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T. S. Eliot was not a beekeeper. Had he been, he would have said April is full of promise rather than cruel. Granted, too many of us are having to rebuild from larger than normal losses, but Spring is definitely here and our colonies are full of promise. Many of you have already installed honey supers and all of us should be monitoring Varroa counts and scrounging for our SHB traps. The more fortunate among us are preparing to make splits and nucs while others are looking at buying queens or combining hives. But whatever our situation, April offers a respite from Winter grays and Summer sweat and the promise of good days in the beeyard.If you are selling bees, please check out the information in this newsletter about a “local” inspector who will
supplement Bob Wellemeyer's chores. Beth McClelland will focus on nuc inspections especially; be sure to get your hives checked before any sales are finalized!Kudos to Martha Kiene and Amy Bennett for their recent Outreach efforts. Spring brings many requests for bee talks and demos to schools, garden clubs and civic events. You may tire of me beating this drum, but outreach is so important for educating the public about beekeeping. The payoff? Enlisting new beekeepers, perhaps reducing pesticide deaths, providing support for local ordinances allowing beekeeping, and generally making bees more appreciated. All this and it's fun, too!
2013 Calendar Items of Note
• April 23 -‐ Packages, Nucs and Splits – The Basics
• 27 April (Sat), 8a – 5p; Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton: Fairfax County Springfest (Earth Day/Arbor Day) **Honey Sale Event**”
The President’s Hive Stand
BANV BUZZ MARCH-APRIL 2013
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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
• Queen Rearing
• Upcoming Events• August EAS Meeting
• Hive Weight• VSBA Update• Outreach (Volunteers needed)
SPRING NUC PROGRAM:BANV’s nuc program is in great need of LOCAL SPRING NUCS! BANV is looking for ALL club members to pitch-in and make spring nucs to sell to our newest beekeepers (the 2013 students) and other club members. The law requires that the seller have an annual inspection and the program requires that the nuc be provided with a spring 2013 queen. On April 23rd, the club is having a refresher class on nucs and splits. Make the most of those swarm cells that you’re finding in your active happy hives and put a smile on another beekeepers face. Program details can be found on our club’s website. Once you are confident you will have a nuc to sell, please complete the “nuc producer” form. Julie Waser will keep both the producer and purchase forms up on the website through the end of June 2013.
continued on page 2
When should I add supers? When does the honey flow end? How much should I feed in the fall? Have the bees swarmed? When should I re-queen? When should I create nucs? Those and many other questions can be answered through an understanding of how the net weight of a hive changes as the season progress.Net weight is the weight of the bees, the wax and the stores within a hive. It excludes the weight of the woodenware. Tracking the gross weight would not be very instructive because that changes significantly as the configuration of the hive is changed.This chart demonstrates how the net weight of a hive changes as the seasons change. The weight declines as winter stores are consumed. It then increases dramatically with the advent of the honey flow. This colony, typical of Italian bees, ends the nectar flow with a huge population that consumes nearly all of its stores by late summer. That necessitates feeding of significant amounts of syrup in order to build up their winter stores. This is true even when the amount of honey harvested in minimized. The cycle then repeats itself.For a more extensive discussion of
the value of net weight monitoring, check out www.beeweigh.wordpress.com
Ernie Becking
President...Please help BANV with our Outreach events.
If you missed our March meeting, the membership approved a budget of $8,900 for the next year (slightly more than last year), most of it going to our beekeeping class, insurance and sustainability projects. That's a big chunk of money to keep BANV going, but our account still increased since the same time last year. Folks, the club is well funded. If you have a project you want to pursue on behalf of BANV, please contact your officers.
And speaking of classes, Julie Waser and Todd Harding will finish their classes this month unleashing over 60 new beekeepers on the world! Many thanks to them and all who supported our education efforts this year: Luan Do, Chelsie Romulo, Jane Harding, Terri McPalmer, Steve Johnson, and each club member and Mentor who gave a hand.
Today is rainy. April showers. Not the least bit cruel. Happy beekeeping!
