CATCH THE BUZZ
Error In Email Address
It happens, especially on Monday mornings...Please send your UrbanBees Photos and story to
Dan Shapley at
The week should begin on Tuesday...
Sorry Dan, and sorry for the confusion.
Monday, 17 August 2009
CATCH THE BUZZ - CELEBRATE URBAN BEES!
CATCH THE BUZZ
Help Us Celebrate Urban Bees, and Urban Beekeepers
Bee Culture Magazine and www.thedailygreen.com want to celebrate the incredible explosion of City Beekeepers. We want all urban dwellers with beehives and beesuits, with hive tools and smokers, with supers and covers and frames galore to stand and be counted, to be recognized and noticed. We want everyone that uses five frame, eight frame, ten frame or top bar hives to raise their hands to the sky and shout! We want every and all of America’s backyard, roof top, window box, fire escape, empty lot, and anywhere else in the city honey makers to join the hive and let the world know you’re alive. Let’s get everyone with every hive, in every large or small, crowded or sparse asphalt landscape around the towns and the cities, the suburbs and gardens of America’s everywhere and anywhere to share what they do, show what they grow, and feel pride in their work, their passion and their hobby. It’s no matter if you just started out or are already seasoned in city bees. And if it’s not Kosher to keep bees where you are, we won’t tell, we won’t share because we don’t care…we want the world to know there are thousands who are working to make the bees at home. Thousands who want only the bees, only the peace, only the gentle gift of helping things grow. Thousands who are part of the larger citybee community. Thousands!
It’s time for the bees. Help us show what you do and how you do it. It’s only for those who have, and those who want bees. Join the Community of UrbanBees. Be part of the Revolution. UrbanBees Now!
This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping
Saturday, 15 August 2009
CATCH THE BUZZ - BOY SCOUTS GO DIGITAL
CATCH THE BUZZ
Boy Scouts Of
Originally printed at http://www.kauz.com/news/local/53253857.html
Mike Mitchell earned his Eagle Scout rank in 1997 and spent most of his adult life working for Boy Scouts of America. He says the scouts helped shape who he is today.
Find out What’s New at Mann Lake, Here
"I believe I'd still be a good guy, but probably not as well rounded as I am today. I defintely owe a lot to scouting." says Mitchell.
Protein feeding pays off with better bee health, better survival, better production, and better wintering. Learn More.
And every scout owes a lot to the Boy Scout handbook, but it may be looking a lot different in the future. Many say the Boy Scout handbook is more than just a book, it's a guide to life. In the book you find information about first aid, building a shelter and making a fire, but starting in September, all the information in this book will be available on your iPhone.
For a comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the country and around the globe, check out Bee Culture’s Global Beekeeping Calendar
Subscribe to Malcolm Sanford’s Apis Newsletter right here
"It's definitely a sign of the times...you look in there and there are things like map and compass that has always been big with the scouts...land navigation and now we're getting interest in GPS devices." Mitchell continues.
The scouts also update merit badges every year.
"Composite study, nuclear science...of course, they replace stuff like beekeeping, book binding...things that we dont...maybe not that we don't have a need for it but we don't do a lot of it."
But there is a lot of information in the handbook that will never change.
"95% of everything that is in there 30 years ago, 40 years ago...probably 90% of it is still the same."
"Next year, we've been around 100 years, pretty much the values and the mission statement are still the same."
This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping
Thursday, 13 August 2009
CATCH THE BUZZ - CITRUS PESTICIDES ONLY GETTING WORSE
CATCH THE BUZZ
The pressure is on to eradicate deadly organism affecting citrus crops worldwide
from newswise.com
Americans may find a glass of their favorite breakfast staple, orange juice, hard to come by in the next few years if a certain bacteria has its way. According to a spokesperson with the Florida Citrus Mutual,
Find out What’s New at Mann Lake, Here
Citrus Huanglongbing (HLB) – also known as “citrus greening” - is a serious bacterial disease that is adversely affecting citrus groves worldwide. The disease has already been responsible for the significant decrease in citrus production in many countries in Asia, Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and
Protein feeding pays off with better bee health, better survival, better production, and better wintering. Learn More.
