The Bee Line - Oregon State Beekeepers Association
Transcription
The Bee Line - Oregon State Beekeepers Association
The Bee Line Newsletter of the Oregon State Beekeepers Association Volume 37, Number 2 March 2012 overwintering loss surveys of Oregon beekeepers: winter 2010–2011 Dewey M. Caron and Ramesh Sagili Note: This article is part of a larger study soon to be published in the American Bee Journal. It is provided here in two parts; the second will appear in the April 2012 issue. IN THIS ISSUE... Overwintering Losses 1 President’s Message 2 Board Meeting Minutes 2 OSBA Resources 4 Regional News 5 Keeping Bees 7 Questions of the Month 8 ABF Convention 9 Classes and Events 10 Membership 10 October Honey Flow 11 Making Skeps 13 Magazine Subscriptions 14 OSBA Membership Form 15 The winter is a season of elevated risk in beekeeping, but recent seasonal losses have been unusually high. Significant regional colony losses with somewhat similar characteristics, labeled with a variety of names such as spring dwindling, autumn collapse, May disease, and other descriptive terms have occurred over at least 100 years of US beekeeping. One early documented loss, referred to as disappearing disease, occurred in 1915 in Portland, Oregon. Many of these reported instances, past and present, involve symptoms that included the sudden disappearance/ dwindling of large numbers of bee colonies with elevated seasonal losses. As part of the Bee Informed Partnership (BIP), one of us (Caron) has been involved in documenting national losses over the last five years while Oregon State University (Sagili) has been analyzing beekeeper samples for overall health factors for the past two years. The initial national loss survey of spring 2007, conducted by the Apiary Inspectors of America in cooperation with the USDA, queried beekeepers in fifteen states and reported a loss rate of 31.8 percent. The 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 overwintering loss surveys included about 20 percent of the owners of US commercially managed colonies. Estimated colony loss rate was 35.8 percent in 2008 and 28.6 percent in 2009. National electronic surveys were conducted by BIP during the first two weeks of April the past two years. The 2010 survey garnered responses from 4,027 beekeepers managing an estimated 17.7 percent of total managed bee colonies in the United States (survey included 49 Oregon beekeepers managing just slightly less than 31,000 colonies). Colony loss rate was 34.4 percent. The most recent survey (2011) tallied losses of 5,441 beekeepers managing an estimated 11.5 percent of total colony numbers (177 Oregon beekeepers, 168 of whom are small scale, are included in this national effort with slightly over 20,000 colonies). This past winter’s national survey reported a 29.2 percent loss rate. Clearly such loss levels are of great concern and unsustainable in the long run. Image above: The newly released USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map incorporates greater accuracy and detail as well as GIS-based interactive features. It now includes 13 zones and can be viewed at: http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/ PHZMWeb/. A recent study indicates that both plants and bees have thus To date, no single factor has been identified as the reason for the elevated losses far adapted to changes in mean documented since the winter of 2006/2007. Although pathogens are identified in annual temperatures and the arrival killing of both brood and adult bees, the reasons why honey bees appear to be so of springtime. OSBA Website: www.orsba.org Webkeeper: Thom Trusewicz [email protected] susceptible to the pathogens is a source of considerable debate and study. Pesticide exposure, colony stressors, viruses, Nosema, and Varroa have all been implicated and are most likely interconnected in some yet-to-be understood negative way. Losses in one area or region in the world may not necessarily be due to the exact same set of conditions compared to other regions. Keeping Varroa levels below 5 Continued on page 12 The Bee Line MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Here we are back in the sunshine, something that we do not find in Hermiston, Oregon, in February and March ever! Did I mention no wind! It is really nice to have such exceptionally warm days for working bees and very little rain, but I suspect that California needs the rain badly at this point. Only, hopefully, not during the almond bloom. It is always such a rush to get into the honey bees the first day in California, to see their amazing housekeeping abilities, and to be a small part of this process. Winter was kind to most Oregon beekeepers, and most reports that have come in are that beekeepers are quite pleased with their colony strength this year and feel good about overwintering. Hopefully Drs. Sagili and Caron will have some Oregon state, Pacific Northwest, and national statistics to verify these emotions. On the OSBA scene, we have finalized our first Specialty Crop Grant Report, and I would like to thank my fellow officers for digging in and helping me understand and complete the report ahead of schedule. With the ability to receive funding, there comes a huge responsibility to account for said funds. We are very happy to have funding to help with our newly launched Oregon Master Beekeeper Program, and we currently have over 100 beekeepers interested in the program. We are working on training more mentors and instructors to help with the program. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, an instructor, or an apprentice, please contact Carolyn Breece for more information. Well, enjoy your spring, finish reading those beekeeping magazines that keep piling up, and find joy your honey bees. OSBA EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING Jan fees involved. Because only a few people have requested this option, we will not proceed with these methods of payment. Paul will file taxes on May 1. Chuck Sowers motioned to accept the treasurer’s report and Nancy McFarlane seconded the motion. The board unanimously approved. Canby, Oregon v January 23, 2012 Attendees: Paul Kowash, Paul Andersen, Nancy McFarlane, Marjie Ehry, Chuck Sowers, Jan Lohman, Alan Ehry, Todd Balsiger, Linda Zielinski, Rosanna Mattingly, and Carolyn Breece 4-H Marjie Ehry discussed the role of OSBA in 4-H at the state and county level. The OSBA has been a long-time supporter of 4-H students in beekeeping and beekeeping competitions. The