NEWSLETTER | Mar-Apr 2013 2
Bee Inspection Services Available in Northern Virginia
Beth McClelland will perform inspections focusing on nucs in Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria. Contact her via her work e-mail ([email protected]) to schedule an appointment. Provide your phone number, address/location of hives and number of nucs to be inspected. As a backup for schedule changes/concerns, leave a message at 703-973-2783.
BANV Outreach Coordinator Contact Information
“Upcoming Outreach Opportunities: Please contact Martha Kiene at [email protected] to help.
27 April (Sat), 8a – 5p; Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton: Fairfax County Springfest (Earth Day/Arbor Day) **Honey Sale Event**”
LEARNING BY WEIGHING HIVES
Report from the 4-H Club
2 B A BEE 4-h Club has some new members- We welcome Alexandra and Annie, who are actually cousins and live in Falls Church. In March, at club meeting, we "unmolded" our candle molds- we had made these the previous month but the liquid rubber("Oomoo-30" from Smooth-On Company) takes a day to completely dry- so last month we got our candle molds that we made all ready to make candles. We are excited that the "drone congregation area" finding project is getting closer. Mr. Todd Harding has been teaching us about it and we are going to be a team searching for these 'drone congregation areas". Our two colonies did not survive the winter. We were sad. One actually did (the nuc) and was really strong and had lots of capped brood but ran out of food and starved. At our April meeting we had a lot of discussion about getting new bees. He have some money in our treasury and we decided how to spend that to get the bees. Brenda Kiessling - Leader, 2 B A BEE
This Month in the Beeyard March and the first week of April were typically cold, and yet not very wet. The week starting April 8 has been extraordinarily warm, and the surviving bee colonies are responding by preparing to swarm. Now is the time to get into the hives, clean out any dead outs, and look for queen cells. Split hives, add frames to the brood nest, destroy queen cells, or undertake some other technique to combat swarming. Swarms are a biological wonder, and we lose almost all of them to the surrounding landscape. If you want to increase your hive count, then do so now before the swarms take off for the trees.
The losses being reported in the mid-Atlantic are very high. It is my forecast that, when all the losses are added up, this last winter will see losses at or over 60% for this region. Losses of 20% or even 30% have been experienced here since the onset of Varroa, but it has been 18 years since losses of this magnitude have been seen in this region. There does not appear to be any clear pattern to the losses, but many beekeepers have not yet opened their hives, and reports are incomplete. It may turn out that Varroa numbers were very high last year, but that did not appear to be the case last summer and fall.
Because of the winter losses, the number of beekeepers who can prepare and sell nucleus hives from overwintered survivor hives is down. Nucs are selling for $140 and up for strong, 5-frame nucs with a marked queen. Package suppliers in our region are reporting strong demand and delayed deliveries. Some
package deliveries will be pushed into May, and many new beekeepers who hope for a nuc will have to settle for a late package.
Survivor hives should be checked for signs of disease and Varroa infestation. It is not too early to treat for Varroa, if it is necessary. A number of new miticidal products on the market are naturally derived and may therefore be left on the hive during a honey flow. So use that comb scratcher to open up a row of drone brood cells and count the Varroa mites. Learn how to do a mite count with a sticky board under a screened bottom.
If you installed packages, then check them every week to see if they need more space. Nectar and pollen are available now throughout the BANV region in unlimited amounts. This evening, on the way home, I counted 15 different kinds of trees in full bloom, and saw the first blooming dandelion. Strong hives can grow explosively during the upcoming weeks, and they will prepare to swarm if the hive is excessively crowded. Add frames and supers as needed.
Last but not least, enjoy the spring. This is a time for growth and vigor in the Beeyard, and that includes the bees, too.
John Fraser
NEWSLETTER | Mar-Apr 2013 3
BANV Buzz – The BANV Newsletter
The BANV Buzz is scheduled to be published about 10* days before each regular membership meeting. The deadline for submission of materials is 14 days before each scheduled meeting, and should be sent to the editors at [email protected] or copy can be handed to one of the editors or the President at any meeting. A schedule of meeting dates is easily found elsewhere on this website.
