Dear Subscribers,
The gallberry flow appears to be over now in North Central Florida and we wait expectantly for some minor ones to perhaps occur. If not, then the bees enter a dangerous time as their population ebbs somewhat, while no doubt that of their nemeses, Varroa and small hive beetle, will increase. This sets the bees up for a potentially grim summer. Beekeepers must now consider whether to let their colonies weather this themselves, or will an intervention be necessary either by making up nuclei and/or perhaps introducing new queens into the mix in anticipation of a late summer/fall flow.
Meanwhile the
first tropical storm of the season drenched us as it moved up the Eastern seaboard. The biggest issues were downed trees and high winds, with some tornadoes. Beekeepers with colonies in low-lying areas were most at risk. We now cock our eye to tropics each successive day until the season officially ends in November.
The Economist magazine (May 18, 2013) discusses publication of psychiatry's recent update of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (
DSM) : It says that “No other major branch of medicine has such a single text, with so much power over people's lives. And that is worrying because in no other branch of medicine is the scientifically reality underpinning the pronouncements of doctors so uncertain.”
It appears we know a lot about nerve cells, but little about how the brain works. This forces psychiatrists to use behavior patterns as “proxies for underlying problems. Such patterns are “too often a matter of opinion” rather than statistically rigorous facts.
The DSM gives names like “disruptive mood dysregulation disorder” to temper tantrums and “binge eating disorder” to those who tend to overeat. The article concludes that “diagnosis frequently leads to prescription, and lots of pills are thus being popped by people whose need to take them is, to say the least, questionable.”
Looking at this, one might easily insert “beekeepers and researchers” into the slots now occupied by “psychiatrists and physicians” and substitute the now infamous “colony collapse disorder” (CCD) in honey bees for some conditions found in the DSM. Beekeepers it seems are not alone when it comes to the Bard's famous line, “
What's in a name?”
in the March/April 2013 issue of "
From the UC Apiaries," Dr. Eric Mussen has produced some good information on several topics, including products like Linkomix and BroodBoost. Note the report on Dr. Mussen's various awards in this month's issue of Bee Culture.
He concludes perhaps more important this time of year is advice from a reader of the newsletter on how to monitor yourself for heat exhaustion, which can be a
precursor to heat stroke. The suggestion was to pay attention to your ears when you work in the heat and sun. If you can hear your heartbeat exceeding 120 to 140 beats per minute, it is time to back off and cool off.
It seemed the writer equated this approach to the railroad warning: “Stop, look, and listen.” Stop for short rests when sweating, look at the work (to see if you can recall what you were doing and that it is being done properly), and listen for your heartbeat. Runners routinely do this mostly by monitoring pulse rate. No need to count/listen for a whole minute. Just take a 10-second measurement and multiply by 6.
Thanks to Joe Traynor for sharing his
newsletter with me. You won't find it in other places and it's worth a look. Read about how the almond forecast is shaping up for next season and how science is often trumped by politics and noise making, rather than hard facts.
The organizers of the 43 edition of Apimondia are ramping up their publicity. In September many of the world's beekeepers will meet in Ukraine. From the latest advisory by the organizing committee, “The Congress in Ukraine provides opportunity for fruitful cooperation for the beekeeping sector professionals of different countries and professionals of related areas, namely horticulture, ecology, environmental protection, food quality control, development and manufacture of modern means of mechanization, latest equipment and packaging, etc.
“...companies of Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Mexico, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovak Republic, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK, Ukraine, the USA have confirmed their participation in the International Exhibition ApiExpo 2013 to be held within the framework of the Congress.” For more information you can visit the
official website. As Bee Culture's “man in Kiev,” I plan to be reporting from the scene via
my blog.
A
Catch the Buzz reveals that finally there may be some movement on the labeling of genetically modified food. Editor Flottum says that “nearly half of the nation’s state legislatures, according to the Center for Food Safety, have seen bills introduced to require manufacturers to label foods containing genetically modified or genetically engineered products.” The reminds me of the honey standard situation, where many in the beekeeping industry have insisted state legislatures pass a standard in an effort to finally bring the FDA around to establishing a national one. This is a work still in progress.
Project Apis m has established a bee health initiative in conjunction with Costco Corporation and is searching for a Ph.D. - level candidate. “The purpose of the Costco Scholar Program is to ensure the continuity of honey bee health scientists and specialties in the academic and research world. It also intends to develop and contribute to sustainability of the beekeeping industry and assure its future contributions to agriculture, where many crops depend upon pollination for success. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are, or will be, pursuing research-based doctoral degrees in fields within the Project Apis m. mission of enhancing colony health while improving crop production. Beyond this, the Project is also searching for funding some vitally needed study as noted in its
June 2013 newsletter.
I have again selected a
few topics this month with respective links:
Rare Cornish black honeybee found to resist colony collapse virus (Wired UK), Honey bees to share SeaTac flight path, a Robotic Bee Just Took Flight, To Pollinate Crops And (Maybe) Spy On You, Honey's Hidden Helper, Two Alberta honey producers fined for unregistered pest control,
Amazon.com reports 63 units of
Storey's Guide to Keeping Honey Bees sold from May 6, 2013 - June 2, 2013 . Most were bought in Spokane, WA and Bringtn, VT and Plattsburgh, NY.
As always, see the latest on bee health at the
Extension Bee Health Site.
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Gleanings from the June 2013 Bee Culture:
Remember that Bee Culture now has a
digital edition.
