Apis Newsletter November 20, 2014
Dear Subscribers,
November nights are cool and days mild here in Florida. Meanwhile the northern tier of states is experiencing unseasonable weather. Last year it was the “polar vortex.” This is something different, the
effects of a huge typhoon in the pacific. To those affected both were problematic at the local level. Fortunately, for us it looks so-far like a reasonable winter. That's good, because we are attempting to overwinter some nuclei, with a minimal clustering population. However, we will be facing some serious cold in the next few days. We are feeding as well, something difficult though not impossible in more northern climes.
Our most recent inspection showed an increase in hive beetles. We are employing beetle blasters, hoping they will attract some “clients” during warm periods. Thanks to Laurence
Cutts,
Florida Bee Inspector Emeritus for this innovation, who teamed up with
Gordon Claus to produce and distribute this technology, which is being well received around the world. The trap appears to sell well, even thought it has received
mixed reviews. Though inexpensive and designed as a “throw away,” the trap can also be
reused. Some of the profits are going into the
Cutts Foundation for Bee Research.
Now small hive beetle has been found in Italy, causing alarm there and as far away as the
UK. Draconian efforts are underway to try to stem the tide of this pest, but if history teaches us anything, these will probably not be enough. It looks like Coloss.org has
thrown in the towel.
Vita of Europe has begun to market beetle blasters, according to Mr
Cutts, and is also developing its own traps.
Ted talks about honey bees are getting some interest and are increasingly important in educating the public about honey bees. Two of note are by
Dr. Marla Spivak, University of Minnesota, published Sep 17, 2013 and recently
Beth Conrey, President of the
Weststern Apicultural Society, Published November 7, 2014.
Congratulations to Kirsten
Traynor, newly appointed editor for Bee World Magazine, one of the featured publications of the
International Bee Research Association. Ms.
Traynor has a distinguished
resume and appears well suited to the job. Does her picture resemble a young
Eva Crane? These are some big shoes to inhabit, so we wish all the luck to Ms
Traynor.
Periodically, I receive news about foreign sources of beekeeping information. When I was in Italy on a sabbatical, I was astounded at the number of high quality beekeeping publications available. So I was excited to see one of those is now published in English. “Aspromiele, the beekeeping association that produces L’apis, would like to reach beyond the Italian market and present L'Apis in an English version, available exclusively online, to make it usable for beekeepers around the world.
The
English version is composed of a selection of the articles considered most significant and/or with international appeal.”
Buona fortuna!
Efforts by the committee inviting
Apimondia to meet in the United States in
2019 continue. Here's the latest: "The Marketing/Communications committee is hard at work developing our communications strategy for the
Apimondia 2019 USA bid. But we need your help. Please take about 20 minutes to complete
this survey. Your responses are very important to our marketing efforts.”
Catch the Buzz
reports that a possible breakthrough is being
reporte in controlling American
foulbrood using something called a
“bacteriophage.” "...it is a great alternative to antibiotics, and it's a natural alternative because phages exist in nature on their own. The phage is self-replicating at the expense of the bacteria. It multiplies itself so there are more of them to hunt down the bacteria. Then as soon as the host is gone, the phage just disappears. After a lot of gene sequencing and analyzing, five phage candidates for honeybee treatment have been identified, cleverly named after former BYU basketball stars (
Abouo, Davies, Emery,
Jimmer1 &
Jimmer2)." The findings appear in a recent issue of high ranking biotechnology journal BMC
Genomics. See the phage
in action.
It had to happen sooner or later it seems. Australian scientists are working on a self-pollinating almond according to
Catch the Buzz. A tree in Italy was found with this trait and is the foundation for this effort. They so far are not predicting when this technology might go mainstream. If it does, look for a seismic shift in the commercial pollination industry. Now if only they can come up with a new source of water in California!
RNAi technology, developed by
Beeologics and
purchased by Monsanto is now targeting potatoes as well as the
Varroa bee mite, where it all started. “Developed by the J.R.
Simplot Company, the potato would be the only GE potato variety on the U.S. commercial market. The
Simplot potato has been genetically engineered with
RNAi technology to reduce browning by silencing the expression of one of five
polyphenol oxidase genes, which is normally highly expressed in potato tubers. This is attractive to the potato processing industry because bruised potatoes are culled for cosmetic reasons. However, bruised potatoes have not been associated with health risks.
“These potatoes are also silenced for genes affecting sugar production and the amino acid asparagine, which during frying and baking lead to the production of acrylamide, a probable carcinogen. However, it is unclear whether the observed reductions will lead to positive health outcomes, given that acrylamide is found in many other foods. In addition, fried potato products have other serious negative health effects.”
This development raises questions about many regulatory issues according to a release from the
Center for Food Safety, as well as concerns about nutrition:
“In light of the obesity crisis, there has been an important national push to discourage children and adults from eating large quantities of fried foods like french fries or chips. In creating the false illusion that fried potatoes are now healthy, the Simplot potato sends the absolute opposite message,” said Elizabeth Kucinich, policy director at CFS. “Claims of health benefits by USDA and Simplot are short sighted, misleading, and in the light of the science, could actually be potentially dangerous.”
Amazon.com reports 50 units of
Storey's Guide to Keeping Honey Bees were sold from October 13 to November 9, 2014. Denver, Co and Sacramento-Stockton, CA led the way in sales.
