HAP-BEE NEW YEAR! - Kelley Beekeeping

Transcription

ISSUE 65: JANUARY 2016
HAP-BEE
NEW YEAR!
From the Queen's Court by Melanie Kirby 2
ABeeCs by Dennis Brown 5
Just the FAQsby Phill Remick
6
XYZs by Liz Walsh8
Bee Health: Rotational Grazing, Part II by Melanie Kirby 11
Bee Thinking About: Conferences & Events
15
Beekeeping 'Round the Globe: ApiNews
26
Bee Arts: Wax Rendering, A. Summers
27
Upcoming Events
30
From the Queen’s Court
by Melanie Kirby
Smoke is pouring out of our
chimney this winter. It has been
getting colder and snowier, thanks
to the El Niño weather conditions.
Here at my home farm in northern
New Mexico, we have already
reached close to 80 inches of snow.
I took the cover shot photo on
Christmas day and we’ve gotten
more snow since then! As I crosscountry ski across the three acres
that we lease, I catch glimpses of
black and yellow stripes here and
there across the terraced fields. As
I approach, I see little frozen corpses, bees who ventured out when
it was sunny for a cleansing flight who didn’t quite make it back to
their warm abodes. And while I cringe when I first see them, I also
recognize that with their passing, comes a new beginning.
The winter solstice has occurred and our planet’s axis is tilting
back towards the sun, ever so slowly, but surely. The daylight is
beginning to lengthen once again, and with that so does the task
list of preparation for this New Year and new season of beekeeping.
Wherever you are, we hope that your winter has given you time to
reflect on the past season, and allowing you to strategize for this
coming season.
Kelley Bees has everything you need, whether you are just getting
started or are a professional going on decades of service. There’s
starter kits, veils, smokers, woodenware, packages, queens and
all the accoutrements. Kelley prides itself on their USA made
manufacturing. A couple of years ago, the Walter T. Kelley Bee Supply
Company celebrated 90 years of operation. And with support from
dedicated bee stewards and enthusiasts, they are committed to
another 90 years (and then some)!
This month there are some big conferences taking place. There’s the
American Honey Producers Association annual conference. Which
this year, will be occurring in my home state of New Mexico, the
Land of Enchantment. It is quite rare that my state gets to play host
Editor
Melanie Kirby
[email protected]
Design & Layout
Jon Weaver, Johnny4Eyes.com
Website & Ecommerce
KelleyBees.com
Address
807 W. Main St.
P.O. Box 240
Clarkson, KY 42726
Phone
270-242-2012
800-233-2899
© 2015 Kelley Beekeeping
All rights reserved.
CALL FOR PHOTOS
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photo on the cover of this
newsletter? Send photos to
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Kelley Beekeeping • Issue 65: January 2016
2
Queen’s Court
continued
to a multi-day conference on everything bee. And I am sure to bee there!
I’ll be interviewing the Bee Informed Partnership technical teams and also participating in the
inaugural meeting of the American Honeybee Germplasm Repository Program. I’ll surely share
info on these groups in a future issue of this newsletter. I’m very excited for beekeepers from
around the nation to come visit the Land of Enchantment. They’ll be in for some good food,
stellar site-seeing and embraced by the tri-cultural landscape that nurtures our communities
here in the southern Rocky Mountains. New Mexico is where the Rocky Mountains meet the
plains and the desert so they’ll have the opportunity to experience all four seasons in a single
day!
There’s also the American Beekeeping Federation’s annual conference taking place in Florida this
year. It will be warm and sunny there- most likely and I’m sure they’ll be some yummy orange
fruit and delicious sub-tropical honeys for them to try. Both conferences offer a wide variety
of topics and themes for all levels of beekeepers. I’m super excited for next year’s conference
as both the AHPA and the ABF will be holding a joint conference in Galveston, TX, if I heard
through the grapevine correctly. So many interesting and dedicated beekeepers, researchers
and organizations in one place… I still remember the joint one both groups organized in 2008 in
Sacramento, California. I get misty eyed recollecting. If you attend one of these conferences, look
for the Kelley’s booth in the tradeshow. And if you can’t make it this year, be sure to plan for next
year’s as it will be beyond compare.
It’s time to get your equipment prepped, repaired and cleaned up for this coming bee season.
Review your bee logs, refresh your mindset, and start your calendars. I have several different
calendars: one for recording bloom times, one for seasonal management and one for queen
production. Lots of dates to remember and lots of tasks so best to BEE PREPARED.
