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 VictoryGarden, 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.
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.
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
--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!
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.
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.
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.
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
The 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.
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
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.
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
It continues dry in Gainesville, Florida. Campers let a fire lose to the south of us in the OcalaNational 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 BeeCollege 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 Africahttp://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, Cincinnati, OH 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 TurkishRepublic, 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.
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