Dear Subscribers,
Seasons greetings from the Apis Newsletter! This is the last issue for the year 2011. The archives on the
home page reveal issues posted as far back as 2009. The history of this newsletter began with its first issue in 1984. It has been published in some form or other every month since, including reports on two six-moth sabbaticals in Italy and France when I was active on the University of Florida faculty. Those interested in what they might have missed over the last two years can also access the links with comments I have established at
Publish2.com. No other source of beekeeping information is as comprehensive as this newsletter, coupled with newsgroups from
Publish2.com, and backed up by articles found at the
Apis Information Resource Center.
Cold weather got here finally, with a drop in temperature from close to a record 80 degrees F the day before to 35 degrees F the next evening. Now another warm spell threatens. We expect some of this in north Florida, but too much temperature variation is worrisome to both gardeners and beekeepers this time of year no matter the prevailing climate. Actually, contrary to what many might think the wintering situation is analogous in the south as it is in the north, honey bee colonies don't die from weather shifts so much as food scarcity (starvation). Here's hoping the bees have enough nutrients to get them through the winter no matter where they are.
A
Catch the Buzz entry discusses recent weather extremes (also see Ann Harman's column in this month's Bee Culture): “The quantity, quality and diversity of naturally available honey bee forage is a primary determinant in the health of the hive and colony strength at almond pollination and therefore increasingly a subject of research. While supplemental feeding of protein and carbohydrates plays an important role in the management of hive health, there is no substitute for an abundance of diverse natural forage. 2011 has been a year of extremes at both ends of the weather spectrum and 2012 portends the same with a second year of La Nina conditions present.”
My remarks about the different kinds of backgrounds and interests of people who were interested in beekeeping, resulted in the following from
terry.ryan@optusnet.com.au “Following on from your latest newsletter I am not sure if you would call him a spiritual beekeeper but the most notorious Australian and probably international beekeeper right now would have to be Julian Assange. When he started off on his computer hacking career in suburban Melbourne, he used to hide his floppy disks in his apiary, feeling quite confident that the police would never open up a hive.”
The Washington preoccupation with budget cuts now threatens the USDA-NASS annual bee/honey production report along with a wide range of agricultural survey programs. Congress has passed the 2012 Agricultural Appropriations bill, which gives the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) sufficient funding to continue some of these reports - those that receive the most support from their industries. The
American Beekeeping Federation among others is rallying beekeepers in an attempt to get enough support to keep the report. This will no doubt be a hot topic at the American Beekeeping Federation
convention to be held in early January in Las Vegas, NV
Professor Giorgio Celli died in Bolonga, Italy. Many may not know of this extraordinary scientist's career and interests. I was privileged to meet him in 1989 when I spent six months on a sabbatical in that most Italian of cities. He was a pioneer in the environmental movement and a prolific publisher. He will be sorely missed by the research and beekeeping communities
A
federal grant awarded to the Empire State Honey Producers Association will help New York beekeepers stop the loss of honey bee colonies in the State. The 3 year, $59,000 grant will train beekeepers to not only prevent, diagnose, and treat honeybee maladies, but give them the tools to teach other beginning beekeepers to recognize bee diseases. See the
USDA-NIFA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program.
A
Catch The Buzz entry reports For the first time since 2006, that Roundup Ready alfalfa has been planted, despite law suits that aimed to block the action. From the
Apis m Project: The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (
NAPPC) was held at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC.
ApiEcoTech 2012 is the first edition of an international symposium that Apimondia with SPOS have conceived to address the important role of beekeeping technologies, health care of bees and environment in the quality of bee products. We warmly invite you to attend this symposium and you may find more information on the event by accessing the following
website:
Selected links from Publish2.com for
December 2011 include :New tools for Chilean beekepers to meet demanding European GM standards; Honeybee Roundup at Sleeping Bear Farms;Royalactin induces queen differentiation in honeybees; Honey bee mystery protein is a freight train for health and lifespan; Harvard University Kilobots Exhibit Swarm Motion – CrazyEngineers; Bee-Killing Pesticide Imidacloprid Voluntarily Withdrawn for Almonds and The “Rules” For Successful Beekeeping @ Scientific Beekeeping.
The latest sales figures from Amazon.com on
Storey's Guide to Keeping Honey Bees reveal that 117 copies were sold between October 10, 2011 and December 4, 2011. Thanks to the beekeepers of Boston and New York for taking the lead by buying 9 books in each area.
Finally, get the latest on
bee health and read about the new “broodmapper” application.
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Gleanings from the December 201 Bee Culture:
Remember that Bee Culture now has a
digital edition.
