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Volume 156 No. 4 April 2016 ke
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Contents
Email
info@americanbeejournal.com
Web
www.americanbeejournal.com
Editor-Joe M. Graham Advertising Manager-Marta Menn
Making a Bee Trailer 415 Publishing Department- Dianne Behnke & Susan Nichols
International Honey Market
Ron Phipps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
A Review of the New Edition of The Hive and the Honey Bee
Peter Loring Borst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
Making a Bee Trailer
Craig Cella . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
Understanding Colony Buildup and DeclinePart 11
Varroa and the Late Season Collapse
Randy Oliver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Colony Collapse Disorder Eight Years LaterPart II
Articles
Departments
Avocados and Bees
Dewey M. Caron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439 Letters to the
Biloxis Ken Parker Attributes His Beekeeping Start to BPs Gulf Oil Spill Editor . . . . . . . . . . . 373
Cecil Hicks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443
Newsnotes . . . . . . . 379
How to Become a Beekeeper (The Not-so-Straightforward Way): Part I
William Blomstedt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447
U.S. Honey Crops
The Adventures of Pollination Habitat and Markets . . . . . . 387
Terry Lieberman-Smith and Michele Colopy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
Bees Helping Boys &ODVVLHG
Steve Mac McNair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457 Advertising . . . . . . . 481
Winning the Urban Customer
Howard Scott. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465 Advertising
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . 486
Its on the Tip of My Tongue
William J. Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467
The Classroom
Columns Beekeeping Topics - My Homemade Feeder Board
Jerry Hayes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399 Ray Nabors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .463
Field Guide to Beekeeping
Jamie Ellis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405 Apiary Management with Integrity - Part II
Larry Connor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .471
For the Love of Bees and Beekeeping
Keith Delaplane. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437 The Other Side of Beekeeping
Honey Bee Biology George S. Ayers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .475
Wyatt A. Mangum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
The American Bee Journal ISSN 0002-7626
April Cover Picture THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL (ISSN 002-7626) ing to National Archive Publishing Co., 300 N. Zeeb
is published monthly at American Bee Journal, 51 S. Road, P.O. Box 998, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106.
Stephen Repasky, author of Swarm Essentials, 2nd Street, Hamilton, IL 62341. Periodicals Postage 1-800-420-6272. Copyright Dadant & Sons, Inc.,
took this nice photo of a swarm. The photo 3DLGDW+DPLOWRQ,/DQGDWDGGLWLRQDOPDLOLQJRIFHV
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to American
2015. All rights reserved, printed in USA. The Publish-
ers cannot guarantee advertisements in this magazine,
appears in Larry Connors article this month Bee Journal, 51 S. 2nd Street, Hamilton, IL 62341. In
the United States, $28.00 a year; two years, $53.00
but we ask that any advertising complaints be made
known to us, so we can further check the companys
entitled Apiary Management with Integrity and three years, $75.00. Canada $45.00 a year; two reliability. Opinions expressed in articles are not neces-
Part II. Mr. Repaskys book on swarming may be years $88.00. Foreign $52.00 a year; two years $99.00.
Subscriptions stop at expiration date printed on label.
sarily those of the publisher. American Bee Journal, 51
S. 2nd St., Hamilton, IL 62341. (217) 847-3324. Fax
ordered from www.wicwas.com. $YDLODEOHLQPLFUROPIRUPDWPRGHUDWHSULFHVE\ZULW- (217) 847-3660.
PEOPLE ARE AS INTERESTING times by aggressive Russian bees. I was cannot afford to pay much. We immediately
AS BEES proud to help a guy with a violent drinking became friends when we met. He was similar
problem to recover from this dependency to me in one way--he just hated to be idle. At
A BEEKEEPING STORY FROM RUSSIA and to lean on the beesto focus his life UVWKHKHOSHGPH[XSP\ZLQWHULQJFHOODU
on bees. This man started as an assistant, and then he started to help me with my bees.
The 2015 season was awful for the and not once did he let me down during I felt that his second reason for continuing to
beekeepers in the vast territory of the Ural WKHKHFWLFWLPHRIWKHPDLQRZ+RZHYHU work with me was that in some mysterious
Mountains, including Baskiria, and the he then became addicted to beekeeping. way he was spellbound with the bees and
Perm region, which are famous for their He even gave up his drinking habits, and beekeeping. During our long drives to my
honey and vast yields. This Perm region after 5 years, started his own beekeeping outyards in my small truck, he explained the
will be the scene of a story that comes later. operation. reason for this to me.
Most of the beekeepers received nothing This year, I worked with a new guy who He shared with me many unforgettable
from their bees. We had a rainy summer, had moved to my town recently. His name memories, dating back to the time when
and day temperatures averaged around 20 is Victor. But, despite his name, he has not he was an inmate in prison. It would take
degrees Celsius in my town. It was only been victorious all his life. He is 58 years Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky to
due to my 35 years of experience, as well as old now. He was lucky enough to enter a do it justice; it would make a great novel.
one stubborn farmer, who sticks to planting naval academy in the 1970s with a brilliant When he was in the so-called labor camp,
canola, that I managed to yield half of the future ahead of him. However, everything or zone, he was, as were the rest of the
ton of canola honey that makes up half of had changed in one night. He accidentally inmates, employed with construction work,
my average harvest. I moved more than half NLOOHG VRPHRQH LQ D EDU JKW $V LQ PRVW felling trees, or farming. During his fourth
RIP\RSHUDWLRQWRWKHVHFDQRODHOGVDQG cases, booze was the main culprit in the year in prison, a new inmate was sent to
put the hives in the farmers orchard. accident. He was sentenced, and served their labor camp. He had been sentenced to
In the beginning of August, all hope of a many years in a Soviet prison camp. He 15 years for murder. This man turned out
good harvest had died; it seemed as if even served his entire term, was released and by to be a great asset to the labor camp! He
the bees were reconciled with their fate, and now has acquired a good reputation as a happened to be an experienced beekeeper
had started to expel drones. Then, all of the driver and construction worker--no alcohol from somewhere in Siberia, and was about
sudden, the weather changed and the skies or tobacco dependencies--a very decent 40 years old.
cleared, despite the forecast. I was away, and dependable man. He created respect The prison was functioning as a kind of
and unfortunately couldnt observe the in my eyes because he hadnt broken down state-owned enterprise, or self-sustainable
weather change, but according to the farmer, in prison, and even more so because he social entity, lost in the vast territories of
it was a great show! By 10 a.m. on the 9th of succeeded in adjusting to his new life after WKH WDLJD FRYHUHG ZLWK SLQH DQG U WUHHV
August, millions of bees climbed up into the it. It was not the money that attracted him Different shops produced timber, bricks, and
air, making kind of a vertical tube or dome to help me, although at the time, he was pieces of furniture. There was even a farm
over the orchard and rushed to the canola, between jobs. I run a small apiary and to cater to this small state. Every inmate was
which was past the peak of its bloom. I assigned to a special shop. My friend spent
was lucky enough to have put on extra most of this time working with a building
supers and extracted the incoming honey team. The head of this prison was a colonel,
within 10 days to prevent its granulation. the master as he was nicknamed, but not
I was lucky, not because I dont know to his face. He was kind of like a tsar for this
how to do this job, but because of my place. The population had developed a stable
changing attitude to the business. And, the social hierarchy, a pecking order, you might
terrible summer weather had added to it. VD\7KHRUGHUZDVEDVHGRQVHYHUHRIFLDO
My prevailing interests had drifted from UXOHV DQG RQ HYHQ PRUH VHYHUH XQRIFLDO
farming to other things, like the English rules developed by the inmates during the
speaking clubs, functioning in Ekaterinburg decades. Some survived under it, and some
and set up by American missionaries of the on the other hand, broke down.
Baptist and Mormon churches. Lately, I The new inmate, a beekeeper, asked for an
had found it as interesting and captivating audience with the master, and in a year or
to observe different humans, as to follow two, life at the prison started to change. My
the life of bees. So, as soon as my wife friend, Victor, was sent to build a wintering
issues a permit and lets me go, I travel cellar for an apiary that was set up by this
to Ekaterinburg and stay there two or three correctional institution. As Victor recalls,
days. The following story concerns both it was built with all the materials at hand;
men and beekeeping. stones, birch-tree bark, logs, moss for the
insulation, and a very sophisticated system
******************************** of vent pipes. The vegetation of the area
Last year, I had a new man help me with supplied sources of nectar that were short-
my hives. I have had many farmhands lived, but very intense, if the weather was
ranging from 16 to 60 years of age during favorable. Ive been to a place nearby this
my beekeeping career. I had even raised two location, and was greatly impressed with
young fatherless boys, sharing with them Holding the February 1990 American its nectar potential. Even willow trees can
all of the hard work, and teaching them not Bee Journal with my photo on the produce surplus honey. Due to the hills,
WRLPSXOVLYHO\HHDIWHUEHLQJVWXQJPDQ\ cover. (Yuri Gan) the blooming period of every species is
News
Queen failure occurs when the queen dies enhance the natural resource base and the
or when the queen does not produce enough environment and provide economic oppor-
viable eggs to maintain the adult worker tunities for rural citizens, communities, and
population in the colony. Replacing queens society as a whole.
Notes
cost about $15 each, a significant cost per
colony for beekeepers.
Commercial beekeepers usually order
their replacement queens already mated, NEW ARS BEE GENEBANK
and the queens are shipped to apiaries WILL PRESERVE HONEY
from March through October. Researchers BEE GENETIC DIVERSITY
questioned whether temperature extremes
during shipping could damage the sperm AND PROVIDE BREEDING
USDA RESEARCH IDENTI- a queen has stored in her body. During RESOURCES
FIES FACTORS CAUSING simulated shipping in the lab, inseminated
queens exposed to 104 F (40 C) for 1-2 by Kim Kaplan
PREMATURE COMMERCIAL hours or to 41 F (5 C) for 1-4 hours had ARS News Service, USDA
HONEY BEE QUEEN FAILURE sperm viability drop to 20 percent from
about 90 percent. The Agricultural Research Service
by Kim Kaplan In real-world testing, queens, along with (ARS) is organizing a national bee gene-
ARS News Service, USDA thermometers that recorded the temperature bank as part of the agencys response to
every 10 minutes, were shipped from Cali- ongoing problems facing the countrys bee-
BELTSVILLE, Md., Feb. 10, 2016 fornia, Georgia and Hawaii to the Beltsville keepers. Average losses of managed honey
Temperature extremes during shipping and lab by either U.S. Postal Service Priority bee colonies have increased to more than
elevated pathogen levels may be contribut- Mail or United Parcel Service Next Day 30 percent per year due to pathogens, pests,
ing to honey bee queens failing faster today Delivery in July and September. Research- parasites, and other pressures including de-
than in the past, according to a study just ers found that as many as 20 percent of the ficient nutrition and sublethal impacts of
published by U.S. Department of Agricul- shipments experienced temperature spikes pesticides. These stresses have threatened
ture (USDA) scientists in the scientific jour- that approached extremes of 105.8 F and the continued business sustainability of
nal PLOS One. 46.4 F for more than 2 hours at a time. commercial beekeepers.
