Friday 22 October 2010

CATCH THE BUZZ - 5 Day Week For P.O. Delivery

CATCH THE BUZZ

Five-day delivery is part of the solution to declining revenue, volumes

But what happens to Queens and Packages Over The Weekend?

The United States Postal Service is facing unprecedented volume declines and a projected $238 billion shortfall during the next decade. To ensure that America continues to have a viable Postal Service, the Postmaster General has introduced a comprehensive plan including cost cutting, increased productivity and certain legislative and regulatory changes that will form the necessary foundation for a leaner, more flexible Postal Service.

Five-day delivery is one of the fundamental changes that will help the Postal Service better respond to changing customer needs.

Profound technological and social changes have altered the way Americans communicate. For many, electronic media have replaced the letter as the primary means of social and business communication. Revenue from First-Class Mail – the Postal Service’s longtime bread-and-butter product — continues to decline as the use of electronic message delivery increases.

Electronic diversion and the recession are significant contributors to a continuing decline in mail volume, which in fiscal year 2009 plummeted by 25.6 billion pieces — nearly 13 percent of total volume — resulting in a Postal Service revenue drop of nearly $7 billion. The trends underlying these declines will only continue.

Current global economic conditions have put the largest users of the mail under severe financial stress. In the past, they spent millions of dollars on mailings and now many have drastically cut back on their use of mail.

Five days of delivery, six days of service

While several steps must be taken to fully address the revenue gap, five-day delivery is one of the Postal Service’s best options to significantly reduce its costs to partially offset its unprecedented mail volume and revenue declines, with Saturday being the best day to eliminate carrier delivery.

Why Saturday? It has the week’s lowest daily volume, and more than a third of U.S. businesses are closed Saturday. Most businesses and households surveyed in a national Gallup Poll indicated Saturday would be the least disruptive day to eliminate mail delivery. That conclusion has since been reinforced by recent Postal Service market research.

This website is designed to provide postal customers with information regarding our proposal to implement a five-day delivery schedule for street addresses. We hope you find the site informative as the Postal Service strives to continue to be as dynamic and adaptive as the marketplace and customers it serves.

The Postal Service plans to implement five-day delivery in fiscal year 2011. Implementation is contingent on Congress not enacting legislation to prevent that change in service. In addition, the Postal Service asked the Postal Regulatory Commission on March 30 to review its plans and issue a non-binding advisory opinion.

This site contains basic facts about Postal Service plans for five-day delivery, guides for customers and general information about a potential five-day delivery schedule.

Build an entire bee hive with just a table saw. Go to Garreson Publishing. Books by Peter Sieling.

Find out What Is New At Mann Lake right Here

Protein feeding pays off with better health, better survival, better production, and better wintering. Learn More.  

FREE - Kelley Bees Modern Beekeeping Monthly Newsletter

Quality Top Bar Hives by Gold Star Honeybees - good for you, good for your bees, good for the planet. Check us out at www.goldstarhoneybees.com.

Subscribe to Malcolm Sanford’s Apis Newsletter right here for a comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the country and around the globe, check out Bee Culture’s Global Beekeeping Calendar

This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping, published by the A.I. Root Company.

Check out the Biggest Honey Show there is this fall at www.honeyshow.co.uk

Read an EXCLUSIVE CHAPTER from Tom Seeley’s new book Honey Bee Democracy, only on Bee Culture’s web page Here!

 

 

 

Central Beekeepers Alliance : PEI Honey Product Wins Prestigious Prize

Central Beekeepers Alliance : PEI Honey Product Wins Prestigious Prize


PEI Honey Product Wins Prestigious Prize

Posted: 21 Oct 2010 07:39 PM PDT

Central Beekeepers Alliance sends its hearty congratulations to Island Abbey Foods Ltd. of Prince Edward Island. The company just won the Global SIAL d'Or, one of the world's top food prizes, for its innovative Honibe Honey Drop, a dried honey product in the form of a lozenge, used to sweeten a hot beverage with honey just as easily as you’d drop a sugar cube in your afternoon tea:

Have you ever held honey in your hand? Well now you can: introducing the Honey Drop™. The Honey Drop™ solves a common problem: liquid honey can be messy. The Honey Drop™ is an individual serving (one teaspoon / 5 g.) of 100% pure dried honey without any additives or binding agents. All of the natural honey flavor without any of the mess.

The Global Food Marketplace convention, SIAL D'Or – an event for all those involved in the food industry: retail, trade, manufacturing, catering and food services – was held in Paris, France, from Sunday, October 17 through Thursday, October 21, 2010. Island Abbey Foods won among 1,500 competitors from 30 countries.

"We are incredibly honored to win the Global SIAL d'Or," said John Rowe, President and CEO of Island Abbey Foods Ltd. "They gave out the country awards first where we received the 'Best in Canada Award,' then the category awards were presented and we received our 'Best Grocery Sweet' award, and after much suspense they announced Honibe as the Grand Prize winner."

For more information, visit www.honibe.com.

PEI Honey Product Wins Prestigious Prize was written and published by the Central Beekeepers Alliance - Honey Bees & Beekeeping in New Brunswick, Canada. For more information, please visit http://cba.stonehavenlife.com.

