Beekeeping For Beginners

Tuesday, 30 March 2010

CATCH THE BUZZ - Bee Loss Survey Needs YOU!

CATCH THE BUZZ

Take the survey. Get Counted.

Dear Beekeeper:

The Apiary Inspectors of America and the USDA-ARS Beltsville Bee Research Laboratory are seeking your help in tabulating the winter losses that occurred over the winter of 2009-2010. This continues the AIA/USDA survey efforts from the past 3 years which has been important in quantifying the losses of honey bees for government, media, and researchers.

This year’s survey is faster, easier and does not require your time on the phone. It is all web based and automatic, just fill and click.

Please take a few moments to fill out our winter loss survey at:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/beeloss0910

This survey will be conducted until April 16th, 2010.

We would also appreciate it if you would forward this email to other beekeepers. The more responses the better.

If you have any questions or concerns please email beeloss@gmail.com., or Honeybee.Survey@aphis.usda.gov

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Jeff Pettis; USDA-ARS Beltsville Bee Research Laboratory

Dennis vanEngelsdorp; Penn State University

Jerry Hayes; Florida Department of Agriculture

Dewey Caron; University of Delaware and Oregon State University

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

Find out What’s New At Mann Lake right Here

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.

Monday, 29 March 2010

Central Beekeepers Alliance : Special Gear for Central Beekeepers

Special Gear for Central Beekeepers

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 07:35 PM PDT

The new CBA logo makes its first appearance in a selection of custom t-shirts and caps produced for us by Valley Graphics. There’s a wide variety of colour combinations to choose from for the clothing, and sew-on patches are also available. Here’s just a sample of the great-looking gear that our beekeepers will be sporting this summer!

beekeepers-clothing

If you are a member of the Central Beekeepers Alliance and you’d like to order any of these shirts, caps or badges, just speak to VP Christine Dembenski at the next CBA meeting.

Special Gear for Central Beekeepers 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.

Tuesday, 23 March 2010

CATCH THE BUZZ - LETS END THE NO BUZZ ZONES!

CATCH THE BUZZ

Let's make every county, every city and town, street and backyard, rooftop, balcony, front porch and empty lot a legal place to let honey bees be home!

New York City, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Denver…There’s no telling which city or county will be next to allow bees, beekeepers and beekeeping in backyards, on rooftops and vacant lots. But there are still a host of cities and towns and other places that haven’t seen the light. They’ve put up that NO BUZZ ZONE sign and have no intent of taking it down anytime soon.

The Dailygreen.com and Bee Culture magazine want to find those cities and towns and make a list. We’ll make a map and we’ll get it on our web pages for all to see. We want YOUR help with this. Know a city or town that doesn’t allow beekeeping yet? Let us know. Help us identify those burgs that want no bees.

If you know a city or town…maybe it’s yours or one nearby…send me an email and let me know. But so I can identify what it’s about put NO BUZZ in the subject line. Then, put in the city, and the state and your first and last name (or just your first name if you want). Then we’ll start mapping them and get the map up for everybody to see. Send your emails to Kim@BeeCulture.com today!

Help us help the honey bees, the beekeepers and beekeeping. Let’s make every beekeeper legal!

This Call To Bees is brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping. www.BeeCulture.com

CATCH THE BUZZ - LET'S FIND THE NO BUZZ ZONES

CATCH THE BUZZ

Let's Make Every City, Town and County, Street, Rooftop, Balcony and Backyard A Legal Home For Honey Bees!

The Dailygreen.com and Bee Culture magazine want to find those cities and towns and make a list. We’ll make a map and we’ll get it on our web pages for all to see. But we need YOUR help with this. Know a city or town that doesn’t allow beekeeping yet? Let us know. Help us identify those burgs that don't want bees.

Help us help the honey bees, the beekeepers and beekeeping. Let’s make every beekeeper legal!

This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping, and our Publisher The A. I. Root Company.

CATCH THE BUZZ - 2009 Honey Report Extras

CATCH THE BUZZ

USDA Annual Honey Report, Plus the Extras

Below is the USDA ERS annual report on honey production and consumption. For even more information on this subject, see the April issue of Bee Culture magazine.

The combination of adverse weather and the ongoing colony collapse disorder of honey bees contributed to sharply lower honey yields and record low honey production in 2009. U.S. honey production declined by 12 percent or nearly 20 million pounds to 144 million pounds from 2008. Despite the 5.1-percent increase in the national number of honey-producing colonies in 2009, yield per colony fell by more than 16 percent on average. Double-digit production declines in 7 out of 10 major honey-producing States were closely matched by similar drops in yield.