This is the third year that I’ll be serving as editor for the Kelley Beekeeping newsletter. I am so
very excited and also quite humbled by the experience. Meeting readers at conferences and
receiving your emails inspires me. Thank you so much for reading this newsletter. I feel honored
to participate and am looking forward to what these next 12 monthly issues share. Remember,
we welcome photos (please include your contact info and any names of persons and places
pictured). We also welcome written contributions. If you have a story idea or an experience that
you think others would enjoy reading, send it in!
It’s a New Year and HAP-BEE one at that!
May the Buzz Bee with You,
Melanie Kirby
Melanie Kirby has been keeping bees professionally for 20
years, first starting as a US Peace Corps volunteer in South
America. She has learned from bees and their keepers in North
America, South America, the Pacific Islands, the Caribbean and
Europe. She specializes in survivor stock queen breeding and
consilience based research in the southern Rocky Mountains.
She can be reached at [email protected]
3
If you have a question you would like to share, email it to [email protected]
A•Bee•Cs
Beginning Beekeeping
by Dennis Brown
I’m a huge proponent of not using chemicals in the hive. In all my 51 years
of beekeeping, I’ve never dumped any chemicals in my hives and I have
been quite successful in my beekeeping career. Of course in the early
years when the mites arrived, like other beekeepers, I lost most of my 550
hives. But, I was determined to raise queens from the survivors in order to
produce a more hygienic bee. It took a few years, but I was able to enjoy a prosperous chemical free
beekeeping business.
I’ve heard from many beekeepers throughout the years that say things like; “You can’t raise bees
without using chemicals in the hive” and “A hive without using chemicals is a dead hive.” I’m
always amazed at such rhetoric, especially coming from some of the long time beekeepers and
well educated folks with “Dr.” in front of their name. Somewhere along the way, these beekeepers
have been mentored by someone who believes in using chemicals, then they teach someone, so
the problem keeps perpetuating itself generation after generation. Do my hives have mites? Of
course they do. Every hive has some mites. The key is to have a hygienic hive that will keep the mite
population down to where the bees and the mites can coexist together.
In my book “Beekeeping: A Personal Journey” I’ve devoted a whole chapter on the subject and
how you can (should) begin raising your bees without the use of chemicals. There isn’t enough
room in this article to cover the entire subject, so I’m going to speak about how the problem got
started. I’m far from the only beekeeper that doesn’t put chemicals in their hives. You can go to my
website www.lonestarfarms.net and view the member’s page. There are close to 500 chemical free
beekeepers from around the world that are listed there and the list keeps growing.
Enjoy your bees!
Dennis Brown
Dennis Brown is the author of “Beekeeping: A Personal
Journey” and “Beekeeping: Questions and Answers."
Contact Dennis at www.lonestarfarms.net.
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Just the FAQs
Questions & Answers
by Phill Remick
Question: What can I do to keep my two hives warmer this winter?
Insulated blankets, fiberglass insulation?
From R.C. in Virginia. Thanks for contacting Kelley Bees.
Answer: Anytime a colony is wrapped, one must consider where they are
located geographically and how drastic temperature fluctuations might be.
Adequate hive ventilation is pivotal. Without it, your bees will suffer and
perhaps perish. Optimum circulation to reduce hive humidity is a major consideration. Because
of the bee’s respiration good air flow is required inside the colony anytime of the year, especially
during cold snaps.
My hives that are two stories have a ¾” hole in the top center of the super, at the midway point. This
additional access to outside fresh air permits respiration removal to proceed unrestricted. It also
serves as an escape hatch should the hive body entrance become blocked by snow or dead bees (it
happens!). If the colony senses too much air being funneled through, they will restrict the opening
with propolis.
Once respiration collects on the inside lid of the hive in cold weather, if there is no escape route, this
moisture often begins to freeze - dripping directly onto the cluster. This does not have a positive
outcome. We are told that for every 10 pounds of honey a colony consumes, about 1 gallon of water
is produced, so this is moisture that needs to leave the hive.
Since you asked, some folks do use insulated blankets, fiberglass insulation, ceramic emitter
lights and other heat sources. These don’t necessarily raise the hive temp dramatically, but keep
it somewhat stable. The hive temperature remains constant and does not slip as close to extreme
temps. Remember, the bees are heating the cluster only - not the entire wooden structure. By the
way, the bulbs are placed under the hive, inside an empty super, beneath the bottom board, just so
you know.
I strongly suggest interacting with someone who has done this before ploughing into it on your
own! Some types of insulation can rapidly deteriorate after a strong wind, intense downpour or
heavy snowfall - it’s something to consider and keep an eye on.
A few folks take the time to actually transfer their white supers and hives bodies into ones usually
painted black. This is to retain more heat in winter.
It is relevant to note that some wraps are only moisture barriers which add little in the way of true
insulating qualities. Standard tar paper would be an example of this; however tar paper is thick
enough to also provide a wind break.
