We are waiting on colder weather, our first hard frost Although the extreme drought is broken, this is traditionally the dry season in North Central Florida so we don't expect much moisture until the Spring. One thing still hard for me to get used to is the possibility of pollen becoming available as early as January if it doesn't get too cold. The problem is that extreme cold or warmth is becoming harder and harder to predict as a beekeeper in this neck of the woods.
Superstorm Sandy just brushed us as it skirted up the eastern shore, taking a sharp westward turn toward New Jersey, meeting up with a nor'easter. What an incredible event. There are number of beekeepers in New York and New Jersey. I wonder how they fared. Florida again escaped a hit as the Hurricane season at last appears to be over.
I am helping a fellow here who has a couple of hives. We treated the weak one with Apiguard and are leaving the stronger one alone without treatment to see what happens. We did not do mite counts, but routine examination shows no deformed bees or evidence of mites. Both made a super of really nice honey last season. I say in my
book that beekeepers should start with two (2) hives for several reasons, including having possible resources to perhaps aid a weak or failing colony and/or to allow some kind of comparison at a single apiary site. This is proving good advice here in Gainesville at the moment for us.
The Florida State Beekeepers Association met in Tampa for its convention on November 1,2 and 3. The featured speaker was Diana Sammataro who gave three (3) talks to about 150 participants .
Diana is well known for her book now in its 4th Edition, The Beekeepers Handbook,” and a newer publication on
Honey Bee Colony Health. We had a surprise visit from Dr. David DeJong and group of Brazilian beekeepers in Tampa as well. The biggest issue at the moment for many members of the Florida State Beekeepers Association is a shift in interpreting the regulations when it comes to honey bee removals from simply “bee management” to “pest control.”
“Agricultural Environmental Services (AES) announced they will begin enforcing Florida Statutes pertaining to feral Honey Bee removals. This has become a hot topic since July 30th. AES and the Florida Pest Management Association (FPMA) are willing to go along with a plan to allow beekeepers to perform LIVE feral Honey Bee removals using a Limited Use Certification, similar to wildlife trappers. Beekeepers may not use pesticides. At a meeting on September 14th in Ft. Myers, FSBA, IFAS, Apiary, AES and FPMA developed a DRAFT document to provide preliminary language to begin this Limited Use Certificate. This new "rough draft" language is by no means to be considered final and is and will undergo changes in order to meet the approval of FDACS legal department and the requirements of the FL Legislature and Pass. The earliest possible date to become law is July 1, 2013.”
Dr. Jamie Ellis and crew at the University of Florida are gearing up for the first ever
Caribbean Beekeeping College, January 2,3,4 St. George's University in Grenada. This ought to be a prime event. Anyone near the region should consider attending.
Australia's Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation has published a new book on pollination, written by well-known New Zealand researcher Mark Goodwin.
Pollination of Crops in Australia and New Zealand looks to be the “down under” equivalent of
Agriculture Handbook 496 by S.E. McGregor, now out of print. It's available for free as a .pdf download.
Researchers have discovered that honey bees can
bite as well as sting and that the bite contains a natural anaesthetic. The anaesthetic may not only help honey bees fend off pests such as wax moth and the parasitic varroa mite, but it also has great potential for use in human medicine.
Editor Flottum has published a
Catch the Buzz that reports a concern about urban beekeeping that so far has been under the radar. Is it possible all the interest in beekeeping is creating places that might be over stocked and therefore lacking in resources for honey bees
The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has developed a beekeeping exchange group to share experiences among beekeepers and others. Turns out there's a pretty big initiative that seeks to look at apiculture as part of what is being called
REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation)
Randy Oliver is
looking for a few good treatment-free beekeepers to collect data on the actual mite levels in their hives over the course of the year? Another citizen-science initiative in the making.
