Dear Subscribers,
We missed Isacc, or maybe better put. Isaac pretty much missed us in north central Florida. It looks like it won't
rebound like Hurricane Katrina did, but one never knows about these systems.
We did get some outer rain bands, however, and the precipitation has picked up in frequency as of late. It looks like Florida and much of southeast continues to look better and better from a
drought standpoint.
Beekeepers must now begin to look forward to getting their colonies ready for winter. This is the most critical part of the year to ensure a population of long-lived winter bees are available to carry colonies through hard times ahead into next Spring. Winter bees and moisture are the biggest headaches in
temperate climates, but these also matter in the subtropics, where small hive beetle might be the biggest problem along with Varroa as adult honey bee populations decline from summer peaks. No matter where you are,
fall management should not take a backseat during the apicultural year.
Fortunately,
West Nile Virus has not been much of an issue here even though we continue to have mosquito populations in many parts of Florida. Fortunately, there have not been many reports of bees dying due to pesticide application.
Mosquito control agencies appear to have done a pretty good job warning beekeepers and keeping applications to a minimum. The real manifestation of this disease has been reduction in
blue jay populations. All birds in the family Corvidae are at risk.
September is
National Honey Month, but I haven't heard a lot about it and local groups have not celebrated it as much as National Pollinator Week in June and National Honey Bee Day in August. The latter event continues to get bigger each year. Several
Florida groups went all out.
With the summer meetings coming to a close, beekeepers now look forward to fall conventions in most states, (Florida's will be in
Tampa November 1,2,3) followed by the meetings of the two national associations in January, the
American Beekeeping Federation and
American Honey Producers Association, at the same time in different venues. To some this might seem bizarre, but is a characteristic of the two (2) national associations, which split from each other many years ago during a meeting in
Portland, Oregon.
A
Catch the Buzz entry discusses the evidence that viruses and nosema may be involved in CCD: “In samples from eastern apiaries, the grouping tended to be all viruses. In the west, it was a mix of viruses and Nosema species, which are gut parasites. Specifically, Nosema apis and acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV) were linked with CCD colonies from western states, while these species were extremely rare in eastern honey bee colonies regardless of the presence of CCD.”
The Apalachee Beekeepers Association in northwest Florida has embarked on a unique project, which may be related to provide more clarity on the occurrence of viruses and Nosema. The
Apis Viral Mapping Project is soliciting funding for a startup initiative to look at both viral and nosema loads on a preliminary basis. It is soliciting funding from a number of agencies/organizations, including individuals. Recently, the Florida State Beekeepers Association provided $500 toward the effort.
Two newsletters have recently come to my attention. One is from Project apis m. The
September 2012 issue reveals how this funding agency is helping to develop bee labs at Montana State University. University of Florida, University of Hawaii and University of Sheffield (UK). This project is also a leader in developing best management practices (BMPs) for almond pollination. The Walter T. Kelley
Newsletter is establishing a reputation by resurrecting “
Modern Beekeeping” from the historical record.
Wyatt Mangum has published a new book based on his experiences with
top bar hives (TBH). This massive volume has many great ideas for those seriously looking at TBHs. There is an increasing bibliography on TBHs, but Dr. Mangum's is different because he is taking this kind of beekeeping to a new level, using it in a large-scale operation for honey production and commercial pollination.
The Environmental Protection Agency has taken a lot of heat from beekeepers about pesticide labelling and regulation, but here's one thing it appears to have gotten right.
WASHINGTON – The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, a producer of pesticides for commercial and consumer lawn and garden uses, was sentenced today in federal district court in Columbus, Ohio, to pay a $4 million fine and perform community service for eleven criminal violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), which governs the manufacture, distribution, and sale of pesticides. Scotts pleaded guilty in February 2012 to illegally applying insecticides to its wild bird food products that are toxic to birds, falsifying pesticide registration documents, distributing pesticides with misleading and unapproved labels, and distributing unregistered pesticides. This is the largest criminal penalty under FIFRA to date.
In a separate civil agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Scotts agreed to pay more than $6 million in penalties and spend $2 million on environmental projects to resolves additional civil pesticide violations. The violations include distributing or selling unregistered, canceled, or misbranded pesticides, including products with inadequate warnings or cautions. This is the largest civil settlement under FIFRA to date.
“The misuse or mislabeling of pesticide products can cause serious illness in humans and be toxic to wildlife,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Today’s sentence and unprecedented civil settlement hold Scotts accountable for widespread company noncompliance with pesticide laws, which put products into the hands of consumers without the proper authorization or warning labels.”
CONTACT: Enesta Jones, jones.enesta@epa.gov phone: 202-564-7873
Catch The Buzz is scratching its head over the estimated size of the corn crop. How is it that in the face of a serious drought the U.S. is expected to enjoy its eighth-largest corn crop in history. Meanwhile the global crop is estimated to be the second largest in history. I agree with Editor Flottum, “
go figure.”