OSBA has awarded a cash prize to winners of state and county fair beekeeping exhibits and presentations. In 2011, the OSBA elected to give the 4-H Foundation $250 and have the Foundation distribute prizes to the winners. However, we were not aware that the Foundation is only able to award state winners and not county winners. OSBA will continue to award state winners with an item prize (instead of cash). Marjie suggested that the OSBA branch associations work with their local 4-H groups and distribute prizes to winners in their own and neighboring counties. Marjie will contact OSBA regional representatives and branch associations to present this idea. She will report back in April. President Jan Lohman called the OSBA Executive Board Meeting to order at 7:05 pm. Minutes The minutes of the November Executive Board Meeting were read by Carolyn Breece, secretary. A motion was made to accept the minutes as printed in The Bee Line, and Nancy McFarlane seconded the motion. The board unanimously approved. Treasurer’s Report Paul Kowash gave us a report on the OSBA finances. Paul is working out the kinks with QuickBooks, but things should be resolved soon. Some people at the conference expressed interest in paying via credit card or PayPal. Paul investigated these options but found that there are March 2012 The Bee Line Citing increases in postage rates and the years since it has been considered, Rosanna Mattingly suggested a review of the list of recipients of complimentary Bee Lines. Please send in recipes and questions for the Question of the Month column. We admired the directory created by Rosanna and decided that in future years the cover of the directory will match the International Queen Color Marking Code. This year (2012), however, the directory is green, while the queen color is yellow. enrolled, and the rest are on waiting lists. Classes are underway in Portland and will soon begin in Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, and Bend. We still have space available in Coos County and Central Oregon. Please visit www. oregonmasterbeekeeper.org for more details and to apply. We will have a training session for new mentors after the main festivities at the Portland Metro Bee Day at George Hansen’s (approximately 3 pm). We formed a grant committee to participate in reporting for the ODA Specialty Crop Block Grant for research and the Oregon Master Beekeeper Program. The committee members include Jan Lohman, Paul Andersen, Paul Kowash, Rosanna Mattingly, and Carolyn Breece. Regional Representative Reports Welcome Todd Balsiger, our new Portland Metro Regional Representative! This was Todd’s first board meeting, so we introduced Todd and explained his duties as a regional representative. Fall Conference The 2012 OSBA fall conference will be held on November 1–3 in Seaside, Oregon. Potential speakers include James Tew, Larry Connor, and Dave Tarpy. We discussed additional possible speakers. Washington State Beekeepers Association will stay in Washington this year, as they are also hosting the Western Apiculture Society meeting. The 2013 conference will be held October 31–November 2, also in Seaside. WSBA hopes to join us at the 2013 meeting. Regional Association Reports Linn-Benton Beekeepers Association Welcome Linda Zielinski, the president of the new LinnBenton Beekeepers Association! The new club started in April 2011. Linda reports over 100 people on the “Bee-Friendly” list of community members interested in beekeeping in Linn and Benton counties. The group is electing officers and working out details of becoming an established bee club. The club will have a mini-bee school during monthly meetings in February, March, and April. Long-Distance Board Members We discussed options to include long-distance board members in Executive Board meetings. Traveling to board meetings for some of these members simply isn’t possible. We discussed online meeting programs. Paul Andersen will look into options. Portland Metro Beekeepers Association Nancy McFarlane described PMBA’s new policy on club officers: each officer will serve a three-year term, then rotate. This has resulted in a welcome mix of new and veteran beekeepers on the board. The PMBA will offer a free youth membership for members under 18. They are developing weekend workshops on topics such as hive construction, brand-new-beekeepers day, and raising queens. Their annual Bee Day will be held on April 21, 2012, at George Hansen’s place. Congratulations to new PMBA Lifetime Members: Kerry Haskins, Dewey Caron, John Keeley, and Paul Hardzinsky. The OSBA Executive Board Meeting adjourned at 9:00 pm. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn Breece We at the OSBA all wish Karen Finley a speedy recovery! Standards of Identity of Honey House Bill 2947, Standards of Identity of Honey, is waiting for the Secretary of State’s stamp. The bill is not approved until stamped. We are patiently waiting. Meanwhile, the American Beekeeping Federation is trying to establish a national standard for honey. Stay tuned! Pesticide Booklet The extension publication How to Reduce Bee Poisoning from Pesticides will be updated by Oregon State University. Oregon Master Beekeeper The Oregon Master Beekeeper program currently has 103 applicants from all over the state! There are 74 students The Bee Line Oregon State Beekeepers Association EXECUTIVE BOARD AND ASSOCIATIONS u l ul Southern Oregon: Floyd Pawlowski 415 Pompadour Dr, Ashland; 541.482.4797 [email protected] u l ul u l l North Willamette Valley: Harry Vanderpool 7128 Skyline Rd S, Salem; 503.399.3675 [email protected] u l ul South Willamette Valley: Jason Rowan 80881 Turkey Run Rd, Creswell 97426 541.942.6479; [email protected] l OSBA OFFICERS President: Jan Lohman 77225 Colonel Jordan Rd, Hermiston OR 97838 541.567.3209; 541.980.0304 (cell) [email protected] l Central Oregon Beekeepers Meets 6:30 pm, third Tuesday 63211 Service Rd, Suite 130, Bend President: Dennis Gallagher; 541.389.4776 For information, please contact John Connelly [email protected] Vice President: Paul Andersen 19255 SW Prospect St, Aloha OR 97007 503.649.5089; 503.332.5410 (cell) [email protected] Coos County Beekeepers Meets 6:30 pm, third Saturday (except December) Ohlsen Baxter Bldg, 631 Alder St, Myrtle Point President: John Gardner; 541.572.3847 Vice President: Shigeo Oku; 541.396.4016 Secretary: Bobbi Gardner; 541.572.3847 Treasurer: Jane Oku; 541.396.4016 [email protected] Secretary: Carolyn Breece 743 NW 18th St, Corvallis