeepers with 20,000 hives. He is also known for sporting a beard of live bees at fairs and festivals.

Other lawmakers cautioned against targeting the Department of Agriculture's budget to retaliate for the firing.


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

www.BeeCulture.com, one sponsor of the EAS meeting this summer www.easternapiculture.org

 

Monday 16 March 2009

Apis Newsletter March 16, 2009




Dear Subscribers,

It continues dry in Gainesville, Florida.  Campers let a fire lose to the south of us in the Ocala National Forest that quickly got out of hand, and now has consumed 1,300 acres. 

The last flush of pollen dots drive ways and car windshields here and the azaleas this year are spectacular, perhaps because of a cold spell over two weeks ago that hit the plants hard in this region. 

The Apis Newsletter in conjunction with Bee Culture magazine continues the Global Beekeeping Calendar initiative at http://my.calendars.net/bee_culture.  This ambitious project is an attempt to collect all the events in the beekeeping world at one place.  I would be interested in your reflections on this effort.

I am off to the next edition of Florida’s Bee College to be held in St. Augustine next weekend, in conjunction with the Florida Master Beekeeper Program http://ufhoneybee.com.  This program continues to get good reviews from beekeepers and this year’s speaker is Dr. Keith Delaplane from the University of Georgia.  Note too that the Florida Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab is looking for a post doctoral association to concentrate on Varroa destructor.  The vision is for this person to also collaborate with research at both the Division of Plant Industry Apiary program and that of the Center for Medical and Veterinary Entomology, the USDA’s Gainesville laboratory.

And congratulations to Ryan Cutts, son of Larry and Kelley Cutts of Chipley, FL who won first place in the University of Florida 4-H Honey Bee Essay Contest. Ryan's family is now in its fifth generation of beekeeping.  He is the recipient of full tuition to the University of Florida Bee College being held in St. Augustine later this month, as well as the book "Honey Bees and Beekeeping: A Year in the Life of an Apiary" by Dr. Keith Deleplane, University of Georgia professor and entomologist.  His entry now goes forward to the national contest, sponsored by the American Beekeeping Federation, http://abfnet.org.

The new Packer Importer Board (PIB) is off and running at http://honey.com.  It is abandoning Bee Buzz, it’s monthly electronic information organ as an economizing effort, but will continue its baseball promotion, “Due to the success of last year's program, the 2009 promotion will be expanded to five teams.  At three of the ballparks we will introduce spokesperson Mitzi Dulan to aspiring major leaguers and their parents. Mitzi Dulan, also known as America's Nutrition Expert®, is the nutritionist for the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals, and consults with professional and top-ranked amateur athletes throughout the United States.  Mitzi will be on hand at the ballparks to give kids sound nutrition tips and wonderful, natural, energy boosti ng recipes that she has developed for the National Honey Board.”  In addition, the Board will continue its annual “freebie” to beekeepers and honey industry members for promotional purposes.  Check out other resources at http://honey.com/honeyindustry/reports/research_summary.asp.  This year the Board will put approximately $245,000 into honey bee research.  A review of its research programs over the last few years is also available on the web site at the above URL:

A South African URL  caught my attention and is my site of the month:. http://www.apiculture.co.za/.   Based on Google satellite map technology.  Includes a 3km honey bee foraging zone, displayed around each apiary site.  Only you can see the forage zone around your apiary. Plot your apiary in realtime. Use this tool to plot your apiary locations and discovery their potential foraging zones. 

I continue my project on collecting URLs through http://www.publish2.com/newsgroups/march-2009/2.  This month’s collection includes descriptions of The West Virginia Queen Project, Iowa’s upated law to protect honey bees, honey laundering, nutritional and medicinal value of honey in Greece and elsewhere, art and honey bees, the climate crisis sours honey prices, Meteorologist Sam Champion is hosted by Dr. Jamie Ellis, Varroa control in Denmark, bee laws changing in Canada and New York, a beekeeping course for Spanish speakers, Texas grants a section 18 for Hivastan, teens making money from bees and an agreement between Cuba and Venezuela in several areas, including beekeeping.