HLB was first detected in
For a comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the country and around the globe, check out Bee Culture’s Global Beekeeping Calendar
Subscribe to Malcolm Sanford’s Apis Newsletter right here
The 2008-2009 harvests, which ended in July, is forecasted at 159.6 million boxes, down from 170.2 million last year. Growers are awaiting a September tree census to determine how many acres of citrus groves have been lost to citrus greening. The disease was first discovered after a parade of hurricanes battered the groves, and has spread to all thirty-two of
At present, the only methods available to curtail citrus greening involve using pesticide to kill the insects, hiring more scouts to inspect the groves, and immediately removing infected trees.
This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping
Monday, 10 August 2009
Apis Newsletter August 9, 2009
Dear Subscribers,
We are getting some “normal” Florida weather for the summer season. Periodic thunderstorms continue moving in and around Gainesville in North Florida, with a 40 to 60 percent chance each afternoon this week. This is the time when all of us in the Sunshine state cock our eyes to the tropics. So far there has been little development of any major weather disturbances, perhaps as a response to the current rather strong “el niño” phenomenon.
Story Project Update: A hearty thanks to those who took the time to fill out my latest “structured request for beekeeping stories” that I put out a couple of weeks ago to the Apis newsletter list. I am still hoping to get others from those receiving this newsletter. Here is the request in a condensed form. Just reply to this and open as much space that you need at the end of each question:
When did you begin beekeeping? What specifically got you interested? Is there a family history of beekeeping?
What was your first experience manipulating a beehive like? What did it teach you? What is the size of your operation (number of hives)? Do you plan to expand? Contract in size? What are your major considerations for this?
Do you produce honey for sale or just as a gift? Do you market other bee products?
Do you engage in commercial pollination?
Are you a member of an association? Local? State? Which? Do you attend meetings? Do you have a leadership role?
What short courses have you attended? What memorable instructors have you had. What is the most important thing you learned?
What publications (printed and electronic) do you routinely read?
Where do you live? What is the climate like? Temperate? Subtropical? What is the configuration of a hive in the region (all deeps) (a deep and a shallow)
What are the major plants that bees use in your area? Have you seen any shift in their nectar production?
Where do you get replacement bees (packages? Nucs?) and queens (raise your own; purchase). What kind of bee do you use? (Italian, Carniolan, Buckfast) Do you collect feral (wild) bees and swarms?
What is your biggest beekeeping challenge now? Has that changed since you began beekeeping?
Other remarks about your experience that would encourage/entertain or educate the beginning beekeeper.
I give my permission to Dr. Malcolm T. Sanford to use the above in Electronic and printed media: Your name here: ________________________
The regional associations are meeting at this time and I would appreciate any reports from those attending EAS, HAS, WAS or others.
CCD Update: There have been a number of reports in the press that the cause of CCD has been found and there might be a cure in the works. This appears to be overkill; evidence reveals that the malady is probably caused by a number of things. http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2009/2009-07-29-094.asp . A recent review has also been published http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0006481 . Always check this site for the latest information http://maarec.psu.edu/ColonyCollapseDisorder.html, as well as the new Bee Health site: http://www.extension.org/bee%20health cited elsewhere.
EPA Issues Registration Review Final Work Plan for Imidacloprid: EPA has issued a Final Work Plan (FWP) for the registration review of imidacloprid. A neonicotinoid insecticide, imidacloprid is highly toxic to honeybees on an acute exposure basis; however, potential chronic effects on honeybee colonies are uncertain. As part of the registration review process, EPA is requiring field-based data on imidacloprid to better understand its potential impact on pollinators. The Agency also will be working with Federal and State officials, as well as the international community and other stakeholders, to develop data and help us understand the potential impact of the neonicotinoid insecticides on pollinators. For additional information about the Agency's pollinator
protections, please see http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/ecosystem/pollinator-protection.html. For information about the registration review of imidacloprid, please see
http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/registration_review/imidacloprid/index.htm.
Bee Health: Editor Flottum discusses the progress of the $4.1 million colony health grant one year later in this month’s Bee Culture. Part of that is a so-called “community of practice” web site
http://www.extension.org/bee%20health. This resource is worth taking a look at on a routine basis. Special links are found showing how to test for hygienic behavior and the state-of-the-art healthy bees course from the University of Minnesota. See also a review of the American Bee Research Conference held early this year in Gainesville, FL. Sustainable Beekeeping: A Best Management Practices Guide; Africanized and Feral Honey Bees; Pollination; Managed Non-Apis Bees (bumble bees, mason bees, etc.); Landscape Health; Unmanaged Beneficial Bees,
and Bee Identification Guidance. The site has also been linked to the Consumer Horticulture Community of Practice Blog http://consumerhortcop.wordpress.com/.