OR 97330 541.207.3668 [email protected] Treasurer: Paul Kowash 5959 SW Taylors Ferry Rd, Portland OR 97219 503.452.2664; 503.367.5242 (cell) [email protected] Klamath Basin Beekeepers Meets 9:00 am, last Saturday (except Nov/Dec) OSU Extension, 3328 Vandenberg Rd, Klamath Falls President: Tom Chester; 541.850.8384 [email protected] Vice President: Chris Kerns; 541.884.8664 Secretary: Donna Schmerbach; 541.891.3066 Treasurer: Kathy Nelson; 541.882.3141 Website: www.klamathbeekeepers.org Past President: Chuck Sowers 26730 S Hwy 170, Canby OR 97013 503.266.1740; [email protected] u OSBA REGIONAL ASSOCIATIONS OSBA REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES North Coast: Terry Fullan 39450 Northfork Rd, Nehalem 97131 503.368.7160; [email protected] Lane County Beekeepers Meets 7:30 pm, third Tuesday, Trinity United Methodist Church, 440 Maxwell Rd, Eugene President: Judy Scher; 541.344.2114 [email protected] Vice President: Rita Ostrofsky; 541.685.2875 Secretary: Barbara Bajec; 541.767.9086 Treasurer: Nancy Ograin; 541.935.7065 [email protected] Website: www.lcbaor.org South Coast: Del Barber PO Box 31, Ophir OR 97464 541.249.0160; [email protected] Columbia Basin: Bill Edwards 5040 Lost Lake Rd, Hood River 97031 541.354.2223 Eastern Oregon: Jordan Dimock 2635 Mitchell Butte Rd, Nyssa 97913 541.372.2726 Linn-Benton Beekeepers Meets 6:30 pm, fourth Wednesday, South First Alternative Co-op Meeting Room, Corvallis President: Linda Zielinski; 541.929.4856 Secretary: Marie Laper Treasurer: Suzi Maresh Portland Metro: Todd Balsiger 3284 Edgeview Ln, Forest Grove OR 97116 503.523.9572; [email protected] March 2012 Portland Metro Beekeepers Meets 7:00 pm, second Thursday, Clackamas Community College, Clairmont Hall, Room 118, Oregon City President: Nancy McFarlane; 503.260.3930 [email protected] Vice President: Jim Barlean; 503.659.9718 [email protected] Secretary: Kat Yeager; 503.452.5010 [email protected] Treasurer: Rex McIntire; 503.720.7958 [email protected] HONEY BEE RESEARCH Dr. Dewey Caron 302.353.9914 (April–October) [email protected] Dr. Lynn Royce 541.929.5337; [email protected] Dr. Ramesh Sagili 541.737.5460; [email protected] REGIONAL NEWS Southern Oregon Beekeepers Meets 7:30 pm, first Monday, Southern Oregon Res & Ext Ctr, 569 Hanley Rd, Central Point President: John Jacob; 541.582.BEES [email protected] Vice President: Floyd Pawlowski 541.482.4797; [email protected] Secretary: Michele Bashaw; 541.512.0155 [email protected] Treasurer: Ron Willing; 541.582.9694; [email protected] Regional Representatives South Coast The Coos County Beekeepers held their regular meeting, and reports from local beekeepers are that the bees are bringing pollen into hives during this period of good weather. Most beekeepers seem to have weathered the recent severe storms (an ongoing regional problem for coastal beekeepers). Below is the text of a letter to editors that we submitted to South Coast newspapers regarding our involvement in the Kalmiopsis Audubon Society Film Festival. It was published in five newspapers, and we received positive feedback. —Del Barber Tillamook County Beekeepers Meets 7:00 pm, second Tuesday, Art Space Hwy 101 & 5th St, Bay City President: Bob Allen; 503.322.3819 Dear Editor, Tualatin Valley Beekeepers Meets 7:30 pm (7:00 pm to socialize), last Friday Cameron Public Svcs Bldg, 155 N First Ave, Hillsboro President: Kevin Beckman; 503.539.5996 [email protected] Vice President: Herb Brasington; 503.701.4180 [email protected] Secretary-Treasurer: Jerry Maasdam 503.648.7906; [email protected] We are writing to publicly recognize the Kalmiopsis Audubon Society for including the showing of Vanishing of the Bees at the recent Kalmiopsis Nature Film Festival held at the Savoy Theater in Port Orford. With more than a hundred participants, Coos County Beekeepers Association members were able to meet many citizens who are interested in the survival of honey bees and the production of local honey. Pat Reed was there to demonstrate his Warre top bar hive. The Coos Association meets on the third Saturday at 6:30pm in the OSU Extension Building in Myrtle Point. This opportunity to distribute information regarding the Oregon Master Beekeeper Program (www.oregonmasterbeekeeper.org or 541-737-5440) and to solicit contact information from people interested in establishing a Curry County Beekeepers Association. Although colony collapse has not been in the headlines recently, the future of the honey bee is still a major concern. The Oregon Coast has many unique climate factors that must be addressed for local beekeepers. This was an excellent event to inform the public. We also express special thank you to Ann Vileisis for her quick response and facilitation of the beekeepers participation. Willamette Valley Beekeepers Meets 7:00 pm, fourth Monday, Chemeketa Community College, Building 34, Room A, Salem President: Richard Farrier; 541.327.2673 Vice President: Harry Vanderpool; 503.399.3675 [email protected] Secretary: Mike Rodia; 503.364.3275; [email protected] Treasurer: Patricia Swenson; [email protected] Website: www.wvbatoday.com COMMITTEES Agriculture Liaison: Harry Vanderpool; 503.399.3675 Respectfully, Del & Myrna Barber Coos County Beekeepers Association Fairs and Exhibits: Marjie Ehry; 503.434.1894 Nominations: Chuck Sowers; 503.266.1740 NW Apiculture Fund for Honey Bee Research, Extension, and Education: Kenny Williams; 541.456.2631 South Willamette Valley Happy New Year to all the keepers in the South Valley and those crazy enough to love us. The fall conference Public Relations: Paul Andersen; 503.332.5410 The Bee Line Portland Metro Beekeepers The Portland Metro Beekeepers voted in the new officers in January. Nancy McFarlane, president, Lonnie Addleman, librarian, and Rex McIntire, treasurer, are continuing. Jim Barlean is vice president, Kat Yeager is secretary, and Jessica Stenerson is our communications person. In recognition for their significant service to the club and beekeeping in general, Kerry Haskins, Paul Hardzinski, John Keeley, and Dr. Dewey Caron were elected to have a Lifetime Membership to our club. Congratulations and thanks for your generosity over the years! The club also voted on a new membership category: Youth Membership, young–age 18, at no charge for full membership benefits to encourage youth beekeeping. Nancy McFarlane announced our annual outdoor Bee Day will be April 21, again at George Hansen’s apiary in Colton. This year the number of participants will be the