A couple of reports also suggest that the term CCD is misleading and there is no proof of this bee killer.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7925397.stm.  “For five years, increasing numbers of unexplained bee deaths have been reported worldwide, with US commercial beekeepers suffering the most.  The term Colony Collapse Disorder was coined to describe the illness.  But many experts now believe that the term is misleading and there is no single, new ailment killing the bees.”  The Economist in its March 7, 2009 issue takes up the theme and concludes: “Despite the importance of the honeybee, none of this is evidence of a wide-scale pollination crisis or a threat that is specific to pollinators. No one has shown that colonies of wild bees are collapsing any more frequently than they used to. And while it is true that many spe cies of butterflies, moths, birds, bats and other pollinators are in retreat, their problems are far more likely to mirror broader declines in biodiversity that are the result of well-known phenomena such as habitat loss and the intensification of agriculture.

“Troubling though this loss of diversity is, it does not necessarily translate into a decline in the amount of pollination going on.  Jaboury Ghazoul of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, writing in Trends in Ecology and Evolution in 2005, points out that the decline of bumblebees in Europe that has been observed recently mostly affects rare and specialised species—an altogether different problem. “Though the idea that there is a broader and costly pollination crisis under way is entrenched (the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation is spending $28m on a report investigating it), the true picture is cloudier.  In 2006 America’s National Academy of Sciences released a report on the status of pollinators in North America that concluded “for most North American pollinator species, long-term population data are lacking and knowledge of their basic ecology is incomplete.”  Simply put, nobody knows.  As for the managed bees of America, Dr Ratnieks says that “the imminent death of the honeybee has been reported so many times, but it has not happened and is not likely to do so.”

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Gleanings from the March 2009 Bee Culture:

Alan Coble, Douglassville, PA writes that he would like more information on the pictures for Bee Culture’s yearly calendar.  Wendy Booth, Nottingham, NH describes how she got her shot that graced the cover of the calendar and January’s magazine as well.  Joe Loucek, Windham, OH  asks for more information about Jim Tew’s January article on locating outyards and putting up a building without windows.  He gets a response from the editor given Dr. Tew was recovering from his recent surgery as reported this month in his column.  Norris Childs, Philadelphia, PA reveals his experiences with small hive beetle populations being controlled by propolis.  This has been detailed nicely by Dr. Jamie Ellis who did work on this insect in South Africa http://www.ent.uga.edu/Bees/Personnel/Ellis.htm: “African subspecies of honey bees employ a complicated scheme of confinement (aggressive behavior toward and guarding of beetles) to limit beetle reproduction in a colony. Despite being confined away from food, adult beetles are able to solicit food and feed from the mouths of their honey bee guards. Remarkably, beetle-naïve European honey bees also confine beetles and this behavior is quantitatively similar to that in African bees.”

Alice Wiemers, Hondo, TX describes her adventures being on the Martha Stewart show and other publicity generated from her photo in a book recommended recently, American Farmer.  Josh Sommers, CincinnatiOH says Ross Conrad ought to be careful speaking to an “informed” audience.  It seems Mr. Conrad’s description of dairy farming as being not sustainable missed the mark.  Gib Geiger, Waitsfield, VT describes a colleague putting a hive in an old light house for bear protection.  Matthew Smith, Fauquier, VA asks if ther e is any information on putting hives on various crops for pollination; yep see:  McGregor’s Book online at http://www.beeculture.com/content/pollination_handbook/index.cfm.  Michael Franklin, Ruston, LA announces a new online urban beekeeping community at http://urbanapis.com.

Editor Flottum ruminates on pollination contracts, and pens an in-depth look at this important business tool.  He also analyses Nosema ceranae infestations, and provides an idea of the track record of Australian queens vs the U.S. variety.  Surprise Australian queens appear to have less tolerance to Varroa.

