Journal Texas Beekeepers Associationtexasbeekeepers.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/TBA... · 2016. 10. 11. · Nov / Dec 2013 THE JOURNAL OF THE TEXAS BEEEEPERS ASSOCIATION 5 Director’s

Nov / Dec 2013 Issue 13-6www.texasbeekeepers.org

The Texas Beekeepers Association

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THE JOURNAL OF THE TEXAS BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION22 Issue 13-6

THE JOURNAL OF THE TEXAS BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION 3Nov / Dec 2013

President’s Reportfrom Blake Shook

Merry Christmas! By the time you read this we will be past Thanksgiving and nearing Christmas. Finally a time when beekeepers can catch a quick breath before the coming year begins to speed our lives back up again. As many of you know, we had an amazing convention last month. We had record attendance and, I believe, the best program we have ever had thanks to Chris Moore’s hard work. I believe TBA is on a path for many years of growth and greater service to the beekeeping industry. It was wonderful to see so many of you at the convention and already we are looking forward to planning to see all of you in 2014 in the Houston area. I also appreciate being re-elected as your president. It is a great honor to be able to serve the industry and people who have given so much to me. Many of you may see TBA as an organization whose sole purpose is to plan and execute a convention once a year. I would like to share with all of you some of the projects we will be working on throughout the coming year. TBA does so much more than simply assemble a convention, and as members, we want you to know that we work to ensure the beekeeping industry in Texas is as strong and vibrant as possible. What follows is a list of projects, and a brief outline of a few of the things we will be working towards in 2014:

Texas Bee Law Project

Over the next 18 months this committee will be taking a careful look at the current outdated bee laws, and be ready to update/simplify them in 2015.

TBA Convention Handbook Project

In the next 10 months this group will assemble a handbook detailing everything that needs to be done in order to make a TBA convention happen. This will also include a handbook that can be given to host bee clubs in order to let them know what is expected of them.

Free New Beekeeper Membership Project

Beginning in 2014 TBA hopes to offer a free, 1 year membership to brand new, 1st year beekeepers. This project is still in the works, and will be administered through local beekeeping clubs and local beekeeping classes. Watch for more details in the coming months via your local club.

TBA Job Description Project

This project’s goal is to clearly define the role of each TBA Board member, especially the directors. We hope to be able to get even more accomplished by being more organized and spreading the work load evenly among our board members.

TBA Website Project

As many of you already know, we are doing a lot of wonderful things on our website. The site will become very educational, filled with videos, “how-to’s” , interactive maps, and much more.

TAIS Project

We continue to work with Texas A&M University to shape and mold the Texas Apiary Inspection service into a program that is both beneficial and non-intrusive to beekeepers of all sizes. This is a huge project, of which TBA does not necessarily have full control, but we are working as hard as we can to ensure that whatever program does emerge is best for the beekeeping industry.

We are working on several other projects as well, in addition to the day to day maintenance and operations of TBA. We really want to be a service to all beekeepers, and forever welcome your input, opinion, ideas, criticism and your help. If you would like to assist us with any one of these projects, just let me know. We can always use more help!

Post Convention Projectsfor Texas Beekeepers Association

In This IssuePresident’s Report.......................................................... 3Vice-President’s Report.................................................. 4Director’s Reports.........................................................4-5The Buds and the Bees...................................................6-7The Brantley Column.......................................................9Dinosaur Impact Also Destroyed Bees.............................10British Beekeepers Association Survey.............................12

Bee Reproduction Signals...............................................14Bayer Opens Clayton Bee Care Facility............................15National Pollinator Defense Fund Changes Name...........17Don’t buy Illegal Honey..................................................17BEE-SHIELD..............................................................18Honey Queens and Honey Chair Reports...................22-25Convention Report...................................................26-37


Vice President’s Reportfrom Chris Moore

Wow, what a great turnout at the convention! I would like to thank all those who helped out behind the scenes – CCBA did an outstanding job as our local host association. Thanks also all our guest speakers; Randy Oliver, Jerry Hayes, Audrey Sheridan, Les Crowder and our local Texas speakers; Dean Cook, Clint Walker, Blake Shook, and Eddie Collins. Please let me have some constructive feedback from you about what you liked, what you didn’t like and any suggestions for improvement in the future. After all, it is your Association. Mark your calendars now. Next years convention is set for Nov 7th & 8th in the Houston Area. I have tentatively booked

Dr Jeff Pettis for next year’s convention. Jeff is a biologist and entomologist known for his extensive research on honeybee behavior. He is currently the research leader at the United States Department of Agriculture’s Beltsville Bee Laboratory. One of his more recent projects is : “Managing Diseases and Pests of Honey Bees to Improve Queen and Colony Health.” We all need to learn how to do that. We are excited to have Cameron Crane volunteer to be our local convention liaison/coordinator. Cameron is a member/officer at several of the Houston area associations. We look forward to working with him and the local associations. TBA has big plans for 2014.

Director’s Reportfrom Jim Rowe

Disambiguation regarding the term “Beekeeper”. A Beekeeper is a person who keeps honey bees. I spent a little time on the internet one evening and searched out the term “Beekeeper”. With further exploration I quickly found that the term Beekeeper leads to classifications and then types of Beekeepers. It was all together very concise and academic. It was as if I had entered “lion tamer” and found that a lion tamer is one who tames lions. Simple, clean, no doubt about what a lion tamer is and does. As with most definitions, a good deal of information is missing with regard to what a Beekeeper does in the course of “Beekeeping”. Those of us who pursue this somewhat unusual activity tend to be viewed as unique and perhaps a little....odd. That being said, there must be lots of unique, (odd), people out there as the Beekeeping clubs and organizations seem to be gaining members year after year. There is no doubt that clubs and organizations are the single most important avenue through which new Beekeepers come to join our collection of unique, (odd) individuals. With that in mind, I congratulate the staff and members of TBA for an outstanding 2013 convention. I’ve never seen so many unique, (odd), people gathered together to share information and gain further understanding of this wonderful insect.

As a responsible beekeeper we provide care and nurturing for a creature that today is anything but “kept”. As any Beekeeper knows, honeybees are not domesticated and we have little if any control over our bees. The best we can do is to provide a clean, dark and sheltered abode. Given all of the problems with the various fatal diseases our best can often come up short of our expectations. As we shift from fall to winter, (such as it is in North Texas), the feedings of sugar syrup, pollen patties, and previous verroa mite treatments are usually the best hope for successfully insuring our hives will survive till spring. The unseen effort of Beekeeping is the work done over the winter in anticipation of the next year. Cleaning and re-painting dead outs, repair of bottom boards or pallets, repair or replace hive lids and perhaps begin assembly of new hives and equipment to expand our hive count. It all seems a bit much for an insect who just needs space in which to thrive. For the general public who see us as unique - if they only knew, they would think of us much more than just a bit odd. As winter approaches, lets do our best for the bees and remain just a bit ....odd.


Director’s Reportfrom Wendy Riggs

I’m going to veer off the subject of bees, honey or anything beekeeping related for this column. Well, I’ll come back to bees in a moment. If you were at the annual Texas Beekeepers Convention, I have no doubt you saw me, even if you didn’t meet me. Actually, you may not have even noticed me, but I bet you noticed my companion. I was the one that had a yellow Labrador Retriever wearing a royal blue jacket with me everywhere I went. That was Essie, my third puppy to raise for Guide Dogs of Texas, Inc. (GDTx). By nature, I am reserved and somewhat of an introvert. I don’t like to be the center of attention. Four years ago when I began volunteering as a puppy sitter and puppy raiser for GDTx it did not occur to me that I was about to be looked at and noticed just about everywhere I went. I still don’t like it, but I’ve learned to deal with it. There’s a greater purpose at work. I’m given a puppy when it’s about 8 weeks old to take home to live with me for the next year or so. I teach that puppy basic obedience commands, a few specialized commands it will need once it’s in advance guide dog training (after it leaves my care) and socialize it by taking it with me nearly everywhere I go, exposing it to all kinds of people, environments, and situations. All three of my puppies have attended the annual TBA conventions. Of the many things I’ve learned since becoming a puppy raiser, one of them is how incredible a dog’s sense of smell is. I already knew that to a point, but didn’t realize just how amazing it is. A guide dog uses its fantastic nose in just about every task it performs for its handler. In addition to guiding the blind, there are numerous other service dogs in the world, including diabetic alert dogs and seizure alert dogs. These dogs learn to alert their handler when blood sugar levels are too high or too low, or when the person is going to have a seizure, respectively.