Thursday 21 October 2010

CATCH THE BUZZ - More On Georga's AHB Incident

CATCH THE BUZZ

 

Africanized Honeybees Found in Georgia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 21, 2010

 

More on the Story Released Here Yesterday

 

 

Entomological tests have confirmed that Africanized honeybees were responsible for the death of an elderly man in Dougherty County last week.  News reports say the man accidentally disturbed a feral colony of bees with his bulldozer and that he received more than 100 stings.

 

“This is the first record of Africanized honeybees in Georgia,” said Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin.

 

Africanized honeybees are a hybrid of African and European honeybees.  Because of their extremely defensive nature regarding their nest (also referred to as a colony or hive), they are sometimes called “killer bees.” Large numbers of them sometimes sting people or livestock with little provocation.

 

The Africanized honeybee and the familiar European honeybee (Georgia’s state insect) look the same and their behavior is similar in some respects.  Each bee can sting only once, and there is no difference between Africanized honeybee venom and that of a European honeybee.  However, Africanized honeybees are less predictable and more defensive than European honeybees.  They are more likely to defend a wider area around their nest and respond faster and in greater numbers than European honeybees. 

 

Africanized honeybees first appeared in the U.S. in Texas in 1990.  Since then they have spread to New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida and now Georgia.  Entomologists and beekeepers have been expecting the arrival of these bees in Georgia for several years.  There has been an established breeding population in Florida since 2005. 

 

Because Africanized honeybees look almost identical to European honeybees, the bees from the Dougherty County incident had to be tested to accurately ascertain they were the Africanized strain.  The Georgia Department of Agriculture sent samples of the bees to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services which has the capability to do FABIS (fast African bee identification system) testing and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture identification test (the complete morphometrics test) to confirm the bees’ identity.

 

 

“Georgia beekeepers are our first and best line of defense against these invaders. They are the ones who will be able to monitor and detect any changes in bee activity,” said Commissioner Irvin. 

 

“The Georgia Department of Agriculture is going to continue its trapping and monitoring of bee swarms to try to find where any Africanized honeybees are,” said Commissioner Irvin.  “We also want to educate people about what to do in case they encounter a colony of Africanized honeybees.  Georgians can visit our website for more information.  The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service has a publication on Africanized honeybees that is available online (http://pubsadmin.caes.uga.edu/files/pdf/B%201290_2.PDF) or at Extension offices.”

.

Don’t Forget!

Hives of European honeybees managed by beekeepers play an important role in our lives.  These bees are necessary for the pollination of many crops.  One-third of our diet relies on honeybee pollination.

 

People can coexist with the Africanized honeybee by learning about the bee and its habits, supporting beekeeping efforts and taking a few precautions.

 

 Read an EXCLUSIVE CHAPTER from Tom Seeley’s new book Honey Bee Democracy, only on Bee Culture’s web page Here!

Build an entire bee hive with just a table saw. Go to Garreson Publishing. Books by Peter Sieling.

Find out What Is New At Mann Lake right Here

Protein feeding pays off with better health, better survival, better production, and better wintering. Learn More.  

FREE - Kelley Bees Modern Beekeeping Monthly Newsletter

Quality Top Bar Hives by Gold Star Honeybees - good for you, good for your bees, good for the planet. Check us out at www.goldstarhoneybees.com.

Subscribe to Malcolm Sanford’s Apis Newsletter right here for a comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the country and around the globe, check out Bee Culture’s Global Beekeeping Calendar

This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping, published by the A.I. Root Company.

Check out the Biggest Honey Show there is this fall at www.honeyshow.co.uk

 

 

 

 

                                               

Wednesday 20 October 2010

CATCH THE BUZZ - African Honey Bees In Georgia

CATCH THE BUZZ

African Honey Bees Found In Georgia

Georgia Dept Of Ag Offers Good Advice For This Event....

Africanized honeybees (AHB) – sometimes called “killer bees” – became established in Texas in 1990 and have spread to other states, now including Georgia.

 

The Africanized honeybee is related to our state’s familiar honeybee (the European honeybee) that produces honey and pollinates our crops.  The two types of bees look the same and their behavior is similar in some respects.  Each bee can sting only once, and there is no difference between Africanized honeybee venom and that of a European honeybee.  However, Africanized honeybees are less predictable and more aggressive than European honeybees.  They are more likely to defend a greater area around their nest, respond faster and in greater numbers than European honeybees. 

 

In other words, you’re more likely to get stung around Africanized honeybees than European ones, but learning about AHB and taking certain precautions can lower your risk of being stung.

 

Tips to remember:

 

Africanized Honeybees

  • Are very defensive of their nest
  • Respond quickly and sting in large numbers
  • Can sense a threat from people or animals 50 feet or more from nest
  • Sense vibrations from power equipment 100 feet or more from nest
  • Will pursue an enemy ¼ mile or more
  • Swarm frequently to establish new nests
  • Nest in small cavities and sheltered areas

 

Nest sites include empty boxes, cans, buckets, or other containers; old tires; infrequently used vehicles; lumber piles; holes and cavities in fences, trees, or the ground; sheds, garages, and other outbuildings; and low decks or spaces under buildings. 