The newsletter is distributed as an email attachment and can also be downloaded from the BANV website. For those members who do not use email, copies are placed in the regular mail.
The best materials are focused on beekeeping in the mid-Atlantic region. Pictures are a welcome addition to the newsletter, as are announcements and letters on topics of interest to beekeepers. We do not generally use articles that have already been published by others. BANV of course reserves the right to exercise discretion in what it chooses to include in the Buzz.
*Ed. Note: Except when a new baby arrives 10 days before publication date.
By Bill Hustek
The following paper is based upon my observation of a total of 18 packages of bees which I have installed during the last two weeks. Plus four years of removing wild bees from people’s homes and structures.I. This year's packages came in two batches. One of twelve from Wilbanks through Dane Hannum in Arlington. These were delivered to me on March 20th. They were installed at Pinch Gut Farm two days later. The second batch came from Brushy Mountain Farms in N.C. delivered to me on Saturday, March 23rd, and installed the following Wednesday, March 27th. During that interval, I stored the second batch in the back of my covered pick-up truck bed with a 1000 watt cube electric heater set on high to keep the chill off. Other than that being closed up it was unprotected from the low temperatures. The weather during the entire period was colder than usual. Staying mostly in the mid-forties, with a few breaks into the fifties and immediately dropping back often below freezing. I was even hesitant to open the tail gate to confirm the bees were alive because it would ventilate the space and lose any heat bubble the heater was providing. One thing I immediately noticed with this second batch of bees while they were waiting to go into their hives was that their cluster moved and changed shape, to become rounded and as close as possible to the heat while not abandoning the queen cage, as was possible. The side away from the heater became flattened almost concave. This was uniform in all six packages each of which was further away from the heater. The heater was located close to the tailgate, the bees on a line midway up the bed to the front of the bed.. I chose this configuration because I had no idea of whether the heater would be beneficial or not. I was afraid it might even harm them. All six of these packages had die offs of 25% to 30% of the worker bees. But none of the queens was hurt. In 3# packages that is about 1# loss of the package, making it effectively a 2# pack, or 20,000 bees. The one clear thing I took from this was that the packaged bees appreciated the heater. Remember the temperatures were ranging from below freezing up into the mid to high forties during the day.
II. I went back to Pinch Gut Farm on April 2nd to check to be sure that my queens there had been released and the bees were okay. Because the weather had been cold since I had en-hived them, they had not done much. Early on the 3rd I had a medical emergency, and spent the morning in Danbury hospital ER. They finally decided I wouldn’t die, right that minute anyway. But I felt terrible so went back to the bee yard and tried to finish my purpose for the visit which was to be sure the queens had been released. I was able to see that the bees were active around the hive, and
aggressive to my opening the tops. I have noticed this tendency among Carolina open field bees. They seem to be extremely touchy. I didn’t smoke them. Each hive I opened, I found was heavily burr combed around the area where the queen cage had been placed and I just closed them back up. Without smoke it would have been chaos and the air temperature was still in the mid-forties. So I satisfied myself with a quick visual inspection of each hive with the top and inner covers off. I had lots of irritated bees. I could not determine if the queens were loose or not. In my own defense, I felt like death warmed over and determined, if I didn’t croak in the effort, I would get on back up to Northern VA, to check in with my own doctor. But one interesting thing I did note in all the hives was that the clusters were all on the down wind side of the hives. We had put the queen cages offset in the hives between second and third frames of the 10 frame deeps. The bees had stayed in the area of the queen cage, and built burr and propolis structures, filling in the comb right up to the top edge of the frames, and building it out so only enough space was left for them to move singly. They had moved all the honey we put in each of the hives to a more convenient location. As I write this, the weather continues to be well below normal temperatures. Contrary to what you would expect from Global Warming. I will be back checking them the third week of April.
