Apis Newsletter September 24, 2014

 

Dear Subscribers, 

 

The Apis newsletter is delayed this month due to my attendance at the Western Apicultural Society's meeting, just concluded at the University of Montana , Missoula, MT, which not only hosted the event, but put on a honey festival.  To much cannot be said about this convention, billed by the organizers as “Not your Grandfather's Bee Conference.”  Several attendees considered it one the best one they have ever attended.  You can see the lineup in the August issue  of this newsletter.  No doubt we will be hearing much more about this event in the near future.  

 

Editor Kim Flottum and co-editor Kathy were on hand in Missoula, and we are promised something on the Bee Culture  blog  fairly soon.  Bee Culture sponsored the kickoff event, The 2nd International Workshop on Hive and Bee Monitoring, by plumping for refreshments at the breaks and a down-home meal for speakers at Ekstrom's Stage Station .  Thanks Bee Culture!

 

A major topic of the monitoring workshop was the use of scale hives.  Wayne Esaias, recently retired from the NASA Goddard Sapce Flight Center, has perhaps had the most press exposure with his honeybeenet initiative , which he created in an effort to provide beekeepers and others evidence of climate change's impact on the honey bee plants.  A description of this work was published in NASA's Sensing Our Planet Series (2010).  Unfortunately, the future of this work is in doubt with retirement of Mr. Esaias.  It appears at least some of this effort will be taken up by the University of Maryland's sentinel hive project, which is using crowd funding.  Potential citizen scientists are being asked to raise $10,000 by Oct. 22 to fund a pilot program of 10 Sentinel Hives with pollen and disease monitoring. Money raised will fund extra Sentinel Hives.   As an incentive any $2,000 donation receives a talk by Dr. Dennis vanEngelsdorp  at the University of Maryland.  A $2,000 donation will fund a dual hive system and two years of monitoring.  "Bee Culture Magazine" and The Medina, Ohio County Beekeepers are kicking in $2,000.00. Now's your chance to get involved according to editor Flottum, who urges folks to check out the web page and make a donation.  

 

Climate change is starting to enter the  conversation mainstream.  This was brought home in Missoula during the WAS meeting where the topic was brought up numerous times as part of the ongoing  discussion on honey bee decline issues, and continues with the current United Nations summit on climate change.  I was just handed a copy of The Watchtower, which concludes: “The earth is far too precious to end up in environmental bankruptcy.”  It also quotes Ghandi as saying, “Earth provides enough the satisfy every man's need but not for every man's greed.”  A Catch the Buzz  provides further evidence that the U.S. is paying much more attention to this issue than in the past.

 

A paper in the "New Scientist" provides an analysis of why climate change is such a controversial and problematic issue.  Some points are worth quoting here:   

“Strongly held values can explain the convictions of those at the ends of the political spectrum, but they do not adequately explain the apparent indifference of the large majority in between. If asked, most agree that climate change is a serious threat, but without prompting they do not volunteer it.

 

“This silence is similar to that found around human rights abuses, argued the late Stanley Cohen, a sociologist at the London School of Economics. He suggested that we know very well what is happening but 'enter into unwritten agreements about what can be publicly remembered and acknowledged '

 

“Our response to climate change is uncannily similar to an even more universal disavowal: unwillingness to face our own mortality, says neuroscientist Janis Dickinson of Cornell University in New York. She argues that overt images of death and decay along with the deeper implications of societal decline and collapse are powerful triggers for denial of mortality.

 

“There is a great deal of research showing that people respond to reminders of death with aggressive assertion of their own group identity. Dickinson argues that political polarisation and angry denial found around climate change is consistent with this 'terror management theory'.  Again, there is a complex relationship between our psychology and the narratives that we construct to make sense of climate change.

 

“For all of these reasons, it is a mistake to assume that the scientific evidence of climate change will flow directly into action – or, conversely, that climate denial can be dismissed as mere misinformation. The systems that govern our attitudes are just as complex as those that govern energy and carbon, and just as subject to feedbacks that exaggerate small differences between people. The problem itself is far from perfect and the situation is not hopeless, but dealing with it will require a more sophisticated analysis of human cognition and the role of socially shared values in building conviction.”