 

General Precautions

  • Be careful wherever bees may be found.
  • Listen for buzzing indicating a nest or swarm of bees.
  • Use care when entering sheds or outbuildings where bees may nest.
  • Examine work area before using lawn mowers, weed cutters, and other power equipment.
  • Examine areas before tying up or penning pets or livestock.
  • Be alert when participating in all outdoor sports and activities.
  • Don’t disturb a nest or swarm – contact a pest control company or your local Cooperative Extension office.
  • Teach children to respect all bees.
  • Check with a doctor about bee sting kits and procedures if sensitive to bee stings.
  • Remove possible nest sites around home, and seal openings larger than 1/8” in walls and around chimneys and plumbing.

 

As a general rule, stay away from all honeybee swarms and colonies.  If you encounter bees, get away quickly.  If you get stung, try to protect your face and eyes as much as possible and run away from the area.  Take shelter in a car or building.  Hiding in water or thick brush does not offer enough protection.  Do not stand and swat at the bees; this will only cause them to sting.

 

What to Do if Stung

  • First, go quickly to a safe area.
  • Scrape – do not pull – stingers from skin as soon as possible.  The stinger pumps out most of the venom during the first minute.  Pulling the stinger out will likely cause more venom to be injected into the skin.
  • Wash sting area with soap and water like any other wound.
  • Apply ice pack for a few minutes to relieve pain and swelling.
  • Seek medical attention if breathing is troubled, if stung numerous times, or if allergic to bee stings.

 

Don’t Forget!

Hives of European honeybees managed by beekeepers play an important part in our lives.  These bees are necessary for the pollination of many crops.  One-third of our diet relies on honeybee pollination.

 

If European honeybees were eliminated in an area, Africanized honeybees would quickly fill the gap.

 

Finally, people can coexist with the Africanized honeybee by learning about the bee and its habits, supporting beekeeping efforts, and taking a few precautions.


Check out the Biggest Honey Show there is this fall at www.honeyshow.co.uk

Read an EXCLUSIVE CHAPTER from Tom Seeley’s new book Honey Bee Democracy, only on Bee Culture’s web page Here!

Build an entire bee hive with just a table saw. Go to Garreson Publishing. Books by Peter Sieling.

Find out What Is New At Mann Lake right Here

Protein feeding pays off with better health, better survival, better production, and better wintering. Learn More.  

FREE -  Kelley Bees Modern Beekeeping Monthly Newsletter

Quality Top Bar Hives by Gold Star Honeybees - good for you, good for your bees, good for the planet. Check us out at www.goldstarhoneybees.com.

Subscribe to Malcolm Sanford’s Apis Newsletter right here for a comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the country and around the globe, check out Bee Culture’s Global Beekeeping Calendar

 

 

CATCH THE BUZZ - Old Age, Memory, And Honey Bees

CATCH THE BUZZ

Old bees' memory fades; mirrors recall of mammals

A study published Oct. 19 in the open access journal Public Library of Science (PLoS) ONE, shows that not just human memories fade. Scientists from Arizona State University and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences examined how aging impacts the ability of honey bees to find their way home.

While bees are typically impressive navigators, able to wend their way home through complex landscapes after visits to flowers far removed from their nests, the study reveals that aging impairs the bees' ability to extinguish the memory of an unsuitable nest site even after the colony has settled in a new home.

"From previous studies, we knew that old bees are characterized by poor learning when trained to floral odors in the laboratory," says Gro Amdam, an associate professor in the School of Life Sciences in ASU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. "So, we wanted to test whether aging also affects learning behavior that is important for a bee's survival in the wild."

A bee is very well-trained as a forager after three to four days of flight time, Amdam says. Whereas mature bees have piloted their way to and from the hive for five to 11 days and old bees have had more than two weeks of flight time.

To test how old bees adapt to a changed home location, researchers trained bees to a new nest box while their former nest was closed off. Groups composed of mature and old bees were given several days in which to learn the new home location and to extinguish the bees' memory of their unusable former nest box.

The scientists then disassembled the bees' new home and forced groups of mixed-age bees to choose between three alternative nest locations, including the former nest box. Old bees with symptoms of senescence preferentially oriented toward the former nest site, despite the experience that should have told them that it was unusable.

"Although many old bees fail in learning tasks, we also discovered that a few still perform with excellence," explains Daniel Münch, lead author of the study and a senior life sciences researcher in Norway.

The scientists believe that their findings with bees offer a new means to model and understand the variability found in brain function between individuals; where some individuals' memories remain intact, while others' learning behavior becomes inflexible with age.


 This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping, published by the A.I. Root Company.

 

Check out the Biggest Honey Show there is this fall at www.honeyshow.co.uk

Read an EXCLUSIVE CHAPTER from Tom Seeley’s new book Honey Bee Democracy, only on Bee Culture’s web page Here!

Build an entire bee hive with just a table saw. Go to Garreson Publishing. Books by Peter Sieling.

