Dear Subscribers,
It's Easter time and we are enjoying some cool nights here in north Florida. Hopefully, frost is not on the way as everything is in bloom with Spring in full force. There is, however, lots of smoke in the air due to the
county line fire just south of the Georgia state line . These kinds of conditions favor fire, especially given the dryness in general and windy conditions.
My complaints about pollen allergy last month brought several responses from readers. Dick Chapin, former historian of the Eastern Apicultural Society said, “You may already know of this remedy for sinusitis, but here goes. A Korean endocrinologist in NYC, who was treating my wife with bee venom injections some years ago, told us that the old and best method is to fill a paper cup with warm tap water, sprinkle in table salt, hold the cup to the nose, one side at a time, breath in some water, & put your head down between your legs for a minute or so. He recommended starting with a small amt. of salt, then increasing the amt. each time. He claimed that 'no one in Korea has sinus problems'. I'm currently using the method.”
And Jerry Wallace, Metro Atlanta Georgia Bee Association, sent: “Sorry to read about your recent bout with allergies after a trip to Atlanta...the pollen count here the other day was over 8,000, a new record. I suffered terribly with springtime allergies for over 25+ years....and actually thought I would eventually die from complications with them... Short story is that I still have some slight allergy when the pollen count hits high levels, but not the swelling shut of eyes or sinus infections that go along with severe allergies. I ended up curing myself (going on 6 years now) by taking probiotics....the more varied the better. I've had good success with Fivelac, Kefir from the dairy section at the grocery, and a Garden of Life product called Men 50 and wiser....yogurt by itself does not seem to help me. This has worked for me...and I suspect there are other good brands. I'm convinced I suffered and likely still do from an ongoing yeast imbalance, probably caused by antibiotic overuse for a tonsillitis issue over 30 years ago. Don't expect an instant cure...it took me about 12 weeks to have my sinuses clear up when I first started with the program...although I noticed a lot of other positive effects right away.”
Several news items dominate beekeeping circles here in Florida. One is that Governor Scott is reported to have signed what is being called “beekeeper protection” legislation. The Florida Farm Bureau Federation and Florida State Beekeepers Association joined forces to produce two bills that are seen as ground breaking. The bottom line is that these pre-empt local governments from promulgating and enforcing regulations on beekeepers. See more at
http://floridabeekeepers.org
This fits the philosophy in vogue at the moment that much of agriculture is “over regulated.” Perhaps, but this legislation doesn't mean there is no regulation, just that whatever is adopted is hopefully more “beekeeper friendly” and uniform. The final abrbiter will be the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The easy part is over. Now a number of constituencies must sit down and hammer out what will be reasonable best management practices that will guide Florida beekeeping in the future. This will not be easy given that much of state has a feral Africanized honey bee population.
This kind of legislation can bring surprises, which must be guarded against. Take Florida's honey standard, which is being adopted by other states around the country since the FDA will not act. A local law firm has filed a
class action suit against major supermarkets. The legislation was adopted to prevent economic adulteration, but now has been converted into something that calls honey “fake” if the pollen has been removed during processing.
A final legislative issue designed to help small-scale beekeepers is the so-called “cottage food law”
HB 7209.
Bee Informed Partnership. I posted a
special edition of this newsletter concerning the Bee Informed Partnership. It's that important. You have until April 20 to respond; the more who do the better will be the results. See more at the
Extension Bee Health site.
The Eukranians are starting early recruiting folks for Apimondia 2013: “The Organizing Committee of the XXXXIII International Apimondia Congress announces the start of the registration of the full delegates for the XXXXIII International Apimondia Congress that will be held in Kyiv (Kiev) from September, 29 till October, 4, 2013. Full delegate fee for
super-early registration is 150 euro, and will last till June 2012.
Here's another Apimondia function in North America:
16 - 18 November 2012:
Breeding, Selection and Honeybee Health
Apimondia International Symposium - Québec (Canada)
E-mail:
Pierre.Giovenazzo@bio.ulaval.ca
An issue of
Catch The Buzz says, “The report that was going to be canceled last fall by USDA NASS due to budget cuts has been reinstated. Thanks to everybody who contacted NASS and convinced them this report was vital to the interests of the beekeeping industry, to those crop growers that require pollination, and to the honey and beeswax industries. United States Honey Production was down 16 Percent and record honey prices are now being seen."
Author Central at Amazon.com indicates 148 copies of
Storey's Guide To Beekeeping were sold between February 6, 2012 and April 1, 2012. Hot spots were Detroit, Oklahoma City and Greenville- Spartanburg-Asheville.
Check out the selected links at
Publish2.com including a paper on colony collapse markers, neonicotinoids (U. of Minnesota's take), and using Kickstart to fund beekeeping projects.
Joe Traynor sent me his
March newsletter. It provides a good sense of the Almond scene in California.