Genetic Diversity Research: There’s continuing discussion about the extent of genetic diversity in honey bee populations. The most diverse populations seem much better able to hold their own in a risky, unpredictable world. Those in the Americas, however, have been affected by many things, but most importantly by Varroa mites and their reduction of the huge wild or feral population of honey bees that built up over time since the honey bee was introduced to the Americas in the 1600s. Research conducted at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville on the genetic diversity of feral and managed (hobbyist/sideliner) colonies in the central and south central US shows that of the 432 samples sequenced, a total of 35 mitotypes (mitochondrial DNA, exclusively inherited from the mother) were observed which represent all four A. mellifera lineages known to exist in the United States. Interestingly, there is evidence of the `M' lineage (A. m. mellifera the "Dark Bee") still existing (8% of feral colonies), even though this subspecies has not been preferred by beekeepers for over 100 years. Furthermore, representatives of the 'O' lineage (A. m.
syriaca), (11% of feral colonies) have been found which has not been imported into the US since the 1880's. Surprisingly, analysis of 3 midwest beekeepers have shown that they are keeping these two lineages. http://comp.uark.edu/~aszalan/Site/Apis/Honey_bee_mitotype_map.html.
Pollination Grants: The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has awarded a matching Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) of $183,954 to the Pollinator Partnership, the Ohio State University, and Grand Valley State University to evaluate and communicate the ecological and economic costs and benefits of incorporating floral resource strips into vegetable production systems. The project seeks to
demonstrate what pollinator habitat practices will work for vegetable producers, how they will benefit and how pollinator habitat efforts can be integrated into USDA conservation assistance and incentive programs. See other pollinator projects at http://www.pollinator.org/projects.htm.
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service announced new rules concerning honey and it’s labeling. The 2008 Farm Bill amended the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to require country of origin labeling (COOL) if it contains official USDA grade marks or statements. The new rule will bar any honey products from the market if they do not comply with the 2008 Farm Bill and its country of origin labeling requirements. In order for the industry to clear the market of noncompliant labels, the new rule will not take effect until October 6, 2009. http://regulations.justia.com/view/147889/ .
Florida Honey Standard: July 14 is a banner date in French history; this year it was the same for another revolution of sorts, the adoption by Florida of the first state honey standard. It got a lot of press. Where it goes from here remains an open question. However, it is clearly a good beginning and several other states are in the process of adopting it as well. Stay tuned:
http://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/27/florida-honey-gets-new-standards/ .
Beecraft – American Edition: A new magazine is attempting to break onto the world scene using the World Wide Web. This is an outgrowth of the British journal Bee Craft. Check out the last free electronic edition at http://content.yudu.com/A189nm/BCA0905/resources/index.htm. After that one will have to subscribe to get four copies a year at $10.00.
http://www.bee-craft.com/beecraft-shop/beekeeping-beecraft-magazines.html.
Link Collection Continues: I still am collecting links using the journalist tool found at publish2.com. Check out this month’s offering at http://www.publish2.com/newsgroups/august-2009/, which include attacks on honey bees by so-called “crazy” ants and New Zealand’s Manuka honey scandal. Previous month’s contributions can be seen at
http://www.publish2.com/journalists/malcolm-sanford/newsgroups/ . These are also fed to my blog at http://abeekeepersblog.blogspot.com/
National Honey Bee Awareness Day: Come to Alachua County, Florida to celebrate National Honey Bee Awareness Day, August 22, 2009: see http://www.nhbad.com/ for events around the nation.
===========================================
Gleanings from the August 2009 Bee Culture:
John Hoffman, Mount Holly Springs, PA provides some in depth questions and answers about using screened bottom boards. James Wesson, Summerville, GA sends in a picture of his log cabin hive. Richard Anderson, Donora, PA asks some provocative questions and then asks what we might learn if answers were available. The editor responds they are, but it will take some digging in various volumes to find them. Greg Carey, California, MD says he used last month’s advice about laying workers and worries less about his colony. Dan O’Hanlon, President of the West Virginia Queen Producers, thanks Bee Culture for saying in print what many are saying in
private. Harley Crawford, Santa Rosa, CA shows where he hid his bees when entering the Navy in 1943.