 

As part of my trip to WAS, I also visited Spokane, Washington, where my nephew resides.  It's just down the road from Missoula and the real tourist rockstar of the region, Coeur de Alene, Idaho.  I signed copies of my book  at a storied location in Spokane, Auntie's Bookstore  and hitched a ride to the event with Ari Alvarez of  BeeManiacs.

 

Thanks to Jessica Pellien at Princeton Press for sending a copy of “The Bee: A Natural History.”  Written for a wide public interested in bees, not necessarily beekeepers, this volume has a lot going for it.  Topics include chapters on Evolution and Development, Society and Behavior, and the rich history of the relationship between Bees and Humans.  It contains subjects not often found in bee books, including research efforts, urban beekeeping, modern farming affecting honey bees, andhuman traditional fear of these beneficial insects..  The most spectacular section of the book is A Directory of Bees, filled with large color photos of the major groups of these insects including: solitary bees, bumble bees, stingless bees and honey bees.  This also caught the eye of other reviewers.

 

The author is Noah Wilson-Rich, Ph.D., Founder & Chief Scientific Officer of The Best Bees Company , a beekeeping service and research organization based in Boston's South End.  The firm delivers and installs honey bee hives for residents and businesses throughout southern New England and the greater NYC area, and currently manages about 350 beehives in rural, suburban, and urban habitats.  See Dr. Rich's TED talk on urban beekeeping.  He is currently on a book tour around the country bringing the message of bees and beekeeping to many who otherwise would have no knowledge of these important insects.  

 

Loyal reader Dr. Medhat Nasr , Alberta, Canada's Provincial Apiarist, who also runs the Pest Surveillance Branch of Alberta Agriculture & Rural Development in Edmonton was also present in Missoula. He delivered a presentation on Canadian beekeeping that had little of the doom and gloom in it found in many recent Internet postings.   He suggested that I look at Peter Lorin Borst's discussion of “The Rise of the Honey Bee” as part of last month's discussion on honey bee losses and their causes.  Fortunately, Mr. Borst agreed to let me link to his paper, which provides historical evidence and perspective concerning honey bee decline over the years.

 

Thanks to Joe Traynor for calling my attention to the August 25 New Yorker's article entitled 

“Seeds of Doubt.”    This is a remarkable piece, which is mandatory reading by anyone interested in genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).  As a background, I wrote a series of articles on GMOs and honey bees way back in 2003.

 

The International Bee Research Organization is looking for a new editor of its journal “Bee World.”  Contact Norman Carreck for further information: e-mail: norman.carreck@btinternet.com

 

Comments on the Federal Honey Standard have been extended for 30 days according to a Catch the Buzz.  Respondents  are requested to describe how a Federal standard of identity for honey would be in the interest of consumers, the honey industry, and U.S. agriculture.  “Comments received from this notice will be utilized in the preparation of a report from the Secretary of Agriculture to the Commissioner of Food and Drugs describing how a Federal standard of identity for honey would be in the interest of consumers, the honey industry, and U.S.agriculture.”  If this initiative succeeds and a federal standard is adopted, thanks are due to Florida beekeeper Nancy Gentry, who has tirelessly campaigned for this over a period of years

 

 

As always, see the latest on bee extension efforts at the Bee Health Extension site.   There's an in-depth story on viruses and Varroa mites that is required reading for every beekeeper. 

 

Amazon.com reports 63 units of Storey's Guide to Honey Bees  were sold from August 18 to September 14, 2014.  Houston, New York and Pittsburg led the way. 

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Gleanings from the September 2014  Bee Culture: 

 

Remember that Bee Culture now has a digital edition.  Also, it's worth periodically checking out the new web site  for the magazine as it matures and develops.

 

Jeremy Barnes, Seven Valleys, PA says TV and reporters are not necessarily “problems waiting to happen,” and shouldn't be characterized as such.  Pamela Smith of North Carolina says keep on keeping on with the chicken articles.  A ticked-off beekeeper in Ohio urges Florida beekeepers to go home and take their “dirty Florida” genes with them.  Ken Wantuch, Sophia, NC says a better leguminous bee tree than mimosa, considered an invasive in many areas, is the native eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis).  Hugh Loing, Newton, KS asks those visiting Colorado to be sure to look up the native Apis in the fossil record (35 million years ago and now extinct), as a case of a resilient insect that will prevail despite the efforts of humanity to destroy it.  Robert McCAll, Pelzea, SC says the Perry Correctional institute is in trouble, but he continues to collect books for the program.  Florida , Texas, Oregon and several other states  also have similar programs.  This is a good project for many bee clubs to consider.