Karen Brin, Denver, CO writes folks should take declining bee populations more seriously. Steve Bamford thanks M.E.A McNeil for her history of the Land Grant system. Andrew Thiessen, Charlotte, NC provides his own sugar syrup making technology. Laurel Beardsley thanks Ross Conrad for his treatment of bee losses and hopes this will provide a wider discussion about diseases/pests and their treatments. Jim Cowan reports on efforts to revive a “thought dead” colony. Adrian Juttner, Abita Springs, AL complains about federal efforts to control greening in his state via pesticide use, which has taken a toll on his bees. Erik Osterlund writes from Sweden that he likes Edito Flottum's Inner Cover with just the right amount of “humor” and “irony.”
If you don't get Editor Flottum's Buzz in your e-mail inbox, you have missed a lot. Fortunately, you can catch up at
ezezine.com And by the way, you can also see back of issues of
this newsletter on the same server.
Editor Flottum on the Inner Cover takes closer look at the recent events associated with the huge honey smuggling efforts perpetrated by just a few outfits have distorted the global sweetener market for almost a decade. Read what this has meant to beekeepers in almost every country in the world. He also recently attended the British Beekeepers Association spring convention. Read about the growing pains in that organization, in a way mirroring what his happening in the U.S. Finally his take on corn production, generally for use as a subsidized fuel, should help beekeepers understand where a lot of bee forage has gone.
In “It's Summers Time,” Kathy describes the trip to the UK described by Kim in his column, followed by a journey California. Read about her arrival back home and the package bees that awaited.
Alan Harman looks closely at the class action lawsuit against Chinese honey Smuggling. There's a lot to digest here as it has been going on a long time.
Clarence Collison and Audrey Sheridan take a closer look at navigation, learning and memory in honey bees. Read how sophisticated this is for such a small brain; one solution, use the group (social insects) to ameliorate some of the risks.
Jay Yoder and colleagues look at North Carolina's Blue Honey. Read why they don't think it's honeydew and how mold levels are important but are not responsible for the dark color.
Michael Johnson and M. Griggs continue with part two (2) of their article comparing trees and bees. Read about predisposing, inciting and contributing factors and how they operate when looking at diseases and pathogens in both kinds of organisms.
Larry Connor says developing a business plan is important in many arenas, including beekeeping. Read about the nuts and bolts of developing this kind of instrument and how it helps maintain focus.
Jim Tew has collected swarms over many years. Read about the changes he's seen, not only in swarm retrieval, but in hunting arrow points (heads). Both it seems give him an adrenalin rush.
Jessica Daily looks at the nuts and bolts of setting up a Facebook page. Read why this is important and how to grow your following.
Toni Burnham looks gives a few suggestions on finding the “right” spot for bee colonies. Read about the use of so-called “wastelands,” and the “Craigslist approach,” to amplify opportunities.
Wendy Mather describes Brent Bloodworth's beekeeping philosophy as a combination of nutrition and mite control. Read about the use of formic acid quick strips as a Varroa control. This works well in a migratory operation in the midwest, sending bees to California each Spring.
Jim Thompson continues his description of various glass jars. Read about those associated with honey, but also some that hold fragrances, lotions and even beverages, some quite valuable.
Roseanne Purvis reveals what happened when a beekeeping hobby grew to become a business. Read this in conjunction with Dr. Connor's article on business plans.
Phil Craft continues his question and answer column, discussing small hive beetle, requeening and nosema. Read why now is the time to check for all kinds of issues once the honey flow has subsided.
Ross Conrad reflects on changes that have occurred in beekeeping just in the last six (6) years. Read his analysis of these and how they are setting the stage for even more change in the future.
Jessica Lawrence gives us an anatomy lesson in the strawberry. Read about the hypanthium and achenes that make up the fruit and how its cultivated commercially.
Ian Farber and colleagues take on an exposed nest removal in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. Read about the complexity of this operation. Also note the successful conclusion of this operation and an unspoken warning, “don't try this without a team in place.”
Ken Burrows makes a beeline for sourwood in the North Carolina piedmont. He accompanies Pat Calhoun on a round about trip through the countryside. Read where they wind up and how they get back to the “clamor and change” of the city.
Ann Harman looks back 27 years before the arrival of Varroa destructor and attempts to find what's missing. This is all part of her made up acronym, vvp (Varroa, viruses and pesticides). Read her list of what's being overlooked by bee research and more importantly what is being done about it.
Jeff Harris in his Voice of the South recounts the saga of the Thompsons and the Broke T Ranch as they transition from raising chickens to honey bees. Read about their struggles to contain pests and pathogens and selling their honey only through a local store for the highest price possible http://msbusiness.com/blog/2012/08/19/williams-brothers-general-store-is-something-to-count-on/.
In all the news that fits, we read about the EU voting to ban neonics, honey in news, Apis ceranae in Australia (OZ) and blueberry blues in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada. Finally there is the news about extension apiculturist Dr. E. Mussen at the U. of California, Davis receiving a slew of awards.
Alan Harman provides a dispassionate view of climate change. Considering the research of most meteorologists, there is unequivocal agreement that the earth is warming and the dominant reason is human activity. Read what this means to humans and honey bees.
Ed Colby on the Bottom Board describes “Marilyn's” health issues and her recent knee replacement. It turns out he's buying some bees while his partner has her leg sawed off in two places to pop in the new knee. He brought her baklava in the recovery room; she will be fine.
Sincerely,
Malcolm T. Sanford
beeactor@apisenterprises.com
http://apis.shorturl.com
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