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Gleanings from the April, 2012 Bee Culture:
Remember that Bee Culture now has a
digital edition.
Laura Shannon, Animas, NH complains about what she calls "insurance scams." Frank Porter, Brevard, NC describes the ebb and flow of a life in a bee colony with a sense of “awe.” Phil Ewing continues with a discussion of insurance companies and what he learned. Robert Helmancy, Hop Bottom, PA reflects on pesticide contamination and if the right kind of research is being undertaken. He also is concerned about plastic foundation being a concern for overwintering success.
Editor Flottum in the Inner Cover reports on his almond odessey. Read about the three most import considerations, availability of water, labor and healthy bees. See his blog on the “
holding yard dilemma.” Also in this issue, he discusses the Paramount Farming enterprise and its hiring of Dr. Gordon Wardell, developer of Megabee honey bee food, the role of the pollination broker (see Joe Traynor's newsletter
linked here) and how colonies are rated (or not) by both beekeepers and growers.
Kathy, in “It's Summers Time,” is enjoying the Ohio Spring via bees, chickens, cats and the garden. Read her take on the suburban pastoral environment.
Clarence Collison and Audrey Sheridan team up to look closely at circadian rhythm in honey bees. Read how “plastic” this behavior is and what this means to “time memory” of these insects.
A host of authors report on the First Two Years of the Stationary Hive Project, part of the Managed Pollinator CAP. Abiotic site effects on colony loss include landscape, weather, and pesticide exposure are explored
My review on the American Beekeeping Federation (
ABF) Convention in Las Vegas reveals the political side of beekeeping, discussing national and world beekeeping events and organizations, such as
Apimondia. Read how the Federation is reaching out to others in the fight to save all pollinators by having Laurie Davis Adams, Exectutive Director of the North American
Pollinator Partnership, give the keynote address.
Don Jackson and Scott Lucas finally had to move their bees. Not really theirs but a demonstration yard of the North Central Beekeepers Association. Read the rest of the story about what caused colony losses in a yard that was supposed to be a training model for beekeepers in the area.
M.E.A McNeil says a seismic shift is occurring between bee research and real world (beekeepers). This is shown by the Tech Transfer Team of the Bee Informed Partnership (
BIP) and how it has been received by beekeepers in California. Read how this came about and the concept that it is due to go nationwide in application. The vision is that it will be privatized for the good of beekeeping and ultimately funded by those that benefit from the results.
Larry Connor in his fourth article of the Beekeeping Instructor's Guide takes on the drone. Read how he suggests one go about getting students interested in this under rated and under appreciated individual.
Ross Conrad provides ideas about working with colonies with different queen conditions. He contrasts drone laying and failing queens with the ideal colony. Finally, read about the swarming queen and how to address a queenless colony.
Jeff Greenwood describes how the White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield, Connecticut is dealing with a problem bear, which is attempting to get into an observation hive inside the building! Read this saga and its successful conclusion, at least until next Spring!
Chase Emmons reveals what happened when he asked the question: “Why not have a New York City Honey Festival?” Why not indeed. Read what it took to have around 1000 visitors come out and enjoy a great day at the
Rockaway Beach Boardwalk.
Dan Purvis continues his series on small to mid-size commercial queen rearing. Read what the relatively new Chinese grafting tool has done for queen rearing and why he recommends starter/finisher colonies.
James D. Ray relates swarm stories. Read how he got started and also the good, bad and ugly when a swarm got out of control. He doesn't say where he is, a major issue when attempting to deal with swarms. It looks like he's not in Africanized bee country, but stories like his need to emphasize location, location, location.
Jim Tew is retired extension beekeeing, mostly. But that all feeds into his narrative of the waxing and waning of beekeeping interest he's seen in his family and others. Read how he began and where he finds himself now in the beekeeping experience.
Ann Harman pulls out her Beenglish Dictionary. Read some surprising and tantalizing definitions: pattty (secretary of the local association) and queen muff (back in fashion?).
Tom Selley has been using bait hives since the 1970s and knows the ins and outs well. Read how size matters, and so does positioning if you want consistent results.
In All the News that Fits read about how an Irish Study apiary lost a colony to thieves, that it's Monsanto 1 and organic growers 0 in court, the unveiling of the new USDA plant hardiness zone map, and a review of research on honey bee risk taking.
Ed Colby in the Bottom Board reveals how he ran into a beekeeper's wife in a Colorado hot spring. Read what transpired.
Finally, the Science of Bee Culture makes its appearance this month, Vol. 4, No. 1. Read original studies on pollen-enriched substitute fed to Russian honey bees, success of New Jersey treatments of Varroa, and introducing four-day-old virgins into Canadian nuclei.
Sincerely,
Malcolm T. Sanford
beeactor@apisenterprises.com
http://apis.shorturl.com
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