Either stress individually or in combina- Those exposed to extreme high or low tem- The genebank, which will be located in
tion could be part of the reason beekeep- peratures during shipping had sperm viabil- Fort Collins, Colorado, will help preserve
ers have reported having to replace queens ity reduced by 50 percent. the genetic diversity of honey bees, espe-
about every six months in recent years when The good news is with fairly simple im- cially for traits such as resistance to pests or
queens have generally lasted one to two provements in packaging and shipping con- diseases and pollination efficiency. It will
years, explained entomologist Jeff Pettis ditions, we could have a significant impact also provide ARS and other researchers ac-
with the Bee Research Laboratory in Belts- on improving queens and, in turn, improv- cess to resources from which to breed bet-
ville, Maryland, who led the study. The Bee ing colony survival, Pettis said. ter bees, according to entomologist Robert
Assessments of the queens sent in by bee- Danka, with the ARS Honey Bee Breeding,
keepers for this study found that almost all Genetics, and Physiology Research Unit in
of them had a high incidence of deformed Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Danka is help-
wing virus; Nosema ceranae was the next ing shape the bee genebankthe Russian
most commonly found pathogen. honey bee and Varroa Sensitive Hygiene
Beekeepers had also been asked to rate lines developed at the Baton Rouge lab will
the performance of each colony from which be among those conserved first.
a queen came as either in good or poor To help make the genebank a practical
health. A clear link was found between reality, ARS researchers are developing bet-
colonies rated as better performing and ter long-term storage techniques for honey
queens with higher sperm viability. Poorer bees, including improving cryopreservation
performing colonies strongly correlated to of bee sperm and embryos. Their work will
queens with lower sperm viability. include creating a way to reliably revive
We saw wide variation in both pathogen frozen embryos and grow them into repro-
levels and sperm viability in the queens that ductively viable adults after storage.
were sent in to us, and sometimes between
queens from the same apiary in July and
September, so there is still more research to
do. But getting queens back to lasting two
years may well be one of the links in getting
our beekeeping industry back to a sustain-
able level, Pettis said.
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
is the U.S. Department of Agricultures
chief scientific in-house research agency.
The Agencys job is finding solutions to
This honey bee queen (blue dot) has agricultural problems that affect Americans
valuable genes so a wing has been every day from field to table. ARS conducts Semen collected from honey bees and
research to develop and transfer solutions cryopreserved (frozen) will form the
away. to agricultural problems of high national
THE HONEY BEE The cost of the Short Course is $50 which
GRANDPAS HIDDEN ILLUSTRATED includes a CABA membership and the Penn
GOLD FARM State Book, Fundamentals of Beekeeping.
by Margaret Cowley For additional information visit cabapa.org,
A new childrens book about beekeep- or contact John Novinger, 717-365-3215,
ing for PreK - Grade 2 A series of annotated diagrams was pub- email jdnovinger@epix.net.
lished in Bee Craft magazine from 2011 to
Berne, Indiana Grandpas Hidden 2014 to help readers understand honey bee
Gold Farm is an exciting new childrens biology. Many who were studying for the PENNSYLVANIA
book by reading teacher, Sharyl Calhoun. British Beekeepers Association assess-
With murmurs of a steady decline in the ments, especially Module 5, Honey Bee Bi- Queen Rearing Class
number of professional beekeepers in the ology, told us how useful they were, so we
United States, here is a fun way to intro- have collected them together in the first of Delaware Valley College, Doylestown, PA
duce the importance of beekeeping to our the Bee Craft Reprints series. Queen rearing Intensive weekend May
youngest generation. The diagams have been carefully drawn 7-8, 2016, Saturday 9am-4pm, Sunday 9am-
One would not expect to discover gold to illustrate the different sections of the syl- 3pm. Queen cell pickup: Monday May 17,
on a farm, but Grandpa knows just where to labus which are numbered from 5.1 to 5.20. 2016 , 6-8pm.
find this hidden treasure. Dig into Grand- They have been kept as simple as possible This two-day course will include grafting
pas Hidden Gold Farm for a sweet and to allow readers to practice reproducing larvae, the Cloake board method of queen
yummy treat! The humorous illustration on them. Annotations to the drawings give de- rearing, and the use of mating nucs. Hands
the gold cover invites children into the book, tails of the important points to know about on experience with grafting will comple-
where a clever, tiny bee guides one eagerly the structures shown. ment lectures on queen rearing and queen
through the realistic fiction tale. The 28- Contact: bee-craft.com/bee-craft-shop breeding. Each student will receive a queen
page softcover book includes two diagrams: bar frame, plastic queen cell cups, and a
Parts of a Hive and Bee Tools. References grafting tool; if successful, the student may
Calhoun and her sister, illustrator Jean Sondgrass, RE (1956). Anatomy of the have queen cells to take home nine days
Marvel, recall watching their grandmother Honey Bee, Comstock. later.
don her bee suit to collect honeycomb from Cushman, D. Website: www.dave- Taught by Master Beekeeper, Vincent J.
cushman.net Aloyo, PhD
For information or to register, see: http://
vincemasterbeekeeper.com/courses/
NEW YORK
The Sullivan County Beekeepers As-
sociation will hold its Annual Beekeepers
Seminar/Workshop on Saturday April 30,
2016 at the Cornell Cooperative Ext. Bldg.,
Ferndale Loomis Road, Liberty N.Y. for
beekeepers with any level of skill, experi-
ence or ability. Workshop will cover basic
biology, equipment, how to work the bees,
management, bee diseases, honey produc-
tion, queen bees, pesticides, swarms, mites
and moving bees. Registration begins at
9:30 A.M. Program starts at 10:00 A.M. and
ends at 2:00 P.M. Cost is $30.00 per person.
To register and for more information con-
tact Don Bertholf at 845-807-1036, or Bob
Davis 845-423-8906 or e-mail me at bda-
vis1@hotmail.com.
T
he yearly almond pollination event in to struggle with declining quotes on large ULSH IRU D EHWWHU RUDQJH RZ WKLV VSULQJ
California will be over by the time lots of honey since they are now in direct while others still felt that citrus greening
this issue comes out. Early reports competition from increasing amounts of and accompanying spraying would result in
suggested that the estimated 2 million col- cheaper foreign honey. Meanwhile, the poor orange honey production again. Some
onies rented by growers to pollinate about market for small lots of wholesale honey, beekeepers also expressed fear of potential
1 million acres of almonds did their job as well as the retail market, remains strong. heavier bee losses from extra mosquito
well. Despite earlier muddy conditions and NORTHEASTBeekeepers welcomed spraying to combat potential outbreaks of
a warm spell that caused almond blossoms the warmer spring weather as they shifted the Zika virus.
to open earlier than expected, most growers into high gear for the new beekeeping sea- Both Florida and Georgia beekeepers
VHHPHGWREHVDWLVHGZLWKWKLVSROOLQDWLRQ son. Maple, willow and other early pollen were also hoping for better gallberry, tu-
season. Beekeepers saw their pollination sources were providing much needed early SHORWLWLDQGSDOPHWWRRZV5HSRUWVIURP
rental incomes increase by an average of stimulation for colony brood rearing. Win- Mississippi and Alabama indicated earlier
$10 to $15 per colony. Unfortunately, some ter weather was a hodgepodge of mild tem- heavy feeding being required, but that now
commercial beekeepers were again bat- peratures mixed with occasional intense colonies are starting to brood up well on
tling crippling colony losses and weaker cold. Bees generally overwintered well QXPHURXV WUHHV DQG ZLOGRZHUV FRPLQJ
than normal bee populations this season. with a few exceptions, especially among into bloom. Beekeepers were also hoping
Colony thefts were also in the news a lot migratory beekeepers. Some beekeepers IRULPSURYHGSULYHWKHGJHDQGFORYHURZV
and it sounds like these thefts are on the complained that their bees ate their stores as the season progressed.
increase, especially since pollination fees early due to the milder winter. Feeding has Package bee and queen companies,
remain very attractive. The added moisture been going on for some time now. Sugar many of which are located in the South-
from rain and snow in the mountains will patties and candy boards were used in late east, report heavy orders again this season
GHQLWHO\KHOS&DOLIRUQLDVVWUXJJOLQJDJUL- winter, but once temperatures warmed and are hoping that the weather will allow
culture. However, many locations will need some, many beekeepers switched to syrup them to maintain shipping schedules for
several seasons of good precipitation to re- and began adding pollen patties to stimu- packages, nucs and queens. A number of
turn to normal ground moisture conditions. late brood rearing. Many beekeepers had bee producers booked up early for spring
The U.S. winter has generally been a reserved packages, nucs or queens early for deliveries and are now into taking order for
mild one, although some locations battled fear of not being able to lock in their order late spring or summer deliveries.
prolonged cold spells that were hard on for early delivery. Indeed, quite a few bee The wholesale honey market for larger
colonies. Despite many reports of better companies booked up their early delivery lots of honey remains weak due to more
overwintering this season, some glaring dates fairly soon after the new year began. competition from foreign honey. How-
exceptions exist. For example a number of MIDEASTMaple, oak, henbit and ever, small-lot sales for remaining stocks
commercial beekeepers in the Midwest and DVVRUWHG ZLOGRZHUV FDPH LQWR EORRP LQ of 2015 crop honey are good. Retail sales
Southeast suffered crippling colony losses, February and March helping overwintered have also remained strong.
sometimes hampering their efforts to pro- colonies to brood up for the spring sea- SOUTHWESTColonies are brood-
vide bees for almond and other early sea- son. Colony winter losses were generally ing up in these states as beekeepers gear
son pollination. A number of explanations low, despite some intensely cold weather up for another very busy season. Many mi-
have been suggested such as more prob- earlier in the year. Some beekeepers re- gratory beekeepers still had their colonies
lems with varroa and the viruses it spreads, ported sporadic cases of starvation, but out of state doing pollination work, but
more pesticide losses or weather-related many said they started feeding sugar pat- others were providing colonies for in-state
problems hurting colony survival odds and ties or candy boards to prevent widespread pollination. Bees were working numerous
subsequent population buildup. loss of weaker colonies. However, demand WUHH EUXVK DQG ZLOGRZHU VRXUFHV 6RLO
Reports suggest that interest in hobby for bees and queens is still expected to be moisture conditions are mostly adequate
beekeeping remains strong, judged by the IRUWKHSUHVHQW0DLQRZVKDGQRWVWDUWHG
large numbers of sign-ups for late winter Northeast
Intermountain yet, but beekeepers were trying to make
and spring beekeeping classes around the West West Central East Central sure their hives were built up by the time
country. As a result of this continuing PDMRURZVEHJDQ,QWKHGHVHUWVRXWKZHVW
growth, as well as the need for replacement timely rains had caused some area land-
colonies, many package bee and queen VFDSHV WR EHFRPH D VHD RI ZLOGRZHUV
companies were booking up their early Those beekeepers lucky enough to have
deliveries very quickly. In fact, some com- Mideast KLYHV QHDUE\ ZHUH REWDLQLQJ QLFH RZV
panies had stopped taking orders or were IURPWKHVHRZHUV3DFNDJHEHHDQGTXHHQ
telling customers that they would have to companies have also been very busy. De-
wait until later in May or June to receive Southeast mand has been very brisk for packages,
bee or queen orders. Southwest nucs and queens.
