Saturday 14 February 2009

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Upcoming Public Events for Central Beekeepers

Posted: 14 Feb 2009 04:08 AM PST

Members of the Central Beekeepers Alliance have a few special events planned for this spring, to help educate the general public of central New Brunswick about beekeeping and honey bees.

Fredericton, NB:
February 15, February 22, March 1, and March 8, 2009

Michelle Flanagan and Jessica Breau will have a table a the craft and flea market on Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Kings Place, Fredericton, beginning on February 15th, 2009. They will have copies of the CBA’s own Honey of a Cookbook for sale, and a spring-themed basket to raffle off to raise funds for our association. They plan to attend the craft and flea market each Sunday until March 8th, when the winner of the basket draw will be announced.

Harvey, NB:
April 25, 2009

Michelle and Jessica will also be setting up a beekeeping booth for the 3rd Annual Harvey Outdoor Adventure Show and Sale, to be held at the Harvey Memorial Community Centre on April 25th, 2009. The show is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They hope to have live bees (in an observation hive) at the show as part of the large educational display.

Lower Hainsville, NB:
June 5 - 7, 2009

Gail Duncan is doing a presentation on beekeeping for the Wildlife Federations program Becoming an Outdoors Woman, which is taking place on the weekend of June 5 - 7, 2009, at Greenhill Lake Camp in Lower Hainesville.

Post from: Central Beekeepers Alliance

Effects of Captan on Apis mellifera Brood Development

Posted: 13 Feb 2009 05:12 PM PST

A research report published this month in the Journal of Economic Entomology finds that Captan is not harmful to foraging honey bees. The fungicide was first introduced in the early 1950s and still regarded as highly effective against diseases such as fruit rots and leaf blight. It is widely used on a variety of fruit and nut crops, such as apples, field berries, and almonds.

ABSTRACT:
Three almond field trials were conducted during 2003 and 2004 at two locations in central (Fresno County) and northern (Yolo County) California to evaluate the potential effects of commercial applications of Captan on honey bees, Apis mellifera L. Captan was applied at 5.0 kg (AI)/ha during bloom. Hives were evaluated for hive health and brood development parameters for ~2 mo after application. This study showed that the application of Captan was not harmful to foraging honey bees or their brood. No treatment-related effects were noted on hive weights, dead bee deformity, number of dead bees, survival of individual larvae, weight of individual emerging adults, and other hive health parameters.

Reference:
Effects of Captan on Apis mellifera Brood Development Under Field Conditions in California Almond Orchards
R. Everich, G. Schiller, J. Whitehead, M. Beavers, and K. Barrett
Journal of Economic Entomology
102(1): 20-29 (2009)
February 2009

Post from: Central Beekeepers Alliance

Recommendations for Honey Bee Disease Control

Posted: 13 Feb 2009 02:44 PM PST

It is vital to the well-being of honey bees that beekeepers stay up-to-date on best practices for hive health. For current recommendations for treatments and control of honeybee pests and diseases, New Brunswick beekeepers are strongly advised to consult the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) website.

Here are direct links to the most recent recommendations
(dated 2007 and last modified on 15 December, 2008):

Recommendations for Honey Bee Disease Control

  1. European Foulbrood
  2. Honey Bee Trachael Mites
  3. Varroa Mites
  4. Nosema
  5. Chalkbrood
  6. Sacbrood
  7. Monitoring Methods: Varroa Mites
  8. Monitoring Methods: Honey Bee Trachael Mites
  9. Monitoring Methods: American Foulbrood

French language version:
Recommandations pour la lutte contre les maladies des abeilles mellifères

Post from: Central Beekeepers Alliance

Photo: Maritime Beekeepers at Canadian Honey Council

Posted: 13 Feb 2009 02:12 PM PST

A delegation of beekeepers from the Maritime Provinces attended the Canadian Honey Council AGM in Niagara Falls, Ontario, in December 2008.

Maritime delegation to Canadian Honey Council 2008
Back row: Ralph Lockhart (NB), Alden Thomas (NB), Paul Vautour (NB), Mary Colpitts (NB), Fletcher Colpitts (NB)

Next: Edith Thomas (NB), Jerry Draheim (NS), Pascale Dillon (PEI), Joanne Moran (NS), Deborah Woodward (PEI), Homer Woodward (PEI)

Front row: Ann Vautour (NB), Paul Kittilsen (NS), Chris Jordan (PEI), and Peter Dillon (PEI)

Click on the photograph to see a larger version.

[Photograph submitted by Ann Vautour]

Post from: Central Beekeepers Alliance