Denise Feiber writes about what the Florida Department of Agriculture is doing to educate beekeepers and others about Africanized honey bees.  Centerpieces of this are the Florida Beekeeper Compliance Agreement and the motto for the general public, Bee Aware…Look, Listen, and Run.  For more, see: http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/plantinsp/apiary/apiary.html.

Steve Sheppard reveals that there is evidence that the neonicotinoid imidacloprid in sublethal dosages can be bad news for bees.  He also reports that his column will no longer be published monthly due to research demands, but readers will continue to see it every two months.

This author reports on experiences at the Pine Honey Congress in Turkey.  Turkish beekeeping is taking the world stage and will put in a bid to host Apimondia in 2013, two years after the Argentinian congress.  Read about the history of the craft in the Turkish Republic, and its development into a solid enterprise based on both honey production and pollination.

Clarence Collison and Audrey Sheridan take a closer look at American foulbrood.  Read about the difference between the spores and vegetative rods and how new technology might lead to novel treatments of this virulent disease.

Larry Connor looks at colony contamination due to beekeeper pesticide use and concludes, the only way to win the war against Varroa is not to play.  Read his analysis of the South African situation and his visit to John Kefuss in France who uses  what is called the “live or let die” approach to queen breeding.

Jennifer Berry provides a laundry list of queens available today, including , Italian, Carniolan, Caucasian, and Russian.  Read how she introduces a queen and her analysis of the costs of queens when compared  to the 1860s.  The results are surprising and say a lot about the economics of the craft.

Jim Tew relates about how his persona as a beekeeper came through even when confronted with major surgery of the digestive tract.  Read how he navigated the health care system and also used honey in his convalescence.

Ross Contrad conducts a colony autopsy.  Look at his chart of symptoms and read about the probable causes.

Bob Brachman says the Russian Honey Bee Breeders Association is up and running with remarkable results.  Read about the philosophy behind this group and its activities.  See more at: http://russianbreeder.org/.

Alphonse Avitable revels in the benefits of Spring requeening.  Read how he approaches the requeening process and some of his ideas about what to do with aging queens.

Ann Harman also discusses swarming.  Read how she judges the bees are about to take off and what having “too many bees” might mean.

Abbas Edun lists herbal remedies.  Read how anise hyssop, apples and borage can affect one’s health.  The fact that they are nectar plants gives them an added edge.

Connie Krochmal says maples are especially attractive to honey bees for both nectar and pollen.  Read her list of maples, only a limited number of species it seems could be included.  Fortunately, she includes Acer rubrum, one of the honey bee’s most valued friends in the Eastern U.S.

Dick Marron in the Bottom Board says he’s an “apiholic.”  Read why this is so and what he plans to do about it.  He also bemoans the passing of a “weed,” purple loosestrife, the victim of biological control using a specific beetle.  See more at http://www.hort.uconn.edu/IPM/ipmbio.htm.  Beekeepers can expect more of this kind of thing in the future.

Malcolm T. Sanford

Beeactor@apisenterprises.com

http://apis.shorturl.com

Bee sure to Catch The Buzz, Bee Culture's latest releases important to beekeepers at <http://www.beeculture.com/content/catch_buzz.cfm>.  Also access the Apis Information Resource Center <http://www.squidoo.com/apis>, which contains Dr. Malcolm T. Sanford's archived Bee Culture articles at <http://www.squidoo.com/bee_culture/> and check out his blog <http://abeekeepersblog.blogspot.com >.  Finally, take a look at the Global Bee Breeders Association’s efforts to increase honey bee diversity with minimal risk <http://gbba.vze.com>

 


Central Beekeepers Alliance

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Different Types of Hives

Posted: 15 Mar 2009 07:24 AM PDT

The hive that is most common in our area seems to be the 10 frame Langstroth hive or commercial hive that uses brood boxes and honey supers.