first 175 to sign up. In addition, there will no longer be “day of the event” sign-ups. Sign up at www.orsba.org. in November was great as per usual, very informative. Thanksgiving came and went, and at the time of this letter, Christmas has yet to arrive. For those of us thinking about California, the temptation to look into the hives is almost too much. Here in our operation, we are in full —Jason Rowan winter mode. Regional Associations Klamath Basin Beekeepers The Klamath Basin Beekeepers Association held its first meeting of the new year the last Saturday in January. Fortunately, although the weather was cold, there was not the typical January snow, and fifty people were in attendance. The program was a presentation on sideline operations by a local beekeeper with more than a hundred hives. In addition to the program, there was a questionand-answer session, snacks, and a drawing of door prizes. The club will have a beginning beekeeping class on Saturday, March 10, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. For information, call 541.850.8384 or visit the club’s website at klamathbeekeepers.org. The KBBA also has its own Facebook page. In addition to the class, the club is assembling a library of books on beekeeping. Also, the KBBA will be coordinating a group order of packages of bees for members. Last year, the order totaled 100 packages and is expected to surpass that number this year. —Tom Chester Jim Barlean presented “What to do in February/March” during our February meeting. This included: see if the queen is laying, look for disease, feed if necessary, and repair new and broken equipment. Next we had a panel discussion of “Natural Beekeeping” with Bev Koch, Roberta Cranswick, Tom Lea, and Tim Wessels. Tom defined natural beekeeping as “leave bees to their own devices and minimal interference.” Panelists described a mixture of low-maintenance operations with minimal feeding, no chemical treatments, and reducing the use of plastics in frames. The panel’s consensus seemed to be that allowing the bees to go through their natural cycles in the long run may benefit overall bee’s health and also is a more enjoyable way to be a bee keeper. Next month’s topic will be “Installing a Package or Nuc” by Kerry Haskins. —Paul Jarrett Lane County Beekeepers The weather in Lane County has been drawing bees out to forage during the day and cluster tightly during the 30oF nights. Increased brood laying is evidenced by the amount of pollen being brought in during the day. Several of our members are supplementing hives low on honey with granulated sugar or fondant to support new brood. Winners of the LCBA November 2011 honey taste-off (L to R): Barbara Bajec (1st place), Pam Leavitt (3rd place), and Ruth Beller (2nd place). Tillamook County Beekeepers The gallery where we meet has a current display of hats, all 410 of them, so that was the club’s backdrop for our January meeting. It provided a vast mosaic of color. Everyone mentioned the mild winter and reported minor bee losses at this point. For learning, we had Richard Patten share how he makes creamed honey. We all agreed it would be a good product to make available for our customers. One of our newest members, Jim Fanjoy, shared with us his newly constructed Warré hive. All of us were able to look closely at all the component parts. The final topic was Bob Allen helping us plan for our club’s bee order for spring 2012. Our next scheduled meeting will be on February 9. —Terry Fullan We were very fortunate to have Bertie Stringer, co-author of Nectar and Pollen Pants of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, speak at our January meeting. Bertie braved the snow storm to give a great talk. Lane County Beekeepers hosted a booth at the annual Good Earth Garden Show at the Lane County Fairgrounds in January. We sold $545 of club honey and happily educated the public about bees and beekeeping during the three-day event. Thank you to all our wonderful volunteers. Our bee school will take place on March 3 and is booked up with a long waiting list. —Judy Scher March 2012 KEEPING BEES IN February–March Todd Balsiger Below are five “Best Management Practices” for pollinating California’s agricultural crops as published in a Managed Pollinator CAP article. I think these practices are just as pertinent to us here in Oregon and need to be objectives in our colony management: 1. Manage for Varroa control. 2. Purchase or breed mite-resistant, hygienic queens. 3. Maintain adequate colony nutrition. 4. Control diseases. 5. Minimize exposure to toxins, inside and outside the colony. v The tips: v Heft hives to find any light ones. Brood production is ongoing and energy demands have increased, so this is prime time for starvation. Provide light hives emergency feed. When daytime highs exceed 55oF, syrup can be used instead of fondant or frames of honey. Consider adding Fumagilin-B to syrup to control possible Nosema. v Varroa control is still of preeminent importance. Keith Delaplane reported in January’s 2012 Bee Culture that “high levels of Varroa are associated with high levels of virus and low populations of adult bees and brood.” And Jamie Ellis states, “Left unchecked, even with the best cultural controls and genetic resistant stock, Varroa mites will eventually almost assuredly kill your colony.” v v In the past I wished there was an accurate, practical, and standard sampling system that could be used to estimate colony infestation to determine if there is a need to treat. I believe we may have this now. It is from the University of Minnesota and can found online as an instructional poster that has step-by-step directions accompanied by pictures: www.extension. org/pages/31539/varroa-sampling. Varroa treatment thresholds are recommended at 10–12 percent infestation, which equates to around 3,000 mites per colony. I am not discounting other sampling methods like sticky boards; it is just that the University of Minnesota’s sampling method is well documented and has easy-to-follow directions. Early spring and fall (February/March and August), the periods between the nectar flow, have historically been the windows for Varroa treatments. We should certainly sample at these times to know if a treatment is necessary. ApiLife VAR, Apiguard, and formic acid are examples of treatment options. Interestingly, HopGuard and Mite- v v Away Quick Strips can be used while supers are on. It is incumbent upon us to consider the efficacy of a miticide, its drawbacks