The Bee Health CAP has new Content Manager and Content Management Board representative. Philip Moore, a graduate student under the direction of Dr. John Skinner, will now address the technical needs of the
Bee Health CAP. Philip has experience in website design and has worked in our bee program here at the University of Tennessee for ~2 yrs and states the following:
"I have served in the Content Manager role for the past 4 years and am now going to be working on the computing needs of the Bee Informed Partnership, a USDA-NIFA project that many of you also participate in. I will still be involved in eXtension.org and its other funding sources peripherally, but will primarily focus on the BIP."
Philip Moore can be reached at pmoore17@utk.edu . Dr. John Skinner (the CoP lead) can be reached at jskinner@utk.edu. Please feel free to contact either Dr. Skinner or Philip Moore about adding or updating Bee Health information on eXtension.org Check out the latest at the site on Varroa mite reproductive biology by Zachary Wang.
Amitraz as a Section 18 is being applied for in Florida: This follows the example of South Dakota, reported in a
Catch The Buzz , which received a specific exemption under the provision of section 18 of FIFRA for the use of Apivar – Amitraz in a 3.33% formulation in plastic strip form – subject to conditions and restrictions. It has its opportunities and problems it seems. See the CAP article in this issue of Bee Culture.
The 43rd Apimondia Congress Scientific Program BEYOND THE HIVE: BEEKEEPING AND GLOBAL CHALLENGES announces the opening of the
paper registration for the Scientific Conference that is going to take place during Apimondia Congress 2013. "In today’s dynamic and globalized world, beekeeping science must reach beyond the narrow scope of our field and take as active part as possible in searching for ways to solve the key problems facing humanity today.
"During this Conference we will have a chance to think together how we can use the miraculous power of the bee family and its products to make our world better. Through our joint scientific work, we will draft official proposals of cooperation between the world beekeeping community and the United Nations. The content of the open letter will be discussed at the round table, which will end the Scientific Conference. Scientific Program Commissions include: Beekeeping Economy, Bee Biology, Bee Health,Pollination and Bee Flora, Beekeeping Technology and Quality, Apitherapy and Beekeeping for Rural Development." Abstract submissions deadline: February 13th, 2013.
The following is
reported in the American Bee Journal: USDA Strengthens Organic Integrity Through Residue Testing. "While testing has always been a part of organic product oversight and is required by the Organic Foods Production Act, today's action specifies the minimum amount of testing that must occur.
"This additional testing will help certifying agents identify and take enforcement action against farms and businesses intentionally using prohibited substances or methods.
"Certifying agents may test USDA organic farms and processors across the United States and throughout the world for any prohibited substances and methods, including:
Prohibited pesticides - possible target list
Arsenic or other contaminant metals
Genetic engineering - GMO policy
Synthetic hormones
Antibiotics, except in organic apple and pear production per USDA organic regulations
This increased oversight will increase consumer confidence in organic products worldwide, supporting continued growth of the $32 billion organic industry in the United States.
Check out the selected links in November 2012 from
publish2.com ranging from what we might learn about elections from insect and other animal behavior, genes that protect honey bees from mites and the challenges of urban beekeeping.
Again, see what's new at the
Extension Bee Health site.
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Gleanings from the November, 2012 Bee Culture:
Remember that Bee Culture now has a
digital edition.
Rose Lee, Atchison, KS thanks Bee Culture for its May 2005 cover; that got her into beekeeping, resulting in a first place wax art design at the Kansas State Fair. Jim Cowan, Aberdeen, WA provides his own recipe for “curing AFB.” Gary Cook, gacook4@juno.com in Utah provides his own analysis on planting for honey bees paying its way. Norris Childs, Walnut Creek, CA wonders why bees are licking the leaves of his watering device. Bob O'Neil, Clinton, NY writes that he enjoys catching swarms in his swarm catcher (picture provided). Lonnie Larson, Huntley, MT reports on his experiences with pesticide kills on his bees. Finally, Jeff Singletary, Lebanon, TN complains that Rachel Carson's Silent Spring was more ideology than science. Read Editor Flottum's spirited reply.