Langstroth Hive, brood box

Langstroth brood box

Which is the type of hive I will use to raise bees. As a beginner, I will use the standard equipment and practices available in my area, which allow me to expand my beekeeping education beyond books and the internet to include local beekeepers and supply stores. In the event that something breaks or is lost, I can easily replace it locally too. But I am sure I will start to experiment as many beekeepers do, with equipment and styles as my experience level grows.

photo: www.caddon-hives.co.uk Different types of hives include traditional skeps, top–bar hives, William Braughton Carr (WBC) hives and the National hive used in the UK. 

The WBC shown in the thumbnail at left is similar to a pagoda style of architecture. Although, the exterior of this hive structure is different, the inside resembles the standard frame and foundations found in National hives.

An interesting style of bee hive can be found at the following link: http://warrebeehive.com

The Warre Hive resembles a WBC hive but uses a top–bar frame internal structure to encourage a natural formation of wax cells from the top–bar down. As the bees construct the comb, it grows in a downward direction. Boxes are added to the bottom with new top–bars in each. The bees will stop the comb just above the next set of bars. This style of natural beekeeping is further explained by following the link. It also includes plans for building your own hive.

Thank you Dan Richards for the link and information about Warre Hives!

Post from: Central Beekeepers Alliance

Friday 13 March 2009

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Irish Honey Lore for St. Patrick’s Day

Posted: 12 Mar 2009 04:31 PM PDT

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, Irish Culture and Customs remind us that honey holds an important place in the history and traditions of the Emerald Isle:

Ireland has been described by many poets and story-tellers as the land of milk and honey, and there is little doubt that there was milk and honey in abundance in earliest times…

Honey was so important in early Ireland that a whole section of the Brehon Laws was devoted to bees and beekeeping. Tributes were paid in honey and no banquet table was complete without honey and mead, the legendary drink made from it. Honey was used not just for cooking, but also for basting, and as a condiment in which to dip meat, fowl and fish at the table.

The Sacred Bee in Ancient Times and FolkloreThe Sacred Bee in Ancient Times and Folklore by Hilda M. Ransome (first published in 1937) explains that there’s a whole section about honey in the Brehon Laws, which date back to somewhere around 600 AD and probably much earlier — the “Bee-judgments” as the laws about beekeeping were called.

For example, under those old laws, anyone who kept bees was obligated by law to share the honey harvest with land-owners of the four adjacent farms, as that’s where the bees gathered nectar.

And if a man found a swarm in the faithche (the green surrounding and belonging to a house), three-quarters of that colony’s honey harvest at the end of the year was owed to the owner of the house. It certainly speaks to the value placed on honey!

We can guage what abundance of honey there was by the size of the vessels in which it was measured. The Brehon Laws mention four sized of vessels used when measuring honey in large quantities. A milch-cow measure was one which, when full, an ordinary person could lift as far as his knee; a heifer, one he could life to his waist; a small heifer to his shoulder; and a dairt or still smaller heifer vessel which he could raise over his head. It was a quaint way of measuring!

You can read more about the Brehon Laws on a fascinating website called Library Ireland, dedicated to sharing Irish culture and folklore.

For those who’d like to enjoy their honey in Irish culture with a bit of a “kick” to it, David Lee of the Federation of Irish Beekeepers’ Associations explains how to make your own mead.

The potent honey-based beverage might go nicely with this gourmet menu from the Institute of Northern Ireland Beekeepers, drawn from the old legends of County Tipperary:

Appetiser:
Wild Irish Rabbit Terrine, accompanied with hedgegrown brambles, Mead Chutney, garnished with Armagh Apple Crisps, accompanied with Guinness wheaten bread.

Main Course:
Crystallized pan fried Wolf fish, served with Colcannon potatoes served with a white butter sauce, infused with Field Nettle emulsion, garnished with Irish streaky bacon and deep fried leeks.

Dessert:
White Chocolate Beehive, filled with a Hazelnut & Irish Mist parfait, served with a rich raspberry & thyme compote, and a splash of fresh cream, garnished with Ling honey comb.