Domestic consumption of honey in 2009, an indicator of use demand, significantly decreased by almost 28 million pounds as U.S. honey imports fell by 21 million pounds. The factors behind this sharp drop in demand are the U.S. economic recession in fiscal year 2009 and the record high average price of $1.45 per pound of natural honey. Per capita consumption of honey declined to 1.2 pounds from 1.3 pounds in 2008. Another indicator of weak domestic demand for honey is the 14-million-pound depletion of U.S. honey stocks by the end of 2009, which is also a consequence of lower U.S. production and imports.

Among the 10 major honey-producing States, yields declined by double digits in California, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Florida. Neighboring States also suffered as a result of above normal temperatures across parts of the Southwest and the South during the first half of 2009, which led to drought conditions in some parts of the West (as in Arizona) and loss of pasture.

Through the year, the Central and East North Central regions experienced cooler than normal temperatures. In addition, precipitation in the second half of 2009 was the fifth wettest on record, which is attributed to the emergence of the El Nino effect in the early summer. This abnormal weather in the major honey States compounded existing problems with mite infestation of bee colonies as seasonal pollination conditions were disrupted.

Average yields per bee colony in California dropped 35 percent, leading to a dramatic 6.6-million pound cut in the State’s honey production in 2009, which accounts for a third of the national 19.7-million-pound output loss. A similar situation occurred in South Dakota, the second largest producer after neighboring North Dakota, despite a 20-percent gain in the number of honey-producing colonies. North Dakota’s additional 50,000 new bee colonies in 2009 still resulted in a 3.8-percent slashing of its honey harvest as yield per colony slipped by more than 14 percent.

Nevertheless, the value of honey production in these States and in five other major States was cut by double-digit rates even as modest price increases were reported. A national loss of $24.5 million in honey production value was recorded in 2009, $9.2 million of which was from California and $3.9 million from South Dakota. The 9-percent reduction of imported honey, or 21 million pounds, was largely responsible for the 27.7 million-pound retreat in U.S. honey consumption. While the country’s reduced spending for food and beverages in 2009 (-$13.3 billion from 2008) accounted for much of this shrinkage in demand, the continued low purchasing power of the dollar contributed in part. In turn, U.S. honey stocks took a 27-percent plunge. The average import price of honey climbed 10 percent to $1.05 per pound in 2009 from 95 cents in 2008. The 2009 price represents more than 72 percent of the domestic honey price of $1.45 per pound on average. In 2006, this ratio was only 60 percent. Like domestic prices, import prices for natural honey are at record highs, which reflect the pervasive colony collapse disorder suffered by many foreign producers that limited international supply as well.

The share of imports in domestic honey consumption was 59 percent in 2009, down from a high of 65 percent in 2006. The largest sources of imported honey are Brazil and Vietnam at 39 and 38.4 million pounds, respectively, in 2009, representing a combined 37 percent of total U.S. imports of 210.4 million pounds. The next biggest foreign suppliers in terms of volume shipped are India and Argentina, followed by Malaysia and Canada. Before 2008, China trailed only Argentina as the top sources for imported honey. However, U.S. anti-dumping and countervailing duties against Chinese honey (and Argentinian honey) caused this source to dry up in 2009. The reduced shipments from China that started in 2007 were supplanted by increased imports from Southeast Asia, primarily Vietnam, followed by Malaysia, Indones ia, and Thailand. The investigation of Chinese honey transhipments (much by blending) through neighboring countries in Asia, such as Vietnam, is ongoing. Mongolia is another emerging supplier from Asia.

One other source of domestic honey is from imported live honey bees, both queen bees and whole colonies. The U.S. Census Bureau started reporting import values for live bees in 2009 from Australia, New Zealand, The Netherlands, and smaller numbers from Canada and Costa Rica. Australia is by far the largest exporter to date. However, no import quantity or volume is reported for live bees as yet. According to USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, bees from New Zealand are transhipped to Canada. Thus, to partly replenish the domestic bee population that has gradually been decimated over the past two decades, domestic honey producers are now importing foreign live queen bees and colonies.

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

Find out What’s New At Mann Lake right Here

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

Wednesday, 17 March 2010

CATCH THE BUZZ - Pollinator Conference at Penn State

CATCH THE BUZZ

Pollinator Conference In July

Register Now for the International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Health and Policy

Hosted by The Center for Pollinator Research at Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The first International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Heath and

Policy is being hosted by the Penn State Center for Pollinator Research on July 24-28, 2010 at

the University Park campus. The abstract submission deadline is May 15, 2010, and the early

registration deadline is June 1, 2010. Registration is limited to 300 people. For more

information and online registration, please visit the conference website at

http://agsci.psu.edu/pollinator-conference.