6
FAQs continued
Keep your colonies out of direct wind. Many beekeepers use inexpensive bales of hay to alter wind
currents and buffer harsh environmental conditions. Use whatever you need, but keep shifting or
prevailing wind off and out of your hives!
Some beekeepers attach 1-2” foam on all sides and to the lid of the hive. A friend of mine has his
screened bottoms completely open(!). He includes a two inch square of foam between the inner
cover and telescoping lids too, insisting he rarely loses a colony to extreme cold. He resides in New
Hampshire - Live Free or Die!
I run bees in New Mexico, where some, not all regions, don’t get much below the mid-teen readings
for very brief periods in winter. Other parts of the Land of Enchantment are not so enchanting with
temps bumping the below zero mark at times.
I never wrap hives. I do have IPM bottoms that are about ¼ open, entrances that have been reduced
to no more than two inches, and a piece of organic burlap placed between the inner cover with
telescoping lid to absorb and wick away accumulated moisture. I also tie my hives around from the
bottom to the top, making certain wind does not upend a lid or two.
When wrapping, we don’t want the hives to get so warm that bees inside assume it’s time to bust
the cluster and head out into the dazzling but freezing sunshine. I think you get the point.
With dramatic regional weather variations an adjustment in the amount of product used to wrap
should be considered. It doesn’t have to be very thick. Consider it being only about ¼ “thick to
maintain an even heat pattern for most areas of the country. If you’re in Canada you’re on your own,
eh. Kidding.
I’d check with one of the commercial dudes in your area and get their suggestions. Bee certain your
colonies have plenty of food. It’s a long time until spring arrives!
Thanks for writing.
Happy New Year, Bee Strong in 2016!
Phill Remick is a former commercial beekeeper and
seasonal apiary inspector who teaches beekeeping,
offers year round apiary consulting and sells supplies
near Edgewood, NM. Contact: [email protected]
7
X•Y•Zs
Advanced Beekeeping
by Liz Walsh
We had an inquiry from a reader named Richard come in a few months back
asking about oxalic acid treatments. Here is Liz Walsh’s response….
Dear Richard,
I can tell you a little bit about oxalic acid and oxalic acid treatments. Kelley
Bees does sell an oxalic vaporizer – though I have yet to try it. But you can view
it online at https://www.kelleybees.com/Shop/7/NewBEE/4861/Vaporizer.
Oxalic acid is a very strong acid most commonly found (in the human world), in wood bleach. That
said, it is also present naturally in very small concentrations in plants and honey. The USDA applied
to the EPA for oxalic acid to be used as a miticide for varroa in November of 2014, but—as far as
I’ve been able to find out—the only beekeeping company who can legally sell it in the US is Brushy
Mountain. To understand this odd happenstance, you’ve first got to figure out a little bit about the
process of approving a miticide. This process normally takes years, but oxalic acid registration in the
US did not take long at all, after all, it was registered less than a year after the application was in!
This is because the EPA and turned to Canada, a country where oxalic acid has been used against
varroa mites for some time, for the years worth of research and data necessary to license oxalic acid.
For a miticide, or any chemical control product, to be legal, it has to have an EPA approval label.
This label tells the consumer what the product is and how to use it. Brushy Mountain (again, as
far as I know), is the only beekeeping supply distributor registered to use the EPA label at this
time. I know this sounds silly, but EPA
regulations are there for a reason
and violations can carry hefty fines
if violated. The reason the EPA has
regulations is to protect the public;
if you use a product not licensed
or not according to the EPA label,
then you are using the product in a
way that the EPA deems as unsafe.
Right now, the EPA has approved
oxalic acid for beekeeper use in
three methods: By solution to
package bees, by solution to bee
hives, and vapor treatment to bee
hives. You can find out more about
this by reading the EPA registration
decision (http://www.regulations.
gov/#!documentDetail;D=EPAHQ-OPP-2015-0043-0119) and
Oxalic Vaporizer from Kelley Bees.
8
XYZs continued
the EPA label (http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=EPA-HQ-OPP-2015-0043-0018).
While the EPA is a national organization, many individual states have still not passed their approval
and each state must approve it before it can legally be sold or used in each state. You can find a list
of the states that have approved oxalic acid at this site (https://www.kelleybees.com/res/uploads/
media//Qxalic-Acid-FAQ_1.pdf ).
