Dear Subscribers:
It’s Memorial Day. I have created a Patreon post in the digest for this special occasion.
My new partner is full of “innovative” ideas concerning the long hive he built, in which we installed two colonies of bees side by side, separated by a divider board. It is interesting to see how his concepts as are developing. Our partnership takes advantage of his relative naivety as a newbie in beekeeping cotrasting with my education looking at the craft as practiced in much of the wider world over several decades.
The colonies we established now about a month ago seem to be doing ok, however, recent rains may have washed nectar out of flowers, as some fear, affecting the Spring honey flow’s outcome, now in its last gasp. And at the moment we are in the northeast quadrant of an unusually early “sub tropical” storm. That is, unfortunately, the worst place to be located with reference to the center of any such system. It is now in Florida’s panhandle. Apparently this will be mostly a rain event, although with these systems, it’s difficult to predict impact, especially so early in the season, which normally begins on June first. We, like the bees, are hunkered down for the next few days it seems as Alberto makes up his mind.
I missed my free ice cream at Häagen Dazs. Interesting that this publicity did not appear to mention world bee day. It certainly looks like a missed a bet: “With such passion, it’s no surprise that the Slovenian Beekeeper’s Association successfully petitioned the United Nations to proclaim May 20 — the birthday of the native Slovene pioneer of modern beekeeping, Anton Jansa — as World Bee Day, celebrating the importance of honey bee preservation and boosting the public’s awareness of how significant bees are to the food supply.”
Hygienic behavior researchers appear to have found a so-called “death pheromone.” They conclude that “hygienic brood-removal behavior is triggered by two odorants – β-ocimene and oleic acid – which are released from brood upon freeze-killing. β-ocimene is a co-opted pheromone that normally signals larval food-begging, whereas oleic acid is a conserved necromone across arthropod taxa. Interestingly, the odorant blend can induce hygienic behavior more consistently than either odorant alone. We suggest that the volatile β-ocimene flags hygienic workers’ attention, while oleic acid is the death cue, triggering removal. Bees with high hygienicity detect and remove brood with these odorants faster than bees with low hygienicity , and both molecules are strong ligands for hygienic behavior-associated odorant binding proteins (OBP16 and OBP18). Odorants that induce low levels of hygienic behavior, however, are weak ligands for these OBPs. We are therefore beginning to paint a picture of the molecular mechanism behind this complex behavior, using odorants associated with freeze-killed brood as a model.”
An explosion of various posts this month concern the European Union’s position on banning pesticides. These include Merco Press, Eurasia Times, even outfits you wouldn’t think had much interest in honey bee health, including, WhYY, House Beautiful and U.S Fashion News. This prompted me to update my Patreon post digest with critical comments from one who euphemistically calls himself the Risk Monger.
Another smart phone application oriented to beekeepers has come to mind. It prompted an update to a Patreon digest post on that subject.
A Catch the Buzz on the eastward advancement of the 100th meridian caught my geographical eye. Most folks probably haven’t been exposed to this actual line on a map, but the post concludes: “In addition to confirming the line’s existence, the team determined that because of climate change, the humid/arid dividing line once located at the 100th Meridian has shifted to the 98th Meridian, about 140 miles east, since 1979.
“The change was caused by rising temperatures from fossil fuel-generated greenhouse gas emissions. Higher temperatures caused more soil moisture to evaporate, and shifting wind patterns have decreased precipitation in the southwest. Climate models adjusted for the particular topography of the American West project that the line will continue its march toward the Atlantic, likely moving an additional two to three longitudinal degrees by the end of the century.”
Perhaps what’s most striking is that “…as far back as 1878, noted geologist and explorer John Wesley Powell observed that the 100th Meridian, the longitudinal line that slices north-to-south through the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, represented a distinct boundary between the humid Eastern United States and the arid western plains. The invisible but distinct climactic divide, Powell said, should influence how people on either side settle, manage, and farm the land.”