A
W WKH HQG RI )HEUXDU\ ZH UHFHLYHG DQ RIFLDO OHW- Resin technology has been legally and properly applied to
WHU IURP 86 JRYHUQPHQW DXWKRULWLHV FRQUPLQJ WKDW WKH different types of foods to remove various contaminants. But its
application of resin technology to honey results in creat- application to honey is novel. The Chinese manufacturers of the
ing products which cannot appropriately be labeled or marketed technology began to openly and aggressively offer the technol-
as honey. This is a major development, as it helps to clarify the ogy to producers and exporters of honey about 2-3 years ago.
status of a technology which, it is believed, has been widely used Resin technology can 1) disguise country of origin as assessed
in recent years to disguise honey origin. E\XVXDOVFLHQWLFPHWKRGRORJLHVUHPRYHQRWRQO\SROOHQEXW
The American honey industry is acutely aware of the grave also antibiotics and residues, thereby reducing risks to importers,
threat imposed upon the market by phenomena associated with the exporters and packers; 3) remove chemical components which
circumvention and adulteration of honey. Prices in the American give color to honey, therewith allowing tropical and semi-tropical
and international honey markets have been collapsing, to the countries to export large amounts of white honey (Remember
distress of beekeepers and honest honey exporters, importers and when Indonesia, prior to the successful work of U.S. Immigration
packers throughout America and other countries. During the past and Customs Enforcement (ICE), exported to the U.S. 100%
12-14 months honey prices for many important and traditional white honey); and 4) remove chemical components of honey
origins have eroded by 40%-50% of their previous levels. ZKLFK DGG DYRU DQG DURPD WKH FRPSRQHQWV ZKLFK OHG WR WKH
The balance and integration of the incentives to produce and honeys award in 2015 for Flavor of the Year. By removing or
consume honey have not been reached. Instead a grave imbalance UHGXFLQJ DYRU FRPSRQHQWV VXFK PDQXIDFWXUHG KRQH\ LV HDV\
persists, which distresses and threatens the survival of beekeepers to blend as hamburger helper into honey. As an illustration,
throughout America, Canada, Argentina and Europe, putting in VXQRZHUKRQH\KDVEHHQUHSRUWHGWRKDYHDYRUSUROHVWKDW
jeopardy agriculture, agricultural production, food security, food ZHUHQRWVXQRZHUDQGZKLFKFU\VWDOOL]HGOLNHUDSHVHHGKRQH\
safety and the sustainability of ecological systems whose fragility The manufacturers, users and sellers of the resin machinery
and vulnerability are appreciated now more than ever before. have claimed that resin technology was FDA approved. A letter
$3RLQWRI,QHFWLRQLQWKHULVHRIKRQH\SULFHVZDVUHDFKHGLQ IURPWKH)'$FODULHGWKLVDVIROORZV
the 4th quarter of 2014. The honey market urgently needs a Point
of Stability. [The]..resins may be safely used as articles or compo-
nents of articles intended for repeated use in producing
1 CPNA International, Ltd. food, in accordance with Federal Regulations.the regu-
1043 Oyster Bay Road ODWLRQGRHVQRWDGGUHVVWKHXVHRIWKHUHVLQIRUDQ\VSHFLF
East Norwich, NY 11732 food products or contaminants, including carbendazim in
Tel: (516) 935-3880 KRQH\QRULVVXFKVSHFLFXVHHOVHZKHUHDGGUHVVHGLQ)'$
Fax: (516) 628-3959 regulations.
e-mail: info@cpnaglobal.com
calling the product that has been treated with the
Report distributed March, 2016
resin technology simply honey would not accurately iden-
Mr. Phipps is president and founder of CPNA International, Ltd. tify the food generally understood to be honey. The product
and is currently on the National Honey Board. He is an importer of VKRXOGEHODEHOHGZLWKDQDPHWKDWVXIFLHQWO\GHVFULEHVLWV
honey, natural foods and tea from various international producers. characterizing properties in a way that distinguishes it from
Ron is also the former personal research assistant to the president honey which has not been treated with resin technology.
of the American Philosophy Association. He is a recipient of the
National Science Foundation fellowship for philosophy of theoreti- The FDA issued draft guidance on April 9, 2014, for the proper
cal physics. Mr. Phipps is a founding member of the Tea & Health labelling of honey and honey products. The FDA is working on
&RPPLWWHH ZKLFK RUJDQL]HG WKUHH PDMRU VFLHQWLF V\PSRVLXPV RQ
tea and health and the role of antioxidants in the prevention of dis- QDOL]LQJWKLVJXLGDQFHDQGLVDFFHSWLQJFRPPHQWV
ease. He has worked with FDA to develop a research protocol for 7KHDERYHFODULFDWLRQRQWKHXVHRIUHVLQWHFKQRORJ\LVRIFDU-
the global diversity of honey. Currently, Mr. Phipps is president of GLQDOLPSRUWDQFH7KRVHZKRJHQXLQHO\ZDQWDOHYHOSOD\LQJHOG
the Chamber Players International. which incentivizes producers and consumers need enforcement
^WE'/,K
(SHB) on the landing board of just one good 2 miles or so away from the original
of my colonies. They couldnt have colony to prevent the bees from just going
been caught and brought there and left back to the hive they came from. What if
by the bees because the bees had been you don't have that luxury of another place
clustered for days. And even if they had, to move them? Can you make a split in the
the bees wouldnt have just left them at same bee yard? If so, any tips and tricks as
the entrance and gone back inside. So to how?
that is out. If the small hive beetles
were caught in the cold as the cluster Thank you,
QUESTION FROM JERRY contracted and were exposed and died in Dennis
the hive, they would have died in place in a
FROZEN SMALL HIVE BEETLES? cell or fallen to the bottom where I certainly
I need some input on from you. The mag- wouldnt have seen them. It looks like they
azine is assembled two months in advanced tried to escape and only made it so far be-
so there is a delay at times with some things fore they froze to death. Darwin in action.
like this that happened in January. But, I am making most of this up. I dont
:HKDGVRPHRIFLDOZLQWHUZHDWKHULQ know, what you think?
my area in January. The forecast for the
evening of Jan. 17th and the morning of COMMENT FROM LARA
the 18th was a low of 5 F and a wind chill
of -10. I had some smaller weaker colonies Classroom Question Titled: Are farm-
and took a loop around the apiary on the ers to blame for lack of bee forage?
afternoon of the 17th as a concerned parent.
It was as cold as advertised on the morn- I clapped when I read your response. I
ing of the 18th. I stayed inside because it am a beekeeper and a farmer so I experi-
A
didnt make any difference at that point. HQFHQJHUSRLQWLQJIURPZHOOPHDQLQJ\HW
That afternoon temperature warmed (right) extremely uneducated people/groups. Agri-
to 18 F. So I went out and saw something FXOWXUHRIWHQJHWVYLOLHGZLWKQRWKRXJKWDV
I have never ever seen before. Take a look to how we can continue to feed the world's
at photo. Those are dead small hive beetles growing population as agriculture lands There are a couple of things to consider
disappear at an alarming rate due to urban in making splits in one location. These are
VSUDZO,DOZD\VQGLWIXQQ\WKDWLWQHYHU based on the reality (not the assumption)
occurs to some urbanites that they could be that the original colony that the split is made
living in a town/city that was built upon a from is healthy and that the original queen
IRUPHUEHHIRUDJLQJRDVLV%XWQRZ,
PQ- is active and laying well and there are a lot
ger pointing, so I digress. of food reserves, no disease issues and Var-
Farmers take care of the soil that takes roa is below 3 mites per 100 bees. You want
care of them and being a good steward of the split to be able to stabilize and grow
the land and environment is always of the quickly and not be restricted by pests, para-
utmost importance. Thank you for politely sites and diseases. Having a queen available
and succinctly asking her what she (urban- to install will make this go more quickly.
ites) can do instead of passing the buck. Making a split and waiting for the split to
Your answer absolutely warmed my heart make their own queen slows things down
and I will use it to stay classy. by a few weeks.
When making a split in the same yard, it
Thank you, means that you, the beekeeper, can assume
Lara the bees that are on the frames transferred
Q MAKING SPLITS
Hi Jerry,
with the frames of open and sealed brood
are young bees that have not aged to be-
come foragers. Older forager bees are the
only ones that have left the colony and have
imprinted on its location and if moved will
& I know when making splits it is advised \EDFNWRWKHORFDWLRQWKH\KDYHLGHQWLHG
snap to place the new split in another bee yard a as home if possible. If you can limit the
Q
Another technique is to simply select sev- cals. Some of this impacts the queen directly
eral frames of sealed brood and then swap
colony locations. Put the nuc in the origi-
making her less robust and they can impact
drones as well and make them less able to
AFRICANIZED BEES
nal colony location and the original colony
produce viable sperm. And, because of the
VRPHSODFH HOVH $OO WKH ROGHU HOG IRUFH
huge demand, many of the virgin queens are I spoke to you a couple of months ago
will, of course, go to the original colony lo-
cation because that is where they recognize not fully mated because there are not enough regarding Africanized honey bees and our
'home' being. So, the nuc will be automati- fertile drones to mate with. concern about their importation into my
cally stocked with lots of bees quickly as All that to say it might not be your en- state. I had another question that I was hop-
foragers simply are coming home. Having tire fault in controlling Varroa if colonies ing you could help me with: Are there any
mostly sealed brood is the best because dont seem to be growing well. Remember publications out there that list how much
these old foragers are not and cannot revert that until there are larvae and pupae, which less honey is produced by Africanized bee
well to being nurse bees that can feed lar- are available for the Varroa to reproduce colonies as opposed to European honey bee
vae well. The bees that will shortly emerge on, their population wont grow and they colonies in a production setting? I realize
from the sealed brood will be young bees are exposed (phoretic) and can be knocked that the answers may be a bit variable, de-
that can feed larvae that the new queen is down more easily. But, unless you have pending on how many Africanized genes a
going to provide. The original colony in a this colony isolated miles away from any hive may contain, but in general, have there
new location that has lost its older forager PDQDJHG RU ZLOG FRORQ\ 9DUURD ZLOO QG been any studies conducted that list the dif-
HOGIRUFHZLOOUHFUXLW\RXQJEHHVWKDWZLOO its way to this colony quickly from drift- ferences in the amount of honey produced
convert (prematurely age) and become the ing and bees visiting while out foraging on after the arrival of Africanized honey bees?
new foragers. And voila, theoretically, both RZHUVWKDWKDYH9DUURDULGLQJDURXQGRQ Thanks a lot for any information you can
colonies will shortly adjust and adapt and them. You cant eliminate Varroa pressure steer me to. Have a nice day!
you have two colonies and twice the work consistently. You might be able to delay it,
to do. but they will be introduced and catch up if Chris K.
you have a vital fertile queen that is laying
Q
well and providing brood that acts as a Var-
VARROA TREATMENTS roa nursery.