The EPA is responsible for determining the safety and usefulness of a product, as well as the
concentrations a product can be used within these parameters. For instance, if you search the
internet, find an oxalic acid demonstration video and then apply oxalic acid, there is no guarantee
that the information in the video was correct or safe. Oxalic acid effectively kills varroa mites that
are not under capped brood cells, but it is also dangerous for humans to breathe or physically
contact. As such, oxalic acid needs to be diluted to 2% or 3% before it can actually be used. There
are also other things that need to be done for oxalic acid to be used safely for you and your bees
(storing oxalic acid, personal protective gear, time of exposure, dosage, etc.), as you don’t want to
injure yourself or kill your colonies. By using a product labeled by the EPA rather than getting wood
bleach from your local hardware store, you know that you aren’t accidentally killing your bees or
irrevocably stressing them.
As far as I’ve heard, the fogger method is the method most hobbyists are using, although it sounds
like most commercial beekeepers are using the dribble method. Hobbyists contend that the fogger
doesn’t disturb the bees as much as the dribble method does and commercial beekeepers say that
the dribble method is quicker and more effective. Unfortunately, I haven’t conducted a comparison,
so I can’t tell you what I think about the dribble vs. fogger methods, but this is what I’ve heard. If you
have heard something different, then please let me know.
It’s also worth saying that oxalic acid has been successfully used as a miticide for some time now
in Canada and Europe (and illegally here in the US). It is highly effective in killing varroa mites (so
long as they are not under cappings), although there have been few studies looking at potentially
negative long term effects of using it. This is one of the only long term studies looking at oxalic
acid use and its effects on honey bees (rather than varroa mites) (Saskia Schneider, Dorothea
Eisenhardt, Eva Rademacher. Sublethal effects of oxalic acid on Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera:
Apidae): changes in behaviour and longevity. Apidologie, Springer Verlag, 2012, 43 (2), pp.218-225.).
The study was conducted in Germany and found that oxalic acid use at 3.5% had sublethal effects
on honey bees, including shortening the time that honey bees are nurse bees, increasing grooming
behavior, shortening the lifespan of worker bees, and more. The authors conclude that, even with
these drawbacks, the “advantages of OA as a treatment against the [varroa mite] still outweigh the
possible negative consequences to the honeybee colony.” To be fair, the also have a relatively small
sample size. What I’m trying to say by including this information is: oxalic acid seems like a very
effective miticide, but we don’t know much about how it can affect honey bees. Use it as you see fit,
but please do so legally and having researched it thoroughly (as with everything).
Best,
Liz
Liz Walsh is a graduate student at the Rangel Honey Bee
Lab, Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University.
She can be reached at [email protected]
9
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Bee Health
The Benefits of “Rotational Grazing” within Diverse Topographies
A Proposed Discussion on Nutritional Migrations—Part II
by Melanie Kirby
The sun is setting, truck loaded and humming, and the straps are tightened... A migration is about
to commence, one resting on the combination of “symbiosis” and “consilience” between livestock,
stewards and industry. Food for one leads to food for the many. Fortifying individual organismal health
and fabricating the woven tapestry of a superorganism’s overall networking immunity and responses.
The nectar nomads and pollen pilgrims are following the bloom…
What is needed for bees to not only develop, but to also utilize their available diet to further promote
their positive genetic dispositions?
Habitat promotion is needed. And, more importantly, time is needed. By giving bees time to develop
through the various seasons, the living laboratory poses real-world testing scenarios. By observing our
landscape, assessing natural flows, and promoting healthy interactions for sustainability, we are giving
the bees, and other pollinators — the chance to develop as best they can, given their circumstances
of location. However, moving bees may add to or detract from the diversity of diet; it can either work
for or against them. For instance, moving bees to a “dead” zone or an area termed as a “food desert,”
where there is no forage; only supplemental feed, can, in the long term, pose more harm than benefit
to bee livestock. But, if moving bees to suitable forage zones so that they have access to a diversified
diet, will better promote their nutrition levels; and thus, how well they adapt and progress.
This adaptation and progress
directly correlates to the genetic
“toolkit”12, a descriptive term I heard
Dr. Deborah Delaney use at the
2013 Treatment-Free Beekeeping
Conference at Pacific University
in Oregon. This toolkit serves as a
depository; a historical compilation
of seasonal data for millennia. This
compilation is a direct result of
each season’s inputs and outputs.
And like a seed, which retains
information from the mother
plant, it passes its information
from each generation to the next,
furthering the “conditioning” of all
the organisms in the system at any
given time or duration.
Like seeds...
11
Bee Health continued
This passage not only from one generation to the next, but from season to season, establishes the
Overall Lifetime Merit. The development of the Overall Lifetime Merit as based on time, develops
the heritable umbrella trait of longevity of the super organism and species.13 The long-living history
within each develops a living library, turning pages over time displaying their genetic stories. Each
season, each forage particle, each act of pollination, bears fruit. Pollination’s plant reproduction of
genetic material yields seeds. These seeds were brought about by the organisms who, themselves,
store memories in their cells.