Find out What Is New At Mann Lake right Here

Protein feeding pays off with better health, better survival, better production, and better wintering. Learn More.  

FREE -  Kelley Bees Modern Beekeeping Monthly Newsletter

Quality Top Bar Hives by Gold Star Honeybees - good for you, good for your bees, good for the planet. Check us out at www.goldstarhoneybees.com.

Subscribe to Malcolm Sanford’s Apis Newsletter right here for a comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the country and around the globe, check out Bee Culture’s Global Beekeeping Calendar

 

 

 

Tuesday 19 October 2010

Apis Newsletter, October 19, 2010




Dear Subscribers,

Like Bee Culture magazine itself, the Apis newsletter is delayed this month. Instead of visiting Philadelphia to help dedicate the L.L. Langstroth birthplace memorial (see the great pictures that Editor Flottum took) I visited Turkey for a week, returned to the Orlando International airport for a day and then flew off to Brazil for another six days.  I am still trying to recover a 7-time change differential for the Turkey trip, prior to leaving next weekend for the Michigan State Beekeepers Association meeting in Grand  Rapids. The week after that is the Florida Association meeting in Estero Fortunately, although Brazil is just as far away in miles as Turkey, it's only one hour later than Eastern Standard Time and easier on one's circadian rhythm. 

The second Pine Honey Congress http://muglacongress.org/index.html again took place at the University of Mugla  in Turkey's prime honeydew-producing region. Presenters flew in from all parts of the world, including North and South America, Arabia, Africa, Asia and Europe. Dr. Muhsin Dogaroglu and his crew, especially Ali Ihsan Ozturk who edited the proceedings, put on a good show.  The event included dedication of a brand new beekeeping museum in the town of Mugla.  Visitors were put up this year much closer to the venue in the small town of Akaya.  Highlights of the meeting included a  presentation by Apimondia's new president, Gilles Ratia, who also runs one of the oldest web sites on beekeeping. 

Mr. Ratia's presentations included a new vision for Apimondia, including restructuring the organization and moving from making resolutions to acting on them. Mr. Ratia promises a new Apimondia  web site as part of this vision on the runup to Apimondia 41 in Buenos Aires.  In addition, he provided an excellent rundown on world bee losses and the reasons for them being on the increase including, pesticides, Varroa, nutrition, management stress, pollution and climate change. His overridng message, the losses are probably not due to a single factor but are synergistic and different depending on location.  In this sense he mentioned the Coloss Project

Other presentations of note concerned bee breeding efforts and IPM for Varroa control in Canada (Ontario and Quebec), the current situation in Argentina and italy with reference to shifts in beekeeping management, a multiple-queen system for royal jelly production in China, and of course contributions about producing pine honeydew in both Turkey and Greece.  It is interesting to note that many of the same stresses put on colonies in Turkey for honeydew production are similar to those found in the almond pollination scene in California.  Both are characterized by great concentrations of colonies with beekeepers attempting to get the most production while conditions for colony health, especially nutritional resources, are at best marginal.

The beekeeping revolution continues in Brazil, which unlike Turkey seems to have minimally been affected by the global economic crisis.  Natal, the jumping off place  for U.S. aviators during W.W. II for Africa, is literally booming as is the rest of the country. High rises tower above the legendary beaches of Ponta  Negra, Buzios, Tapatinga and Pipa. The Convention Center there hosted the 10th edition of the Ibero-Latin American Beekeeping Congress. You can read my reports on previous congresses of this nature via squidoo.com authored for The Speedy Bee, American Bee Journal  and Bee Culture .  Not as large as the Brazilian Congress I attended in 2004 in the same city, this one featured an attempt to reinvigorate a new organization called FILAPI (Federation of Ibero-Latin American Beekeeping Associations).  The next will meeting in Venezuela in 2012.

The Theme of the Brazilian conference mirrored somewhat that of Apimondia in Montpellier, France last year, environment and agribusiness. The innovative web site features a blog that shows off the Brazilian campaign to increase domestic honey consumption, "Every Day Ask For Honey".  Although similar to the Turkish congress in terms of presentations, there was one big difference, the emphasis on stingless beekeeping that is really becoming an important force in the country.  The great pioneer of this kind of beekeeping Dr. Paulo Nogeira Neto, was present; it was truly an historic event to see him seated in front of a colony of his beloved Urucu (Melipona scutellaris)  at the Meliponiario de Santa Luzia. He is clearly in failing health, but still sharpin mind.  Sadly, I was inform ed that the other great Brazilian beekeeping pioneer, Dr. Warwick Kerr, is suffering from Altzeimer's disease and was not present at the congress.

The Congress featured a presentation by Dr. David Roubik of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, who has spent the last 30 years looking at bees in the tropics and has numerous publications to his credit.  His presentation on Africanized honey bee (AHB) competition with native bees was an eye-opener.  He  concluded that despite much discussion to the contrary the presence of AHB actually appears to have increased resources for many bees in places they have been introduced. He said the Tropics is a "sloppy system"  of pollinators like beetles, bats, kinkajous, bees, and other organisms that has great flexibility and can incorporate to its advantage even a successful invasive insect like the Africanized  honey bee.  He also thinks the AHB invasion has been drastically affected in may areas by predators tha t have "learned" to prey on AHB in nesting sites such as termite mounds.  These include ant eaters (tamandua)  and weasel-like tayras. Although AHB in the tropics may not be as competitive as once thought, Dr. Roubik believes that introducing them to ecosystems that are not as complex (natural areas in Australia and the U.S. for example) could amount to a "kiss of death." 