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Gleanings from the November 2014 Bee Culture:
Remember that Bee Culture now has a
digital edition. Also, it's worth periodically checking out the new web site http://www.beeculture.com/ for the magazine as it matures and develops.
Jim Cowan, Aberdeen, WA checks Jim Tew's math, questioning the number of honey bees one can fit into a pickup truck. Gail Damerow adds another strategy sometimes used by those trying to defend a position that is not defensible, as reported by Ross Conrad, character assassination. An anonymous post from the Bee-L network looks more carefully at the pesticide-killing-bee controversy, finding reason to speak out. Bill Tompkin has developed the “perfect bee strain.” Read the one big surprising disadvantage these have over most honey bees.
Finally Glenn Kotnik, MD, Zionsville, IN writes in response to Phil Craft's September answer concerning EpiPen use, calling it “right on.” Dr. Kotnik adds some information to Phil's, finding the use of EpiPens more than “worrisome.” Specific drawbacks include the fact that the pen is expensive, requires a prescription and periodically needs to be replaced. Turns out the prescription is fairly easy to obtain and insurance will often pay for the pen, but it's only for the beekeeper buying and using the pen on themselves. If the beekeeper uses the pen on somebody else and insurance pays for it, this is tantamount to fraud!
Dr. Kotnik, along with Phil, recommends calling 911 and waiting for trained help to arrive with a valid pen in hand. Phil concludes: “Administering prescription medication to someone for whom it has not been prescribed should always be a last resort—not a planned reaction to a sting.”
There's the rub, of course. If someone goes into shock, certainly not a planned event, and help is not available, what's a person with a pen to do? Dr. Kotnik concludes that EpiPen use shouldn't become a legislative requirement, because “If, heaven forbid, litigation arose from a sting, the plaintiff's council (sic) could fault the beekeeper for not having an EpiPen.” But couldn't the same argument be used to blame beekeepers for not having a pen at all times?
A reply to Phil in this month's Bee Culture takes him to task on his reply, emphasizing that “in a timely manner” and “training” are missing in his reply and might influence those who would keep an EpiPen at hand. In Florida, certification training exists for beekeepers that provides an extra level of protection in case EpiPen use is required. And in some states school teachers and others are trained. This is something that might be true in other states, eliminating some of the risks noted by Dr. Kotnik. Phil concludes his answer with a quote from the original questioner, a nurse who said: “ I have seen many, many, many mild and moderate reactions from a variety of causes which warranted treatment. In some cases because of medical comorbidities, we just gave the diphenhydramine (Benadryl) because the risk of giving epinephrine was too great.”
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In The Inner Cover editor Kim takes a call from previous editor Jack Happ. Read about this exchange. Also read about the WAS convention held in Missoula, MT and where technology might be leading beekeepers. Finally, read about the web page doings including the digital Jims, Tew and Thompson, who will be contributing their talents to the site.
It's Summers Time features a log of sorts as Kathy and Kim traveled around the west from Oregon to Missoula, MT and also to east Mother Earth News Fair in Pennsylvania. Read too about their new resident (nine years old!) and the fact that the chickens have stopped laying eggs.
Ian Stell discusses the peritrophic membrane's role in the digestion of pollen. Read what it takes to digest some of the most indigestible material imaginable.
Michele Colopy looks at pesticides wintering in your hives. Read surprising research about the amounts of toxins and how these chemicals might be affecting honey bees. The conclusion: comb renovation is becoming routine in many operations.
Clarence Collison takes a closer look at queen mandibular pheromone (QMP). Read the surprising number of functions this material is responsible for.
Larry Conner discusses preparing for a beekeeping course, part three. Read his bee club scenario and other kinds of classes like self-sponsored but not taught (or taught) and specialty subjects.
Jennifer Berry has had queen problems. They range from queens dying before being introduced to large-scale failure rates. Read her tips on requeening and experiences with breeders whose queens apparently did not measure up.
Jim Thompson goes back to the basics by looking closely at wax foundation. Read about how they made it in the old days and what modern manufacturing has done to this most fundamental piece of bee equipment.
Jim Tew chases some late-season swarms and learns things. Read why he's not sure what he found out about swarms in the process and what happens when a consultant fails to follow his own advice
Ross Conrad concludes all bee boxes are not created equal. Read why he recommends that “picking your own” may be the best decision in a world of many possibilities.
Dewey Caron rejoices that it's pumpkin time, one of his favorite seasons. The good news is that ther are more this year than last. Read why and what can be done about increasing production of this iconic fruit.
Ed Simon builds a portable observation hive. Read his 18 steps to success.
Jessica Louque recounts a yellow jacket adventure with her family. Read what that led to, including using gasoline and matches, something that would raise an eyebrow by most fire fighters.
Connie Krochmal lists a large number of sumacs (120 species; five native to North America) and their value as bee plants. Read the details on cultivating these plants
Toni Burnham takes stock of the issues arising from hot hives in the city. Read how she deals with an over defensive colony in the urban scene and what genes have to do with it.
Ann Harman makes a gift basket of honey-bee-related goodies. Read how she chooses the items best suited to the occasion.
Phil responds to a beekeeper in Michigan concerning his advice about
EpiPens. See discussion in the letters section. He also responds to questions about upper entrances and
“washboarding” behavior.
On the bottom board Ed Colby reflects on a mountain lion kill in his neck of the woods. That leads to musings on Varroa control. Read how he got from A to B.
Sincerely,
Malcolm T. Sanford
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