The focus of the conference will be current research on pollinator biology and health, as well as

policies related to pollinator conservation. The keynote speaker will be Dr. May Berenbaum,

Professor and Head of the Department of Entomology at University of Illinois, Urbana-

Champaign. Dr. Berenbaum is internationally recognized for both her research and conservation

efforts related to pollinators, including chairing the National Research Council’s Committee on

the Status Pollinators in North America in 2007. A full listing of the symposia and confirmed

speakers is below, and can also be found at the conference website.

The conference is supported by generous donations from Häagen-Dazs, Anthropologie/Urban

Outfitters, Bayer CropScience, Penn State's Department of Entomology, College of Agricultural

Sciences, and The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. For more information, visit the

conference website or contact conference organizers: Christina Grozinger, (814)-865-1895 or

cmg25@psu.edu; Diana Cox-Foster, (814) 865-1022 or dxc12@psu.edu; or Ed Rajotte, (814)

863-4641 or uvu@psu.edu.

Additionally, a Pollinator Conservation Short Course will be offered by the Xerces Society at the

conclusion of the conference on July 29. Topics include the basic principles of

pollinator biology, the economics of insect pollination, recognizing native bee species, and

assessment of pollinator habitat. More information is available on the conference website.

The Penn State Center for Pollinator Research is devoted to the study of pollinators, pollination,

and pollinator management and protection. The Center combines the resources of 26 research

and education programs spanning Penn State’s Departments of Entomology, Biology,

Horticulture, Crop and Soil Science and Landscape Architecture; the Arboretum at Penn State;

the PA Department of Agriculture; and the USDA. Center activities are supported by

government grants, corporate gifts, the beekeeping industry and Penn State’s College of

Agricultural Sciences. For more information, please visit the Center for Pollinator Research

website at http://ento.psu.edu/pollinators.

Symposia and confirmed speakers (as of 3/12/10) include:

• Behavioral Ecology - Robert Gegear, University of Massachusetts; Christina Grozinger, Penn

State University; Abraham Hefetz, Tel Aviv University; Heather Mattila, Wellesley University ;

Theresa Pitts-Singer, USDA-ARS; Peter Teal, USDA-ARS

• Evolving Policies on Pollinator Risk Assessment and Conservation - Doug Holy, USDANRCS;

Thomas Moriarty, Environmental Protection Agency; R. Thomas Van Arsdall, Pollinator

Partnership; Mace Vaughan, Xerces Society

• Status of Pollinators Worldwide - David De Jong, University of São Paulo, Brazil ; Keith

Delaplane, University of Georgia ; Yves Le Conte, Institut National de la Recherche

Agronomique, Avignon-France; Peter Neumann, Honeybee Pathology Section Swiss Bee

Research Centre, Switzerland ; Stuart Roberts, Bees Ants Wasps Recording Society (BWARS),

UK; Dennis vanEngelsdorp, Penn State University;

• Impacts of Environmental Toxins - Reed Johnson, University of Nebraska; Chris Mullin,

Penn State University ; Andreas Thrasyvoulou. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece;

Gloria DeGrandi-Hoffman, USDA-ARS

• Disease Ecology - Diana Cox-Foster, Rajwinder Singh, and Abby Kalkstein, Penn State

University; Ben Sadd and Paul Schmid-Hempel, ETH Zurich, Switzerland; Marla Spivak,

University of Minnesota; Rosalind James and Junhuan Xu, USDA-ARS; Michael Otterstatter

and James Thomson, University of Toronto, Canada; Thomas H. Kunz, Boston University; Dick

Rogers, Bayer Crop Science

• Conservation and Ecological Applications of Native Pollinators - David Biddinger, Penn

State University ; Sydney Cameron, University of Illinois; Jim Cane, USDA;

Amotz Dafni, Haifa University, Israel; Tamar Keasar, University of Haifa , Israel;

Claire Kremen, UC Berkeley; Yael Mandelik, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel ;

David Mortensen, Penn State University; Uma Partap, International Centre for Integrated

Mountain Development, Nepal; Mark Scriber, Michigan State University ; Sharoni Shafir,

Hebrew University of Jerusalem, B. Triwaks Bee Research Center , Israel; John Tooker, Penn

State University ; Baldwyn Torto, International Centre of Insect, Kenya.