and caveats—how well it kills mites, possible impacts on colony health including queen and brood loss, residue in comb, and super withdrawal times. Follow the directions; it is the law. I certainly do not recommend hard miticides like fluvalinate and coumaphos. Aside from the fact that they don’t work anymore due to resistance, they have been shown to leave residue in comb which can react dangerously with agricultural fungicides. Consider using cultural and genetic controls. Screen bottom boards give a 15 percent reduction in mites. Drone brood trapping, labor intensive and not practical on a large scale, can significantly reduce mites. Genetic control is even better; through the use of mite-resistant queens like Minnesota hygienic, Russian, and VSH, reductions can be 40–50 percent. As stated above, even with cultural controls and resistant queens, eventually the threshold will be reached and the colony will need treatment. Prophylactically treat colonies with Terramycin in powdered sugar weekly for three weeks to prevent American foulbrood. To learn more about foulbroods I recommend this video: www.extension.org/pages/25099/ university-of-florida-bee-disease-video. Some people do not want to treat with antibiotics; I can think of exceptions. For example, colonies with known hygienic behavior, and maybe beekeepers who timely monitor all of their colonies and can readily identify AFB and are not squeamish about burning infected colonies. Terramycin requires at least a four-week withdrawal time between the last antibiotic treatment and the first marketable nectar flow. Tylosin provides up to four weeks of protection with a single treatment, but it is much more persistent and requires a longer withdrawal period before supering. There is a growing problem with Tylosin being detected in US honey. Look for signs of Nosema. Symptoms include slow buildup, lots of fecal matter on the outside of the colony near entrances (best indicator for me), disjointed wings (K wing), and crawling bees outside of the colony. These symptoms may also be associated with tracheal mites (K wing and crawling bees). Make sure that suspect colonies have good ventilation and are in full sunlight to encourage cleansing flights. Treat with Fumagilin-B in syrup (follow the directions exactly; overdosing does not help). I mentioned above the symptoms of tracheal mites—K wing and crawling bees. Near-perfect control for The Bee Line v v v v tracheal mites can be achieved through resistant queens. New World Carniolan and Russian queens, to name just a few, are very resistant to tracheal mites. If your bees are not resistant, then grease patties and menthol can be used for control. Find and remove queenless or dead-out colonies. We can usually pinpoint struggling or dead-out colonies by the lack of flight activity. Take an investigative peek into hives that are not keeping up with their peers. For dead outs, determine why the colony perished: queenlessness, starvation, disease? If the frames and hive components are disease free and in good condition (e.g., no Nosema spore fecal matter covering everything, no AFB scale in the brood cells, brood frames are less than five years of age and don’t have hard chemical residues, etc.), then store for future use in a dry location and stack so that light can penetrate and air can circulate to discourage wax moths and mold, respectively. These disease-free, dead-out boxes can be added to strong colonies in the spring for future splits. Some beekeepers like to stimulate their colonies in the spring through feeding to increase the rate of buildup—either to make splits or to have colonies ready for the main nectar flow, which generally begins in earnest by late May. To stimulate your colonies, begin feeding sugar syrup and pollen patties when daily highs exceed 55oF. Wax moth activity dramatically picks up with increased temperatures. Keep an extra eye on stored supers (especially in stacks) that have had some brood and pollen. Moth crystals (paradichlorobenzene) as well as freezing the frames can be used for control. Exposing the frames to light and air circulation can inhibit the moths, too. Spring usually brings some of the windiest weather, so make sure lids are secured. QUESTIONS OF THE MONTH Question ? Not seeing any flight, we opened it this spring and found it dead. Four frames had this dark material? We’re wondering if they swarmed some time after we last inspected or if the queen died and they didn’t have time to replace her. Where did all of the bees go? I saved the dead bees (freezer), and they only filled half of a gallonsized zip-lock bag. The frames still had plenty of honey. Can the frames and hive be restocked? Response Dewey Caron: Dead Colonies Do Tell Tales. This type of loss, in which colonies dwindle rapidly in the fall (often the strongest, best producers, all undetected by the beekeeper) and then die as smallish clusters, often still with stores of honey and pollen, is characteristic of what we have been seeing since about 2000. They are strong colonies (often the strongest, decent honey producers with good winter stores and plenty of bees in August, etc.), but then they fail quickly and often don’t take winter feed well (hard to feed them Fumagilin-B, for example). They get nasty sometimes; they dwindle in fall with brood looking terrible on inspection in late September/October; adult bees look sickly (a subtle distinction); and the colony eventually lacks enough bees to cover the brood well (sometimes they cluster off the brood patch in a second clustering area away from the brood). Thus, we have lots of very, very subtle symptoms that are not easy to diagnose. This is the classic of bee PMS (Parasitic Mite Syndrome) or CCD (which includes another signal, i.e., that no adult bodies are present). It is a result of high virus infections of the adult bees (maybe with interaction of elevated Nosema spores) and Varroa mites (CCD shows fewer Varroa mite numbers). Frames/comb/wooden equipment can be reused after surface cleaning with soapy/bleach-water solution and scrubbing the fecal matter area on the frames with a stiff brush. Need to consider a change in your mite-control program (more resistant stock), with monitoring for Varroa numbers in August, and consider taking a more proactive mite approach. ? ? I include photos from our largest, most active hive all summer and into the fall below: Question I am a new beekeeper and am curious. I read the news article about the parasitic fly on the