Editor Flottum talks about rabbits in his garden. Read what this has to do with beekeeping; the parallels are surprising.
New for Summer 2009 reading, including suggestions like Honeybee -- Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper; Mead Making & Judging; Wicked Plants, a Book of Botanical Atrocities. Also in this area, read about Betterbee’s new, improved hive portals (entrances).
As noted earlier, Editor Flottum conducts an in depth one-one-one interview with Dr. Keith Delaplane, University of Georgia, concerning the $4.1 million bee health grant. See more at: http://www.beeccdcap.uga.edu/.
Current thoughts on the EPA by Thad Box, The Western Farmer Stockman reveals a slow, but more proactive response with reference to imidacloprid and its relatives. This is noted earlier in this issue about the EPA http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/ecosystem/pollinator-protection.html.
Clarence Collison takes a closer look at the impact of mites on queens, workers, and drones. Read why some things beekeepers put in hives to combat mites may in fact be worse than the mites themselves.
Kathi Petersen publishes a bee lover’s garden calendar. Read how it can be used to raise awareness and also be used for soliciting research funding, as well as benefitting local beekeeping organizations.
Steve Sheppard reviews new research on the two nosema species. Read how Nosema ceranae might be changing the time-honored practice of feeding fumaillin to reduce Nosema apis in breeding colonies.
Editor Flottum discusses what’s going on at the White House, including how the new beehive is standing up to helicopter prop wash, the new dog and summer heat. Read what the White House beekeeper is doing to keep his colony in good health and honey on the Presidential table.
Larry Connor writes about allergies to bee venom. Read why this ever-present risk demands attention by beekeepers at all times and the real reason one should wear a veil at all times around bee colonies.
Scott Fisher describes Log Chain Apiary, an Iowa Icon. Read about the honey war the region is famous for and its unique flavored cremed honey. Check out honey from the heartland at http://logchain.com/.
Kitty Kiefer recommends keeping a second smoker at the ready. Read how she squished one and couldn’t find a replacement. It made for a long night of hauling bees.
Kirk Webster continues listing his mentors, folks that have influenced his beekeeping. Some are well-known like Brother Adam, others more obscure such as Nevin Weaver of the famous queen-rearing Texas family and Bill and Martha Treichler, Hammondsport, N.Y. Read about the latter couple's relationship to the Haughley Experiment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haughley_Experiment.
Kathy Birt reveals how making mead pays for one Prince Edward Island beekeeper, Daniel Ficza or Canoe Cover. Read how he keeps his mead local and does not compete with other Canadians.
Dick Marron describes a heart-stopping moment when he cavalierly picked up a queen and thought he damaged her. Read how he snatched the moment from the jaws of defeat by blowing on her.
Jim Tew provides current information on wintering beehives as influenced by past wintering recommendations given in previous issues of Bee Culture. He goes all the way back to a 1915 pamphlet on Outdoor Wintering of Bees, a USDA Farmers’ Bulletin (#695) October 12, authored by E.F. Phillips. Albert R. Mann Library 2005. The Hive and the Honeybee: Selections from the E. F. Phillips Beekeeping Collection at Mann Library. Ithaca, NY: Albert R. Mann Library, Cornell University. http://bees.library.cornell.edu.
Tim Celeski explains how to build a honey heater for the hobby beekeeper using a light bulb and various portable cooler arrangements. Read in depth analyses of wiring up the apparatus and controlling the temperature.
Gwen Rosenberg says there are flavors of urban beekeeping. Read how the burgeoning green movement is contributing to beekeeping in a number of ways.
Abbas Edun lists more plants that are good for bees and people. This includes Annatto, blueberry, and buckwheat.
Ross Conrad contends that our future, intimately tied to that of the earth, depends on what we choose to do on personal, regional, national, and international levels as a society. Read why recommends a return to the precautionary principle, making chemical manufacturers responsible for the impacts of their products on the environment, and that beekeepers should immediately reduce and eliminate use of chemicals in their hives.
Eugene Makovec describes his feelings about assassinating queens and getting replacements. Read how he became a believer and what he discovered about replacing employees and queens.