So — like seeds, are the bees. The bees themselves carry genetic information that is formed over time;
and as such, are seeds, storing information, passing it onto the next generation of bees. Regionally
fortified pollinators by real-world, living laboratory natural circumstances, Angels of Agriculture carry
on the stories. They pass along the ability for life to be conceived, and interact in the most intimate
of dances for biological exchange and manifestation. And, like seeds, this fruit of reproduction needs
time to ripen in order to further carry on the history. But, what if we alter that biological exchange
that has been developing for millennia? What if adulteration of the natural chemistry and nuanced
intermingling is sabotaged through progressive efforts to eradicate vs. reconcile? Meaning, what if
efforts to try to eradicate Varroa mites with harsh acaricides compromises the natural chemistry? Why
not try to find a method of reconciliation- whereby, the mites and the bees learn to coexist?
The continued integration of modified crops, systemic pesticides, poor air and water quality,
environmental contaminants does surely lead to changes in microbial interactions. Nutritional values
and longevity diminish when toxic residues and synergistic reactions lessen food quality by their
effect on microbes. This in turn, affects bee health by reducing beneficial microbes causing nutritional
deficiencies and resulting in
susceptibility to viral pathogens
and pests, increased incidence of
disease, supercedure of queens’
loss of genetics, reduced colony
growth and ultimately, dimishes
the Overall Lifetime Merit and
longevity.
Research on habitat and pollinator
ecology is continuing, as it should.
Who knows exactly what our
farming and urban landscapes will
look like in the future without the
foresight for including pollinator
planning? Developing sustainable
and recurrent systems that preserve
energy, respect biodiversity and
...are the bees.
12
promote health and wellness for plant and animal organisms is essential. Our connection to the world
around us, and the fact that this world feeds, clothes, and shelters us, is at the crux of these discussions.
What is our connection to ourselves, as mind to body? What is our connection to ourselves as a person
to another, as a people to society… and as a society to cultures? What is our connection to culture
if not to highlight the beauty and majesty of our presence, experience, and intelligence here in this
world? It is but within our power and responsibility to make positive changes for the betterment of
our landscapes and livestock and their symbiotic relationship with food and life on this planet.
Time and again, Mother Nature has been diligently sorting out cause and effect. And we, as
inhabitants, are witness to it if we choose to observe. Through biomimetics, which is the study of
the formation, structure or function of biologically produced substances and materials (as enzymes
or silk) and biological mechanisms and processes (as protein synthesis or photosynthesis) especially
for the purpose of synthesizing similar products by mechanisms which mimic natural ones, we can
better formulate and distribute techniques and stratagems that are conducive to promoting health
and wellness. Learning from nature, allowing it to nurture and force adaptation, can develop a better
process of understanding and consilience.
This, in essence, is called The Reconciliation. This Reconciliation includes bio-diversified agroecosystems which include honeybees and native bees; including both in mindful funding, strategizing,
and steps of action helps to ensure that our varied landscapes across the globe will continue to sustain
life for us and for future generations. Let us work together to take positive steps to keep our pollinators
healthy, productive and resilient, today and into the future.
Consilience is the unity of
knowledge. It is the act of bringing
together multi-disciplinary efforts
to create a better system of
discernment and of action. It is,
in a sense, another definition for
“holism” or holistic review. There
is no doubt that it will take more
than the new beekeepers, more
than the seasoned professionals
and more than the experienced
researchers and their respective
institutions to bring about positive
change in honeybee and pollinator
management. It will take a
community to raise bees- including
you, me, the ground beneath our
Where to now?
13
feet, and the air above our heads, the waterways flowing and the fires of chemical reaction. It will take
many elements and the most important one is stewardship- the preservation of healthy landscapes,
the promotion of nutritional forage and sustainable management- rests with us as caretakers of
creation.
P.S. This year marks the humble ten year anniversary of my small bee farm. I would like to thank all those
who have encouraged and been supportive over the past decade. I look forward to serving the industry for
more decades to come- Creator willing. Thank you to all of our mentors around the world: US Peace Corps,
Garry Orescovich (Honey Land Farms), Kirk Webster (Champlain Valley Bees & Queens), Randy Oliver (Grass
Valley Apiaires), Gus Rouse (Kona Queen), Michel Krones (Hawaiian Queen), Dr. Marla Spivak (Univ. of MN),
Sue Cobey, Mea McNeil Draper, Dr. Juliana Posada-Rangel (Texas A&M), Dr. Thomas Seeley (Cornell), Les
Crowder (For the Love of Bees), Seth Rickman (Valley of the Giants), Dr. John Kefuss (France), Pat & Russell
Heitkam (Heitkam’s Honeybees), Aiden Wing (Wings of Nature Bees), Linda, Leonard & Brad Pankrantz
(CanAm Queens), Liz & Terry Huxter (Kettle Valley Queens), Dr. Diana Sammataro, Agape & Kwao Adams
(Yerba Buena Farm), Megan Mahoney (Mahoney Apiaries), and all the researchers, professional beekeepers
and institutions who support sustainable bee husbandry.