Eighty-five copies of
Storey's Guide to Honey Keeping Honey Bees were sold on amazon.com from July 16, 2012 to September 9, 2012.
check out the selected links in
September 2012 ranging from GMO labelling to uses of RNAi. See what's new at the
Extension Bee Health site.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Gleanings from the September, 2012 Bee Culture:
Remember that Bee Culture now has a
digital edition.
Paul and Linda Hendricks complain about an article in an online journal concerning
pesticide application. They might be happy with the EPA ruling listed elsewhere in this newsletter.
Bee Culture is looking for the best, baddest honey bee tattoo. Look for those sent in to show up in the yearly calendar. Jamie Dehner, Point Roberts, WA describes his saga moving bees by light aircraft, the only way to get them to his residence. Alan Buckley, Portola Valley, CA is trying to figure outwhy his bees have been disappearing since 1987. CCD? That's the same year Varroa was introduced into the U.S. in both Florida and Wisconsin. Hmmm? Jeanne Hansen says readers should lighten up regarding the August Bee Culture cover. Humor it seems is in the eye of the beholder. Norris Child, Walnut Creek reveals his strategy in providing water for his bees.
Laura Tyler reviews Rachel Carson's book, "Silent Spring," 50 years on. Ms. Carson's conclusion, “a great and real harm has been done,” is still valid today. See more about this remarkable woman at
Wikipedia.org.
Editor Flottum visits Randy Oliver in California, who runs over a thousand colonies of bees and does
research in his spare time. How dangerous might corn be to honey bees? Editor Flottum asks. Turns out each and every seed for corn (and many other crops) is coated with a “witches brew” of contact systemic pesticides. Read what this might mean for
honey bee health.
Kathy Summers goes to the Medina county fair along with the local bee club and travels with Editor Flottum to EAS in Vermont. Look for a report next month.
Clarence Collison and Audrey Sheridan take a closer look at the effect of the new nosema (Nosema ceranae) on drones and queens. One paradoxical finding; total antioxidant capacity and queen mandibular pheromones were significantly increased in Nosema-infected queens. See more about the early history of
Nosema ceranae and its
current status.
A reprint of the article on the
Extension Bee Health site on neonicotinoid-seed-treatments-and-honey-bee-health reveals a more in-depth analysis of the situation. Share it with those in your club who don't have Internet access.
Alan Harman examines the
U.S. Drought Monitor with reference to beekeeping. He concludes: “It's not only the survival of the bees we have to worry about; it's the survival of the planet.” Hmmm! sounds like he's allied with (or been co-opted?) by the climate change crowd.
Larry Connor takes on mentoring. This is perhaps more important in beekeeping than most other animal husbandry. Read what he says about fees, scholarships, etc. and the fact that most successful clubs have a program of this nature.
Jim Tew is still trying to figure out Varroa mites. Nobody has yet to completely understand all the effects this critter has on a honey bee colony. Jim provides some nice tips on detecting the mite and attempting to figure out its population in a beehive. Most intriguing is his statement, “Strangely, doing nothing is a viable option.”
Una Robertson celebrates 100 years and counting for the Scottish Beekeepers' Association. Read the genesis of this group and what have been its successes, especially its Moir Library and newsletter, The Scottish Beekeeper, which is still in publication. Become a member by sending in dues of 30Lb (US$48)/ year . More than few U.S. associations are also approaching or exceeded their centenary.
Ross Contrad begins a series on what you can learn from honey bees. Read how he progressed from concentrating on himself to the concerns for honey bees.
Dan Conlon moves to his third article in a series on planning a beekeeping business. Read what he says about managing growth and increasing revenue. Most importantly he takes on one of the industry's most challenging areas, “negotiating (setting) prices.”
Dewey Caron urges beekeepers to plan their commercial pollination activities. Read his analysis for both east and west coast, each having a specific environment. Finally, he recommends anyone wanting to get into pollination for read Editor Flottum's book “
Better Beekeeping.”
Those keeping bees in cold (temperate) lands should read three articles in this month's Bee Culture on wintering. Honey Bee Candy (Donald Studinski - Colorado), Overwintering in Severe Climates (Robert Helmacy – Northeast Pennsylvania), and Year Round Insulation (Robert Williams – Northern Michigan).
Walt Dahlfren designs “The Walt.” His motto: "to work and love the bees." Read how this light weight bee vacuum is just the ticket for removals and swarms.
Ann Harman continues her series on master beekeeper programs. Surprise! There isn't much uniformity although the idea is similar; train beekeepers in the best way possible and send them out to teach others.
Connie Krochmal says hollies are the most reliable bee plants. See her listing, which includes Florida's famous gallberry plant (Ilex glabra).
In all the news that fits read about the buses in Denver with honey bee billboards, beekeeper extraordinaire Tom Cashman, and the Farm Service Agency accepting pollinator habitats in its
reserve program.
On the bottom board, Ed Colby looks at his neighborhood's honey bee population. Read why Aspen Mountain in Colorado still feels like the “frontier” to him.
Finally, check out Bee Culture's bees and beekeeping
forum. Register and login to join the conversation
Sincerely,
Malcolm T. Sanford
beeactor@apisenterprises.com
http://apis.shorturl.com
Bee sure to subscribe to
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.