Care to guess how they know? Yep, it’s the nose. The nose knows. Blood glucose levels affect the body chemistry, as do seizures. A dog is able to detect these changes. Studies have even indicated that some dogs are able to detect certain cancers. Then, of course, there are the PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) dogs, bomb-sniffing dogs, drug detection dogs, cadaver dogs and search-and-rescue dogs, all of which rely on their sense of smell in order to do their job. How in the world does any of this relate to bees? It doesn’t . . . exactly, but it really does. If you visited the trade show during the convention (and who DIDN’T?!) you saw Phil Craft at his booth with information about the latest amitraz product. Well, while you were probably talking to Phil about controlling varroa mites, I visited with him about dogs. (Not surprisingly, dogs are the number one topic of conversation when I meet someone for the first time.) In the course of our conversation he told me about a dog that was used to detect American Foul Brood. I was intrigued! It made perfect sense, knowing how incredible a dog’s sense of smell is and all the other tasks they’re taught to perform using their nose; but I had never heard of such a thing. So when I got home from the convention I did a little internet research and found that they began using dogs in the 1970’s in Maryland to detect AFB. Australia is beginning to experiment with using dogs to detect AFB. A dog trained to detect AFB can locate an infected hive before it reaches the point that a human would be able to determine the hive is sick. A dog can also inspect 100 hives in less than an hour where it would take a person more than a day to check that many colonies. The nose knows. You never know what you’ll learn at a TBA convention!

ABF Annual Conferencein Baton Rouge, LA..........January 7th - 11th, 2014

AHPA Annual Conventionin San Antonio, TX.......... January 7th - 11th, 2014

Texas Beekeepers Association Winter Delegates Meeting in Salado, TX........February 15th, 2014

Texas Beekeepers Association Summer Clinic.......................... June 7th. 2014

Texas Beekeepers Association at theState Fair of Texas......................Sept./Oct. 2014

Texas Beekeepers Association Annual Conventionin Houston, TX area......November 6th-9th, 2014

Calendar of Events


THE BUDS AND THE BEESHunting Mesquite

by Becky Bender, Texas Master Naturalist

You might be a Yankee if……....you take a gun to hunt mesquite! My Grandad plotted an unforgettable scheme to welcome my Chicago-born husband into a family of native Texans. “We’ll invite him to go mesquite hunting!” Eagerly accepting, Bob cleaned his gun and prepared to hunt unfamiliar varmint near San Angelo with his new relatives. We drove through dry, scrubby plains along the Concho River until Granddad found the perfect spot. When the car stopped, everybody jumped out and began “hunting” for suitable firewood beneath a thicket of mesquite trees. Granddad could barely keep his Texas-size grin concealed as he slapped Bob on the back and exclaimed, “Welcome to Texas, Yankee!”

Trash or treasure?

Better known as “the devil tree” and “a rancher’s menace”, Honey Mesquite or Algaroba (Prosopis glandulosa) is more closely aligned with Texas land and culture than any other tree. Perhaps its thorny reputation kept it from serious consideration for the State Tree of Texas. Mesquite once lived in harmony with thick prairie grasses. It was contained in thickets and kept in check by wildfires. But that began to change when the Spanish introduced cattle. A single cow chip may contain up to 1600 mesquite seeds – all composted and primed to germinate after passing through the cow’s gut. By the early nineteenth century, San Antonio was encircled by mesquite. And it kept spreading north with cattle drives and the suppression of wildfires. Today it flourishes on 56 million acres across Texas according to the Texas Almanac. The value of a plant lies in the eye of the beholder. Land managers often label plants that reduce livestock forage as brush or weeds. While many rangeland plants have little value for livestock in a typical pasture, these plants are essential to the survival of plant diversity and native wildlife, including game, non-game animals, birds and beneficial insects. Integrated brush management is a concept that can be part of a good overall ranch and land management plan. More on that later. Mesquite was the most important plant food source for Native Americans. Early explorers and settlers used it for fuel, tools, medicine and more. Today the wood is valued for cooking, flooring, and expensive furniture. And as we all know, honeybees collect nectar and pollen from the flowers. For beekeepers, the value of mesquite is most certainly in the eye of the bee-holder.

Top Texas honey plant

Mesquite competes with horsemint for top honey production in Texas. This tenacious small tree, usually under 40 feet, grows in various soils throughout the state except for our eastern Piney Woods area. It may bloom twice or more from March to September, mainly determined by rainfall. Blooms appear several weeks after a rain. Flowers are white, compacted in long racemes (long clusters of flowers along a central stem) and turn yellow

with age. It is reported that 25 to 100 pounds of honey per colony may be stored from a bloom according to location andweather conditions (Honey Plants of North America, Lovell). Honey is light amber in color and good quality. TBA members Russell and J’Neena Swinney harvested a 64% unifloral mesquite honey this year from their hives in Cross Plains, Texas. Mesquite honey is considered a premium honey and brings a good market price. It’s interesting to note that, according to Dr. Vaughan Bryant of the Texas A&M University Lab of Palynology, a unifloral honey collected during a drought period may indicate stress on the land and thus on the bees.

When weather conditions stress an ecosystem, not only does the variety of plant life decline, but tenacious plants that do bloom produce less nectar and pollen than usual. Both of these conditions may be a hardship on honey bees.

Dare to use mesquite in a landscape?

Our prejudice eliminates any thought of using mesquite as a landscape plant. But think again. Here are some ways to please your bees with an iconic, drought tolerant honey plant. Mesquite may be used as an ornamental tree. A large well-pruned mesquite tree will show off its architecture of twisting, multiple trunks. Consider that the shade of this tree is so light, grass and flowers will grow beneath the canopy. Mesquite can give landscape a feel of the Texas range by using native grasses like switch grass to border it. And if not pruned, branches growing to the ground can form a privacy screen. Mesquite trees are difficult to transplant because of long tap


roots. They are hard to find in nurseries but are available. Look for a thornless variety such as “Maverick”.

Mesquite on the range

Long considered a menace to ranchers, just where does mesquite fit in? Some of the overgrowth we see on pasture land has been caused by the activities and land management decisions of humans. Range specialists at Texas A&M University say that overgrazing and lack of fire account for much of the problem. Mechanical removal may also be part of the problem. Whenmesquite trees are cut, multiple trunks re-grow from long tap roots (25-65 feet deep), creating a re-invasion of bushy mesquite that is worse than the original problem. Management is bestaccomplished using a combination of methods over time. Methods are described at www.cnrit.tamu.edu/cgrm. Land management experts generally agree that mesquite may benefit the ecosystem when maintained at moderate densities. While most plants take valuable nitrogen from the soil, mesquite adds it, enriching soil fertility. Thorns may discourage grazing and allow a large variety of plants to grow beneath its canopy, protecting diverse plant species. A larger variety of nectar and pollen plants means better nutrition for our bees. Yes, you might be a Yankee if you hunt mesquite with a gun. But you are definitely a beekeeper if you plant mesquite in your landscape and accommodate it on your range! Maybe it’s worth hunting after all – for fuel and for honey! No guns required.

Becky Bender welcomes your questions, comments and bee plant stories. Email to:

[email protected].