Northern Bee Books has published Toge and M.P. Johansson's book,
Apicultural Literature Published in Canada and The United States, “
baitable beetle jail" , and a video,
The Quest for Local Honey
top the list as possible gifts for beekeepers this season.
Editor Flottum looks at the history and current state of bee inspection in Ohio. There's mandatory registration in Ohio, along with apiary identification. Read about a visit from bee inspector Dustin. The CAP article is something not to bee missed in this Bee Culture he says. I say amen to the quote from Pogo, “we have met the enemy and it is us.” Editor Flottum goes into the hospital for one of those eternal medical “procedures” that affects a lot of us at a “certain age.” We trust he won't bee gone long and will return to his useful duties soon,
Kathy Summers reflects on Fall in Ohio and preparations for wintering both the chickens and the bees. Bottling honey around the fire on snow-covered mornings is just around the corner.
Clarence Collison and Audrey Sheridan take a closer look at those drifting males. There's a bunch of literature on this. Read the most important thing about drone drifting; its consequence(s).
Sara Ashcraft, et. al. provide the latest CAP (Managed Pollinator Coordinated Agriculture Project) discussed by Editor Flottum in his inner cover piece. The results are pretty clear; chemicals are not the answer. Read specifically about the troublesome active ingredient amitraz's checkered history. Does that make the recent granting of a section 18 Emergency Label for this active ingredient questionable?
M.E.A. Mcneil visits
Z Specialty Food. Read the history of the place and its current activities.
Larry Connor delivers his 6th in a series on teaching beekeeping. Read what he says about swarms, packages and nucleus colonies. Also see his analysis of the question: Is the honey bee domesticated?
Jennifer Berry pays a visit to Gormanston. Read how these Irish folks really know how to put on a bee meeting complete with good food, drink and music.
Jim Tew continues “Living on the Edge” with a discussion of his grandkids and honey bees. Read about how he's going about introducing the youngsters to honey bees and stinging insects.
Jessica Lawrence takes us “outside the box of beekeeping.” Read what a wannabe homesteader does to get ready for winter. She doesn't state her location, but it must be the midwest somewhere. There are offices where she works in
Eurofins in Minneapolis, Ohio, as far east as Denver and South as Atlanta and the Northeast seaboard.
Melanie Kirby discusses survivor queens;read how they are “Father Time Tested; Mother Nature Approved. There's a larger and larger population of survivor queens appearing over time. Check out the new
website dedicated to this initiative. Ooops it's not up yet, but this one is
http://survivorstockqueens.org/
Toni Burnham continues her discussion of honey bees “Downtown.” Read her take on many urban beekeepers' experiences with neighbors. It's worth stating over and over; it pays to be the best of neighbors as a beekeeper. Anything less is asking for trouble.
Connie Krochmal loves legumes. So do honey bees. Read about the large variety of these plants and how they make a difference in both the vegetable and animal world.
Judith Adamson says Michael Thiele is a “different kind of beekeeper.” His story is found at
http://gaiabees.com/ Read about his alternative “golden hive,” some were between Langstroth (standard) and Kenya Top Bar.
Ross Conrad discovered crowd funding somewhat by accident, but has become a fan it seems. Read his experience and when your ready, navigate over to Three Revolutions to view the possibilities: http://threerevolutions.com to begin your own campaign.
Ann Harman finishes up her series on Master Beekeeping Programs. Read Part 4, which provides ideas on starting a program in your area.
In All the News That Fits, read about Heartwood cypress buying Freeman beetle trap rights, the obituary of Audrey Kathleen “Katy” Killion, the grand old dame of that family. Also find out how Tanzania sees beekeeping as a way out of poverty and what's in store for those going to Hershey, PA for the American Beekeeping Federation's
next convention, January 8-12, 2013.
Ed Colby on the Bottom Board ruminates about mite sampling. He cautions he's not an expert. Nobody is!
Sincerely,
Malcolm T. Sanford
beeactor@apisenterprises.com
http://apis.shorturl.com
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