honey bees of which I am sure you are aware. Do you still have the bee bodies from the health survey and are they being examined to see if the parasitic fly larvae are in those bodies from our local colonies? March 2012 Response AMERICAN BEEKEEPING FEDERATION Jan Lohman Ramesh Sagili: The phorid fly that you mention is native to North America and has been documented to parasitize bumblebees, but this is the first study which has shown that these phorid flies can also parasitize honey bees. We have not found any larvae of these flies in the samples analyzed so far, but we are keeping an eye out for these larvae. My view is that these phorid flies might be around in some locations during bee foraging season, but the rate of parasitization is very low to negatively impact a honey bee colony. Please let me know if you have any further questions. “Luck Bee a Lady” was the theme for the American Beekeeping Federation Annual Conference in Las Vegas this January 10–14. I felt like a lucky lady indeed to be amongst the stars of the beekeeping industry and proud, as always, of Oregon’s own Mr. George Hansen. George was for the past two years vice president of the ABF, and after his two years (in training) is currently the president for the next two years. The ABF Conference is organized with concurrent programs, so it is our job to go through the program, carefully, plan our day so that we are able to catch as many talks as possible that we are interested in, and visit with as many beekeepers and vendors as we can during the breaks. Updates: Samples of the robber bees described in the October 2011 Bee Line, page 9, were sent to the USDA lab in Tucson for morphometric analysis. The results indicate that the bees are European and not Africanized. The events thus remain a curious case of robbing. Jerry Hayes, in his column “The Classroom” in the November 2011 American Bee Journal, responded to the first of the two questions that appeared in the October 2011 Bee Line. His response differs from Dewey’s in that Jerry notes that it appeared the bees were “welfare bees” because they had done nothing since the Spring of 2010 other than swarm and eat sugar syrup. In his view, “even Italians will do better than this,” though he adds that what is typical Italian behavior is less clear these days. Dewey disagrees that the bees exhibited behavior that was “not typical Italian.” He writes that Jerry recommended feeding, requeening, or doing nothing, so that “survival of the fittest” will apply, and adds that colonies that store too little to overwinter do not survive. There are always surprises at these conferences. One of my favorites this year was a speaker from the Pollinator Partnership, Laurie Adams, who spoke with such heart about all pollinators, how policy can be influenced, and the things that can be done to support change. One of the most amazing programs that she spoke about was highway bettering, where highways are planted with pollinatorfriendly plants to improve the landscape and at the same time help the pollinators. She emphasized, it is the small things that we do that add up to solutions for our industry. It is difficult to point out all of the many things learned and/or experienced at the ABF Conference but the lineup of speakers was incredible and the tone that I took from the meeting was that pesticides/fungicides are probably the new and important hotspot currently for our industry, and at the other end of the spectrum, we must let our bees learn how to adapt to this new life and not do everything for them. That, however, is a difficult position to be in if we make our living with honey bees. I would like to thank Chuck Sowers and Mark Johnson for being the delegates from Oregon to the ABF this year. They attended the delegates’ breakfast and did a great job of representing us. Again, I would like to encourage all of you to add the ABF Conference to your busy schedules. I know that the timing is not perfect for commercial beekeepers, but it is a very worthwhile event, and it is held in a different city each year so you are able to experience a new and different part of America each year. Next year, the conference will be held [January 8–12] in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and promises to be another great time. The Bee Line BEE SCHOOLS and EVENTS Lane County Bee School: March 3. FULL! Tualatin Valley Bee School: March 5, 7–9 pm, and March 10, 9 am–1 pm. Washington Street Conference Center, 225 South First Ave, Hillsboro. See “Bee Schools” at www.orsba.org for registration. Klamath Basin Beekeeping Class: March 10, 9 am–3 pm. Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center, 3328 Vandenberg Road, Klamath Falls. $20 per person. Donations are appreciated. Proceeds will be used to purchase an extractor for club members to use. For additional information, visit: www.klamathbeekeepers.org. Astoria Bee School: March 17, 9:00 am–4:00 pm. Clatsop Comm College, Columbia Hall, Room 219. $15/ individual, $25/couple or family. Please bring sack lunch. Oregon Sustainable Beekeepers: March 18, 1–6 pm. Cozmic Pizza, Eugene. Featuring “Queen of the Sun” and pollinator-friendly seeds/plants. Donations accepted. Willamette Valley Bee Day: April 7 (following the February Bee School). Portland Metro Bee Day: April 21, Foothills Honey, Colton. Limited to the first 175 to sign up; no “day of the event” sign-ups. See the OSBA website [www.orsba.org] for a sign-up form to mail in to our treasurer. WELCOME, NEW & RENEWING MEMBERS! Ken Alvis Morris Arthur Kristen Arthur Timothy Arthur Todd Balsiger Bindy Beck-Meyer John Connelly Charles Daellenbach Mark Delladio Allen Engle Joe Fassio Steven Griffith Pat Heitkam Russell Heitkam Richard Hughes John Huxley Terry Max Kuhn Wendy Lagerquist Ryan Lieuallen Darlene Marquardt Wayne Marsonette Jason McEntee Nancy McFarlane & Steve Stash Michael Medina Jonathan & Sheila Millet “Breeder and Shipper of Northern California Italian Queens” MASTER BEEKEEPER CLASSES Wooten’s Golden Queens, Inc Bend: March 1, 6 pm, for eight weeks. Connelly’s Shop, 63211 Service Rd, Unit 130, Bend. Instructors: Stephen Harris and John Connelly. Top Quality Italian Queens Corvallis: March 12, 6–8 pm, for eight weeks. Benton ggggggggggggggggggggggggg County Extension Office, 1849 NW 9th St, Corvallis. Instructor: Karessa Torgerson. Note: Classes are open to Master Beekeeper program participants 2012 Queen Price 50 or more Queens $18.00 + shipping at the Apprentice Beekeeper level. Pre-registration