12. Phrase “genetic toolkit” borrowed from Dr. Deborah
Delaney -presentation at June 2013 Pacific Northwest
Treatment Free Conference; Pacific Grove University
13. “In Her Majesty’s Secret Service” by Melanie Kirby; ABJ:
June 2011
Melanie Kirby has been keeping bees professionally for
19 years. She has had the blessed opportunities to learn
from the bees (and their keepers) in North America,
South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe
and the Pacific Islands. She is a longevity-based survivor
stock queen honeybee breeder based in the southern
Rocky Mountains. She is also the editor of this newsletterKelley Beekeeping. She can be reached at ziaqueenbees@
hotmail.com or [email protected]
Finding lots of healthy forage.
14
Date: Jan. 16th 2016
What: Austin 5th Annual Beekeeping Seminar
Who: Sponsored by the Austin Area Beekeepers Assoc.
Where: J.J. Pickle Research Campus
10100 Burnet Road, Austin, TX 78758
Cost:$40 pre-registration
To Register: http://aabaseminar2016.eventbrite.com
Why: The mission of this daylong seminar is to educate people of
all experience levels in sustainable bee husbandry and to provide
funding for the Texas A&M Honey Bee Lab.
Description: This is a daylong seminar offering 4 different
educational presentations running concurrently in each time
slot throughout the day. This will provide many beginning and
advanced subjects to choose from. A separate beginner’s track
has been formatted covering a variety of startup topics for soon
to be or very new beekeepers.
Afternoon sessions will include many different presentations including:
• Honey Bee Management 1 and 2
• Honey Bee Biology and Behavior
• Top Bar Management 1 and 2
• Varroa Management
• Brood Disease Control
• Swarm Capture Techniques
• Raising Queens
• Learn Honey Extraction Techniques
• Beneficial Bee Flowers
• Queen Finding and Requeening
Techniques
• The Latest in the Texas Bee Lab Research
• Colony Supersedure and Management
• Keeping Bees in an Africanized Zone
• Nutrition Management
• Spring Management
• Cut Outs
• Honey Extraction Techniques
Presenters include:
• Professor Juliana Rangel-Posada, Dept.
of Entomology Texas A&M.
• Mark Dykes, Chief Texas Apiary Inspector.
• Mark Hedley, Commercial beekeeper and
owner of Spiral Horn Apiary.
• Chris Doggett, President, Williamson
County Area Beekeepers Assoc.
• Tanya Phillips, President of the Travis
County Beekeepers Assoc.
• Dean Cook, Top Bar hive management
advocate
• Karl Acuri, Austin Area Beekeepers Assoc.
(Co-organizer) and natural beekeeper. • Mary
Reed, Texas Apiary Inspector
• Cameron Crane, Area Director Texas
Beekeepers Association
• Lily Rosenman, Austin Area Beekeepers
Assoc. (Co-organizer) & natural beekeeper.
• Becky Bender, TX Master Naturalist
• Brandon Fehrenkamp, Natural beekeeper
advocate and owner of Austin Bees
• Lance Wilson, Cert. Master Beekeeper GMBP
For more info and to register for this event, go to
http://aabaseminar2016.eventbrite.com
For additional information you can email Lance Wilson
[email protected].
This organization is non-profit and all proceeds of this event will be used
to promote sustainable beekeeping practices and provide support to our
much appreciated Texas A&M Honey Bee Lab. This should be a lot of fun,
everyone please come out and see us.
American Honey
Producers Association
Join Us!
47th Annual
Convention
&
Trade Show
January 5-9,
2016
www.AHPAnet.com
Albuquerque,
New Mexico
Embassy Suites
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January 5-9, 2016
Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa
Ponte Vedra Beach (Jacksonville), FL
Join fellow beekeepers in Ponte Vedra Beach (Jacksonville, FL) for the
2016 American Beekeeping Federation (ABF) Conference & Tradeshow featuring:
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Presentations and workshops for all levels of beekeeping led by
industry experts
Keynote presentations by top researchers in the field
A Tradeshow highlighting products and services in the beekeeping industry
Opportunities to network with beekeepers of all levels, vendors
and industry experts
2016 Honey Queen Coronation, Honey Show & Auction and more!
Register today for the conference at www.abfconference.com to secure
the lowest registration rate and to take advantage of the special hotel rate
of $125 (plus tax) at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa.