Assume that the bees in the package
FOR PACKAGE BEES along with the queen have been exposed
to lots of Varroacides. So, they might be a
A
What do you recommend to treat the
package bees for varroa mites with when bit beat up already and stressed. I guess if
they are hived? Were having tremen- I were you and wanted to give it a shot to
dous problems with low production and control Varroa that are phoretic on incom-
KLYHORVV,WVHHPVOLNHWKDWUVWDWWDFNLVD ing packages I would, while they are still in
the package, dust them heavily with pow- Hey Chris,
critical one. Which mite treatment should No, I have never seen a number or even
we use? dered sugar which will remove many of the
a range. The link below is a pretty standard
phoretic mites. Let them sit for 5 minutes
DQVZHUZKHQ\RXVFUROOWRQG'R$+%
Dick L. or so before you shake out the sugar and
Produce Honey. The short answer is that
hopefully all the mites that have been re- they are not preparing for winter because
moved. Install them on foundation to delay they come from a climate that doesnt re-
the queen laying and sample immediately quire it, so they turn what would be honey
using the powdered sugar method in a jar into more bees so they can swarm that 15+
with a screened top (info on the web) to see times a year.
what the actual Varroa pressure is. If there ZZZHGLVLIDVXHGXLQ
is none, then you dont have to do anything.
If there are still varroa present, then using
something like ApiGuard, the thymol gel
SURGXFW ZRXOG EH P\ UVW FKRLFH $SL-
Guard is a chemical and a registered pes- Q VARROA CONTROL,
BITING BEES
Q
shouldnt be used as part of IPM, but they Website:
are not a silver bullet either. For the longer Beekeeper's www.oda.state.ok.us/cps-bees.htm
story let me know.
License? Land Grant University Website:
www.ento.okstate.edu
I have been told that some states require State Beekeeper's Association:
a license for beekeepers and I would like www.okbees.org
to know if this is true and if it is, where I
could get a sample license because I would
like to know how much I don't know. Okla-
homa where I live does not require a li-
cense, but I live very close to Missouri and
Kansas, so I may need a license if the laws
Q SMALL HIVE
BEETLE FECES?
I am a new beekeeper and would like to
are changed. Also, I think I might need to know what small hive beetle poop looks
study more than I have been. I only have a like so I can tell if they are in my colony.
few hives, but may get more and it would be
nice to know more about what I am doing. Steven
Thank you for answering the many ques-
tions. Seems like you always have the right
answers.
Q2
Merl from NE OK
Jerry, I'd like to hear more of the longer
story. Why are they not effective? What
are the downsides to these two grooming
traits? Etc.
A
A2
Honey bee survivability from almost
pole to pole is based on genetic diversity.
This comes from the breeding scheme of
RSHQ PDWLQJ DQG VWRULQJ RI ; DPRXQW RI
sperm from each of the 20-40 drones mated Great question Steven. I had never seen
with. Mating in the air in DCA's (Drone any, so went to Dr. Jamie Ellis, Univ. of
Congregation Areas) attract drones from Florida, who is the small hive beetle expert.
colonies in a many mile radius which en- Here is Jamie's answer. Now I know why I
sures genetic diversity. Virgin queens seek have never seen any.
out farther DCA's, so they don't mate with
drones from their own colony. They mate Jerry,
with, as I said, 20-40 individual drones to They are small, thin, kind of orangey-
DFTXLUH WKLV JHQHWLF GLYHUVLW\ DQG VWRUH ; EURZQ EURXV ORRNLQJ VWULQJV ,
YH UHDOO\
amount of sperm from each for later use. only seen these when feeding them a dry
They dont want inbreeding weakness. diet in the lab. When they have access to a
The hygienic traits can be selected for
E\XVLQJ$UWLFLDO,QVHPLQDWLRQ$,DQGD
limited amount of single drone sperm. You
gain a trait and lose some with this selec-
tion. When these AI- produced queens are
A There is not any State that requires a li-
cense to be an active beekeeper that I know
moist diet (i.e. with honey or brood juices),
the feces take in the moisture and get lost in
the background goop and slime.
Jamie
given/sold to commercial queen breeders, of, but some cities do have beekeeping ordi-
Q
SUMMER
NOT THE FLOW 906 SOUTH RAILROAD EXT.
P.O. BOX 214 MT. VERNON, GA 30445
PRICES
HIVE AGAIN! PHONE: (912) 583-2710 FAX: (912) 583-4920
Hey Jerry - hope all is well... quick ques- ITALIAN RUSSIAN HYBRID QUEENS
tion for you. I have a farm up in Sonoma QUEENS QUEENS
County and would like to create homes for 1-9 . . . . . . . $19.50 1-9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $22.00
some bees and share some honey! Have you 10-24 . . . . . $18.00 10-24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20.25
heard of the Flow Hive? Is this good or bad 25-UP. . . . . $17.75 25-UP. . . . . . . . . . . . . $20.00
for bees? Any guidance would be most ap-
preciated! Thanks MARK . . . $2.25 CLIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2.25
All Postal claims are to be made by customers. Hardeman is not responsible.
YEARLY INSPECTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
David F.
(l) Figure 3. A comb containing young brood. You can see eggs and young larvae developing in the cells. New colonies are
&W
Photographs by Jamie Ellis.
References
Ellis, J.D. 2015a. Mating biology of honey
bees. American Bee Journal, 155(12):
1293-1299.
Ellis, J.D. 2015b. Swarms. American Bee
Journal, 155(11): 1187-1192.
Ellis, J.D. 2015c. The tasks of a worker
honey bee. American Bee Journal,
155(10): 1077-1081.
Ellis, J.D. 2016a. Colony level thermoregu-
lation and the honey bee dance language.
American Bee Journal, 156(2): 147-154.
Ellis, J.D. 2016b. Honey bee colonies as su-
perorganisms: the hive or the honey bee.
American Bee Journal, 156(3): 273-279..
d:,E
Z
/
d
W
KHQYDUURDUVWDUULYHGLQP\DSLDULHVLQ,DFWXDOO\ as natural selection favored strains of the virus that were (1) better
looked forward to the challenge. After having success- adapted to transmission by varroa and (2) were more virulent.[2] No
fully bred bees to be resistant to AFB, chalkbrood, and longer could we allow varroa levels to climb as high as we could
tracheal mite, I was cocksure that varroa wouldnt be any big deal. GXULQJWKHUVWIHZ\HDUVPLWHOHYHOVWKDWZHUHDFFHSWDEOHLQWKH
Boy was I wrong! In a couple of years nearly all my 250 hives year 2000[3] would spell death to a colony today. And I now rarely
were dead. After nearly thirty years of happy beekeeping, I actu- see bees with deformed wings until long after DWV has already
ally walked away from my deadouts in disgust, frustrated with my gone epidemic in the brood.
feelings of failure and helplessness against this devastating parasite.
The next year my buddy Skip Landon told me about the magic of Lesson #3: Varroa evolves too. The bee industry (unlike other
Apistan strips, and encouraged me to not give up. So I spent the en- ag sectors) has done a poor job at supporting the breeding of bees
tire summer scraping wax moth out of the abandoned hives and re- resistant to our worst pest.[4] But weve proven again and again
stocking them with bees. To my great relief, beekeeping was again how quickly we can breed for mites resistant to miticides. We bred
possiblestick in a couple of the magic strips each fall and youd XYDOLQDWHUHVLVWDQWPLWHVLQDERXWVL[\HDUVFRXPDSKRVUHVLVWDQW
satisfyingly cover the bottom board with dead mites; the colonies mites in three years; and now there are indications that mites are
were then good to go until next fall. I even heard a state extension becoming resistant to amitraz in many areas (Fig. 1).
agent tell an audience that varroa was the best thing to happen to
professional beekeepersit reduced our competition from the bee
havers and feral colonies for nectar sources.[1]
I had a great year the next season, but was about to learn a few
important lessons:
Compared to nestmates who were reared under conditions Varroa adds insult to the injury. van Doormalen[9] found that
of pollen abundance, pollen-stressed workers were lighter, workers parasitized by varroa during their pupal stage emerged with
they died sooner, and fewer of them were observed foraging. similar physiology as that of nutritionally-stressed workers, and
Those who did forage initiated foraging sooner, and foraged that they were unable to rebuild their body stores after emergence,
for fewer days. even if pollen was abundant. He also suggested that pollen-stressed
QXUVHVPD\VDFULFHWKHLURZQERG\UHVHUYHVLQRUGHUWRIHHGODUYDH
Practical application: reduced foraging ability exacerbates the this would result in shortened longevity of those nurses once they
nutritional stress of the colony. transitioned to foraging duties.
Workers reared in pollen-stressed colonies were far more likely Practical application: it appears that the effect of varroa para-
WRGLVDSSHDURQWKHLUUVWGD\RIIRUDJLQJYV sitism of pupae is similar to that of nutritional stress of larvae.
& &/
ts-
way. Note the discolored and dying propupae and pupae,
K K-
/ self, robbing bees from other colonies will also carry mites
wings at this stage, but always see dying propupae. Unless home. Note the telltale mite fecal deposits on the ceilings
stat, this
varroa.
&/ &
d[16],
bees remove the carcasses, virions are spread throughout
level with your eyes, so that the sunlight illuminates the
/
collapse due to varroa.
Kirsten S.
Traynor co-au-
thored Simple,
Smart Beekeep-
ing with her
husband Mi-
chael J. Traynor.