Ann Harman keeps cool in hot weather with snazzy cool hat and vest. Read how to tell the difference between heat cramps, exhaustion and stroke and the value of keeping hydrated at all times in the bee yard. It could save your life.
In all the news that fits, we read how the Florida honey standard came to be, the sweet and sour of honey with venom added (New Zealand), obituary of Kansas icon R. Waldo McBurney
http://www.rage3d.com/board/showthread.php?t=33948736 . Finally send get well wishes to Box Cox, Category III Scientist at the Kika de la Garza Subtropical Agricultural Research Center, Weslaco, TX, afflicted with brain cancer and undergoing radiation treatment, 914 Kerria St., Weslaco, TX 78596.
Also listed are the obituaries of two giants of beekeeping with very different careers. Lawrence (Larry) Goltz, previous editor of Gleanings in Bee Culture before its name change. Mr. Goltz was also a naturalist and photographer. James Irvin Powers was one of the most influential beekeepers of his age, pioneering apiculture in Hawaii, and a winner of the presidents award of the American Beekeeping Federation.
Read how Brushy Mountain in Moravian Falls, NC accepted the $1 Billion Award for North Carolina’s State Industrial Extension Service and the deadlines for the Northeast SARE project that many have used to fund producer beekeeping research http://nesare.org/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=honey+bees
Bee sure to report you bee kills to the EPA so that a running total of incidents can be maintained. See: http://www.epa.gov./oppefed1/general/databasesdescription.htm. Ed Colby reveals the source of his new, old Chevy truck and use of it to demonstrate retrieving a swarm for an appreciative audience. Read how the Chevy truck compares to others he owned and where his bees are now in the great state of Colorado.
Malcolm T. Sanford
Brought to you by:
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. .
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. .
Sunday, 9 August 2009
CATCH THE BUZZ - NEWEST CCD STUDY RELEASED
CATCH THE BUZZ
Newest CCD Study released this week.
Colony Collapse Disorder: A Descriptive Study
Dennis vanEngelsdorp1,2, Jay D. Evans5, Claude Saegerman3, Chris Mullin2, Eric Haubruge4, Bach Kim Nguyen4, Maryann Frazier2, Jim Frazier2, Diana Cox-Foster2, Yanping Chen5, Robyn Underwood2, David R. Tarpy6, Jeffery S. Pettis5*
1 Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Harrisburg , Pennsylvania , United States of America , 2 Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University
Park, Pennsylvania , United States of America
University of Liege, Liege, Belgium, 4 Department of Functional and Evolutionary Entomology, Gembloux Agricultural University, Gembloux, Belgium, 5 United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) – Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Bee Research Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland, United States of America, 6 Department of
Entomology, North Carolina State University , Raleigh , North Carolina , United States of America
Abstract
Background: Over the last two winters, there have been large-scale, unexplained losses of managed honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies in the United States
Find out What’s New at Mann Lake, Here
Protein feeding pays off with better bee health, better survival, better production, and better wintering. Learn More.
Methods and Principal Findings: Of 61 quantified variables (including adult bee physiology, pathogen loads, and pesticide levels), no single measure emerged as a most-likely cause of CCD. Bees in CCD colonies had higher pathogen loads and were co-infected with a greater number of pathogens than control populations, suggesting either an increased exposure to pathogens or a reduced resistance of bees toward pathogens. Levels of the synthetic acaricide coumaphos (used by beekeepers to control the parasitic mite Varroa destructor) were higher in control colonies than CCD-affected colonies.
For a comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the country and around the globe, check out Bee Culture’s Global Beekeeping Calendar
Conclusions/Significance: This is the first comprehensive survey of CCD-affected bee populations that suggests CCD involves an interaction between pathogens and other stress factors. We present evidence that this condition is contagious or the result of exposure to a common risk factor. Potentially important areas for future hypothesis-driven research, including the possible legacy effect of mite parasitism and the role of honey bee resistance to pesticides, are highlighted.
Subscribe to Malcolm Sanford’s Apis Newsletter right here
Read the entire paper at:http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0006481
This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping
Back after a short summer break and an entire week at EAS
Sunday, 2 August 2009
Structured Request for Beekeeping Stories
Dear colleague beekeeper:
After receiving some responses to my call for stories about people getting involved in beekeeping in my last Apis newsletter, I see that more structured questions might help others submit their reflections on the beekeeping experience. So I have developed the following questionnaire:
When did you begin beekeeping? What specifically got you interested?