SAVE UP TO $100 Register by October 14!
For additional information about the conference,
please call 404.760.2875 or visit abfconference.com.
PALM TREES & HEALTHY BEES
Get ready for an exciting week of education & networking!
The 2016 American Beekeeping Federation (ABF) Conference & Tradeshow is just three short months
away. We’ve got exciting things planned for the conference that we can’t wait to share with you.
General Sessions on Wednesday and Friday will feature presentations such as:
o Keynote Presentation by Marla Spivak
o Updates from the EPA and USDA
o National Honey Board Promotions and Research Update
o Project Apis m Partnership Helping Honey Bees
o Bee Informed Partnership Update
o Updates from all USDA-ARS Bee Labs
Shared Interest Group Meetings (SIGs) on Thursday, filled with educational for the following SIG groups:
o Producer/Packer SIG
o Small Scale/Sideliner SIG
o Package Bee and Queen Breeder SIG
o Commercial SIG
Track Sessions on Thursday for the Beginning, Serious Sideliner and Commercial beekeepers
including the following presentations:
o Bee Understanding Project by Emily Olsen-Harbach
o Pollen Collection by John Speckman
o Electrical Qualities of Plants by Dr. Jody Johnson
o Summer Splits:Timing and Technique for Mite Load Reduction by Doug Vinson
o Assessing Risk Factors Associated with Honey Bee Colony Survival in Canada by Dr. Steve Pernal
o Regulation of Macronutrient Intake by Adult Worker by Dr. Geraldine Wright
Optional activities throughout the conference (requiring an additional registration fee) include:
o Auxiliary Lunch/Meeting on Thursday, January 7
o Social Night on Thursday, January 7: Join us for a night at the Jacksonville Zoo for dinner,
exploration and maybe a bit of dancing.
o Foundation Lunch/Meeting on Friday, January 8
o ABF Annual Banquet on Saturday, January 9: Always a fun evening with the Live Auction,
Sweepstakes drawing, dinner & the Coronation of the 2016 American Honey Queen & Princess.
Guest Room Reservations: Don’t forget to make your hotel reservations at the Sawgrass Marriott
Golf Resort & Spa. The special rate for the conference is $125.00 plus tax. A limited number of rooms
are reserved at this rate. To secure a room please contact the Sawgrass Marriott Resort by booking
online https://resweb.passkey.com/go/abfconference or by calling 1.800.457.4653. Reservations must
be made by Friday, December 11, 2015 or before the group rooms are sold out, so do not delay.
All reservations must be guaranteed with a credit card for the first night’s guestroom rate and tax
charge.
We hope to see you in January!
ou
y
ve
a
h
,
y
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e
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r
H
hea
The Spring 2016
Apitherapy Course is
coming to Spring
Creek, NC.
Learn through hands-on practicums what you can
do with beeswax, propolis, royal jelly, larvae, honey, pollen, and bee bread products for your health and beauty inside and out.
WHAT: 2016 Spring Apitherapy Course
WHERE: Spring Creek Community Center
WHEN: March 19 & 20, 2016
COST: $295 includes your text book.
~
For registration and more information go to
www.BEeHealing.Buzz
NOTE: Registration for the Course ends Tuesday, March 1st.
NOTE: This class is limited to 20 students.
No-treatment beekeeping will be held for a full day on
March 18, 2016. Go to www.BEeHealing.Buzz for more details.
Cost is $95 and there are no limits to the number of students.
22
DON’T MISS OUT!
Kelley Beekeeping is
looking for resale partners!
Ask yourself these questions:
Is your local beekeeping community
strong and active?
Do you teach beekeeping classes?
Would you like to run a business that
aligns with your passion?
If you answered YES,
we may have
an opportunity for you!
Contact Us Today
Email: [email protected]
Or Call: 800-233-2899 ex. 213
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Beekeeping 'Round the Globe
ApiNews: A Global Beekeeping Newsletter
It was last year when I stumbled upon this neat website. Here is a little info on
who, what, where and when… and how you can sign up to receive their global
beekeeping newsletter.
Who is ApiNews?:
They are a group of members of the beekeeping industry, who have joined strength
with the goal of integrating: “The world’s beekeeping in one site.”
Social Networks:
Their news is available on the social networks:
Twitter® (www.twitter.com/apinews_en) and Facebook® ( Apinews)
Site Visits:
They have an average of 80,000 visits per month from 122 countries of the world.
Most visitors are from the U.S.A., China, Argentina, France, Spain, Canada & Mexico.
Close to 60% are favorites and 40% are from new visitors; all them with an average
of 2.3 pages per visit.