Fran Bach at the Western Apicultural Society WAS went on vacation for a couple of weeks, but posted this news before departure:
VACATION MUSINGS
BROWARD HONEYBEE MICRO APIARY PLATFORM (MAP) PROGRESS REPORT
RIGHT ON THE NOSEMA!
PLANTING SEEDS
The first listing above got my attention. It had been a while since I wrote about the White House Pollinator Health Task Force Initiative . Here at last was information on the progress of a project that was to be funded as part of that initiative: The Broward Honeybee Micro Apiary Platform (MAP).
As it began, there was some optimism considering national funding: “The President has emphasized the need for an “all hands-on deck” approach to promoting pollinator health, including engagement of citizens and communities and the forging of public-private partnerships. To foster collaboration, the inter-agency Pollinator Health Task Force will work toward developing a Partnership Action Plan that guides coordination with the many state, local, industry, and citizen groups with interests in and capacities to help tackle the challenge facing pollinators.
“This challenge requires both a public and a private response. The public through its parks, open and public spaces can and should incorporate managed honey-bee apiaries as part of its public responsibility. Privately, the local, regional and statewide Bee Associations must redouble their efforts through education and support to create a rising tide private bee-keepers within the permissive regulations from Florida’s Department of Agriculture. Each effort will inevitably support the other.
“The MAP is a proposed countywide distributed network of coordinated micro-apiaries, centrally managed on public property, 30 controlled separate micro-apiary environments of 10-15 managed colonies (potentially 450 managed and stable colonies, 45-90 million honeybees). The Broward Regional Health Planning Council (BRHPC) has already funded and built the prototype micro-apiary and the second, larger micro-apiary prototype is under construction (to be operational in December 2016)”.
But all that was during a previous presidential administration. In the update above filed by Fran, the following was related, “Congressional funding support from Congressman Deutch and Wasserman-Schultz became overshadowed by the 2016 Presidential Transition and both national and international events. What was thought to be a simple, minimal and ridiculously bipartisan and politically popular grant request for environmental and honeybee support was stymied by the inability of the Trump administration to appoint a Commissioner of Agriculture or their top managers. There was no one to talk to. Congressional support, although enthusiastic was, thus far, a dead end and disappointing.”
However, the update continues, “It is indeed fortunate, that In 2016, the County wanted to lead in building Honeybee Micro Apiaries in their public lands, but the process became bureaucratically bogged down. The issues included suitable and willing park management teams combined with Apiary management contracting challenges. It is noteworthy, however that a quorum of the new nine-member County Commission attended the grand opening to the Tradewinds Park Honeybee Micro Apiary in 2017 and they each expressed their strong support for the program and offered any assistance needed as necessary. We continue to work with county staff and remain confident.”
As expected there have been challenges in setting up the MAP, including Varroa infestations. However, some extremely optimistic results from the project have emerged: “The two very active micro apiaries have not only evolved to now include a pollinator boundary constructed around the apiary for butterfly’s as well as some more diverse pollinators, but they are also a focal point for an explosion of educational programs, instructional videos, entomological research and civic volunteerism. Programs with homeschoolers, private schools, charter schools, the girl scouts, the Rare Fruit association, Florida Atlantic University (FAU) now complement regular educational programs offered by the Urban Farming Institute, and the now combined efforts of the Broward Bee Association and the South Florida Bee Association. The clearest examples of this were the use of the first Micro Apiary at the Urban Farming Institute as the training center for all the Florida Department of Agriculture Honeybee inspectors in January 2018, as a state educational program and its part in providing data for an FAU doctoral dissertation.
“Nationally and internationally, the Broward MAPs program has hosted dignitaries from the Caribbean Islands, both Central and South America, Canada as well as Maryland, North & South Carolina, Idaho, Texas, Georgia, and Virginia. In November 2018, the director of the Bee Lab for uber conglomerate Bayer will be at the micro apiary in Oakland Park for an instructional program. Notably, the South Florida Bee Association has already hosted the head of Florida’s Bee Lab Dr. Jamie Ellis, and multiple times, Dr. William Kerr from the University of Florida at the Oakland Park site as well.