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The Brantley Columnfrom S. S. Brantley

East Texas Beekeepers Association

I am still excited from the TBA convention in Plano last month. If you did not attend, you missed a great opportunity to learn more about beekeeping from some masters in the field. I do want to encourage you to start planning to participate in the 2014 TBA activities, particularly the Summer Clinic and the Convention. These meetings offer a rare opportunity to learn from people who know more about bees than the majority of beekeepers in the country. In addition, you can share experiences with beekeepers just like you from other parts of the state, find out how they handle their bees and talk about problems and solutions we all face in everyday beekeeping. You never know who you might see or what opportunities you might find at the convention. One topic of discussion at the convention was the growing interest in beekeeping and the growing participation in TBA and the local bee clubs. For the first time ever, convention attendance exceeded 200 and by a large margin. The local bee clubs are also reporting an increase in inquiries and in attendance, just as we have seen at ETBA. Many of the new participants are novice beekeepers or people wanting to get into beekeeping for the first time. For many years, ETBA was the only bee club in the north-east Texas area. Now we also have a new club in Marshall (Marshall Beekeepers Association, [email protected], meets the 2nd Thursday of each month) and a new club forming in Wills Point (NorthEast Beekeepers Association, first meeting Tuesday, Jan 14, [email protected]). Take advantage of these resources and participate in as many of them as you can. The more beekeeping functions in which you participate, the more opportunities you have to learn something new and to share your experiences with others. In the beeyard, December is the first month of major change in the activities of both the bees and the beekeeper. Typically, we will begin to have some of our first really “winter “weather, at least as East Texas knows winter. Increasingly severe cold fronts will begin to cross the state about once a week, bringing two or three nights of freezing temperatures and cold windy days. Frost has killed all of the natural forage and bees are feeding off of stores inside the hive. Moths and beetles are not as severe a threat now and pollen patties can be used, if needed. Queens have severely curtailed if not altogether stopped laying. Hive bees

are clustering on cold days and nights to protect the queen. Bees still leave the hive on the warmer days between cold fronts. The beekeepers job now becomes ensuring that the hive has sufficient food to survive the winter. Whenever you are in the beeyard, lift the back of the hives as a check for stores. If you were successful in your fall feeding, the hives should feel heavy. If you are concerned about the hive weight, supplement the stores with 2-to-1 sugar syrup and/or pollen patties. Be aware of the temperature. If it is less than 50 degrees, try to avoid going deep in to the hive or pulling frames. If the bees are clustered for warmth, do not pull frames and break the cluster. When you open the hive to feed, have everything ready and get in and out quickly with as little disruption as possible. This is also the time of year to evaluate your equipment, make repairs, and order equipment you will need for the spring. When it is too cold to work the beeyard, you can work in the shop, with a goal of having everything ready by the first of February. Last month, I mentioned that now is a good time to determine what additional equipment you will need and get your orders placed. Did you do that? If not, commit to placing your orders before the middle of December. If you plan a trip to Dadant in Paris, consider letting other beekeepers in your area know and share the costs of the trip. It sure beats paying shipping, particularly on woodware. If you are going to Paris to pick up your order, be sure to phone the order directly to the Paris store. Internet orders do not go directly to the Paris facility. It is also time think about queen orders and bee orders. Some suppliers have already started taking orders and have actually posted warnings on their websites that before the end of December they expect to receive as many orders as they can fill this spring – and these are for queens that will not even be delivered until April! If you plan to buy queens, you need to be talking to your chosen supplier now. Not all suppliers are taking orders at this time. Eddie Collins has said that he will not start taking orders for bees until after January 1. However, if you are considering buying bees from other sources, now is the time to contact the supplier and either place your order or find out when you can. Demand for bees is so high that suppliers will not be able to meet the need.


Dinosaur Impact Also Destroyed Beesfrom BBC News, Science & Environment

based on Research published in Plos One Journal

Scientists say there was a widespread extinction of bees 66 million years ago, at the same time as the event that killed off the dinosaurs. The demise of the dinosaurs was almost certainly the result of an asteroid or co met hitting Earth. But the extinction event was selective, affecting some groups more than others. Writing in Plos One journal, the team used fossils and DNA analysis to show that one bee group suffered a serious decline at the time of this collision. The researchers chose to study bees within the subfamily known as Xylocopinae - which included the carpenter bees. This was because the evolutionary history of this group could be traced back to the Cretaceous Period, when the dinosaurs still walked the Earth. Previous studies had suggested a widespread extinction among flowering plants during the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event 66 million years ago. And it had long been assumed that the bees that depended upon these plants would have met the same fate. Yet, unlike the dinosaurs, “there is a relatively poor fossil record of bees,” said the paper’s lead author Sandra Rehan, a biologist at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, US. This has made the confirmation of such an extinction difficult. However, the researchers were able to use an extinct group of Xylocopinae as a calibration point for timing the dispersal of these bees. They were also able to study flower fossils that had evolved traits that allowed them to be pollinated by bee relatives of the Xylocopinae. “The data told us something major was happening in four different groups of bees at the same time,” said Dr Rehan, “and it happened to be the same time as the dinosaurs went extinct.” The findings of this study could have implications for today’s

concern about the loss in diversity of bees, a pivotal species for agriculture and biodiversity. “Understanding extinctions and the effects of declines in the past can help us understand the pollinator decline and the global crisis in pollinators today,” Dr Rehan explained.

Carpenter BeeThere are some 500 species of carpenter bee in 31 sub-genera. Their name comes from the fact that nearly all species build their nests in burrows in dead wood, bam-boo, or structural timbers (except those in the subgenus Proxylocopa, which nest in the ground). Members of the related tribe Ceratinini are sometimes referred to as “small carpenter bees”.

Bees and eudicot plants both arose in the mid-late Cretaceous, and their co-evolutionary relationships have often been assumed as an important element in the rise of flowering plants. Given the near-complete dependence of bees on eudicots we would expect that major extinction events affecting the latter would have also impacted bees. However, given the very patchy distribution of bees in the fossil record, identifying any such extinctions using fossils is very problematic. Here we use molecular phylogenetic analyses to show that one bee group, the Xylocopinae, originated in the mid-Cretaceous, coinciding with the early radiation of the eudicots. Lineage through time analyses for this bee subfamily show very early diversification,

followed by a long period of seemingly no radiation and then followed by rapid diversification in each of the four constituent tribes. These patterns are consistent with both a long-fuse model of radiation and a massive extinction event close to the K-T boundary. We argue that massive extinction is much more plausible than a long fuse, given the historical biogeography of these bees and the diversity of ecological niches that they occupy. Our results suggest that events near the K-T boundary would have disrupted many plant-bee relationships, with major consequences for the subsequent evolution of eudicots and their pollinators.

Editor’s Note:The above report from the BBC is based on a research article in Plos One titled, “First Evidence for a Massive Extinction Event Affecting Bees Close to the K-T Boundary”, written by Sandra M Rehan, Remko Leys and Michael P Schwarz and published October 23rd, 2013. The entire article is at:http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0076683. Further articles of interest to Beekeepers can be found at www.plosone.org and search for bee.

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Survey highlights:

• Honey production rose to 24.7 lbs per hive, three times as much as last year but still well below the long-term average • The late spring and warm early summer produced an intense nectar flow which the bees were able to gather and which helped the recovery of many apiaries • The cold winter of 2012 may have had one positive outcome causing a reduction in the impact of the varroa mite which nevertheless continued to damage honey bees • Significant regional variations in honey production - highest yields in England were in the East region, lowest in London • One in ten beekeepers reported taking no honey crop in 2013, being extra cautious in leaving more stores than usual with their bees ahead of what could turn out to be another long, wet winter

The results of the British Beekeepers Association’s (BBKA) annual honey survey released today (5 November 2013) show a big improvement in the amount of honey produced this year, with each hive yielding an average of 24.7 lbs, compared to just 8.1 lbs last year. Last year’s running average was 30 lbs. These figures are relatively small per hive compared with 20 years ago when data indicated that a beekeeper would expect a hive to produce at least 40 lbs in an average year. It is nevertheless an encouraging recovery after the disastrous summer of 2012 which, according to the BBKA’s records, saw the lowest honey production. There were large variations by region in honey production, which may reflect differences in weather as well as differences in the amount and variety of forage available for honey bees to feed on. London beekeepers, 10 per cent of whom keep their hives on rooftops, saw just 18.7 lbs of honey per hive this year, whereas beehives in the Midlands produced 26.4 lbs each, the South East 27.1lbs and Scotland (included for the first time in the survey results) produced 34.8 lbs each. The cold spring may have helped to reduce the impact of the varroa mite which wreaks havoc among honey bees. The varroa mite lays its eggs in bee larvae cells, feeding off the larvae as they grow. The cold, late spring in 2013 meant that queen bees delayed laying eggs, so varroa died off with no new brood to feed on. Many beekeepers reported that brood raising by colonies began much later than normal and when laying did start, it was in unusually high quantities supported by ample quantities ofnectar and pollen as flowers blossomed strongly in the warm summer weather. Next year will show more clearly any long term effect from the cold winter of 2012, the effects of the warm summer this year and the longer term recovery of colonies. The BBKA remindsbeekeepers to check their bees with a view to providing extra