Is there a family history of beekeeping?
What was your first experience manipulating a beehive like? What did it teach you?
What is the size of your operation (number of hives)? Do you plan to expand? Contract in size? What are your major considerations for this?
Do you produce honey for sale or just as a gift? Do you market other bee products?
Do you engage in commercial pollination?
Are you a member of an association? Local? State? Which? Do you attend meetings? Do you have a leadership role?
What short courses have you attended? What memorable instructors have you had. What is the most important thing you learned?
What publications (printed and electronic) do you routinely read?
Where do you live? What is the climate like? Temperate? Subtropical? What is the configuration of a hive in the region (all deeps) (a deep and a shallow)
What are the major plants that bees use in your area? Have you seen any shift in their nectar production?
Where do you get replacement bees (packages? Nucs?) and queens (raise your own; purchase). What kind of bee do you use? (Italian, Carniolan, Buckfast) Do you collect feral (wild) bees and swarms?
What is your biggest beekeeping challenge now?
Has that changed since you began beekeeping?
Other remarks about your experience that would encourage/entertain or educate the beginning beekeeper.
I give my permission to Dr. Malcolm T. Sanford to use the above in Electronic and printed media: Your name here: ________________________
As I stated, I plan to do an electronic summary of the replies I get and will post it so everyone can benefit from the contributions. Again, I will also need your permission to use the material in both printed and electronic material and provided a space above for this.
Thanks for your participation.
Malcolm T. Sanford
Beeactor@apisenterprises.com
http://apis.shorturl.com
Here is what Troy Fore published in the Summer edition of The Speedy Bee http://thespeedybee.com that fits the bill in many ways as a potential story. Note it contains information about specific management activities (putting on foundation), specific manipulations (I made nine splits to slow them down a bit), description of a specified location (all beekeeping is local—gallberry bloom in the S.E. United States), and also discusses some history based on his experiences with his father as mentor, including effect of the number of colonies(You can do this with two dozen hives; it is more difficult with 2,000) and even identifying a “hot” colony and how that might have come about:
Troy Fore, Editor of The Speedy Bee, second generation beekeeper in
“We have had an interesting spring (2009) in the bees. The windup reminded me of a spring over 40 years ago. I was working with my daddy trying to produce enough honey to make ends meet.
“Conditions looked very promising as we approached our prime season for making cut comb off gallberry. I have a clear vision of going to beeyard after beeyard in a cold, steady rain, putting on supers of fresh foundation. A few weeks later, we went back around removing the supers of foundation; most were empty as when installed. The rain had continued right through the gallberry bloom. The only thing I accomplished was catching a near-death of cold.
“This spring was also full of promise. I had lost just three of my 27 colonies. The remaining built up quickly -- too fast in some ways. I made nine splits to slow them down a bit. Since I had not made any preparations to have queens on hand, I had to leave them to rear their own queens. Five did so; not bad considering we had a late spell of cold, windy weather just then. I have since identified one "hot" colony; you get these occasionally when using non-selective breeding practices!
“I put on a round of deep supers of foundation. I had bought just enough (Daddy, if you are reading this -- we can now buy assembled frames with foundation already installed. It is a bit pricey, but when you consider paying employees and all that goes with that, the pre-assembled foundation is probably no more expensive than what we did in the old days).
“The weather and the bloom were just right. I was beginning to wonder if they would run out of room before the honey flow ran out. I went around, moving a super here and a few frames there to get the empty ones on more populous colonies. I also moved some sheets of brood to build up weak colonies and take the pressure off the strong. (You can do this with two dozen hives; it is more difficult with 2,000).
“The rains started a couple of days later. Over the next 30 days, we must have had measurable rainfall for at least 20. The first two weeks of rain washed out the remaining gallberry bloom. At least I didn't have to buy more foundation. Even so, it was a good spring in the bees here in
“Now I need to set up for extracting somewhere. For the past several years I have been mostly leaving the honey for wintering and making extra splits in the spring, but I am reaching my limit with 30 hives in my backyard. Oh, I should have noted at the outset, I am telling you what I did, not what you should do. You have to make your own mistakes. Happy beekeeping!”
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
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