Dr. Roubik provides some words of further explanation: "The AHB is a special kind of competitor. It either takes it all and then goes away when there is nothing (leaving the local area depleted of bees, and pollinators, eventually), or it keeps maintaining populations at a low level, but can nonetheless unaggressively monopolize the best resources, by recruitment and colony size advantages. In the long-term, although it may pollinate a lot of plants, it may also gradually change landscapes to have more and more of the flowers it uses and pollinates most. The caveat I have to mention is that it does least well where there are rain forests with a lot of competitors, predators, and natural enemies (like the army ants, robber bees, tayras and tamanduas). It can, however, live on their edges and forage or opportunistically nest far within them, from time to time. As rainforests shrink and become fragmented, it will probably go everywhere in a more or less large, per sistent population. When I recently took a plane ride 200 km into the itnerior of Suriname, the first bee I saw when off the plane in a tiny landing strip was an AHB.

"It also has evolved and changed since coming to the Americas. I suspect this means it can still cut and run, after defending like crazy, but it can also forage at the right times and places to have its way, so to speak.

"It migrates.  None of the other bees can do that.

"It also lives off the fat of the land (sloppy pollination systems designed to feed large vertebrates), as do Apis throughout the tropics (Apis dorsata is the closest thing to A. mellifera, in its tropical behavior and strategies for picking up the leftovers- and the grasses)."

For more on AHB in the Americas, see the series on this insect at squidoo.com

Another featured presentation was on the impact of electronic media on beekeepers, and included discussion of "Sweet Message," (Mensagem Doce), the newsletter of Apacame  celebrating 30 years of publication (Constantino Zara Filho - Executive President) and the prolific Argentina beekeeping radio producer, Federico Petrera. This author discussed his experiences with the Apis newsletter and using electronic databases such as one he developed for Chilean beekeeping some time ago.

The two biggest stories that broke while I was away as the awarding of the "Genus Award" to Dr. Marla Spivak at the University of Minnesota  and publication of a new iridescent virus found to be correlated with Nosema cerana.  The latter duo have been found in colonies of CCD and provide another twist on this intriguing story.

As always, check out what's new at the Extension Bee Health site.

Finally, look at links I have selected for the omnt at Publish2.com.  These include a picture of a diseased  comb that is making the rounds, more on the CCD study, climate change and bees, evolution and others.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Gleanings from the October 2010 edition of Bee Culture:

Remember that Bee Culture is now available in a digital edition:

Matt Powell, Hanover, VA writes that chainsaw produced smoker fuel often contains bar oil residues and so may not be the best for bees.  Kavid Kvinikadze, Georgia, Europe has established a discussion group looking for partners in the U.S. kvinikadze.david@gmail.com.  Deborah Cochran, Shelby, OH describes her overwintering management. Herbert Iseler asks if robbing might be an inherited trait? 

Editor Flottum and Dewey Caron are revising their book on observation hives and are asking for input from others concerning their experiences. Send to kim@beeculture.com or dmcaron@udel.edu.

Editor Flottum turns customer service on its head.  He writes that it's time for growers to consider providing quality service to beekeepers. Read why.  Also note that the term  "raffle" has unintended consequences, being highly regulated.  Rather use another term like a "fund raiser."

Books to read include The Hive Detectives, Chronicle of a  Honey Bee Catastrohe by Loree Griffin Burns, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing.  This recounts the CCD situation and is oriented to  non beekeeper kids and adults.  Also noted is Bees, Ants and Wasps looking at the importance of hymenoptera in the environment. I looked in vain for a review of my new book, Storey's  Guide to Keeping Honey Bees.  You'll have to read it elsewhere.  Maybe next month?

Clarence Collison and Audrey Sheridan continue their closer look series by examining pheromone distribution. Read how queen pheromone is produced and spread around the nest.

Mike Hood looks at IPM and wax moth, the "ugly side" of things.  Read about biological control possibilities including BT (B401) and using the imported red fire ant to clean up infestations.  Two chemicals are registered for wax moth (paradicholorobenzene - PDB and aluminum phosphide - Phostoxin, but they are both problematic and should only be used as a last resort.

Jeremy Barnes writes that The Centre Cannot Hold When Things Fall Apart.  Read why we need both the periphery and Centre in agricultural systems and how even Walmart has seen the light.  

Larry Connor compares package bees and nuclei management.  Read why he recommends every beekeeper have at least one nucleus per three  managed colonies.

Jim Tew examines the two basic things beekeepers do, start beekeeping and stop beekeeping.  Read why getting into beekeeping and staying there has a natural cycle, including getting out.