Britain’s Honey Bees Warm to Their WorkBBKA 2013 Honey Survey Shows a Recovery in Honey Yields

but Still Below the Long Term Averagefrom The British Beekeepers Association (BBKA)

feed if necessary during the winter, and is calling on the public to lend their support by planting the right type of nectar and pollenyielding flowers and plants. Commenting on the survey’s findings, David Aston, BBKA Chairman, said: “It is clear that our bees have appreciated the warm summer and made honey whilst the sun shone! We hope that all the work put in by beekeepers to support their colonies this year will result in lower over-winter losses and that our bees will emerge next spring ready to carry out their vital role as pollinators.” Unlike many other charities dedicated to the welfare of the natural world the BBKA is run almost entirely by volunteers with just five paid employees to manage the day to day admin for the nation’s beekeepers. The charity campaigns for support nationally and through a network of local associations for funding for education and research. One of the key BBKA fund-raising schemes is Adopt a Beehive, www.adoptabeehive.com, which enables non-beekeepers to be an armchair beekeeper; tolearn about beekeeping as well as how they can help the honey bee, all whilst raising funds for applied research projects to help protect the honey bee. In addition to honey yield, the survey explores the general status of beekeeping across the country and revealed this year that beekeeping is a surprisingly social activity, with 59 percent of members taking part in a social activity related to beekeeping in the past year, and 56 per cent taking part in some form of training too. The BBKA places great emphasis on training to help combat modern threats including the varroa mite, and even among those beekeepers with fifteen or more years experience, 54 per cent have attended training in the past year. The BBKA and its members are doing their utmost to support the honey bee but the public can make a huge difference too. BBKA ‘Adopt aBeehive’ beekeeper for the North East, Professor John Hobrough, observes: “I have been a beekeeper for nearly sixty years and in that time have seen a tremendous change in the beekeeping world, as well as a reaffirmation of how important the simple things are that we can all do to help honey bees, like planting bee friendly flowers or leaving an area of your garden to grow wild. Each region in Britain has its own beekeeper who can be ‘adopted’. BBKA Adopt a Beehive beekeepers in Wales, Susannah and Calwyn commented: “Now is the time to be planting bulbs for spring pollen to help the bees. Snowdrops are great sources of nectar for honey bees, as are crocuses. It sounds a bit unpatriotic but daffodils don’t produce nectar for bees, so planting some bee friendly plants among daffs will really help next year.”

Editor’s Note: The BBKA has more than 24,000 members who are amateur beekeepers. www.bbka.org.uk. Adopt a beehive, www.adoptabeehive.co.uk raises funds to help save the honey bee.


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Honesty is the best policy when it comes to queen bee reproduction signals

from Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences - Entomology

Worker honey bees perform a “retinue response,” in which they are attracted to the queen (marked with a number tag), surround her, lick her, and “smell” her with their

antennae. This behavior allows the workers to pick up the queen pheromone and spread it throughout the colony. The

queen pheromone provides “honest” information to the workers about her presence, mating status, and mating

quality. “We usually think of animals’ chemical signals [called pheromones] as communication systems that convey only very simple sorts of information; however, this study demonstrates that queen honey bees are conveying a lot of nuanced information through their pheromones,” said Christina Grozinger, professor of entomology and director of the Center for Pollinator Research, Penn State. “In addition, until now, no one knew if queen bees were manipulating workers into serving them or if they were providing valuable, honest information to workers. We have found that the information queens are conveying constitutes an honest message about their reproductive status and quality. The queens are ‘telling’ the workers that they are queens, whether or not they are mated and how well mated they are; in other words, whether or not they have mated with a lot of males.” Why do worker bees care if their queen is well mated? According to Elina Niño, postdoctoral fellow, Penn State, previous research has shown that colonies headed by more promiscuous queens--those who mate with many males--are more genetically diverse and, therefore, healthier, more productive and less likely to collapse. “Beekeepers have been very worried about their queens, since they seem to not be lasting as long; for example, a few weeks or months instead of one or two years,” Niño said. “We know that workers will replace their queens when they are not performing well. So if worker bees are able to detect poorly mated queens and take steps to remove them, that could be an explanation for the rapid rates of queen loss and turnover that beekeepers have been reporting.”

In their paper, which will appear in the November 13, 2013, issue of the journal PLoS ONE, the researchers describe how they assigned queen bees to a variety of treatment groups. In one group, they inseminated queens with a small volume of semen to mimic a poorly mated queen scenario. In a second group, the researchers inseminated queens with a large volume of semen to mimic a well-mated queen scenario. In a third and fourth group, they inseminated queens with low and high volumes of saline. A fifth group was an untreated control. The researchers then dissected the queens, removing two glands that are known to produce pheromones: the mandibular gland and the Dufour’s gland. Next, the team extracted the glands’ secretions and analyzed their chemical compositions using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Finally, the researchers presented the gland extracts to worker bees and observed the extent to which they were attracted to different extracts. The team found that worker bees preferred pheromone extracts of queens that were inseminated with semen versus saline, and queens that were inseminated with higher volumes of semen (or saline) versus those that were inseminated with low volumes of semen (or saline). “These results suggest that queens are signaling detailed and honest information about their mating state and reproductive quality to workers, and workers are capable of adjusting their behavior accordingly,” Niño said. “When workers replace failing queens, it is particularly damaging to beekeepers since it can take up to three weeks for the new queen to begin laying eggs and another three weeks for the new workers to emerge as adults. This reduces the workforce and, therefore, reduces honey production and even pollination efficiency.” The team also found that the mandibular gland and the Dufour’s gland differ in their functions. “The Dufour’s gland seems to inform workers that queens have mated, while the mandibular gland seems to indicate the queen’s mating quality,” Niño said. “This also means that these glands are likely being regulated via different neurophysiological pathways.” According to Grozinger, in addition to signaling queen bee reproductive status and quality, queen bee pheromones regulate how fast workers mature and transition from taking care of developing larvae to foraging outside the hive. “It is possible that changing the quality of the pheromone could disrupt this and other processes, which could have large-scale effects on colony organization and survival,” she said. Through funding from the United States Department of Agriculture, the researchers are beginning to examine the effects of viruses, pesticides and poor nutrition on queen pheromone quality to see if the queen also is providing workers with information about her health. “The more we know about what affects the queen’s health the better chance we will have of creating high-quality queens and disease-resistant stocks of honey bees,” Niño said.Other authors on the paper include Osnat Malka and Abraham Hefetz of Tel Aviv University and David Tarpy of North


Bayer CropScience Charts Course for Cultivating Bee Health Solutions with Opening of Clayton Bee Care Facility

New Facility in Clayton, N.C., to Advance Honey Bee Health Research and Development Initiatives

Marking more than 25 years of service to the agricultural and beekeeping community through its Bee Care Program, Bayer CropScience continues to develop sustainable solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues in honey bee health through advanced research and development. Today, the company celebrated the opening of its Clayton Bee Care Center, a 1,200-square-foot facility which will create new approaches and solutions to benefit pollinator health and the global food supply. Situated on 278 acres of land in Johnston County, N.C., the Clayton Bee Care Center boasts a wintering cold room and comprehensive extraction and bee hive maintenance areas to conduct research on honey bee health. This is the first dedicated bee care facility in Clayton, where Bayer CropScience has studied pollinator health for more than three years. The facility will house researchers and developers studying all aspects of honey bee health, including factors affecting proper crop pollination and treating and preventing diseases to create healthier hives and more. “We are proud to open our Clayton Bee Care Center, which will help ensure that the hard-working, beneficial honey bee can continue to thrive and provide pollination for foods that we enjoy each day,” said Dick Rogers, apiologist/entomologist and manager of Bayer’s North American Bee Care Center. “Through this facility and Bayer’s Bee Care Program, we are committed to educating the public on the vital role bees play in our backyards, our communities, our crop fields and in our world. Healthy pollinators are incredibly important in creating and maintaining a healthy, nutritious and sustainable food supply, and we are excited about the strides that Bayer will and is already making in protecting global bee health.” The Clayton Bee Care Center is yet another example of Bayer’s commitment to bee health. The first Bayer Bee Care Center opened in 2012 at the company’s global headquarters in Monheim, Germany. Bayer broke ground on its North American Bee Care Center in Research Triangle Park, N.C. in May of this year and it is expected to be complete by spring 2014. Each facility serves to support scientific research and help educate stakeholders and the general public about the importance of honey bees to agriculture. These facilities also bring together significant technological, scientific and academic resources to protect and improve honey bee health and sustainable agriculture.