In a very real sense, Broward’s Honeybee Micro Apiary project utilizing public lands to create a network of managed honeybee habitats for the environment, for science and for education has become a national model of a successful public-private partnership benefiting all of us.
“In short, Broward’s honeybee micro apiary program is a big deal, good for the community, our environment, the diversity of Broward flora, and good politics. It has left the station and gathering steam (albeit slowly) to reach our goal of thirty micro apiaries.” A similar project might considered elsewherein the continuing search to increase pollinator health.
Get ready for the Apis Token Bee Chain, what appears to be the honey bee’s own “bitcoin,” based on so-called block chain technology. “To sum up, the APIS ICO primarily focuses on building against the annihilation of the bee population under the deteriorating climate. Of course, this makes it a unique idea with actual tangible results from it. However, this also brings challenges in terms of geopolitical risks, and regulations among other risks to consider. Buy your investment in the new honey bee bitcoin early. This offer is only good until June 15, 2018.”
Fran Bach appears to be back from vacation, posting the following on May 18, 2018:
A LITTLE HISTORY: WORLD BEE DAY May 20, 2018
YOUNG BEEKEEPER AWARD DEADLINE EXTENDED
FEED A BEE PROGRAM GROWS GRANT INITIATIVES
NEW COVER LETS IN ONLY RED LIGHT, AND KEEPS SMALL HIVE BEETLES OUT
COLD STORAGE FOR HONEY BEE COLONIES BREAKS THE BROOD CYCLE AND MAKES VARROA TREATMENTS MORE EFFECTIVE. HOW COOL!
SUPPLEMENTING BEES WITH ACAI POWDER: MY UPCOMING SUMMER TRIAL
SMART BEEHIVES AND HEAT TREATMENTS COULD PROTECT BEES FROM DECLINE
EU TO BAN PESTICIDES THAT HARM BEES
HERBICIDES MAY HAVE INDIRECT EFFECTS ON BEES
AFGHANISTAN HAS CAPACITY OF PRODUCING 11,000 TONS OF HONEY A YEAR
BEE JOBS
and on May 25, 2018:
WAS CONFERENCE HEADLINES
BIP HONEY BEE COLONY LOSSES 2017-2018: PRELIMINARY RESULTS
EU PROPOSES ACTION ON BEES & PESTICIDES
SYNGENTA RESPONDS TO EU COURT RULING
“GIVE BEES A CHANCE” BY MOD SOCKS
BEE JOBS
The May 2018 postings for the Bee-L Discussion digest include 33 for “History of breeding for resistance” and a like number for “Questions on AFB.”
Benita Lubic, President of Transeair Travel, announces the 2018 Cuban Beekeeping Tour is now open for registration. It is scheduled for November 10-18 and limited space is available. Learn all about Honey “Made in Cuba” for Export.
“Since the successful November 2017 tour, we have decided to again arrange a unique, customized Tour, featuring visits to apiaries, queen producers, processing plants, research centers, and packaging plants.
“This is a fully inclusive tour arranged with the cooperation of the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture including: island transportation, hotels, meals,and full touring program. Thus you will also visit highlights in the provinces of Havana, Cienfuegos, Matanzas and Santa Clara.” See the itinerary and application
Bee Culture’s latest podcast of the Kim and Jim Show is one for the record books. They are follow packages all the way from New Mexico to Ohio and then install them in the snow. Enough said.
As always, check the latest extension efforts at the Bee Health Extension site. See the list of websites found via Honey Bee Lab and Organization links. The basic honey bee biology section is also worth a look.
Sixty six units of Storey’s Guide to Keeping Honey Bees were sold on Amazon.com April 23 through May 20, 2018. Salt Lake City led the way.