If that’s a bit much, just take a page from A Smaller Social History of Ancient Ireland, by PW Joyce (first published in 1906), which says:

A mixture of milk and honey was sometimes drunk; a mixture of lard and honey was usual as a condiment. Honey was sometimes brought to table pure, and sometimes in the comb. Often at meals each person had placed before him on the table a little dish, sometimes of silver, filled with honey; and each morsel whether of meat, fish, or bread was dipped into it before being conveyed to the mouth.

Or what about a broiled salmon steak, basted with honey, like the meal that was served by Ailill and Maive, king and queen of Connaught, to the young chief, Fraech, according to the old Irish tales. That sounds like a St. Patrick’s Day meal that would go down just fine here in New Brunswick!

Post from: Central Beekeepers Alliance

Thursday 12 March 2009

CATCH THE BUZZ Weslaco Lab Funded

CATCH THE BUZZ

It’s only bad when it’s someone else’s pet project. One person’s earmark is another’s Life Preserver.




From the Brownsville Hearald

 

A $1.7 million earmark for a Rio Grande Valley research center examining, among other agriculture issues, a continued disappearance of honey bees was included in a massive spending bill cleared by Congress late Tuesday.

The $410 billion bill was attacked by key Republicans for containing nearly 9,000 earmarks for everything from catfish genetics research in Alabama to the promotion of astronomy in Hawaii.

The earmarks, including funding for what he called a "honey bee factory" in Weslaco, drew the ire of U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and other key Republicans.

But Senate Democrats acquired the necessary votes for passage, sending the bill on to President Barack Obama - who signed it Wednesday - and sending more than $60 million in handpicked earmarks to the Rio Grande Valley.


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


 

While the honey bee research drew McCain's attention, Valley legislators also secured money for border law enforcement, water conservation projects, a truancy program and Interstate 69 route studies.

But the bees - and another $8.7 million for other research at Weslaco's Kika de la Garza Subtropical Research Center - were of critical importance to U.S. Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, D-Mercedes, who included them in his requests.

Four scientists at the bee research center are partly examining "colony collapse disorder," which has led to a decline of as much as 70 percent in the honeybee population and has no known cause, Hinojosa said. Bees play a crucial role in agriculture, pollinating more than 90 crops.

"Research on the alarming disappearance of bees may sound trite but it is absolutely necessary," Hinojosa said. "If we do not figure out why this is happening, our nation's agricultural industry and food supply will be severely impacted."

The funding included in the spending bill is enough to keep the Weslaco research center operating through September, said Michael Arnold, the deputy budget director for the research center operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The center was among a dozen others targeted for closure when $84 million was slashed from the USDA's recent budget. All of the funding was restored in the spending bill signed Wednesday, meaning the research centers will continue at least through the fiscal year ending Sept. 31.


For a comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the country and around the globe see www.my.calendars.net/bee_culture

To send YOUR event announcement to Bee Culture magazine for this and the paper edition, send to calendar@BeeCulture.com


A fiscal year 2010 budget has not been finalized.

The honey bee research funding was part of a national debate on the role of earmarks in government, sparked partly by a dramatic increase in federal spending in recent months on bailouts and the economic stimulus package.

But Hinojosa and U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, both defended the use of earmarks as part of the process Congress uses to determine spending.

Hinojosa said the earmarks "enable significant projects to come to fruition" in the Valley and that shunning them would send money elsewhere.

Cuellar said it's a better spending tactic than allowing "faceless bureaucrats" in Washington, D.C., to determine spending for his district.

He also said Democrats reduced earmarks by as much as 40 percent since taking control of the House in 2007. Congress has also introduced new rules governing transparency of the process.

Beginning with the 2010 budget, congressional offices will be required to post on their Web sites the earmarks they are requesting.


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The argument that earmarks are driving up the national deficit is overblown, Cuellar said. The earmarks included in the spending bill make up about 1 percent of its total costs.

"It's not going to affect the budget as much as the other 99 percent," Cuellar said. "We have to keep earmarks in perspective."


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