Bayer Bee Care Sculpture Marks the New Clayton Bee Care Facility

“Apiculture (the study of bees) is an integral part of agriculture that must continue to grow to meet the needs of an increasing global population,” said Jim Blome president and CEO of Bayer CropScience LP. “Through the work of the world’s brightest agricultural scientists, we can help bees continue their vital impact on crops around the world for years to come.” The Clayton Bee Care Center is part of Bayer CropScience’s Clayton Development and Training Center, a unique facility dedicated to supporting product development testing and training for the Bayer Advanced™ line of consumer products, as well as the company’s professional pest control and turf management products. The Clayton site includes laboratory and office facilities, a greenhouse, development plots and a 9-hole golf course. For additional information and background on other Bee Health initiatives please visit http://www.bayercropscience.us/our-commitment/bayer-initiatives. You can also follow and share with us on Twitter at @BayerBeeCare, on Facebook at facebook.com/BayerBeeCareCenter and view photos on Flickr.

Honesty is the Best PolicyContinued from previous page

Carolina State University. This research was supported by the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation.

Editors: Christina Grozinger can be reached at [email protected] or 814-865-2214. Elina Niño can be reached at [email protected].


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National Pollinator Defense Fund Our name has changed; our mission is the same The National Pollinator Defense Fund has changed its name to the Pollinator Stewardship Council. The mission of the nonprofit stays the same: to defend managed and

native pollinators vital to a sustainable and affordable food supply from the adverse impact of pesticides. The Board of Directors received input from national, State, and local beekeeping leaders who expressed confusion with the name, and concern for what the name represented. The Board listened to beekeepers, and acted. The new name, Pollinator Stewardship Council reflects the Board’s ideal of promoting good pollinator stewardship, of encouraging good agricultural stewardship with farmers and beekeepers to protect pollinators, and seeking to secure protection and research for managed and native pollinators. The mission is the same, only the name has changed. In its inaugural year this organization has accomplished, and will continue to:

1. Collect and report bee kill information 2. Support federal Pollinator Protection legislation3. Review, and respond to EPA concerning new and renewal of

pesticides that impact honeybees and native pollinators.4. Appeal filed in Ninth Circuit District Court to re-evaluate

Sulfoxaflor registration by EPA (along with other bee industry groups, and three beekeepers)

5. Hired a Program Director March 2013.6. Program Director has travelled the country talking with

beekeepers in:

7. Maryland, New Jersey, Kentucky, West Virginia, Michigan (and at the State meeting in March 2014), (California and Ohio in November, and Indiana in December), Eastern Apicultural Society Conference, Heartland Apicultural Society Conference, Western Apicultural Society Conference, (American Honey Producers Assn. and American Beekeeping Federation in January 2014)

Board members serve on national and state committees fighting for the livelihood of all beekeepers:

1. Pesticide Risk Assessment for Pollinators: A Society of Environmental and Toxicology and Chemistry Pellston Workshop (SETAC)

2. Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee at EPA3. National Honeybee Advisory Board4. National Stakeholders Conference on Honeybee Health5. American Honey Producers Association6. American Beekeeping Federation

Beekeepers are integral to a sustainable and affordable food supply, and to a sustainable beekeeping industry. The Pollinator Stewardship Council will continue to help beekeepers voice their concerns, their issues, and their beliefs. Integrated pest management needs to be revitalized, a judicious use, and legal use of pesticides needs to be promoted and enforced, research on bee health needs to be funded, land needs to be set aside for natural forage for honeybees and native pollinators, and actual “enforcement” needs to be part of the solution to bee kills caused by pesticides.

A new search function on www.TrueSourceHoney.com allows U.S. shoppers to be sure that they’re not mistakenly buying honey that has been illegally shipped from China. In one easy step they can help ensure the safety and quality of their honey, while also supporting U.S. honey producers and beekeepers. In addition, retailers and manufacturers are able to trace their product back to the hive. By going to www.TrueSourceHoney.com and clicking on the star-burst at the top of the page, consumers can enter the UPC code on the back of their packaged honey to see if it is True Source Certified™. Millions of pounds of illegally sourced honey may continue to enter the United States, despite continuing federal crack-down efforts. True Source CertificationTM helps ensure honey’s safety and quality because it traces the source of that honey from hive to table. The program has been applauded by honey industry leaders, including the American Honey Producers Association and the American Beekeeping Federa-tion. “The True Source Certified logo tells you that the honey you’re buying was ethically and legally sourced,” says True Source Honey Executive Director Gordon Marks. “If you don’t see the logo, ask your retailer or honey company to join the program. And make sure that your favorite foods with honey – from breakfast cereals to snacks – are made

by a manufacturer that purchases honey from a True Source Certified honey company.” Earlier this year, two of the nation’s largest honey suppliers admitted to buying illegally imported Chinese honey, including some that was adulterated with unauthorized antibiotics. About one-third of honey sold in North America today is now True Source Certified. Many large grocery retailers and club stores only use certified honey for store brands, including Costco (Kirkland Signature) and Target (Market Pantry and Simply Balanced). The U.S. imports more than 60% of the honey it needs from other countries. Most is from high-quality, legal sources. But some honey brokers and importers illegally circumvent tariffs and quality controls, selling honey to U.S. companies that is of questionable origin. This threatens the U.S. honey industry by undercutting fair market prices and damaging honey’s reputation for quality and safety. True Source Honey, LLC is an effort by a number of honey compa-nies and importers to protect consumers and customers from illegally sourced honey; and to highlight and support legal, transparent and ethical sourcing. The initiative seeks to help maintain the reputation of honey as a high-quality, highly valued food and further sustain the U.S. honey sector. Visit www.TrueSourceHoney.com. Follow us on Facebook.

Make Sure You Don’t Buy Illegal Honey from ChinaCheck Your Honey with a New Look-Up Tool on www.TrueSourceHoney.com


As mentioned at the TBA Annual Convention, Gordon Wardell with Dave Wick did testing with BEE SHIELD™. Results show that it will protect the viral load. It won’t allow symptoms to affect the bees. We have also had several test trials with Shad from Shamrock in CA. And Roger Hamilton from South Dakota is currently testing, using BEE SHIELD on his 10,000 hives. I know that Gordy and Shad would be happy to talk about their results with BEE SHIELD. You may view our PowerPoint and BEE SHIELD Video on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/1stlighttrading or website http://1stlighttrading.com/index.php/organic-products/bee-shield.html. Our completely organic solution protects bees and their hives from the many causes of CCD. BEE SHIELD™ has been producing amazing results in the following ways:

* Protects against black queen cell virus* Increases viral resistance* Increases production* Increases nutritional uptake* Protects against pesticides (systemic pesticides)* Increases parasite resistance* Shows 99% effective in field results

Inoculating your hives for one month prior to wintering for stronger and healthier hives by spraying at the top of frames for this time of year (especially with screen bottom boards) using a stream of droplets (not mist) for bees to eat up. The application on our PowerPoint is for those with less hives. There are three different methods of spray application.