Dennis Brown, Byan, TX writes asking those with information about self-service honey stands of yesteryear contact him at
dennis@lonestarfarms.net. Nitzan Paldi of
Beeologics provides a perspective on the purchase by Monsanto. Conor, an organic gardener and beekeeper describes the situation concerning who is suing who with reference to GMOs. For a historical background on GMO and beekeeping, see my
series of articles on this topic .
Noel Power has an “Irish headache.” It seems he's run afoul of what confronts anyone trying to breed honey bees, the fact that diversification is the driving force in honey bee genetics. Peter Smith takes in the
Charlie Smith Art Gallery in London on the recommendation of Bee Culture. Read his account of what happened. Sandra Lonneman, Pine Island, MN describes her anecdote about what happens when you dress appropriately (or inappropriately) while inspecting honey bee colonies.
Editor Flottum in the Inner Cover takes on two grand themes. Read what he says about outsourcing labor and the effects of the failure to regulate pesticide applications. Both result in bills that are demonstrable and large.
Just in time for the holidays two books have hit the shelves, Fair Food and the
Handbook for Natural Beekeeping, the
EcoBeebBox, a new kind of joint for hive corners , and innovative cell punch for queen rearing.
Rosemary Mason provides a blistering report on the SETAC Pellston Workshop held in Florida in January 2011. The 45-page document that resulted revealed what many continue to believe. That pesticide companies have total control over testing and registration of their own products.
Nicholas Sargeantson provides a lengthy and informative perspective on the international honey market. Read why he thinks it's time to get rid of the current anti-dumping measures foisted on China and instead concentrate on efforts to ensure the product is legal and contaminant free. Most important for beekeepers is to understand the amount of disinformation that is being distributed concerning Chinese product and the fact that honey production is inexorably declining in the U.S.
Clarence Collison and Audrey Sheridan take a closer look at the queens ovaries and ovarioles. Read why these organs, though reduced in workers, still are important for many biological reasons in these sterile females.
Anne Averill looks at bumble bees as part of the Managed Pollinator CAP Coordinated Agricultural Project. Her focus is on effects of landscape modification and pesticide application. There is little history to go on here as most of these studies have been based on honey bees as a managed pollination input. Read how bumble bees are different from honey bees, but some similarities between these pollinating insect species exist.
David Tarpy writes about North Carolina State University's bee school in a box. Read how the
Beekeeper Education & Engagement System is expected to result in a better-trained population of beekeepers. This is still in the developmental stage and expected to evolve significantly as more and more beekeepers find out about the resource.
Julie Finn considers the art of making beeswax paper. It can provide a yellow patina and “perfect” look for scrapbooking, card making, and altered book projects.
Peter Sieling, against his better judgment, visits a hair salon and in the process educates folks on honey bee biology. Read how it comes out and the answer to Mr. Sieling's question if he indeed now looks like Fred Flintstone.
Larry Connor provides tips on keeping bees in both urban and rural environments. Read why and when he says to use Boardman feeders (not for what you're thinking!) and follower boards.
Jim Tew takes on pesticides and bees, always a volatile issue. Read his personal history in dealing with and teaching about this subject and how his opinions are evolving in the modern human-influenced environment, many are calling the “
Anthropocene.”
Abbas Edun in Natural Remedies looks at balsam apple and asparagus. Read how they differ yet provide some of the same sorts of relief and nutrients to humans.
Ross Conrad is not a fan of plastic use in the beehive. Read why the same reasons plastic is ubiquitous our society also result in significant problems for the future of the environment in general. This paradox is even more significant in beekeepers than the general public he concludes as the latter are more tuned to environmental conditions.
Melanie Kirby celebrates 50 years of Peace Corps beekeeping by telling her story of teaching beekeeping in Paraguay. Read how her experience as “the toughest job you'll ever love,” translated into a life-long career.
Adam Warner weathers Hurricane Irene in New York. Read his experiences as the information tsunami that permeated the city predicted apocalypse and how he and the bees weathered the storm. Ann Harman has another take on weather disasters, telling beekeepers to double check their insurance policies. Read what happened to her horse shed.
In All The News That Fits, the educational version of the movie, Vanishing of the Bees is advertised, while we read that the FDA again rejects a national standard of identification for honey, that Terramycin and miticides are a deadly mix, and scientists have found the “protein love triangle,” which transforms worker larvae into queens. Finally, read about Canada's commercial beekeeping training course in Alberta.
Ed Colby in the Bottom Board recounts his meeting more and more new beekeepers, many who are died-in-the-wool top bar enthusiasts. He wishes them well, but is more concerned about whether his Flat Tops bees will make it through the winter. Read why he asks if there's a problem for either his top bar discussion or Flat tops fall nutrition. He will let us know how these turn out next Spring.
Sincerely,
Malcolm T. Sanford
beeactor@apisenterprises.com
http://apis.shorturl.com
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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.