is required. Colton: April 21, approximately 3 pm. Foothills Honey. Accepting Orders for 3 frame Nucs March 2012 Training for program mentors. Snow Peak Apiaries Custom Wood Shop All types of supers, including 8-frame, Shannon & Glenda Wooten 11189 Deschutes Rd Palo Cedro CA 96073 Tel (530) 549-3555 Cedar top and bottom boards; Frames—all styles Custom cut to fit your operation Franz & Audrey Yordy 541.451.3752 Toll free 1.877.530.5882 Tim Molenda Alistair Mowat Bernard Newland Rita Ochoa Floyd Pawlowski Matthew & Dara Pickens Sheila Reeves Lil Reitzel Mike Robinson Tanya Rudometkin Bill Rufener Ramesh Sagili Judy Scher Brian Scott Paul Smedley Jessie Spurlock Ellen Steel Duane Swenson Jack Thomas John Van Riper Nick VanCalcar Tim Wessels Lisa Whitridge Ted Winters Douglas Youngberg 34769 E Lacomb Dr Lebanon OR 97355 www.wootensgoldenqueens.com 10 March 2012 AN OCTOBER HONEY FLOW IN OREGON? Mature English ivy blossom on a warm October afternoon. Fred VanNatta As a kid of the Oregon Coast Range, I moved to Salem in the mid-1960s and soon reestablished my beekeeping hobby in South Salem. I rarely meddle with my bees in October. Imagine my surprise on warm mid-October afternoon in 2011 when I observed a patch of green 6-foot tall shrubs on about 20 x 30 feet of earth, with hundreds of bees excitedly working green-appearing blossoms. It was a quarter of a mile from my bees. I reached out the window of my pickup and harvested a sprig with a knife from beneath the front seat. Bees roll out of the hive in October as they visit English ivy blossoms and return to the hive with loads of pollen. know they existed. My one-third acre has lots of ivy on it, and I am unlikely to live long enough to get it all pulled up. I have no hint at the moment about how many years English ivy has to be left alone to blossom. When I examined my half-dozen colonies, it was a good thing I had seen the source of their excitement, because they demonstrated the characteristics of robbing a nearby hive—except about half of them were bringing in leg loads of white pollen. When I returned to my bees in early November to gather a sample for the OSU Bee Lab analysis at the fall conference, I sought a sample of beeswax from brood comb for insecticide analysis. I had no unoccupied comb in the brood chamber. Several frames were partially filled with capped brood, and the rest of the cells were filled with uncapped nectar/honey. The sprig I had harvested appeared to be English ivy, except the leaves were much larger than any I had ever seen. Research quickly revealed there is only one species of English ivy…but, the article added, when it matures, English ivy blossoms and bees are very interested in the flowers. I had never seen an ivy blossom and did not It proves again, every year a beekeeper learns something new. For my part, in the future, I am going watch for warm October days with great interest. Biggest Beekeeping Store in the Northwest Full Line Beekeeping Supplies Northwest Hive Kits On-Site Manufacturing Beekeepers on Staff Comprehensive Classes Consulting & Support Worldwide Shipping Hobbyist to Commercial Local Raw Honey & Beeswax www.ruhlbeesupply.com 17845 SE 82nd Drive Gladstone, Oregon 97027 503 657 5399 11 The Bee Line Overwinter Losses—Continued from page 1 percent infestation level seems to mean lower loss levels for individual beekeepers. median number of colonies was two; the largest number of colonies owned by a single beekeeper in this small-scale group was forty-five. Prior to the appearance of the two honey bee mite parasites Acarapis woodi and Varroa destructor in the mid- to late1980s, beekeepers typically had winter losses of 10–15 percent. The introduction of bee mites caused loss rates to increase substantially. A ten-year study (1989–1998) of Pacific Northwest (PNW) beekeepers by OSU’s Michael Burgett reported an average annual ten-year loss rate of 22.6 percent among commercial/semi-commercial beekeepers, with rates trending upward over the ten-year period. Bee personnel at OSU, initially Burgett, followed by Caron, and now Caron and Sagili, began documenting, parallel with the national surveys, bee losses by PNW beekeepers. In the winter of 2007/2008, fourteen commercial and eleven semi-commercial beekeepers (owning an estimated 68 percent of the total colonies in Oregon and Washington) had a 30 percent loss rate. For the 2008/2009 winter, twelve commercial and twentytwo semi-commercial beekeepers had a lower loss rate of 21 percent. An additional survey form, distributed to attendees at 2009 local Oregon bee association meetings west of the Cascades, revealed a 25.8 percent spring loss rate from 100 small-scale beekeepers. The median beekeeping experience of this group was three years and Bar 1: National Bar 2: Commercial & semi-commercial Bar 3: Small scale Figure 1. National bee losses: 2007 = 31.8%, 2008 = 35.8%, 2009 = 29%, 2010 = 34.4%, and 2011 = 29.9%. Four-year summary commercial and semi-commercial Oregon beekeepers: 2008 (n = 25, 62,100 colonies) lost 30%; 2009 (n = 34, 39,252 colonies) lost 21%; 2010 (n = 29, 37,138 colonies) lost 24.5%, and 2011 (n = 25, 57,022 colonies) lost 21.4%. Two-year summary small scale beekeepers: 2009 Oregon (n = 100) lost 25.8%, 2010 Oregon/Washington (n = 125) lost 42%, and 2011 Oregon (n = 102) lost 32%. An oscillation of heavy losses one year followed by lighter losses the subsequent year has continued for Oregon commercial and semi-commercial beekeepers (see Figure 1). This same pattern of higher followed by lower loss levels has been found in Germany (German Bee Monitoring Program) and by Caron during ten-year sampling on the East Coast. —To be continued— We ’ Have Em Healthy Queens =Healthy Hives 1750 Dayton Rd. Chico, CA 95928 Fax (530) 865-5570 12 March 2012 MAKING SKEPS Joy Markgraf In the summer of 2009, my interest in basket making and beekeeping merged into a passion for skep making. I was introduced to the idea by my mentor Martin Buckle (who lives in England) through his website on how to make skeps. After a period of research on the history of skep making, I began two years of experimentation with different local materials. In England, one can still buy thatching straw to use for making skeps, but here one must find and harvest native weaving materials. After trying many different kinds, I settled on those with the best qualities of strength, pliability, and beauty. A high-quality skep must be neat and tightly woven. This not Joy with skep grass. only