1. Every 2-3 days spray each hive with 1/2 oz. of BEE SHIELD (cover approx. 75 hives)2. Every 7 days spray each hive with 3/4 oz. of BEE SHIELD3. Every 10 days spray each hive with 1 oz. of BEE SHIELD

These applications can be done on either the top of the hive after removing the lid, or through the entrance. After a month of inoculation, mix 1 oz./ gallon of your regular feeding program (2 gal. of BEE SHIELD II would mix in a 250 gallon tote). Nosema Ceranae is apparently released from the suppressive effects of fumagillin at higher concentrations than that of Nosema apis. At fumagillin concentrations that continue to impact honey bee physiology, N. ceranae thrives and doubles its spore production. The current application protocol for fumagillin may exacerbate N. ceranae infection rather than suppress it. Fumagillin application should be a major cause of N. ceranae dominance in this time. So in essence by destroying Nosema apis

we are leaving the space wide open for Nosema ceranae to take over which is a more destructive form of this disease. http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.1003185 BEE SHIELD has shown to control Nosema levels. BEE SHIELD’s original design was intended for viruses and pesticides due to the fact it is shown that with nosema alone. A colony doesn’t usually show huge losses its the combination of viruses and N.apis or N. Ceranae that causes these dramatic falloffs. BEE SHIELDS’s ability to help contain nosema was just an added bonus to its intended effects, but the research team is hard at work in a truly combative measure of Nosema and the dreaded foulbrood diseases. Also if you would like to check out this trial ran by Randy Oliver you can decide with the above info provided and his tests if you want to use this producthttp://scientificbeekeeping.com/nosema-drench-treatment-trial/ The long residual life of fumagillin in honey has led to its being banned in several other countries, for fear of honey contamination. Be careful in its use not to treat when it is likely to be stored by the bees in honey for human consumption. Cummins (2007) cites its uses in human medicine, and possible genotoxic effects. The main vector route for the Deformed Wing Virus has been found to be four different influences:

The queen being infected with the virus from sperm from donating drones that transfers into the egg and the resulting larva is born with the virus already in system. The mandibular sacs of nursing bees i.e the food that they produce for the young. This has also been show to contain the virus its contents thus spreading the disease as the bees are feed in larval state. The nurse bees come into contact with the other foraging/working bees. This is through mouth when transfer of pollen/nectar/water takes place either the foraging bee or the nurse bee is infected thus making the spread of the disease very rapid. The fourth and final method of transference is from the varroa mite. These parasites are being shown to be breeding factories for the deformed wing virus and with the increase in mites the larger amount of virus that is present. With BEE SHIELD we have stopped all vectors to be able to infect the honey bee. We keep the viruses in check by preventing their ability to bind with the bee’s cellular make-up preventing any type of symptoms allowing the colonies to be able to thrive and gain their foothold back where they need to be. Please call with any questions as our goal is to save the honey bee business.

BEE_SHIELDAn Organic Product from 1st light trading, llc - from Marcella Blake

Editor’s Note: The above was received in an email from Marcella Blake of !st light trading, LLC who were exhibitors at The TBA Annual Convention. For further information or questions, call (805) 279-2772 or visit their website at www.1stlighttrading.com.


Queen RearingEssentials

Queen Rearing EssentialsLawrence John Connor

“Detailed and practical manual” A “must have book for every beekeeper” filled with “astounding photographs.”

In this post-varroa, post-Colony Collapse Syndrome era, beekeepers everywhere are developing localized, mite-resistant bee stocks. Key to this is their ability to raise queen cells and queens. Bee Culture/Ameri-can Bee Journal author Dr. Larry Connor describes a very successful queen rearing method using Starter and Finisher colonies. Connor also wrote Increase Essentials and Bee Sex Essentials.

“Very detailed and practical manual for raising queens on a small scale from locally se-lected stock. Larry offers a tested and proven method to teach backyarders how best to improve beekeeping stock for greater return and enjoyment.”

—Dr. Dewey M. Caron, University of Delaware, Emeritus Professor

“Queen Rearing Essentials provides today’s beekeepers with a clear, concise, and simple method to not only produce their own queens, but to actively improve their stock. Dr. Connor has distilled extensive information into a simple plan that any beekeeper can fol-low. Queen Rearing Essentials is a must have book for every beekeeper.”

—Greg Hannaford, Chairman, Northeast Oklahoma Beekeepers Association

“Larry Connor has again struck gold. This is one manual that won’t stay on your bookshelf, but will be well read, dog-eared, and well worn from use!”

-Don Schram, Beekeeper

“Combines astounding photographs with vital information in one of the most comprehen-sive queen rearing books ever. A short, precise, and very clear book. Explains a method used by thousands of beekeepers to raise queens on any scale!”

—Blake Shook, President, Collin County (Texas) Hobby Beekeepers Association

“Another great book written by a beekeeper for beekeepers—a must if you raise queens.”—Ted Jones, President, Connecticut Beekeepers Association

“A very good book on the “How to and How not to raise queens”. This book is not only for beginners but has some useful hints that every queen breeder could use.”

—Richard Adee, Adee Honey Farms

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A Wicwas Press Essentials Book

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Wicwas Press • Kalamazoo, MichiganPrinted in Michigan, U.S.A.

ISBN 978-1-878075-28-4

A beekeeping book you have been looking for—a basic book with some ‘meat on it’s bones’ for continued study by new and not-so-new beekeepers. A book that can be thrown into a computer bag or backpack and read on an airplane or beside a lake in the woods.

Spend less time reading how to assemble a frame and more time understand-ing what it takes for you and the bees to produce the wax, honey and pollen that goes into that comb. This is a book focused on compasionate animal husbandry. There is a strong ‘natural’ focus for beekeepers who want to avoid or minimize pesticides and reduce stress on the bees.

A book of thought-provoking, science-based discussion designed for individuals and beekeeping clubs who mentor new beekeepers.

The perfect companion in the bee yard for just about all beekeepers, from newbee to experienced. Easy to reference, clear and concise descriptions of everything that might happen with a colony or in a bee yard. Nothing is left untouched, everything is here. Explanations are easy to read and understandable. Accompanying photos further enhance the content and often add a bit of humor. This book should be in everyone’s library or more importantly in every bee bag or bee truck for a quick reference to that one issue that eludes your knowledge base. — Becky Jones, CT

I wish such a book had been available when I started. It will be a good book for our bee club to work into our mentoring program in the future. — Mike Risk, MI

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Bee Sex Essentials

Bee Sex Essentials

Lawrence John Connor

Preface by Dr. David Tarpy, North Carolina State University

Featuring anatomy photos by Dr. Anita Collins and Virginia Williams, USDA, Beltsville

Bee Culture and American Bee Journal writer Dr. Larry Connor reviews the latest and essential knowledge of drone and queen production, mating and genetics. He clearly and concisely shows how the sex life of bees directly impacts the fate of the colony and, in turn, the success of the beekeeper. He outlines a sample bee breeding program for a sideline beekeeper with under 100 colonies who wants to produce queens from survivor, locally-adapted and mite-resistant lines. Drawing on his experience operating the Star-line hybrid breeding program, he advocates dramatic changes in the way beekeepers obtain quality queens by utilizing locally produced queens. Connor is the author of In-crease Essentials, Queen Rearing Essentials, Bee-sentials, and editor of several scientific publications.

“Fantastic!”“This book, Bee Sex Essentials, provides not only the background information necessary to understand honey bee genetics and breeding, it also contains a wealth of practical information in how to put what we know to good use. In doing so, the book calls on every beekeeper—including YOU—to implement your own breeding program . . . Similar to the proliferation of microbrewers in the 1990s that transformed how we buy and drink beer, we have the opportunity to develop “microbreeders” within our beekeeping community that will enable us to control our own genetic destiny.”

—Dr. David Tarpy, North Carolina State University

“Well done. A scientific book written from a beekeeper’s perspective. Easy to read and understand. It covers all the biological facets of the honeybee, especially those asso-ciated with queen rearing. Every beekeeper should have a copy on his desk or in his library.”

—Richard Adee, Adee Honey Farms, Bruce, SD

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Honey Bees Trained to Detect Cancer on Patient’s Breathfrom Susana Soares Bee’s- www.susanasoares.com

Doctors have long treated patients for exceptionally bad bee stings, but now, it looks like the insects may be helping the field of medicine. New research from Inscentinel, a UK-based firm specializing in insect research, suggests that honey bees can be trained to detect certain early-stage cancers in humans. Using this breakthrough, Portuguese designer Susana Soares has developed a glass device for diagnosis using honey bees and a patient’s breath. Thanks to their super-sensitive sense of smell, bees can detect odors that a human nose can’t, Soares explains on her website. Biomarkers associated with tuberculosis, lung cancer, skin cancer and diabetes, which can all be detected through smell, are present on a patient’s breath.

Soares designed a glass objects with two enclosures: a small chamber that the patient breathes into and a larger chamber where trained bees are kept. If the bees detect the odor they where trained to pinpoint - in this case that of disease biomark-ers - they’ll rush into the smaller chamber where the breath is. The cancer-detecting bees are trained by exposing the insects to the smell, then feeding them sugar, so they associate the odor with a food reward. Soares says that properly trained bees are “very accurate” in early medical diagnosis. Bees and wasps have previously been trained to detect bombs by smell.