III. My Theory. The bees show an ability to try to ease the effects of cold on themselves if given the chance. This is not a static response. They don’t just form a cluster from which they generate heat. In fact the cluster is a dynamic structure. Using their immense strength, remember they not only support themselves but dozens of others in an interwoven chain, a feat which would be impossible for most creatures, they also move within and outside the cluster. And they shape the cluster to match the surrounding temperature conditions, (see I.). The bees in hive structures, left to their own devices, quickly try to correct weaknesses of the hive structure by the construction of burr and propolis comb barriers. Thereby reducing drafts, in their struggle to survive cold temperatures in a new hive structure, i.e. at Pinch Gut Farm a commercial Langstroth 10frame double deep box at refrigerator or even freezer temperatures. Further, these structures are being used to move the honey in the frames we put in the hives on the outer frames (as recommended by popular beekeeper wisdom) close for more immediate use and insulation.
IV. Conclusions. Beekeepers need to give more respect to the deposits of burr comb and propolis by the
bees in our hives, rather than insisting on following our human logic efficiency oriented Management Plans. The bees have to live or die in our hive. They have been doing so for millennia. It is the height of our human hubris to presume that because we are well intentioned, lately arrive on the scene, and using the latest of techniques can possibly know what the bees need to have in their daily lives for their own long term survival. My proof for my conclusions I will take as the fact that so many of our modern beekeepers report from fall through to the middle of spring finding their hives are dying off for unknown reasons during the cold. Most of these folks followed the old beekeeping farmer’s rule of cleaning off burr and propolis where it isn’t wanted by the beekeeper, during the warmer months and whenever they opened the hives after fall had begun, in their futile efforts to feed the bees to survival. Perhaps less scraping and cleaning would result in healthier bees in the winter? Maybe not. But what we are doing isn’t working. If further proof were needed, I would offer up the picture diagrams of hive structures in the Crowder Harrell book, “Top-Bar Beekeeping.” A quick study of those diagrams which are based upon the Kenya Top Bar structure show clearly that the bees build draft baffles and move to the back of the hive during winter months in order to reduce their caloric expenditures on just making heat. Finally, this also calls to question the practice of leaving open screened bottom boards on hives in the winter. Unless they have been covered in some way they contribute to the heat draining drafts that my packaged bees clearly were trying to avoid. To test my belief that the bees don’t need or want screened bottoms during winter, I am going to let them make the decision by inserting window screen mesh over the top of the screened bottom on one, and under it on a second. More on this next year. This last because last fall I was short of entry restrictors and for a quick fix to stop robbing, I stuck in a tightly bunched roll of window screening which blocked all the entry except a half inch opening. When I went back a week later to replace it with a more solid restrictor, I found the bees had glued it in. When I pulled it free, I found that they had correctly sealed its entire length with propolis so no draft could get in. I would love to argue that the hive heater helped them survive too, but my jury is out on that.
Package Bee Heat Economics
NEWSLETTER | Mar-Apr 2013 4
Event April 25 At Koshland Science Museum
April 25, 6:30-8pm at the Koshland Science Museum http://beespotter.eventbrite.com/
Join noted entomologist May Berenbaum, Ph.D., for a fascinating investigation of bee ecology and learn how to become a Beespotter. Learn how to identify bees and find out how you can participate in bee ecology throughout the year. Dr. Berenbaum will discuss the broad patterns that are visible after five years of data collected by citizens. This data may serve as a baseline for bee ecology shifts in the future due to climate change, human land use changes, and other impacts.
Beespotter is a Web-based partnership between the professional science community and citizen scientists—starting in Illinois exclusively but with the
goal of spreading nationwide—to meet a critical need for data collection and to provide opportunities for the public to learn more about these ecologically essential organisms.
May Berenbaum is Professor and Department Head of the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Tickets are $10, or $7 for students. Advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended as space is limited. Tickets may be purchased online or by calling the Koshland Science Museum at 202-334-1201.Admission includes light snacks.