Roger Hoopingarer asks Did Langstroth have it right when it comes to winter management.  Apparently so. Read his eternal philosophy on this and why Dr. Hoopingarner wrote his annotated edition of The Hive and the Honey Bee. 
Ross Conrad contends there is "no contest" when it comes to comparing top bar and Langstroth hives.  Read why he likes  both depending on circumstances.

Duane Waid takes  a busman's  holiday visiting  beekeepers in New York and Florida. Read what he learned and why he urges others to embark on the same journey.

Jennifer Berry relates some Post Office history. Read how shipping live insects is becoming more and more difficult and why she moved to UPS.

Sophia Sparks believes her father Greg has fixed the winter kill factor where they live.  Read about the hive modifications, including a "condensation board," that is part of the recipe for this Illinois beekeeper.

Ann Harman says don't take no for an answer when finding a likely officer of an association.  Read the duties she suggests for President on down and why a "newbee" might be a great choice over someone with many years of beekeeping experience. For guidance read what I posted at the Florida State Beekeepers  Association site on the subject with reference to the Eastern  Apicultural Society's search for leadership.

Tom Theobald bemoans the lack of honesty in food labelling.  Read why  he says the "nuts are in the board room" when it comes to Honey Nut Cheerios.  Read why on trace amounts of honey and and no nuts is problematic in this breakfast cereal.

Again, skim the pictures that editor Flottum published of Langstroth's  birthplace celebration in Philadelphia.

Matt Redman relates the surreal tale of P.J. Mahan, another Philadelphia resident, credited  with importing the  first Italian  honey bees to the  U.S.  Read how Mr. Mahan survived the Texas revolution to latter bring this prolific insect to the New World.

In all the news that fits  Pennsylvania State University received  $100,000 for CCD research, publicity is released for the North American Beekeeping Conference and Tradeshow in Galveston (January 4-8, 2011), Australia steps up search for invading Asian honey bees and prepares beekeepers for a coming locust control process, a con-man sells 11 tons of fake honey in Israel, better nectar sources are in store of Isreal, Haagen-Dazs is thinking outside the box http://beebiology.ucdavis.edu/haven/havenopening.html and an obituary for one of apiculture's pioneers, Professor Frank Robinson of the University of Florida.

Finally, Ed Colbey in the Bottom Board discusses his honey marketing strategy and his conversation with a colleague about everyone on the same journey. Read what "crossing  over" means and why worry is really a misuse  of imagination.


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.  .

CATCH THE BUZZ - North American Honey Companies Get Spotlight!

 

CATCH THE BUZZ

North American Honey Companies Get Spotlight

 

Honibe - Honey Drop Wins Global SIAL d'Or Award from World's Largest Food Tradeshow as World's Best New Food Product for 2010

 

Paris, France - October 18, 2010 - Island Abbey Foods Ltd. today announced the Honibe - Honey Drop, has been named as the winner of the Global SIAL d'Or from the world's largest food tradeshow in Paris, France.  The Honey Drop was also named as best new product 2010 in the "Sweet - Grocery" category and was the winner of the "Country Award - Canada" as the highest scoring Canadian product for 2010 in the preshow awards in May. The Honey Drop is the world's first 100% pure dried honey cube for sweetening tea and coffee.

 

SIAL (Salon International de l'Alimentation) is the world's largest food tradeshow.  The SIAL d'Or Awards recognizes nine of the world's most innovative and successful new-product launches that came to market after November of 2008.  The SIAL d'Or Awards are judged by a panel that is comprised of 30 judges from 30 different countries.  The Global SIAL d'Or is awarded for the best new food product to come to market in the last two years.  The selection was made from a product field of over 250 of the world's best new food products.

 

 

"To be nominated for this prestigious award was outstanding, but to actually win the Global SIAL d'Or for our Honibe - Honey Drop is simply a phenomenal accomplishment," stated John Rowe, President of Island Abbey Foods Ltd.

 

"The SIAL d'Or Awards are like the Oscars of the food world and the Global SIAL d'Or is the overall gold medal that everyone is vying to win.  To win this award acknowledges, on a global scale, the true innovation of our Honey Drop and the technology we use to create a 100% pure dried honey cube with no additives or preservatives of any kind." 

 

The Honey Drop solves a common problem: liquid honey can be messy. The Honey Drop is an individual serving (one teaspoon / 5 g.) of 100% pure dried honey without any additives. It is ideal for sweetening tea or coffee. Simply drop into a hot beverage and stir. You have all of the natural honey flavor without the usual honey mess.

  

 

The Honey Drop comes in two flavours: pure honey and pure honey with lemon.

The Honey Drop comes in boxes of 20 pieces. The Honey Drop is only 20 calories, has a shelf life of three years, and does not contain any artificial coloring, flavoring, or preservatives. The Honey Drop is a product of Prince Edward Island, Canada.

 

For more information please visit us on the web at www.Honibe.com.

 

Sue Bee Honey Launches National ''Trust the Taste of American Honey'' Promotion with Summer Sanders

SIOUX CITY, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Sue Bee Honey has officially announced its national "Trust the Taste of American Honey" www.trustthetaste.com promotion with two-time Olympic Gold medalist Summer Sanders, who became a television correspondent and commentator after winning two golds, a silver and a bronze at the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. She also is a mother of two.