Who receives their weekly newsletter?:
An average of 10,000 English speaking subscribers and 23,000 in Spanish.
What topics do they cover?
News, Directory, Technical Articles, Calendar, Newsletter and more…
For info on advertising, you can contact
Lic. Analía Manriquez [email protected]
And to sign up for their global newsletter,
visit: http://newsletter.apinews.com/?p=subscribe&id=2
26
Bee Arts
Rendering Wax
by Al Summers, Ichiban Honey Company
For your viewing enjoyment…Here are some pics extracting
honey supers recently. Some of you might be wondering what
the wax rendering process looks like. I included some shots of
that. As you can see, the purification process is multi-staged,
in order to get really clean wax (the funky stuff on bottom of
the wax cake is called "slumgum" for those of you who may
not be familiar. Also, the funky brown stuff in strainer several
pics before that).
Cheers,
Al, [email protected]
Al is a longtime beekeeper from Colorado. He worked for
the Millers in California way back when. He is also the
founder of the Mountain High Beekeepers Cooperative
and served as the editor of the Bee Notes newsletter of the
Colorado State Beekeepers Association for many years.
He is also one of the founders of the recently established
Colorado Professional Beekeepers Association: http://
coloradoprobeekeeping.org.
Stacks of honey supers.
Decapper.
27
Bee Arts continued
Decapped honey frames.
Decapped honey and wax dripping.
Rinsed wax cappings.
Drained cappings.
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Bee Arts continued
Wax separator and melter.
Strained slumgum.
Cooling pans of melted beeswax.
Clean and rendered heated wax.
Finished block of rendered wax with a little bit of slumgum.
29
January 2016
February 2016
March 2016
New Mexico: American Honey
Producers Association 45th Annual
Tradeshow & Conference
January 5-9, 2016
Embassy Suites, Albuquerque, NM
Info: http://www.ahpanet.com/
CT: American Honey Tasting Society
presents, Honey 101: Introduction to
Honey Tasting (1st Graduating Class)
with Instructors Carla Marina Marchese
& Raffaele Dall’Olio (Albo Nazionale
Esperti di Analisi Sensoriale del Miele)
February 2-3 or 6-7, 2016
Norfield Grange, 12 Goodhill Rd, Weston, CT
Info: americanhoneytastingsociety.com
Email: [email protected]
California: In Her Majesty’s Chambers
Intro to Queen Breeding & Rearing with
Instructors Melanie Kirby & Mark Spitzig
of Zia Queenbees Farm & Field Institute
March dates TBA
Wings of Nature Bees home apiary
Bay Area, Los Altos, CA
Info visit www.ziaqueenbees.com/zia
or www.wingsofnaturebees.com
Tel: 505.929.8080
NM: NM Beekeepers Association
Annual Meeting featuring author
Mark Winston, Liz Walsh (Texas A&M),
Dr. Stephen Rankin & Dr. Don Hyder
(NM Medicinal Honey research)
February 5-6, 2015
Info: www.nmbeekeepers.org
Michigan: Michigan Beekeepers Association
Annual Spring Conference featuring
keynote Gary Reuter, Dr. Zachary Huang,
Dr. Megan Milbraith and more.
March 11-12, 2016
Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
http://www.michiganbees.org/
Florida: American Beekeeping Federation
Palm Trees & Healthy Bees Conference
January 5-9, 2016
Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa
Ponte Verde Beach, FL
Info: http://abfconference.com/
Texas: 5th Annual Austin Area
Beekeepers Association
January 16, 2016
J.J. Pickle Research Campus
10100 Burnet Road - Austin, TZ
Info: http://aabaseminar2016.eventbrite.com
Kentucky: Eastern KY Winter bee School
with keynote Stephanie Tarwater.
Jan. 24 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. EST
Hazard Community and Technical College.
To register, contact Perry County Extension
agent Charles May at [email protected].
Ohio: OSU Bee Lab- Creating
Pollinator Habitat
February 18, 2016
OARDC’s Shisler Conference Center in Wooster
Info: https://u.osu.edu/beelab/
Georgia: Chattahoochee Valley
Beekeepers Association offering Wounded
Warrior Beekeeping Program.
Starting February 20- April 2, 2016
Deadline for applying is Feb. 14, 2016
Contact: CVBA President Paul Berry
Tel: 706-527-0739
Utah: Utah Beekeepers Convention
February 26 - 27, 2016
Best Western CottonTree Inn
Info: www.utahbeekeepers.org/convention
We’d love to share news of your upcoming events. Please send the event name, date, website and/or contact
information by the 10th of each month for inclusion in the following month’s issue. [email protected]

HAP-BEE NEW YEAR! - Kelley Beekeeping

Transcription

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