adds to the final beauty but also makes the skep well insulated, long lasting, and weather resistant. Three-part skep hive. supers can be added, and honey can be collected. The first three-part skep I made is in my bee house and filled with happy bees. They seem to enjoy their space more than bees in modern hives. My childhood, spent on a small farm southwest of Hillsboro, Oregon, instilled in me a love for nature and four years of training at the Portland Art Museum, earning a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art, taught me the discipline of creative work. Note: We enjoyed the remarkable display that Joy set up during the 2011 OSBA conference in Seaside. It included one of these skeps. She will share information from the display in future issues of the newsletter. Swarm Call List Update Be sure to contact Thom Trusewicz at ccbees@ gmail.com to be listed for SWARM CALLS in 2012. Listings are for OSBA members and updated annually. The listing is free. I designed and created a threepart, vertical, top-bar skep hive because I wanted to have a grass hive that I could use legally. Skeps are discouraged for beekeeping because they are fixed-frame hives that cannot be inspected for pests and diseases. This hive functions like a Langstroth hive. Hive bodies can be taken apart, frames can be removed or inspected, DONATIONS TO THE NORTHWEST APICULTURE FUND FOR HONEY BEE RESEARCH, EXTENSION, AND EDUCATION v v v Make your check out to: OSU FOUNDATION On the memo line, take care to write: THE NORTHWEST APICULTURE FUND FOR HONEY BEE RESEARCH, EXTENSION, AND EDUCATION Mail to: Oregon State University Foundation at 850 SW 35th St, Corvallis OR 97333-4015 If you have any questions regarding details of the fund or how to donate, please contact Kenny Williams, Chair of the OSBA’s Endowment Fund, at 541.456.2631. IMPORTANT: Making your check out only as described above ensures that your donation is correctly applied to the appropriate Endowment and not to any other program. 13 Honey and Crop Pollination George and Susan Hansen 30576 Oswalt Rd Colton, Oregon 97017 (503) 824–2265 www.foothillshoney.com The Bee Line MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS Please use the forms provided here, with current pricing information, to subscribe to magazines at the discounted rates offered to OSBA members. Take care to renew subscriptions before they expire to avoid lapses in subscriptions. New Subscriptions and Renewals for OSBA Members during March 2012 New Subscriptions and Renewals for OSBA Members during March 2012 New Subscriptions, Extensions, and Renewals for OSBA Members during March 2012 The fifth edition of the Oregon Agripedia, with statistical, regulatory, and contact information, is now available at: http://oregon.gov/ODA/pub_agripedia.shtml. 14 March 2012 Oregon State Beekeepers Association Membership Form The Oregon State Beekeepers Association is a nonprofit organization representing and supporting all who have an interest in honey bees and beekeeping. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in bees and beekeeping. You do not need to own bees or reside in Oregon to join. Membership includes the ongoing work of the organization on behalf of the honey bee and beekeeping, a vote in OSBA elections, discounts on publications, and an annual subscription to The Bee Line. For new memberships and renewals, please send check made payable to OSBA with this completed form to: Paul Kowash, 5959 SW Taylors Ferry Rd, Portland OR 97219 Name: ________________________________________ New ___ Renewing ___ Additional name(s) for added memberships at the same address: __________________________________________________________________ Mailing address: ____________________________________________________ City/State/Zip: ______________________________________________________ Telephone number: ________________ email address: ___________________ Contact information: The OSBA respects the privacy of members. Please check if you do not want your contact information included in a membership directory sent to OSBA members only: Do not include contact information _____ Please also check if you want to share only a portion of your contact information: Share only mailing address: _____ phone number(s): _____ email address: _____ Local group, if member: _____________________________________________ Membership: $25 per person ($34 per person outside the US) $_________ Voluntary contribution(s): General Fund Research Fund $_________ $_________ Total amount enclosed: $_________ Thank you! To place an order for a T-Shirt with the OSBA logo, please complete this form and mail with check made payable to Oregon State Beekeepers Association to: OSBA T-Shirt, 4207 SE Woodstock Blvd Ste 517, Portland OR 97206. Amount enclosed: ____________ Cost: $15 + $3 for shipping and handling per shirt. Color: _____Cranberry _____Navy Size: Men’s _____ S _____M _____L _____XL _____XXL; Women’s _____ S _____M _____L _____XL _____XXL Mail to: ________________________________________________________________________________________ Street address___________________________________________________________________________________ City_____________________________________________________ State ____________ Zip code ______________ 15 The Bee Line Newsletter of the Oregon State Beekeepers Association 4207 SE Woodstock Blvd Ste 517 Portland OR 97206 NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID PORTLAND OR PERMIT NO. 2358 Note: For new memberships and to renew, see form on page 15. Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. —Lao Tzu The Bee Line The Bee Line is the official publication of the Oregon State Beekeepers Association. Annual subscriptions to the newsletter are included with membership in OSBA. Please send news about your bees and your experiences in keeping them, as well as your corrections, comments, questions, photographs and stories (both from “old” times and “new”), interviews, recipes, and points of view to: Rosanna Mattingly, The Bee Line, 4207 SE Woodstock Blvd Ste 517, Portland OR 97206; email: [email protected]. The next issue to be printed will be the April 2012 issue. The deadline for submitting copy is March 10, 2012. Advertising Costs Per Issue Business Ads Business card $10.00 Quarter page $25.00 Half page $50.00 Full page $100.00 Classified Ads (30 words) Members Nonmembers $3.00 $5.00 Thank you! This issue of The Bee Line is printed on recycled paper by Minuteman Press Powell; 503.234.2040.