Paul StebleinChief, Branch of PolicyUSFWS - National Wildlife Refuge System4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 655Arlington, VA 22203P: 703-358-2678
FAIRFAX COUNTY SPRINGFEST CELEBRATION (ANNUAL EARTH DAY, ARBOR DAY and CLEAN FAIRFAX CELEBRATION)
Where: The Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, VA ***Honey Sale Event****When: 27 April 2013, 8:00 am – 5:00 pmWhere: Workhouse Arts Center, 9601 Ox Road, Lorton VA 22079 (old Lorton Prison)What: Approximately 20 volunteers – all levels of beekeeping experience are needed to man our BANV table throughout the day. 3-4 per shift is ideal. 2-Be-A-Bee 4-Hers are highly encouraged to attend. Dozens of organizations, exhibitors and vendors from northern Virginia will participate in this "Green" Environment focused event. This year we are allowed to sell honey, so if you would like to, please let Martha know.Details: What better way to celebrate Spring and Earth Day by participating in this dynamic and growing event!! Volunteers should coordinate what hardware, gear, and observation hives to bring. 2 hives were perfect last year.
NEWSLETTER | Mar-Apr 2013 5
BANV Meeting - March 26, 2013President Rob McKinney opened the meeting at 7:03 pm with 50 members present. He began the evening talking about the proposed budget for 2013. The club spent $ 8,364 in 2012 and the new budget proposal is for $8,900. There followed a short discussion of some of the details of the proposed budget. A motion was made to accept the budget, it was seconded and passed.Rob then discussed some of the upcoming events that are available to club members. In May Pam Fischer will talk about Management and Marketing Naturally. In June Bjorn Solace will talk about beekeeping in Germany and Whitney Long will give a talk on How to Read a Mite Board. Other upcoming events include a talk by Rick Haynes on Beeswax Creams and Balms.Paul Diehl announced they had 10 students in the latest class in Arlington.Brenda Kiessling spoke briefly about her map that shows hive locations of club members in the Northern Virginia area. Members are urged to mark on the map the location of their hives if they have not already done so. John Fraser announced the deadline for submissions for the next newsletter is April 14th.Julie Wasser announced that the forms for sellers and buyers of Nucs from the club are up on the website. Students will have first
priority for the Nucs. If anyone is interested in assisting Julie with her beekeeping class graduation plans please contact her.After a short break Dr. David Tarpy gave a talk on the benefits of genetic diversity within your hives. Among the findings of his studies, they have shown that genetically diverse bees are better able to resist diseases that were introduced into the hive.He also talked about the interface extension ideas that NC State is doing with beekeepers in NC. The benefits available to beekeepers in that state are quite impressive. Results of studies, guides and PowerPoint presentations for beekeeping classes and individuals are available online. They have a Master Beekeeper program available to those who wish to pursue further knowledge about bees. They also have a cost sharing program for new beekeepers. At savethehives.com people are able to use an IPhone app and Google maps to locate feral bee hives. They also offer a bee breeding short course. Online webinars are also available.A third topic Dr. Tarpy talked about was their Beekeeper Education and Engagement Systems, that allows folks who donate $25 to access online courses. Information about all their various services is available at http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/entomology/apiculture/The meeting ended @ 9:00 pm.David Thompson, Secretary
BANV OFFICERS 2012-2013President Rob McKinney [email protected]
1st Vice President Rick Haynes [email protected]
2nd Vice President David Michaelson [email protected]
Secretary David Thompson [email protected]
Treasurer Steve Johnson [email protected]
GIS Mapping Chelsie Romulo & Jeny Beausoleil [email protected]
Librarian Frank Linton [email protected]
Membership Terri McPalmer [email protected]
Mentoring Amy Bennett [email protected]
Newsletter Team John Fraser & Chris Dugmore [email protected] Martha Kiene [email protected]
Queen Program Norma Epley [email protected]
Recognition Carolyn Foley [email protected]
Spring Nuc Program Julie Waser [email protected]
Webmaster Kamalesh Kalarickal [email protected]
Workerbees
News from the Queen Rearing Group
Queen Rearing Group Mission statement:
To develop and support a system to produce and distribute locally raised, high quality queens. Focus will be to obtain a desirable combination of temperament, hygienic behavior, disease/pest resistance, survivability, brood and honey production.
The QRG is now accepting requests for queen cells.
We hope to have queen cells available at various times throughout the Spring/Summer. We expect to have them beginning in mid-May (weather permitting) through early July (if the demand for them continue). The queen cells are not guaranteed; they may emerge early, if so, they will be distributed as virgin queens.