She is currently
a post-doc at
the University
of Maryland, where she studies pesticide
impacts on colony health and honey bee
nutrition. Together with Michael, they run
Flickerwood Apiary, teach beekeeping
classes, and frequently speak to organiza-
tions on honey bees. You can follow her on
twitter @FlowersLoveBees or keep up with
her beekeeping adventures at www.mdbee.
com and ZZZIDFHERRNFRPLFNHUZRRG.
and supers added as needed. Often there What we are left with is a race between plants, as urban and desert beekeepers will
will be ample honey to carry it over till a nucs and packages, which are not created tell you. But will they be supporting you, or
VWHDG\KRQH\RZEHJLQVEXWLWLVXVXDOO\ equal. Nucs seem to have the advantage, the other way round? If one wishes to have
DGYLVDEOHWRIHHGWKHEHHVDWUVW since they arrive with bees and brood in all bees for pollination or pleasure, this is less
The downside of buying nucs under- stages. It is absolutely crucial that the buyer of a problem. Clearly, some means of moni-
scores one of the reasons the packaged bee check for the presence of a laying queen as toring the hives food supply is crucial. Al-
LQGXVWU\ VWDUWHG LQ WKH UVW SODFH $W WKH soon as possible. It is best to wait a week, lowing a hive to starve to death is not being
time, many states would not allow the entry but not more than that. If there are eggs a responsible beekeeper.
of bees on combs. Obviously, brood disease DIWHUYHGD\VLWLVDOPRVWFHUWDLQWKDWVKHV I have gone deeply into this topic, and I
may be present any time there is brood in a there and not to worry. If she was recently would like to share a few gems from 1956:
hive, and states were unwilling to undertake killed, emergency queen cells will be appar-
the chore of inspecting every hive entering a ent. No eggs and no cells means you bought Henry W. Hanson
state, especially in spring when rapid move- a lemon. In any case, I would hash out the Using package bees with me was more
ment is essential and delays costly. Hence, details about queen loss prior to making the or less an accident. In 1936 I lost 90%
the development of bees by the pound, purchase. A reputable vendor will replace a my bees and by the time I got through
which could generally be assumed to be free lost or bad queen, unless evidence points to cleaning up the mess and extracting
of contagions. mishandling on the part of the beekeeper. the honey that was left I thought I had
This of course is not true. Jamie Strange better do something else so I decided I
and Nick Calderone published an article But Will It Pay? would try package bees altogether. For
titled Whats in that Package? They state The question in everyones mind is: Can PHLWKDVZRUNHGRXWQHDQG,GRQW
that: a nuc or package really produce a paying have worry about the colonies all win-
crop? Naturally, this will depend on a lot ter. I have been free from this worry
A package, is composed of 909 of things. Most important in the equation is for some twenty years and I think
1,364 g (23 lb) of worker bees and a the location where the bees are to be kept. ZKHQ\RXJXUHLWLQGROODUVDQGFHQWV
mated queen. Packages also can be an There are plenty of spots on this earth that you come out ahead.
effective means of dispersing diseases, DUHMXVWSODLQEDGIRUEHHV,KRSH\RXQG
parasites, and undesirable stock to bee- out soon if you are in one of those, to avoid Myron R. Frisque
keepers throughout the United States disappointment. All the same, bees can be Because our winters are quite long in
(Strange, 2008). kept most places where there are blooming Wisconsin (Green Bay) wintering bees
^^WDDY
G. H. Cale
A few years ago we had about 1,000
colonies in northern Minnesota along Y W D D
the Canadian line and had at least ten Y
\HDUVWRQGRXWZKDWWKHFRPSDULVRQ
is in that northern location between the it made no big difference which size was properly managed than if they are left alone.
two kinds of bees. used or when they were installed. Person- Later, at Cornells Dyce Lab for Honey Bee
The cost of re-queening the wintered ally, I have observed pretty much the same Studies, I installed many hundreds of pack-
colonies, or dividing them with new thing here in New York State. If the pack- ages while also managing over-wintered
queens and reuniting, when added to ages are installed very early in April, they colonies. Most recently, I have built back
the cost of the winter feed, made the dont do very much until it gets warmer, up my own bees from two severe winters
packages a better proposition. Most al- whereas with a May installation, the bees where I lost most of the colonies each time.
ways the packages made a larger crop are generally greeted by better weather, with *HQHUDOO\RQHFDQPDNHIURPYHWRWHQ
than the over-wintered colonies no abundant nectar and pollen conditions, and nucs from a colony that is strong in spring.
matter how well they might be man- catch up quickly. You will be much more likely to succeed
aged and certainly when costs were 1RWDEO\LQWKLVVWXG\WKHPDLQRZRF- if you introduce laying queens at that time.
considered the package was much curred in July and August. By the end of I like to purchase queens in the spring, but
cheaper (American Bee Journal, 1956). August all the colonies had populations of others prefer to raise their own or let the bees
about 45-50,000 adult bees. In our area of do it. The longer bees are without a queen,
These excerpts show that many com- 1HZ <RUN 6WDWH WKH PDLQ VXPPHU RZV the more they are likely to get into trouble. I
mercial producers came to the conclusion are basswood in July, knotweed in August have also restocked with nucs that I bought.
that packaged bees do as well or better than and goldenrod in September. Obviously, A skilled beekeeper can take a good strong
over-wintered colonies, and with less work. packages will not get a crop from the spring nuc and divide it immediately, introducing
However, as Henry Hanson concludes: honey; only colonies which are strong in another queen. This cuts the cost of buying
0D\ ZLOO EH DEOH WR OO VXSHUV ZLWK EODFN nucs almost in half.
There are a lot of pitfalls that must locust or fruit blossom honey. Those are the Installing packages will be a success or a
be avoided when managing with all ones most prone to swarming, of course! failure, pretty much dependent on the equip-
package bees. For a small beekeeper, A similar study was conducted by S. C. ment you have. The idea of putting bees
where labor does not enter the picture, Jay. He noted in 1974 that Manitoba had one onto undrawn foundation makes me shud-
I would say by all means working with of the highest average honey production in der, though plenty of people do it. I think
wintered bees is more interesting. North America, at 72.5 kg (160 pounds). they build up much faster if they have drawn
0RUH VLJQLFDQWO\ KH QRWHV WKDW WKH RSWL- combs, with pollen and honey. Perhaps this
How Do They Do It? mum number of bees for rearing brood was
By now, I think you are getting the pic- estimated by Farrar to be 10,000. However,
ture that not only is it possible to make honey -D\JXUHVWKDWLQKLVVWXGLHVWKHPRVWHI-
using packages or nucs, but that plenty of FLHQWUDWLRRIEURRGWREHHVZDVDFKLHYHG
people have done it over the years. In Can- at 5000 to 7000 bees. This is one of the un-
ada, until the border was closed to bees from derlying principles of beekeeping, which is
the U.S., restocking with packages every lost on many people. A small colony has a
spring was a common practice. According to very strong impulse to become large, and is
Pankiw (1968), more than 200,000 packages YHU\HIFLHQWDWGRLQJVR:KHUHDVDFRORQ\
were imported from the U.S. into Canada that is already large in spring may be used
annually. Now, I will discuss the dynamics to produce nice spring honey, but it is even
of hive development. As you might have more valuable as a source of nucs or splits.
guessed, much of this work was done in By setting up small colonies in spring, you
Canada, where whole operations were based can capitalize on their growth potential, and
on the use of packaged bees. pre-empt the tendency for them to swarm.
A very thorough study was reported in
1970 in a Masters Thesis by Bruce Smirl. Recipes for Success
Working in Manitoba, he used 48 colonies To be certain, I wouldnt write this ar-
over a three-year period. They were either ticle if I didnt have some experience with
two or three pound packages and they were this. I worked in the packaged bee indus-
set up at in April and May at 12-day inter- try in Northern California for a season, and
vals, to determine the best size and timing VDZ UVW KDQG WKH SRWHQWLDO RI FRORQLHV WR Y W
for the installation. His conclusion was that produce more bees in the spring if the are photo)
is because I have always done it that way. At the end of the season, the colonies ment and performance of package bees in
Naturally, if you are just starting out, you should be in pretty good shape no matter Manitoba. Masters Thesis, University of
wont have these. where they stood in the spring. At that point, Manitoba.
In a nutshell, I install nucs or packages one should probably think about dumping Strange, J. P., Cicciarelli, R. P., & Calde-
into equipment set up and ready. Ideally, the out the weak ones, and distributing the extra rone, N. W. (2008). Whats in that pack-
hives will already have from 3 to 5 frames of honey. The old rule of taking losses in the age? An evaluation of quality of package
honey taken from healthy hives. (Installing fall, before winter, is not practiced as ruth- honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) ship-
bees into diseased equipment is a common lessly as it was back in the day. People ments in the United States. Journal of
mistake.) Depending on weather, it is advis- have developed a soft spot for honey bees, economic entomology, 101(3), 668-673.
able to feed the colonies as needed. A half and secretly hope they will all make it some- White, G. F. (1914). Destruction of germs
gallon or gallon feeder is adequate for a col- how. They wont so plan ahead! of infectious bee diseases by heating. Bul-
ony that is building up. Most authorities rec- letin No. 92. US Dept. of Agriculture.
ommend some form of pollen supplement; I References
have never used it. Real pollen is always the Cale, G. H. (1956). Package Beekeeping
best bet. A frame of emerging brood added Versus Overwintering. American Bee
to the package will help it immeasurably if Journal. 96(8), 311-312.
you have this available. Jay, S. C. (1974). Seasonal development of
The hives should be monitored and addi- honeybee colonies started from package
tional supers added as needed. My tendency bees. Journal of Apicultural Research,
is to add them, and if the bees occupy them 13(2), 149-152.
ULJKWDZD\,JXUHWKH\QHHGHGWKHP%HWWHU Merrill, J. H., & Archer, G. S. (1925). Ex-
to stay ahead than to fall behind. Some peo- perience with Package Bees. Bee World,
ple say that adding room can discourage 7(1), 11-12.
the bees; I disagree with that. By all means, Pankiw, P. (1968).7KHLQXHQFHRIHQYL-
EHUHDG\IRUDKRQH\RZ'XULQJDUHDOO\ ronmental conditions on brood rearing,
VWURQJKRQH\RZHYHQVPDOOFRORQLHVPD\ build-up, and honey production of pack-
store surprising amounts of honey. age bee colonies. The Canadian Entomol-
Finally, the big problem with packages is ogist, 100(02), 127-134.
drifting. Even the best laid plans to prevent Root, A. I. (1916). A California Man Suc-
it may be defeated by the bees tendency to ceeds in Sending Bees by the Pound in
\RXWLQDUXVKDQGQRWPDUNZKLFKKLYH Large and Small Lots. Gleanings in Bee
is theirs. Anything you can do to minimize Culture, 44(4), 137-138.
drifting such as not placing hives in rows, Russell, H. L., & Morrison, F. B. (1920).
not putting them too close together, etc. may New Farm Facts: Annual Report of the
help. But if the bees are installed when the Director, 1919-1920 (Vol. 323). Agricul-
weather is good, they may come pouring out tural Experiment Station, University of
DQGJHWORVW&RQQLQJWKHPLVQRWUHDOO\DQ Wisconsin.