Book Review by Ginny StubblefieldHoney Bee BiologyDewey M. Caron with Lawrence John Connor

This book explains bee biology, what bees do, and provides the tools which make it possible for a beekeeper to manage bee colonies. The authors realize that we must understand the biology of the honeybee in order to comprehend its behavior. They also give us insight into other insect societies such as wasps,

other bee species and ants. One of the most interesting areas of Honey Bee Biology is the discussion of bee communications – the dance language, release of pheromones from the queen, pheromones of the hive, pheromones used along the trail and location of foraging areas. There is help in managing hives during the changing seasons and the importance of knowing what to do each season. The explanation of foraging makes the reader very aware that the bees have less and less to forage and we must plant what we can to help them. Also, in this updated version, there are discussions of current integrated pest management and treatment options. Concisely written, this look at bees and their behavior is nicely illustrated with beautiful color photos and illustrations and very organized. The book is even “green”, printed with vegetable-based inks on recycled paper.

Honey-Brushed Pear Crostinis (makes 8 servings) (from the National Honey Board)

Ingredients8 tsps - honey8 - crostini breads2 - Red Anjou pears4 tbsps - bleu cheese, crumbled1 tbsp - fresh rosemary, finely dicedDirectionsBrush each crostini bread with 1 teaspoon of honey. Next, cut pears into ½-inch slices (about 8). Place a pear slice on each honey-brushed crostini bread. Top with ½ tablespoon of bleu cheese. Garnish with a pinch of diced rosemary.


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Howdy, Texas Beekeepers!

It has been an incredible year for the Texas Honey Queen

Program! Since my last article, I have represented you at nine events. I would like to give you a brief account of some of these events as well as a summary of my year as the 2013 Texas Honey Queen.

On October 12th, I traveled to the Houston area with Dr. Juliana Rangel. I enjoyed helping judge the Harris County Beekeepers Association’s Honey Contest as well as speaking at their 105th Anniversary Banquet that evening. Mr. Ed and Mrs. Elaine Michalik hosted me during my visit to Houston. October 12th was a stormy day and at about two o’clock in the afternoon, there was a loud crash of thunder accompanied by a bright flash of lightning. It was not until later that evening when Mr. Michalik discovered that lightning had struck a pine tree in their backyard, traveled down to the base of the tree, and took out five of their best colonies which were located close by. The next morning, we went out to inspect the damage. The bees from the surviving colonies were robbing the frames destroyed and exposed by the fragmented boxes. Debris were scattered up to 30 feet from the hives and two nails had been driven into the tree from the force of the blast (one of them head first). This was a surprise to all of us. I had never considered the potential for lightning to hit bee hives. My next event was the State Fair of Texas in Dallas, October 18th through 20th. It was a privilege to work with 2013 American Honey Queen, Caroline Adams; 2013 Collin County Honey Queen, Shannon LaGrave; 2013 Williamson County

Area Honey Queen, Lesli Tucker; 2013 East Texas Honey Queen, Hayden Wolf; and 2013 East Texas Honey Princess, Martha Jeske; during this event. We each presented multiple Cooking with Honey demonstrations, educated visitors to the Texas Beekeepers Association (TBA) Booth in the Food and Fiber Pavilion, gave bee talks and rode in the Starlight Parade. On October 24th, I was able to attend the Central Texas Beekeepers Association (CTBA) meeting in Brenham. I gave a presentation about my beekeeping experiences and the impact of TBA programs. I was also able to meet several of CTBA’s current and future Youth Beekeeping Scholarship recipients. The TBA Convention was held at the Southfork Hotel in Plano, November 7th through 9th. This was one of the largest conventions TBA has had in several years with about 250 registered attendees. It was a pleasure to host the convention with 2013 American Honey Queen, Caroline Adams; 2013 Collin County Honey Queen, Shannon LaGrave; 2013 Williamson County Area Honey Queen, Lesli Tucker; 2013 Alamo Area Honey Queen, Francesca Heinz; 2013 East Texas Honey Queen, Hayden Wolf; and 2013 East Texas Honey Princess, Martha Jeske. The Convention kicked off on Thursday with the Kids Learning About Bees (KLAB) event. 604 people came to learn about all aspects of the beekeeping industry. On Thursday night, I helped host the Bee Buzz social and welcomed guests to the convention. Highlights from Friday included assisting with judging the honey contest entries, hosting the Queen’s Luncheon, presenting two bee talks to 60 youth and 12 adults at the Winston School in Dallas, and participating in the Queen’s Quiz Bowl and special presentations. The last day of the convention, Saturday, brought excellent workshops and I gave a report on my activities over the year. It was an honor to crown Hayden Wolf and Shannon LaGrave as your 2014 Texas Honey Queen and Princess, respectively, during the awards banquet. I know that Hayden and Shannon will make an excellent team

2013 Texas Honey QueenShelby Kilpatrick


as they promote the beekeeping industry across the state this coming year. The winner of the 2013 Texas Honey Queen Raffle was also announced. Thank you to Dadant for donating

Texas Honey Queen ChairRachael Seida

Dear Texas Beekeepers,Merry Christmas to

you all! And a Happy New Year! By the time you read this, our new spokespersons will be done with their training and already out in the state promoting beekeeping and honey! As always – check the Facebook page for updates on their events. During the TBA Convention, I had several persons inquire about starting a honey queen program in their club. This inspired me to take up, as a goal for 2014, a desire I have had for several years of writing a manual for starting and running a honey queen program. I will keep you updated on my progress. During the year we are always looking for new promotions across the state. This year we would like to hit some areas that we have not visited much in the past. San Antonio, El Paso, The

Valley, Corpus Christi, and Waco all come to mind (though certainly not limited to those areas!). To host the Honey Queen or Princess is very easy: You need an event or events to invite her to promote at (Fair/ Festival, Media, Schools, Civic Groups, etc.) and a host family (or single woman). My contact info is below if you have an event in mind, or more questions. We are looking forward to seeing many of you at the American Beekeeping Federation Annual Convention in Baton Rouge during the month of January. And also of course at the TBA Winter Delegates Mtg in February. We look forward to seeing all of you soon.

[email protected]

the Expanded Apiary Kit and Beekeeping Equipment prize! Additionally, thank you to everyone who contributed to making the convention a success! My next event was the Brazos Valley Worldfest in College Station on November 16th. About 14,000 people came to learn

about the international diversity and heritage of the Brazos Valley. Dr. Juliana Rangel, Mr. Bill Baxter, Mr. E.T. Ash, several Graduate Students from the Texas A&M University Department of Entomology, and I educated visitors about the importance of honey bees, pollination, and the current research projects being conducted locally at the Janice and John G. Thomas ’59 Honey Bee Facility. Most recently, on November 22nd, I travelled to Anderson and spoke to 42 Kindergarten students at Anderson-Shiro Elementary School. Mr. Clint Weaver of R Weaver Apiaries, helped demonstrate beekeeping equipment and protective gear for the class. His daughter also put on her bee suit jacket during my presentation: a great reminder that anyone can be a beekeeper! Please see page 24 for a complete summary of my activities as the 2013 Texas Honey Queen. For details about other events I attended this year, read my articles in the 2012 – 2013 editions of the TBA Journal and visit the Texas Honey Queen Program’s Facebook page. This year has been another step forward in my beekeeping journey. It has also been a fun year; full of activities, learning opportunities, and friends. I really appreciate the support of my family, friends, and the beekeeping community. I am very excited to be representing the Texas Beekeepers Association as I compete for the American Honey Queen position at the 2014 North American Beekeeping Conference in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, January 7th through 11th. I hope to see many of you there and at future TBA events!