 

What's new for September are eliza tests for oxytetracycline (Terramycin) and other materials, A one-person hive lifter ($50 from lballard@ntelos.net, the Freeman Pull Over Bee Jacket http://freemanbeetletrap.com/, and three books: “The New Honey Revolution” by Ron Fessenden,  Beekeeping on Two Fronts 1914-1918” by Stewart Ching and “Understanding Bee Anatomy” by Ian Stell. 

 

Editor Flottum in the Inner Cover attempts to look at the debate concerning honey bees  and pesticides from the perspective of a reformed “nozzle head.”  Check out his perspective and why he suggests being careful what you wish for.

 

Kathy in “It's Summers Time,” describes a “party on the deck” with a bunch of critters not usually associated with such an event, and her recent attendance at the Medina County Fair.  She says it's remarkable that the latter event hasn't changed much over the years and is still the highlight of the summer.

 

Clarence Collison  takes a closer look at requeening and queen acceptance.  Read why the former is one of the beekeeper's most difficult tasks.

 

Jennifer Berry looks at the science of pathogens.  Read how density, virulence and transmission all affect the eventual outcome of being infected with any pathogen (virus, bacterium, other micro-organisms).  This  is  a prelude to  next month's story about a recent research project at the University of Georgia looking at virulence of Varroa mites.

 

Larry Connor prepares for a beekeeping course.  Read about his efforts to plan, prepare and present the course in a “part one” article to be continued in future issues of the magazine.

 

Ginger Davidson looks at quality queens and a four-state collaboration to produce them.  The resultant Honey Bee Breeders Cooperative (HHBBC) met at Purdue University to get started.  Read about the challenges of this initiative.

 

Ross Conrad discusses a recent Friends of the Earth report, which seeks to show how tobacco-style tactics used to deflect blame are increasingly being used by large agricultural corporations with reference to pesticides.  He provides  a compelling case.  Read why and what he suggests beekeepers and others do about it.

 

M.E.A. McNeil writes a more nuanced article on the topics above.  She describes the feelings and musings of a number of people of different persuasions about the recent Presidential Memorandum – Creating a Federal Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators signed on June 20, 2014.  Scientists, beekeepers, farmers and others are part of this ground-breaking effort.  

 

Phil Craft continues to answer questions from around the country.  Read about Epipen use in New York, supering colonies in Connecticut, and swarming in Kentucky.  

 

Mike Palmer describes “A Better Way,” to manage bees using nuclei.  Read his story and how it came to him on night  that bees could be managed differently than in the past with superior results.

 

Jim Tew appears to have also found a better way of beekeeping.  And it is eerily similar to Mr. Palmer's.  Read how small, healthy colonies help him enjoy beekeeping.

 

Ann Harman details the seven (7) handlings of honey for small-scale beekeepers.  Read about the math involved and how precise it must be to determine what the market value of the crop its.

 

Cory Collins says Newfoundland in eastern Canada is an “island of opportunity” for a lot of agriculture, including honey bees.  Read why this is so.

Jessic Louque looks at the bigger picture by having a pollen analysis run on her colonies.  Read what was found and might mean for her operation.

 

Connie Krochmal examines the bonesets and related wildflowers for honey bees.  There are quite a few of these fall-flowering plants around in different parts of the country.

 

Jack Blackford urges readers to wake up their chilihead.  He's gone mad over chili peppers it seems, even making mead out of them.  Read about chili roasting and all the things he does with roasted  peppers.

 

Toni Burnham warns beekeeepers to be afraid of two-legged bears (humans!).  These are more prevalent in the urban setting and require a different strategy than the four-legged kind.  

 

In “The Bottom Board” Ed Colby talks about firefighters losing their lives on King Mountain, a man buried in the ice whom no one claims, seeing Bee Culture's Jim Tew at a Colorado bee meeting, and getting hustled in pool.  The last was by the American  Honey queen, Susannah Austin!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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