answer, it just postpones the inevitable. Smirl, C. B. (1970). A study of the develop-
W
ith this months installment of my ing were powerful rewards for choosing the and daughters (50% of genes in common)
meandering natural history of the social route. But readers will recall that just than grandsons (25%). Outlaw daughters
honey bee we arrive at a topic that because we can do the math and show equal were not punished for their criminal acts of
is near and dear to my heart the queens genetic rewards does not by itself compel sneaking in an egg or two but they didnt
habit of mating with multiple males, stor- workers to the social route. In June I asked, get away with it either. The mothers po-
ing their sperm in an organ called the sper- So what extraordinary selection pressures licing behavior eliminated the rewards for
matheca, and using the sperm to fertilize pushed honey bee workers toward such outlaw egg laying and promoted group co-
her lifes output of eggs. This behavior is extreme expressions of cooperation and al- hesion. It was brute force, albeit indirectly
called polyandry. I attach such importance truism that they evolved into a sterile and visited on the eggs, but nevertheless had the
to polyandry not just because of its impor- distinct caste? stabilizing effect of eliminating reproduc-
tance to the evolution of Apis mellifera, but One possibility is so-called voluntary WLYHFRQLFWV
also because of its up-to-the-hour relevance altruism. The discovery of genes that do 7KHHOLPLQDWLRQRIUHSURGXFWLYHFRQLFW
for the health problems facing honey bees indeed code for altruistic behavior lends in the nest was a critical development in the
today. Well, and to be honest, it was also support to this option1, and moreover, such evolution of honey bee sociality because it
the subject of my research sabbatical in genes can be expected to occur at higher- freed each type of female to respond to nor-
England in 2012-2013 a period of my life than-background rates in colonies where mal Darwinian processes and diverge into
dense with happy memories not the least theres already a high degree of familial the vastly different forms we see today.
of which were the delightful cross-country relatedness. However, the presence of al- The mother specialized in egg laying and
footpaths and the famously fortifying real truistic genes does not mean that theres no evolved more subtle forms of social coer-
ales awaiting the road-weary walker at each SRVVLELOLW\IRUVHOVKQHVV$IWHUDOOHYHQD cion in the form of pheromones that exact
village pub. sterile worker can activate her ovaries and a policing effect on her daughters by sup-
My sabbatical host was Dr. Giles Budge produce sons a perfectly viable option for pressing their ovaries. The daughters, for
at the National Bee Unit, a section of the passing on 50% of her genes. In a social their part, evolved the dizzying behavioral
UKs Food and Environment Research context, such workers are called outlaws, repertoires of nest building, defense, forag-
Agency (FERA) housed near the ancient DQG ZKDW PDNHV WKHP VHOVK LV WKH IDFW ing, and brood rearing that captivate human
northern city of York (see Figure). Giles that they cease any work on behalf of the observers to this day. Eventually the two
and I had become increasingly interested in colony while coopting the machinery of the diverged to the point that neither could do
the booming literature on polyandry and its colony to rear their own sons. They become the work of the other. They had become two
GLYHUVHKHDOWKEHQHWVIRUWKHEHHFRORQ\ social parasites. If all workers did this the castes. Only at this point can we properly
The papers on polyandry were emerging whole colony, and everyone in it, would talk about queens vs. workers.
at an escalating rate, and we couldnt help eventually perish a genetic dead-end if This is also the earliest point at which we
but wonder if this was another one of those there ever was one. Nevertheless, theory can attach the term superorganism to our
evolutionary clues to good beekeeping based on simple inheritance predicts that ancestral honey bee. Now that neither the
management. over 50% of workers can still be expected queen nor worker is any longer reproduc-
But before I can delve into that I want to WRFKRRVHWKLVVHOVKRSWLRQ2. So in the end, tively autonomous, it is arguable that its
return a moment to something I talked about voluntary altruism, even with the presence the colony as a whole that functions as a
last June, and that is how colonies resolve of altruistic genes, does not seem capable of Darwinian unit of selection.
UHSURGXFWLYHFRQLFWVDPRQJQHVWPDWHV, explaining such high levels of altruism and This critical development also presented
explained how daughters in the primitive social cohesion we see in the modern honey the queen with new reproductive options.
nests of our putative ancestral honey bee bee colony. With reproductive conflicts resolved
could choose to leave the nest, strike out What seems a better answer is enforced through coercion, and with workers having
on their own, and expect to pass on 50% altruism, also called coercion or policing. lost the ability to mate and produce diploid
of their genes in the form of offspring; or In June I explained that in the early primi- offspring, social cohesiveness was no lon-
they could choose to stay at the nest, altru- tive colonies with one mother mated to one ger so highly dependent on high rates of
istically help their mother reproduce, and male with highly-related daughters shar- kinship. Put another way, the rewards for
pass on 50% of their genes in the form of ing 50% of genes in common that policing a queen practicing monogamy and produc-
siblings. It is possible that the presence of was a simple matter of the mother eating ing a nest of highly-related daughters were
DQHVWDQGWKHVWDELOL]LQJEHQHWVRIFRRS- the eggs laid by her daughters. After all, the no longer so real. Queens began abandon-
eration, shared defense, and shared forag- mother was more interested in rearing sons ing the age-old practice of monogamy and
^
E. Suhre Bees
Package Bees available April and May
1
OK, this is a not-so-subtle way of imparting
the life/beekeeping lessons amassed along
the way. It also allows you to skip over the
boring details by just reading the bold
sentences and looking at the pictures you
can get the basic idea. KE
town secretary gave me the contact of a bee- lessons actually occurred between yards months, I discovered that beekeeping inter-
keeper named Keith. Two days later I was riding in a truck with an experienced ested me far more than the other farming
ORRNLQJLQWRDKLYHIRUWKHUVWWLPH beekeeper is a great way to learn about I had known. Human-animal relationships
Summer was then in high heat, and I beekeeping, for I could unload my ques- had always fascinated me, but this coop-
started my career with the timeworn tasks of tions and he could answer them with leisure. eration between insect and man, which not
hauling and extracting. Keith gave me the By night I raided Keiths library for bee only produced a fabled, unearthly sweet-
quick and dirty introduction on beekeeping, material and took them to my home a ener, but also made possible a great portion
showing me little things as we worked, but nearby trailer with a bed far too small for of modern agriculture, was a few notches
WKHEXV\QHVVRIWKHVHDVRQPDGHLWGLIFXOW me and read by the light of my headlamp. beyond anything else. You could say I was
to spend much time on anything. The best During these weeks, which turned into hooked
E>D
dd^
,
your veil at the shop, Australia Searching for a queen, Hawaii
d/^
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Resources
Honey Bee Net, Bee Forage map is based
on a map and table produced by George
S. Ayers and Jay R. Harman, both of
Michigan State University, and provided
in Chapter 11 (Bee Forage of North
America and the Potential for Planting
for Bees) of the book The Hive and the
Honey Bee, 1992, Graham, J. ed. Dadant
and Sons Inc. Hamilton, Illinois. The
map can be found at http://honeybeenet.
gsfc.nasa.gov/Honeybees/Forage.htm.
,QXHQFH RI 3ROOHQ 1XWULWLRQ RQ +RQH\
Bee Health: Do Pollen Quality and Di-
versity Matter?, Garance Di Pasquale,
Marion Salignon, Yves Le Conte, Luc
P. Belzunces, Axel Decourtye, Andr
Kretzschmar, Sverine Suchail, Jean-
Luc Brunet, Cdric Alaux, Published:
August 5, 2013, DOI: 10.1371/journal.
pone.0072016 http://journals.plos.org/
plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.
pone.0072016.
Honey bee Nutrition, MAAREC, the Mid-
Atlantic Apiculture Research and Exten-
VLRQ&RQVRUWLXPLVDQRIFLDODFWLYLW\RI
YHODQGJUDQWXQLYHUVLWLHVDQGWKH86
Department of Agriculture, MAAREC
Publication 1.4, February 2015, https://
agdev.anr.udel.edu/maarec/wp-
content/uploads/2010/05/Honey-bee-
nutrition-MAAREC.pdf
Nutrition, immunity and viral infec-
tions in honey bees, Gloria DeGrandi-
t^
A
s Spring draws near, beekeepers One of these beekeeping periodicals For Your Paper, one author known only
begin to anticipate the honey was in a short newspaper format. I collect by H. A. K. (which is probably H. A. King
season. The same was true in 1870. WKHVHROGEHHNHHSLQJSHULRGLFDOVDQGJXUH himself) noted the recent spread of the
Beekeepers of the past wished, planned, and the newspaper ones had an added survival movable comb (which was made public in
prayed for a bountiful season. While we disadvantage. As a wad of paper, they 1852) made the honey trade become vastly
share the same sentiments, their beekeeping ZHUH PRUH SURQH WR VWDUW D UH LQ D ZRRG important. He recognized beekeepers could
conditions were vastly different from ours stove in the early 1870s, and more likely make more money with less capital or labor
today. Movable frames were still spreading WREHFRQVLJQHGWRWKHDPHVWKDQDMRXUQDO by bee-keeping than most large fertile farms.
DFURVV WKH FRXQWU\ GLVSODFLQJ [HGFRPE format, which had the connotation of a He went on to state that some beekeepers
hives. Beekeepers debated the merits of the valuable book. UHDOL]HGWKHEHQHWVE\RZQLQJEXWDIHZ
new fangled honey extractor. Detractors The Bee-Keepers Journal and National acres of land, with light taxes, as their stock
ardently predicted its ultimate demise. Agriculturist for the Apiary, Farm and QGVWKHLURZQSDVWXUDJHIRUURDPDVWKH\
Old apicultural periodicals can reveal Fireside was published by H. A. King will, the whole region is their common.
rarely seen beekeeping conditions. In the & Company from New York, N. Y. I am (Common referred to common pastureland
history of American apiculture, about one working from the September 1870 issue (see where one had the right to graze animals on
hundred beekeeping periodicals began. Figures 1 and 2), which showed the results particular land tracts, along with others,
Virtually all failed. The American Bee of the honey production season, after all the by previous traditional arrangements or
Journal, starting in 1861, and Bee Culture planning, swarming, and worrying about the communal land ownership. By the authors
starting in 1873, are the two oldest survivors. weather. As we will see, their honey crop WKLQNLQJ DQ\ZKHUH D EHH IRXQG D RZHU
Nevertheless the obscure ephemeral ones, looked very different from todays. became common pasture.)
in their brief blooms, give glimpses of In the section of the paper where the While a progressive beekeeper would
beekeeping long gone, yet still with common publisher encouraged Bee-keepers Write have redesigned the hive to accept movable
connections to current beekeepers.
Today beekeepers prepare their supers for
WKH6SULQJQHFWDURZEXWZKDWLIVXSHUVKDG
not yet evolved? In the 1880s, comb honey
sections were in their golden age of glory,
but what about before J. S. Harbison made
them popular? Today beekeepers clean up
their bee smokers to be ready for the season
ahead, but what if Moses Quinby had not yet
invented the bee smoker (in 1873)?
Not knowing the future held these
valuable implements, a beekeeper running
what we would call a commercial operation
still planned to send some 10,000 or 20,000
pounds of honey to market in 1870, or even
before. That is where additional beekeeping
periodicals contributed more voices by
describing their conditions and pictures, as
wood cut engravings, which were expensive Figure 1. The ornate banner of the Bee-Keepers Journal and National
to produce. Agriculturist for the Apiary, Farm and Fireside, September 1870.