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

Find out What’s New At Mann Lake right Here

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

Tuesday, 16 March 2010

CATCH THE BUZZ - Aussie Bees Up For Reevaluation

CATCH THE BUZZ

Aussie Bees Up For New Risk Assessment

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2010-0001]
Notice of Availability of a Draft Pest Risk Assessment on Honey
Bees Imported from Australia
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service has prepared an evaluation of the pest risks
associated with the importation of honey bees from Australia. The draft
pest risk assessment considers potential pest risks involved in the
importation of honeybees into the United States from Australia after
concerns that exotic honey bee pathogens or parasites may have been
introduced into Australia. We are making the draft pest risk assessment
available to the public for review and comment.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before May
14, 2010.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:

Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to (be sure to use the entire address, even the section NOT underlined (http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2010-0001

Or,

<http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail%26d=APHIS-2010-0001> )

to submit or view comments
and to view supporting and related materials available electronically.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send two copies of
your comment to Docket No. APHIS-2010-0001, Regulatory Analysis and
Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118,
Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your comment refers to
Docket No. APHIS-2010-0001.
Reading Room: You may read any comments that we receive on the
draft pest risk assessment in our reading room. The reading room is
located in room 1141 of the USDA South Building, 14th Street and
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC. Normal reading room hours are
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. To be sure
someone is there to
help you, please call (202) 690-2817 before coming.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Colin D. Stewart, Senior
Entomologist, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD
20737-1237; (301) 734-0774.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The regulations in 7 CFR part 322 restrict the importation,
interstate movement, and transit through the United States of bees,
beekeeping byproducts, and beekeeping equipment to prevent the
introduction of pests into the United States through the importation of
honeybees from approved regions. Australia is currently on the list of
approved regions from which adult honeybees maybe imported into the
United States under certain conditions.
In March 2002, APHIS issued a report assessing the risks of pest
introduction into the United States in imports of honey bees (Apis
mellifera L.) from Australia. The evaluation identified 15 pathogens
and pests of bees in that country, all of which occur in the United
States. The evaluation concluded that there were no quarantine-
significant honey bee pathogens or pests occurring in Australia.
In the 7 years since the completion of the evaluation for
Australian bees, new threats to the U.S. honey bee population have
emerged. The most prominent threat is Colony Collapse Disorder, a
mysterious syndrome characterized by the abrupt disappearance of a
colony's adult worker bee population, leaving a substantial population
of healthy brood, an absence of dead bees, and the delayed invasion of
hive pests and robbing of hive stores by neighboring colonies. A link
between the disorder, first reported in the United States in 2006, and
honey bee imports from Australia has been suggested. The May 2007
discovery of colonies of the Asian honey bee (Apis cerana) near Cairns,
Victoria, also has raised concerns that exotic honey bee pathogens or
parasites may have been introduced into Australia with the arrival of
this foreign bee. These developments suggest a need to reevaluate the
risks involved in importation of bees from Australia.
APHIS' review and analysis of the risks associated with the
importation of honey bees from Australia are documented in detail in a
draft pest risk assessment (PRA) titled, ``Evaluation of Pest Risks
Associated with Importation of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.) from
Australia'' (November 2009). Findings presented in the draft PRA state
that there are honey bee viruses present in Australia that are not
known to occur in the United States. The draft PRA concludes that
zoosanitary measures may be necessary to reduce the possibility of the
introduction of these viruses to the United States via the importation
of honey bees from Australia.
We are making the draft PRA available to the public for review and
comment. We will consider all comments that we receive on or before the
date listed under the heading DATES at the beginning of this notice.
The draft PRA and the comments received may be the basis for a future
change in the regulations.
The draft PRA may be viewed on the Regulations.gov Web site or in
our reading room (see ADDRESSES above for instructions for accessing
Regulations.gov and information on the location and hours of the
reading room). You may request paper copies of the draft PRA by calling
or writing to the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-5573 Filed 3-12-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-S

Beekeeping For Beginners

Tuesday, 30 March 2010

CATCH THE BUZZ - Bee Loss Survey Needs YOU!

Monday, 29 March 2010

Central Beekeepers Alliance : Special Gear for Central Beekeepers

Central Beekeepers Alliance : Special Gear for Central Beekeepers

Tuesday, 23 March 2010

CATCH THE BUZZ - LETS END THE NO BUZZ ZONES!

CATCH THE BUZZ - LET'S FIND THE NO BUZZ ZONES

CATCH THE BUZZ - 2009 Honey Report Extras

Wednesday, 17 March 2010

CATCH THE BUZZ - Pollinator Conference at Penn State

Tuesday, 16 March 2010

CATCH THE BUZZ - Aussie Bees Up For Reevaluation

Followers

Blog Archive

About Me

Tuesday, 30 March 2010

Monday, 29 March 2010

Tuesday, 23 March 2010

Wednesday, 17 March 2010

Tuesday, 16 March 2010

Subscribe To

Followers

Blog Archive

About Me