Dear Subscribers,
I am up in North Georgia visiting
Mountain Honey, the home of Carl and Virginia Webb, the outfit that has won the Apimondia world honey show two times (2005 and 2007). There's been some rain here; last year's sourwood crop was bumper and beekeepers are sitting on pins and needles as that flow will soon be on in full force. It probably will be early as most things have been this year, which could complicate things. As always, time will tell.
Florida's water crisis continues. It is now being called a “
perfect storm” by some. Here's the latest from the Water Managment District: “Rainfall levels are well below normal and some water bodies are at or near record lows in northeast and central Florida, prompting the St. Johns River Water Management District Governing Board to urge businesses and the public to actively conserve water.”
The Gainesville area is in the spotlight as the saw palmetto and gallberry begins to bloom. Will there be enough water to produce the nectar the bee's are waiting on? One plant that bloomed and produced nectar is the following identified by the herbarium at the University of Florida: A species of Smilax, "Greenbrier", Smilacaceae (Smilax Family). I never heard of this, but Bob Murray
burninbob@bellsouth.net has a picture of a green honey he says was produced by this vine. Intriguing!
Editor Flottum says that citrus greening has now been
detected in California. A shock but not a surprise. This is not good news. “Citrus is not just a part of California’s agricultural economy; it’s a cherished part of our landscape and our shared history,” said CDFASecretary Karen Ross. “CDFA is moving swiftly to protect the state’s citrus growers as well as our residential trees and the many prized citrus plantings in our parks and other public lands. We have been planning and preparing for this scenario with our growers and our colleagues at the federal and local levels since before the Asian citrus psyllid was first detected here in 2008.”
A reply to last month's recommendation by Dick Chapin concerning irrigating the sinuses for allergy relief, revealed a possible unintended consequence:
According to Brobson Lutz, MD, MPH
home@combsandlutz.com in New Orleans, “Last June I was involved in the care of a 20 year old man who died with amoebic meningitis (
see link). After his death, water sampling at his residence revealed that his inside plumbing harbored
Naegleria fowleri, the organism that caused his death. He apparently would flush his sinuses when he took showers. It is my recollection that the municipal water entering the property was free of amoebae but that the amoebae had colonized in the indoor plumbing or water heater. Another case of the same fatal meningitis was reported again a few months later.
"This is a rare but deadly infection that I too have been a longtime proponent of sinus irrigation with saline as you described in your posting. It works when used regularly. However, I now tell my patients to mix the salt in boiled or distilled water. This may not be a problem in cooler regions such as New York City, but persons living in warmer climates as ours need to heed the boil or distilled water precautions."
Here's a response concerning last month's discussion of honey filtered to remove pollen by Jean Claude
jcaime2@aol.com : “...pollen traces are the signature of the honey and a honey without pollen is an open door to all kinds of fraud...we have enough with Chinese honey, adultered honey, honey laced with chemicals... we do not need another way to cheat on the consumer and stain the image of this wonderful product. I live in MA but I am originally from Europe and there, legislation has just declared that honey once ultrafiltered cannot be called honey. Just like adding something to honey, substracting changes the product into a non-honey product. It is not fake, it is just not honey IMO.”
In a “Catch the Buzz” editor Flottum concludes and asks “Olive Oil yes, Honey No! Why not, do you suppose? There is no clear answer to this at the moment:
“USDA's product verification for olive oil includes chemical testing and flavor analysis. USDA also reviews the performance of Pompeian's production processes, quality assurance measures and recordkeeping system. Under the program, USDA will continue to monitor the company, conducting unannounced plant visits to verify quality assurance measures and test the olive oils.
"USDA's mission is to facilitate the trade and marketing of quality and wholesome agricultural products," said Charles Parrott, Acting Deputy Administrator for USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, Fruit and Vegetable Program. "Consumers want assurance that the products they are buying are genuine. Products bearing the logo have passed our rigorous Quality Monitoring Program for olive oil criteria."
"This measure is an important development for the olive oil industry. We hope other domestic and international olive oil producers join this effort. Our collective focus needs to be on the end customer, assuring them that they are getting the purest and highest quality olive oil. The USDA verification process under the Quality Monitoring Program for olive oil can help manufacturers inform consumers about the quality of their products...”
Hmm! Sure sounds like a something beekeepers and others have been requesting USDA do for honey so far without a lot of success, the reason Florida went ahead with its own honey standard.
Check out the
April and
May editions of Joe Traynor's informative newsletters from the West Coast almond scene. You can compare what he says to Editor Flottum's perspectives reported in this month's Bee Culture.
If you haven't been to Turkey to see beekeeping, here is an opportunity:
Dear Friend, Journey to Turkey this summer with our Bee Safari. The holiday combines travel with adventure, and opportunties to learn about bees and beekeeping. Meeting local people - exploring botany, bees and beautiful places. Your hosts in Turkey will ensure you have a trip of a lifetime! For more information about this unique and memorable trip visit:
http://www.beesfordevelopment.org/how-to-help/safaris
Words from Jerry Hayes, ex Florida Chief Bee Inspector about his employment at the agribusiness giant Monsanto. Many are concerned about the true motives of this corporation with reference to beekeepers and honey bees:
"Monsanto is committed to sustainable agriculture. It makes good business sense to support sustainable agriculture and that’s why they want to use their time, talents and resources to contribute positively to honey bee health. This is not a PR stunt; this is a smart business move to help agriculture globally.