Acknowledgments
The author thanks Suzanne Sumner for
her comments on the manuscript.
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t a recent meeting, a beekeeper cause there are water hazards that provide minimal presence of pesticides, a fresh wa-
considering setting up bees in his a source of water. Of course, the beekeeper ter supply, and no human hazards. If any
backyard outlined a long list of rea- should consider offering water in a rock of these are not possible, put the word out
sons why he didnt think the bees would OOHG FKLOGUHQV VZLPPLQJ SRRO EOXH FRO- that you are looking for a good location.
do very well. He clearly wanted me to give ored works best) when there are no children Perhaps you can rent or barter a location for
him permission to keep bees in his back- around who will be tempted to play in them. a gallon or two of honey every year. Then
yard in spite of all the challenges. Without Kids and bees dont always mix either. you need to develop a relationship with a
being too tough on the guy, I gently sug- Of course, there are other potential rea- trusted landlord. This should be someone
gested he look at somewhere else to locate sons not to keep bees in an area. There may who will support you and your beekeeping
his colonies. He had many reasons why his be someone who will complaina family efforts, and whose employees will do the
bees would fail in his backyard, and had member, a neighbor, the prized hunting dog, same. Otherwise avoid the location. It is not
the good sense to realize that, having done RUWKHWRZQ]RQLQJRIFHUZKRLVIROORZLQJ always easy.
some homework in advance. the letter of the law. Anyone with integrity Few beekeepers have written arrange-
For starters, he was a Midwest-based will avoid potential problems, especially if ments with their landlords, and perhaps they
EHHNHHSHU VXUURXQGHG E\ HOG FRUQ DQG there is a pretty good chance that the prob- should, just in case something goes wrong.
soybeans. He was not in an area of the lem will develop into a full-blown issue. Having an agreement about calling before
country (often more southern locations) spraying, sealing the bees in with irrigation
where soybeans are known to yield nectar, equipment, or letting cattle run free around
and the corn posed the potential of expo- the colonies are all items the beekeeper must
sure to insecticides from seed treatments consider before moving into a leased loca-
a serious situation that has not been re- tion. Road or farm path access to the bees is
VROYHG7KHXVHRIKHUELFLGHVRQPDQ\HOG needed 12 months out of the year. You may
FURSVKDVUHGXFHGWKHVXPPHUDQGIDOORUD need to use a snowmobile or snowshoes in
that ordinarily grow as weeds in the corn the winter, but there is no reason why you
DQGEHDQHOGV&URSVDUHSODQWHGHGJHWR should not be able to check your bees during
edge from the edge of one road to the edge certain times of the year, and many reasons
of the next, with no unplanted fencerows why you should. The location should also
where a few trees producing nectar and pol- not be somewhere that will be subject to
len might grow. It is a pretty desolate place vandalism because it is too close or too far
for man and bee. from civilization.
His home was on the edge of town, If all goes well, remember to thank the
which is often a good thing because town landowner with a rent check, cases of honey
JDUGHQV VKUXEV DQG WUHHV DOO LQFUHDVH R- or whatever will be appropriate for the lo-
ral diversity, but he had a large golf course cation. If the owner does not want honey,
literally across the road from his home. donate the honey to a local food kitchen in
There are some unproven concerns about both of your names.
golf courses due to all the chemicals they
use and the potential use of growth regula- Chemicals You Add to the Colony
tors for many insects, especially to control Swarms rest as their scout bees search North American beekeepers have a long
mosquito larvae development. Golfers like for a new home away from the parent tradition of adding chemicals to their hives
to swat at golf balls, not at pesky mosqui- hive (Repasky photo). rather than using one of the many non-
treatments. As long as the miticides are not XVLQJ HWKHU ZLQGVKLHOG XLG RU DOFRKRO
closely related chemically, different popula- and other methods kill the bees. The lethal
tions of mites are controlled and die with methods are great for collecting a sample
each treatment, prolonging the use of the of beesabout 1/2 cup or 300 worker bees
chemical in an operation. from brood combsso that the bees may
Certain miticides have been shown to be further sampled to see how effective the
contaminate combs, pollen, propolis and sampling technique really is. But this is a
even honey. This has led to the routine re- research focus.
placement of comb by many beekeepers. For most beekeepers, a sample of 300
Recent studies have shown that miticides bees from the brood nest bees (where the
in combination with other agricultural feeding or phoretic mites accumulate when
chemicals, like fungicides, increase the WKH\HPHUJHIURPWKHFHOOVVKDNHQIRUYH
risk to colony health through a synergistic minutes with a few tablespoons of confec-
reaction, where 1 plus 1 produces a result tionary (powdered) sugar following a stan-
greater than 2. dard technique should provide a successful
Most beekeepers who actually do sample comparison of mite population trends for
seem to prefer the use of powdered sugar that one colony, the trend for the entire api-
in a shaker jar as a means of sampling ary or operation, and the response to the
mites without killing the bees. Systems mite level following any of a number of
management manipulations: Replacing the
queen; removing three frames of bees and
two frames of brood to make a new nucleus
or increase colony; a biological pesticide
treatment such as powdered sugar dusting
(entire colony); or an essential oil applica-
tion (entire colony) or other manipulation.
For any IPM process to work, sampling
is essential. The sole use of one component,
such as screened bottom boards or resis-
WDQWEHHVWRFNPD\SURYLGHEHQHWVWRWKH
colony and the entire operation, but without
data, how do you really know? If you are
attempting to keep and manage bee colonies
with integrity, it is important that you try to
do your best.
Bee-sentials: A Field Guide is Dr. Con-
nors introductory book that recom-
mends the keeping of more than one hive
RIEHHVWKHUVW\HDURIEHHNHHSLQJ,WDOVR
UHFRPPHQGV WKDW UVW\HDU EHHNHHSHUV
set up a nucleus colony to ensure a re-
placement queen is ready to take over a
failed hive. Check out www.wicwas.com.
WE SELL
Pollen TrapsU.S. Bee Pollen
Royal JellyBee Propolis Extract
CC POLLEN CO.
5455 N. 51 st Avenue, # 17
Glendale, AZ 85301
Tel: 1-800-875-0096
Email: beemail1@ccpollen.com
CALL FOR PRICES
Pollen: There is very little in the literature about the pollen potential
of the species.
References
WdD 1. Arnold, L. E. 1954. Some Honey Plants of Florida. University
Arboretum located in Lisle, IL on 6/6/2004. of Florida Agricultural Experiment Stations Bulletin 548. Uni-
versity of Florida, Gainesville, FL. All checked
date of May. Wunderlin[13], writing about the vascular plants of 2. Ayers, G. and J. Harman. 1992. Bee Forage of North Amer-
Florida, states simply that it blooms in spring. In Texas, Sanborn ica and Potential for Planting for Bees. Inventory and Relative
and Scholl[10] indicate it blooms in April. John Lovell[5] reports in Importance of Nectar and Pollen Plants of North America. In:
Southeastern Texas it blooms April to July and sometimes, if there The Hive and the Honey Bee. J. M. Graham Editor. Dadant and
are summer rains, it might bloom again. Sons. Hamilton, IL.
3. Gleason, M. H. and A. Cronquist 1991. Manual of Vascular
Importance as a honey plant: From his extensive set of Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada (2nd
questionnaires Oertel[8] found the species to be important in: LA, Edition). The New York Botanical Garden.
7;$/$5061&6&DQG71 4. Lovell. H. B. 1966. Honey Plants Manual, A Practical Field
Ayers and Harman[2] from their questionnaires found the plant to Handbook for Identifying Honey Flora. A. I. Root Co. Medina,
EHYHU\LPSRUWDQWLQ2.067;/$DQG06DQGWREHLPSRUWDQW OH.
in AR. 5. Lovell, J. 1926. Honey Plants of North America. A. I. Root Co.
While the standard references listed above provide information Medina, OH.
about the plant as a bee forage, there are a number of publications 6. Missouri Botanical Garden 2015 Website
that enumerate the bee forages of the area in which Berchemia 7. Morton, J. 1964. Honeybee Plants of South Florida. Proeedings
scandens is native that do not mention the species. These include: RULGD6WDWH+RUWLFXOWXUDO6RFHW\
Julia Mortons Honeybee Plants of South Florida[7], Sanfords 8. Oertel, E. 1939. Honey and Pollen Plants of the United States.
Florida Bee Botany[11], Lillian Arnolds Some Honey Plants of 86'$&LUFXODU86*RYHUQPHQW3ULQWLQJ2IFH:DVK-
Florida[1], and Dale Pollets Louisiana Honey Plants.[9] This ington D. C.
suggests that there is some geographical variation in the species 9. Pollet, D. 2011. Louisiana Honey Plants. Publication 3162, Lou-
LPSRUWDQFH RU DOWHUQDWLYHO\ EHFDXVH WKH RZHUV DUH VPDOO DQG isiana State University Agricultural Center.
generally located in the tops of wooded canopies, it may simply be 10. Sanborn, D.E. and E. E. Scholl. 1908. Texas Honey Plants.
overlooked. Texas Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 102. Texas Ag-
ULFXOWXUDO([SHULPHQW6WDWLRQ&ROOHJH6WDWLRQ7;
Honey potential: Harvey Lovell indicates that averages surpluses 11. Sanford, M. T. 1988. Florida Bee Botany. Florida Cooperative
SUREDEO\LQ7;DUHWROEV6DQERUQDQG6FKROO[10] describe Extension Service/Institution of Food and Agricultural Sciences
the honey yield as being good and gives surpluses in favorable Circular 686, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL.
years. 12. USDA, NRCS. 2015. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.
usda.gov, 28 December 2015). National Plant Data Team,
Honey: There is some variation in the literature concerning the Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
description of supplejack honey. John Lovell[5] reports from a Bay 13. Wunderlin, R. P. 1998. A Guide to the Vascular Plants of Flor-
City, Texas beekeeper that the honey is a light lemon yellow with a ida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
Plant description: Scrophularia californica is a perennial Importance as a honey plant: Richter[6] places the species in his
with stems that are 80-120 cm (~31.5-47.2 in) long. The secondary honey plant list, indicating that occasionally the species
larger leaves are 8-17 cm (~ 3.1-6.7 in), and range in yields a surplus. Later in his publication he states that it is an
color from dark to light green and can be heart-shaped excellent honey plant, and although it is never abundant, there is no
or more truncate as if the end with the stem appears more GRXEWWKDWVRPHJZRUWKRQH\LVVWRUHG
or less cut off. It can also occasionally be wedge-shaped. ,QGQRPHPEHUVRIWKH6FURSKXODULDFHDHPHQWLRQHGE\3URIHVVRU
7KHPDLQVWHPRIWKHLQRUHVFHQFHDQGWKHVWDONVRIWKH George Coleman[2] in his 1921-1922 monthly enumerations of the
RZHUV DUH JODQGXODU SRVVLEO\ LQGLFDWHG E\ EHLQJ VWLFN\ bee forage of the California National Forests.