As official spokesperson for the new promotion, Sanders commented, “I love that Sue Bee Honey is made in the USA. I consider it one of nature’s miracles, and you can include it in all of your foods for a healthier lifestyle.”

The nationwide promotion officially kicked off October 15 and will run through September 2011, involving promotional elements such as in-store displays, an instant win game with multiple winners and a grand prize winner of a home kitchen makeover, a virtual kitchen, videos featuring Summer Sanders cooking recipes with Sue Bee Honey, magazine ads, banner ads, on-pack peel-offs and bottle-necker coupon offers.

David Allibone, Sioux Honey Association President and Chief Executive Officer, added, “Given the multitude of misconceptions surrounding origins of American honey, we want to finally set the record straight regarding the purity of Sue Bee Honey. Trust the Taste of American Honey allows us to do that in a way that is engaging and beneficial to the consumer.”

About Sue Bee Honey
Sue Bee Honey is the branded product name for the Sioux Honey Association, headquartered in Sioux City, Iowa, with production facilities in Sioux City, Iowa, Elizabethtown, N.C., and Anaheim, Calif.

Sioux Honey Association has become the world’s largest honey marketing organization and Sue Bee Honey is the most recognized honey brand in the USA. Its global presence extends to the Middle East, Far East, and South and Central America, and it continues to be a leader in the honey industry with state-of-the-art facilities, which include research and development.


Subscribe to Malcolm Sanford’s Apis Newsletter right here for a comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the country and around the globe, check out Bee Culture’s Global Beekeeping Calendar

 

This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping, published by the A.I. Root Company.

Check out the Biggest Honey Show there is this fall at www.honeyshow.co.uk

Read an EXCLUSIVE CHAPTER from Tom Seeley’s new book Honey Bee Democracy, only on Bee Culture’s web page Here!

 

Build an entire bee hive with just a table saw. Go to Garreson Publishing. Books by Peter Sieling.

Find out What Is New At Mann Lake right Here

Protein feeding pays off with better health, better survival, better production, and better wintering. Learn More.  

FREE -  Kelley Bees Modern Beekeeping Monthly Newsletter

Quality Top Bar Hives by Gold Star Honeybees - good for you, good for your bees, good for the planet. Check us out at www.goldstarhoneybees.com.

 

Monday 18 October 2010

CATCH THE BUZZ - Bayer 2, Beekeepers 0

CATCH THE BUZZ

EPA Approves Movento and Ultor Insecticides for Second Time

Shipment of Unique Two-Way Systemic Insecticides to Resume Immediately

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC--(Marketwire - October 18, 2010) - Bayer CropScience announced today that its Movento® and Ultor® insecticides have received Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration for a second time, giving growers back a sorely missed tool for the management of their toughest pests. Under the new registration, the product container labels include the uses found on the previous Movento and Ultor product container labels.

"We are very pleased that the EPA cleared the way for Movento and Ultor to return to the market in time for application during the 2011 growing season," said Kevin Adam, product manager for Bayer CropScience.

Growers have come to depend on Movento and Ultor to protect their crops against a broad spectrum of damaging sucking insects such as aphids, mealybugs, scales and many others. Crops listed on the product container labels for Movento and Ultor remain the same as under the prior registration, and include grapes, citrus, lettuce and apples, among others. For a complete list of approved crops, please refer to the most current product label.

The tremendous efficacy demonstrated by Movento and Ultor is based on its two-way systemic activity within the plant. After application, Movento and Ultor move upward and downward through the plant tissue, ensuring even and continuous distribution and better overall protection of young shoots, leaves and roots.

Movento and Ultor target sucking pests specifically, and have minimal impact on beneficial insects which makes them a good choice for use in an Integrated Pest Management Program.

Production and shipment of Movento and Ultor had been halted earlier this year due to an administrative error committed by the EPA during its initial review and approval of spirotetramat in 2008. While conducting its second review, EPA allowed the distribution channel to sell and distribute existing stocks of Movento and Ultor inventory in their possession, and growers could still legally use the products according to the previously approved labeling. With the recent EPA registration action, growers may purchase and use new product inventory according to label instructions.


Check out the Biggest Honey Show there is this fall at www.honeyshow.co.uk

 

This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping, published by the A.I. Root Company.

Read an EXCLUSIVE CHAPTER from Tom Seeley’s new book Honey Bee Democracy, only on Bee Culture’s web page Here!

Build an entire bee hive with just a table saw. Go to Garreson Publishing. Books by Peter Sieling.

Find out What Is New At Mann Lake right Here

Protein feeding pays off with better health, better survival, better production, and better wintering. Learn More.  

FREE -  Kelley Bees Modern Beekeeping Monthly Newsletter

Quality Top Bar Hives by Gold Star Honeybees - good for you, good for your bees, good for the planet. Check us out at www.goldstarhoneybees.com.