The queen cells will be available at no charge to current 2013 members of BANV, but we will be expecting to receive feedback on their performance at various times of the year.
A request form is currently available on the BANV website and a message will be sent on Yahoo Groups.
The BeeInformed Partnership
The BeeInformed Partnership in association with the USDA and state agriculture agencies is conducting a survey for winter hive losses and management practices. If you have not already done so, please, participate in this year's survey. The winter loss survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete, management survey 20 minutes. You may take the winter loss survey by itself or complete both surveys together. Participation is anonymous with only enough information requested to separate data into regions and states. The link to the online surveys is:
http://10.selectsurvey.net/beeinformed/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=BIP2012
Sincerely,Keith TignorOffice of Plant Industry ServicesVirginia Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services
NEWSLETTER | Mar-Apr 2013 6
VSBA Spring Meeting
When: June 21-22, 2013Where: Greenbrier Middle School,1016 Greenbrier ParkwayChesapeake, VA 23320Advance registration: Postmarked by May 30This spring’s VSBA meeting will be held in Chesapeake, Virginia, hosted by the Beekeepers Guild of Southeast Virginia. Speakers include Dennis Van Engelsdorp, Wyatt Mangum, Dr. Troy Anderson and Dr. Buddy Marterre. There will also be workshops Saturday afternoon, including one on Queen Rearing. Registration opens Friday, June 21, at 12 noon and the meeting begins at 1pm.
Registration will re-open at 8:00 Saturday morning, with the meeting starting at 8:45a.m. The schedule includes presentations from the speakers, a business meeting with elections and a proposal request for funding, the State Apiarist’s Report, and an update on the Master Beekeeper Program. Check the VSBA website for updated information and agenda:http://www.virginiabeekeepers.org.Vendors attending also will be listed on our website as they confirm their attendance. Hope to see you there!Deb ParkerVSBA Meeting Chair
EAS 2013 Comes to Pennsylvania
The Planning Committee for the 2013 Conference & Short Course is proud to introduce not one, but two, keynote speakers for our annual event!
The keynotes will be delivered on Wednesday, August 7, 2013 . . . but wait, let me take a step back for those of you who haven't been to an EAS Conference week before.The format of this annual event follows:
• This year, the "Short Course" spans Monday through Wednesday. The tracks in 2013 will include Core and Advanced Sessions, and a curriculum on Queen Rearing, Top Bar Hive Management, Natural Beekeeping, Sideliners and Train-the-Trainers.• On Wednesday, though, the Conference and Workshop Series begins with the keynote addresses and ends with a social gathering at a local picnic ground.• If you're not too tired by quittin' time on Thursday, you should attend the annual Auction Dinner, which is a fundraiser for the research grants that EAS awards each year. • Starting Wednesday, your favorite vendors of beekeeping supplies, books and gadgets will be on hand with their wares. In the same vendor area will be bee fabric for the quilters, bee art & jewelry and much, much more!• And, oh yeah - there's a HONEY SHOW with prestige and prizes to be won. Admit it, you're proud of your bees' work! So bring it, enter it and show it off! • By Friday, you will have met so many new and interesting people, you will want one last chance to get together with them before it's over - the Annual Banquet!
Pennsylvania's own Maryann Frazier is ably organizing the program for Wed. through Fri. Invited speakers are confirming their intention to be with us and pinning down the titles of their talks and workshops. Check the EAS website often for confirmed speakers, lodging information and other updates.There's so much to see and do in and around West Chester, PA that you may want to make it your family vacation! Spend a day or two touring together in Philadelphia, Valley Forge or Dutch Country. By Wednesday, they'll know their way around on their own and you can get back to the conference! Or stick around an extra day at the end and enjoy the PA State Beekeepers Association Picnic, complete with a "hive crawl" and mead tasting, in a nearby urban area on Saturday August 10. Pennsylvania beekeepers will welcome you warmly! See you in August!
Dr. Mark Winston, Simon Fraser U Mr. Brian Snyder, PA Association for Sustainable Agriculture
NEWSLETTER | Mar-Apr 2013 7