"In the short time I’ve been with Monsanto it is clear to me that my company is spending time and energy on bee health and also really wants to listen, collaborate and learn from knowledgeable third parties. It is really a pleasant surprise and makes this much more real for me."
Check out the published links of interest at
Publish2.com including: Paper from PLoS One Distinctive Gut Microbiota of Honey Bees, Care To Borrow A Bee?,Bee conscious; PBC Beekeepers Association sheds light on the honeybee, Black honeybees rediscovered in Britain, Capital Bee in London, Killer Bees Kill Texas Couple, and Tennessee Africanized Bees Discovered After Beekeeper Stung
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Gleanings from the May, 2012 Bee Culture:
Remember that Bee Culture now has a
digital edition.
Sanuel Atsaides, Rhodes, Greece employs two-day-old queen cells as he learned from Joe Latshaw and John Kefuss. Michael Huebert says raccoons can be disuaded from eating corn by using an electric fence; deer too. Paul Poling, WV Dept. of Agriculture publishes the 2012 Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA) resolutions on pesticide registration and surveying for Tropilaelaps and Varroa variants. Katharina Davitt provides her experience using Hopguard. Charles Brock asks for help on using liquid smoke; Eric Mussen replies with comments on using Wright's Liquid Smoke diluted in water in California.
New books on the shelf include Practical Queen Rearing by Frank Pelett (1918), Classic Queen Rearing Compendium by Michael Bush, Huber's New Observations upon Bees by F. Huber, The Illustrated Ausralasian Bee Manual by Isaac Hopkins, and Wasp and Bee Management by Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann (
http://www.nraes@cornell.edu). Finally take a look at the a new feeder from Millerbees Manufacturing.
Editor Flottum continues his “almond talk.” One thing continuing to crop up is the organization of the almond industry and its research efforts, while those in the pollinating business are getting a reputation of being “good at asking, but not so good at contributing.”
The honey report is encouraging for beekeepers with prices at record levels. How does this related to almond pollination in the future? Nobody has a crystal ball here.
Kathy Summers writes about teaching beekeeping at her local club. Read about the challenges and opportunities she sees.
Clarence Collison and Audrey Sheridan take a closer look at flight energetics. Read how juvenile hormone affects the shift from house bee to forager by workers.
Thomas Webster reports on experiments with sunlight, water and Nosema spores. Read how bee feces get involved and what that means about locating a watering source for honey bees.
Stephen Repasky describes a
Pittsburg Community Apiary. Read about its organization and genesis. Community apiaries might be just the ticket in certain areas.
Reed Johnson is Ohio's new bee guy. Read Kim Flottum's analysis of his program as he takes over where Jim Tew left off.
Larry Connor reflects on using virgin queens. Read why he thinks this is a good way to speed up the re-queening process.
Editor Flottum flies the California almond orchards with pilot Amando Lewin. Read his reflections on the fate of honey bees and pollination. I recommend also looking at PBR's
The Food Machine (PBA- America Revealed ) ; fits right in and includes a section on migratory beekeeping.
Jim Tew says there's something for everyone in beekeeping. He should know; he's been through a lot of it, including “how to sit on a bench and keep bees.”
Jennifer Berry details the dangerous side of beekeeping. Read her experiences with heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Bottom line: keep drinking water while in the bee yard!
Morris Ostrofsky creates edible art using “glass jar beekeeping.” This is something truly unique and powerful, offering possibilities for both artist and beekeeper in all of us.
Ross Contrad has a few suggestions for beginners. Read how employing these can increase you beekeeping IQ.
Jerry Freman lists several ways that violating the bee space can get one into trouble. Read why bees don't need frames, but beekeepers do.
Ben Slay visits the new Brothers Drake Meadery and Bar in the “Short North” district of Columbus, OH. Read the history of the firm and a list of “bodacious” meads produced like “Testa Rosa,” and “Pillow Talk.”
David Middleton shares instructions on developing a two-bucket swarm catcher his father first employed many years ago.
Ann Harman relates the challenges of holding a beekeeping field day. She has been involved in a good many. Her tips are essential reading.
Connie Krochmal writes about growing grapes and the history of the vine in both Europe and the U.S. They also are considered a bee plant in some areas.
In all the news that fits, read abstracts of papers on honey bee high adventure, using bumblebees to train honey bees, how honey bees “self-medicate,” free webinars at Ohio State University, and how changes in the tax code has beekeepers buzzing with anticipation.
On the bottom board, Ed. Colby has fun times with UPS. Read the litany of what went wrong when he tried to get a shipment of Apiguard delivered for mite control.
Sincerely,
Malcolm T. Sanford
beeactor@apisenterprises.com
http://apis.shorturl.com
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