Subscribe to Malcolm Sanford’s Apis Newsletter right here for a comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the country and around the globe, check out Bee Culture’s Global Beekeeping Calendar

 

 

Friday 15 October 2010

Central Beekeepers Alliance : Central Beekeepers’ Potluck Supper 9 November 2010

Central Beekeepers Alliance : Central Beekeepers’ Potluck Supper 9 November 2010


Central Beekeepers’ Potluck Supper 9 November 2010

Posted: 14 Oct 2010 09:26 AM PDT

Central Beekeepers will hold our regular winter potluck supper at the Maugerville Community Center. As always, visitors and new beekeepers are welcome. Bring your favourite potluck supper dish — and a good appetite!

Tuesday, 9 November 2010
Central Beekeepers Alliance Potluck Supper

Maugerville Community Center,
439 Route 105, Maugerville, NB
6:30 p.m.


View Larger Map

Central Beekeepers’ Potluck Supper 9 November 2010 was written and published by the Central Beekeepers Alliance - Honey Bees & Beekeeping in New Brunswick, Canada. For more information, please visit http://cba.stonehavenlife.com.

Thursday 7 October 2010

CATCH THE BUZZ - Honey Standards In India

CATCH THE BUZZ    

India Issues  Standards For Honey

Recently some reports have been appeared in the newspapers regarding the permitted levels of antibiotics in honey. The following advisory is issued by Food Safety and Standards Authority to clarify the issues involved.

Honey is the natural sweet substance produced by honey bees from the nectar of blossoms or from secretions of plants.

When visually inspected, the honey shall be free from any foreign matter such as mould, dirt, scum, pieces of beeswax, the fragments of bees and other insects and from any other extraneous matter.

The colour of honey varies from light to dark brown.

            Standards for honey have been prescribed under Prevention Food Adulteration (PFA) Rules, 1955 as under.

(a) Specific gravity at 27OC                          Not less than 1.35

(b) Moisture                                                  Not more than 25 per cent by mass

(c) Total reducing sugars                              Not less than 65 per cent by mass

(c-i) for Carbia colossa and Honey dew      Not less than 60 per cent by mass

(d) Sucrose                                                    Not more than to 5.0 per cent by mass

(d-i) for Carbia colossa and Honey dew      Not more than 10 per cent by mass

(e) Fructose-glucose ratio                            Not less than 0.95

(f) Ash                                                          Not more than 0.5 percent by mass

(g) Acidity (Expressed as formic acid)        Not more than 0.2 per cent by mass

(h) Fiehe's test                                               Negative

(i) Hydroxy methyl furfural(HMF),  Not more than 80

        mg/kg                                        

 

If Fiehe's test is positive, and hydroxy methyl furfural (HMF) content is more than 80 milligram/kilogram, then fructose: glucose ratio should be 1.0 or more.

Rule 44 D provides for restriction on sale of Carbia Callosa and Honey dew. Carbia Collosa and Honey dew shall be sold only in sealed containers bearing AGMARK seal.

Rule 45 specifies that food resembling but not pure honey cannot be marked as honey. No person shall use the word „Honey or any word, mark, illustration or device that suggests “Honey on the label or any package of, or in any advertisement for, any food that resembles honey but is not pure honey.

Violation of the provisions of PFA Act/Rules attracts penal action.

            No pesticide residues or antibiotics are allowed in honey.

            The maximum limits of heavy metals in various foods are prescribed under PFA Rules, 1955. Rule 57 of PFA Rules prescribes the limits of contaminants under category “Foods not specified” (which includes honey) as follows:-

1. Lead                        Not more than 2.5 ppm

2. Copper                    Not more than 30.0 ppm

3. Arsenic                    Not more than 1.1 ppm

4. Tin                           Not more than 250.0 ppm

5. Zinc                         Not more than 50.0 ppm

6. Cadmium               Not more than 1.5 ppm

7. Mercury                  Not more than 1.0 ppm

8. Methyl Mercury    Not more than 0.25 ppm

Standards of Honey under AGMARK

The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation has laid down standards of honey under the Grading and Marking Rules (AGMARK), which lays down the grades, designation of honey as Special, Grade–A and Standard to indicate the quality of honey for the purpose of certification. It specifies the method of packing, marking and labeling and conditions for grant of certificate for authorization. The standards of AGMARK are voluntary.

In the matter of admissibility of antibiotics in honey, safety standards in India are similar to those in European Union, Codex Alimentarius and USA where they are completely prohibited.


This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping, published by the A.I. Root Company.

Read an EXCLUSIVE CHAPTER from Tom Seeley’s new book Honey Bee Democracy, only on Bee Culture’s web page Here!

Build an entire bee hive with just a table saw. Go to Garreson Publishing. Books by Peter Sieling.

Find out What’s New At Mann Lake right Here

Protein feeding pays off with better health, better survival, better production, and better wintering.  Learn More.  

FREE -  Kelley Bees Modern Beekeeping Monthly Newsletter

Quality Top Bar Hives by Gold Star Honeybees - good for you, good for your bees, good for the planet.  Check us out at www.goldstarhoneybees.com.

Subscribe to Malcolm Sanford’s Apis Newsletter right here For a comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the country and around the globe, check out Bee Culture’s Global Beekeeping Calendar

Check out the Biggest Honey Show there is this fall at www.honeyshow.co.uk