DQG DUH FRYHUHG ZLWK QH VKRUW KDLUV 7KH FDO\[ OREHV1 are Oertel[5], from his extensive set of questionnaires, found the
3-4 mm (~0.12-0.16 in), are a triangular egg shape, green, with the species to be important in CA and WA. From the distribution
unattached end pointed or rounded and the edges generally thin, dry map, it seems likely that the one from Washington was possibly
and membranous and not green. The corolla (all the petals) is 8-12 a closely related species, which at the time might have been called
mm (~0.2-0,47 in) and bulky. The mouth is more or less constricted, Scrophularia californica by one or more of the questionnaire
with the upper lobes a reddish to maroon color the lower petals a respondents, or might have actually carried that name in the
paler and more or less a yellowish green. There is a sterile stamen VFLHQWLFOLWHUDWXUHRIWKHWLPHDQGODWHUZDVJLYHQDGLIIHUHQWVSHFLHV
(staminode) that has a tip that is club shaped or expanded and epithet (second name in the species name).
attached at the small end. The stigma of the pistil that receives the Ayers and Harman [1] who partitioned North America
pollen during pollination is headlike.[3] more from an ecological perspective rather than by political
boundaries, from their questionnaires found the species to be of
some importance in what they referred to as south and central
1
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California.
bud. See Kennon Loricks Glossary page 1352 December 2015 of John Lovell[4] describes Scrophularia californica as having the
ABJ. potential to be of great value in the California mountains if it were
2
Chaparral: a vegetation type characterized by mostly evergreen more common.
shrubs that have thick, leathery leaves and stiff branches. Vansell and Eckert[8] in their text state that It is a heavy yielder
Scrophularia californicaWW
obtained from the Las Pilitas Nursery in Santa Margarita, CA.
P!#+!'% "%%3 !.$ 15%%.3
0ATTERSON 2OAD s "AXLEY '!
0H
&AX
/VER 9EARS OF %XPERIENCE s !LL "EES ARE 3TATE )NSPECTED
*)TALIAN 1ueens
0ICK
UP 1UEENS . $20.00
100+ . . . . . . . . . . . $20.00 Pick-up Packages #ELLS . . . . . . . . . . . . $4.00
25-99 . . . . . . . . . . . $21.00 #2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $66.00 #LIPPING . . . . . . . . $4.00
10-24 . . . . . . . . . . . $23.00 #3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $76.00 Marking . . . . . . . . . $4.00
1-9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25.00
*Call for availability and pricing for mail packages
MAY GOD BLESS YOUR
ENDEAVORS THIS YEAR
April 2016 479
480 American Bee Journal
American Bee Journal
MarketPlace PARSONS GOLD SOLUTION - The QUEENS available April thru September.
Only Solution For Keeping Your Honey 5-Frame Nucs also available. Credit cards ac-
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ness (419) 273-3066; Cell (419) 235- in your own box www.vaughnsbees.com
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com #33 Treatment Loaded Syringe - rockwell180@rocketmail.com
$15.00 plus $8.00 S/H. Checks, Money
Orders, Credit Cards. Parsons Gold For Sale 3000 10-frame singles. 2015
Apiaries, c/o Robert B. Parsons, 2092 queens, new equipment. Also, 5-frame
Twp. Rd., 195, Forest, OH 45843.
nucs available. Call Chris (941) 720-
BROKER OF BEES AND BEE EQUIPMENT: 6025.
Find out what is for sale or request a listing agree-
ment at www.morrisweaver.com Morris Weaver PACKAGED BEES AND 5-FRAME NUCS.
Enterprises, 11625 Princess Margaret Ct., TAKING ORDERS NOW FOR 2015. CALL
0RQWJRPHU\7;3KRQH
FOR SALE 8061, Mobile (936) 825-4738. rmorrisweaver@ (231) 735-1203.
gmail.com NUCS FOR SALE, TAMPA FLORIDA. ASK
1000 hives 10-frame two-story on 4-way pallets, Cowen Heated top and bottom bar cleaner with extra FOR JACOB. (813) 770-9465, (813) 451-6334.
QHZRXWW TXHHQVH[FHOOHQWFRQGLWLRQDYDLODEOH SS tub and hot water supply unit purchased in 2009 For Sale: 200 5-frame nucs and 400 single hives
in May in California. (530) 671-6188. less than 40 hours, asking $6000.00. Item available in Florida. (772) 633-1134.
)RU6DOH1HZ+XPPHUEHH7XUERDQG;/PRGHO for pickup in Lewistown, PA or Dade City, Florida. For Sale: 20,000 6 5/8 supers. Good tight
beekeeper forklifts with more performance en- For more information call 800-736-6205. equipment. Semi-load lots. Call Ron (909) 754-
hancements. Used beekeeper forklifts. Our full We have purchased Tom Industries. 2555.
time knowledgeable staff offers more to you in We have hand crank and motor- N.W. Colorado bee operation for sale. Hives,
parts, service, and advice. View our website:www. trucks, swinger forklifts, etc. Info: email
hummerbeeforklift.com or call A & O Forklift at L]HG HPERVVHG UROOHUV GURQH
cells etc. We have sheeters that make jonescherry2000@yahoo.com
800-943-8677 (remember we are eastern time zone) FOR SALE: 1500 Double Deep Hives after
or leave a message. SHU KRXU &DOO RU
Almonds. Also, 1 story hives for sale. Good
Heavy Duty Clear View Masts for Bobcats email: madelinecooper@sbcglobal.net
equipment and healthy hives on four-way pallets.
12 lift - double action cylinders - 42 forks (48 You can inspect these hives in the almonds. Call
RSWLRQDODOOUROOHUEHDULQJVQRVOLGHUVWV%RE- Singles for sale, delivery possible on orders over
200. For pricing and availability call: 800-736-6205. Dave (760) 310-0005.
cat 743 - 763 & S130 - S150. Call A & 0 Forklift, FOR SALE: Queens, Bulk bees, brood (new
Inc. (800) 943-8677. FIVE FRAME NUCS AND TEN
FRAME HIVES FOR SALE. CALL drawn comb exchange only), singles, southeast
Top Bar Hive handmade, plans, info, pictures, JEROME @ (352) 406-4938 OR EMAIL: Texas, March and April. 507-273-4359.
video, community: www.NetShed.com TRAILHEADRANCH@GMAIL.COM Early 5 frame nucs w/new queen. Ready APRIL
PRICE REDUCED: Large Montana beekeeping thru MAY. Shipping available - call for pricing
operation. Includes: registered locations, ware- HONEY PRICE UPDATES. Call Honey Hot (601) 788-7717 email: ty.freeman68@yahoo.com
house, extracting equipment, trucks, forklifts, re- Line. (763) 658-4193. 5-frame nucs for sale in NW Wisconsin. 2016
lated equipment, some acreage with option on other 2000 10-frame hives, new queens, on 4-way pal- queens, nice equipment, no frame exchange. Will
acreage. Serious inquires only. Phone 406-683- lets, very good equipment in FL. Now or after al- EHUHDG\IRUSLFNXSHQGRI$SULORUUVWRI0D\
4973 or 406-683-5736 prior to 7PM Mountain time. monds in CA. Limited numbers of 4 and 5-frame $125.00 each, quantity discounts on 50 or more.
FOR SALE: Singles and 1 1/2 story hives for sale. deep nucs. Also available in FL starting in March. (772)215-2734. Sunnydellbees.com
1000 available. Call for Pricing, Jon@(208) 412- Call NOW!! (262) 689-1000. HIVES FOR SALE: 2,000 Singles on 4-way pal-
1092 or Golden @ (208) 250-8420. www.golden 140,000 pounds sugar and syrup in like new 55 lets in CA after Almonds. Lots of 100 @ $155.
beeinc.com gallon drums $150 each or $140 ea. for 10 or Semi-loads @ $145. Ray 229-921-8776. Email:
Nucs - $96. Deep or Medium single beehives. more. 200 like new barrels - $10 each. Honey ray@weekshoneyfarm.com
Buckets of Honey - $175. Pollen - $300. John 5 gallon buckets, new and used bee equipment. 5-frame nucs for sale. Proven laying Italian
Pluta Milledgeville Georgia (478) 452-2337 Can deliver to KC, Joplin MO, Tulsa, Wichita,
Queen. $120.00 each. 500 available now. (321)
www.georgiabees.blogspot.com 6SULQJHOG&DOO7UDGH+RQH\
231-0484.
Five frame NUCS for sale mid-April through Fall. Open head steel 55-gallon drums, like new and
new condition. Central Florida. $16.00 Each. FOR SALE: 8-frame doubles, heavy, 2015
Price dependent on season and quantity of order. queens, on 4-way pallets. Newer equipment.
863-559-0074 David Adams
Minimum order of 24 NUCS. No frame trade, Make your own Honey Sticks. Complete sys- $300.00 before almonds, $165.00 after. $140.00
only return of our boxes. Call early to secure your tem to start putting your honey in your own UVW DQG VHFRQG ZHHN RI 0D\ &RWWRQZRRG
order. FOB Lewistown PA or Dade City, FL. VWLFNVIRUSHQQLHVSHUVWLFN.HHSWKHSURWV CA. Sam & Joyce Van Vleet (530) 347-1987.
Please call W. Fisher Bee Farm for more infor- for yourself. www.honeystickmachine.com For Sale: Boxes of deep brood comb with 9
mation. 1-800-736-6205. Ask for Aaron. Strong, healthy 5 frame Nucs (deep or medium) frames per box. 500 plus boxes in Idaho. Call
For Sale: singles, 1 stories and nucs. 4-frame available in South Florida starting in April of Gary (208)431-0630.
nucs and 5-frame nucs available. Truck loading 2016. Limited quantities of mated queens are also For Sale: 500 hives, 10-frame, two-story on 4-way
and unloading in California. (559) 665-1759 or available. Call Joseph at (561) 715-5715 to place pallets available after almond pollination in CA.
(209) 769-2546. your order. Very good condition. Contact 510-731-7801.
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING-Net price 95 cents per word per insertion. Initials, letters as in street address, counted as individual words. No advertisement accepted for less than
ZRUGV3D\DEOHFDVKLQDGYDQFH%OLQG&ODVVLHGDGGLWLRQDO$EOLQGDGLVRQHLQZKLFKUHVSRQVHVDUHDGGUHVVHGWRWKH$%-DQGWKHQIRUZDUGHGWRWKHDGYHUWLVHU([WUHPH
care always is exercised in establishing the reliability of all advertisers, but the publishers do not guarantee advertisements. Orders close the 20th of the second month preceding
cover date. Send typed copy to : Advertising Dept., American Bee Journal, 51 S. 2nd6W+DPLOWRQ,/RU)$;WRRUHPDLOWRabjads@dadant.com.