2013 Texas Honey Queen Activity Summary

As the 2013 Texas Honey Queen, in 72 days at promotions I . . . • Attended 82 events of the following types:

Conferences Conventions Clinics Fairs Honey Contest Judging Interviews Meetings Schools Tours Trainings Workshops

• Presented: 27 Bee Talks 13 Booths 6 Cooking with Honey Demonstrations 4 Interviews 5 Kids Learning About Bees Events 32 Reports 7 TBA Local Association Presentations 4 Special Presentations 3 Parades

• Hours (does not include travel or preparation time for & at events): 284 representing TBA & promoting the beekeeping industry 72 at TBA meetings & events 35 in other trainings, seminars & workshops

• Outreach: 414 youth, aged 18 months to 18 years 315 adults Over 398,384 people of unknown age category

• Media: Over 155,993 people

Over $13,500 in free publicity generated for the beekeeping industry 7 Texas Beekeepers Association Journal articles 9 Local Beekeepers Association newsletters 5 Newspaper articles and 1 contact, 3 TV broadcasts and 1 contact, 6 Radio Station contacts, 1 Blogger contact, 2 website photos

Increased Texas Honey Queen Program Facebook Page Outreach by 108% ! (Goal = 50% increase) • Traveled to: 19 Texas Counties, 3 States, 2 Countries (16,186 miles) • Raised:

$1,005 in Donations $393 in Honey Sales $1,480 in Raffle Ticket Sales Total = $2,873 for the Texas Honey Queen Program Raised $587.85 for the Moore, Oklahoma Tornado Relief Fund with the Harris County Beekeepers

Association.

THANK YOU for your support of the Texas Honey Queen Program. Your support allows the Program to educate many people each year !

Sincerely,

Shelby Kilpatrick 2013 Texas Honey Queen


2014 TexasHoney QueenHayden Wolf

Hello Texas Beekeeping Friends!

I am extremely honored and excited to be writing you all as your 2014 Texas Honey Queen! I am

completely humbled that you would choose me for this position and am so grateful for this amazing opportunity. It is such a privilege to serve alongside such a wonderful association of Texas Beekeepers and I look forward to promoting the beekeeping industry and spreading the word of the importance of our marvelous little honeybee across Texas. I am also excited to serve alongside 2014 Texas Honey Princess, Shannon LaGrave, which is such a wonderful privilege! I thought I would start by telling you all a bit about myself. I am the daughter of Gus and Joanne Wolf, of Big Sandy, TX. I’m 18 years old and currently a senior in high school. I’ve been homeschooled all my life, along with my older sister, and two older brothers. In addition to caring for five beehives with my dad, I enjoy playing the piano and singing in my family’s quartet. I also love cooking and baking, and am hoping to eventually go to culinary school. Some of my other interests are: gardening, being outdoors, painting, drawing and scrapbooking. My adventures with honeybees began when my family and I lived in New Jersey. I had always been fascinated with honeybees and when I was young I would pet them on their fuzzy little backs when they came to the flowers in our yard. They never even stung me! When I was about 9 years old, we started getting honey from a local beekeeper, named Frank Prasnal. One time when we went to pick up honey, Frank took me out into his beehives with just the smoker (no bee suits!) and we went through one of his hives as he told me about the honeybees. I decided then that I wanted to be a beekeeper someday; however,

the town we lived in didn’t allow you to keep bees. When we finally moved to Texas six years ago I found out about the Youth Beekeeping Scholarship from the East Texas Beekeepers Association. I was beyond excited when I myself received a beekeeping scholarship, and began beekeeping in 2009. If Frank hadn’t taken the time to teach me about his bees, and show me his hives, I might not be involved in beekeeping today. Frank, who has since passed away, never lived to see how his kindness in taking a curious little girl thru his hives multiplied. May this be an encouragement to all of you to take the time to teach others, especially children, about honeybees. You don’t know what an impact it will have on them and on their future. Frank’s influence made a huge impact on my future! I haven’t given any presentations yet except that I was recently interviewed by a local friend who is writing an article on beekeeping and honeybees for a local newspaper. Her article will be published sometime in December. Coming up, I’m looking forward to media training the first week of December with Rachael Seida and 2014 Texas Honey Princess, Shannon LaGrave. The three of us will also be attending the East Texas Beekeepers Association December meeting on December 5th. From January 7th through the 11th I will be at the 2014 American Beekeeping Federation Convention in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I also hope to see you all at the TBA Delegates meeting in February! Until then, you can keep up with Shannon and my activities by “liking” the Texas Honey Queen Facebook page. If you would like to have me visit your club, or help with a promotional event in your area, contact Texas Honey Queen Chair, Rachael Seida at [email protected] or (214) 578-3477. Again, thank you all for this great privilege, and for your support of the Honey Queen program. It means so very much to me. I look forward to working with each and every one of you this next year! May you all have a blessed Christmas and New Year!

2014 Texas Honey PrincessShannon LaGrave

Greetings Texas Beekeepers!

My name is

Shannon LaGrave and I have been keeping bees

since I was 13 years old. I am so very happy that you have chosen me as your 2014 Texas Honey Princess. My first introduction to bees was pure curiosity. We found a hive in our water meter box and I played with them for days and received many stings. Later, in the next spring, I set out dishes with different sweet substances in my tree house to watch the

bees eat them. I wanted to know what the bees preferred to eat. I played with those bees as well. Thus, the journey began. When I was 11 we attended a bee talk given by a local Collin County Beekeeper. Through this presentation we found out about the Youth Scholarship Program and in 2007 I was awarded a youth scholarship. Participating in the Youth Scholarship program was one of the most valuable parts of my education. I currently keep 6 hives and am planning on doing splits this year. I feel that my journey in beekeeping has only begun as I still find myself enamored with this marvelous insect. I look forward to serving as the 2014 Texas Honey Princess and meeting the beekeepers across the state.


Texas Beekeepers Association Convention in Planofrom Jimmie Oakley

The 2013 Texas Beekeepers Association Convention in Plano, Texas this year was HUGE! Was it just a case of the self fulfilling prophecy, or was it fertile ground and great planning by the local club coming together at just the right time? The talk and preparation began a year earlier at the conclusion of the previous convention held in Killeen where the buzz word was...huge. The vision for the event to be held in the Dallas area was something above and beyond what had been done before. How do you accomplish this: a good program, lots of participation, enthusiasm galore, and a big place to hold it. Chris Moore, TBA Vice President, was responsible for putting together the program for the upcoming convention, and he admittedly said, “I just picked all the guys I wanted to hear”. The Collin County Hobby Beekeepers Association was the host organization and they began to have regular meetings to lay the ground work and discuss details. The Hotel was selected, the program firmed up and it was “Convention Time”! The Convention actually started a day ahead of opening ceremonies with the ever popular Kids-LAB (Learning About Bees) scheduled for 9:30 on Thursday morning. The event was organized by Collin County members, Shirley Acevedo, J’Neena Swinney and Susan Kilpatrick. There were over 600

youngsters and parent/teachers that were educated about bees in the five and one-half hour session as they paused at the various learning stations located throughout the Trinity Ballroom at the Southfork Hotel. Anne Sipe provided personal name badges for the army of beekeeper volunteers that manned the stations and provided demonstrations for all those attending. At the same time Dr. Larry Connor from Kalamazoo, MI, provided an offering that many just couldn’t pass up. His “Practical Backyard Beekeeping” seminar on Thursday was a hit to say the least. The all-day class was an overflow sellout attracting 75 individuals and couples who paid the $60-90 for the instructive course. Some came just to the seminar, while

others registered and attended the entire convention. The course was a nice draw for the convention and Dr. Connor also was present in the Trade Show as Wicwas Press selling bee related books. Of course the TBA Executive Board, led by President Blake Shook, also met to discuss the convention details and appoint standing committee for resolutions, nominations, etc. The traditional Bee Buzz & Honey Queens’ Reception, sponsored by Burleson’ s Honey, was held on Thursday evening in the Magnolia Room and was well attended. A nice spread of finger food was laid out by the hotel, and the Honey Queens & Princesses provided sweets and deserts. Texas Honey Queen, Shelby Kilpatrick from Copper Canyon was the official hostess for American Honey Queen, Caroline Adams, from Plano, Texas. Local associations queens present were Collin County Honey Queen, Shannon LaGrave, from Farmersville, Williamson County Honey Queen, Lesli Tucker, from Belton, East Texas Honey Queen, Hayden Wolf, from Big Sandy and Princess Martha Jeske from Tyler, Texas. The event offered many of the first time convention attendees a chance to get better acquainted, the Queens to present their displays, and many of the

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Journal Texas Beekeepers Associationtexasbeekeepers.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/TBA... · 2016. 10. 11. · Nov / Dec 2013 THE JOURNAL OF THE TEXAS BEEEEPERS ASSOCIATION 5 Director’s