From: GNV::GCB 14-DEC-1990 16:04:15.84
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FILENAME: NOVAPIS.90
Florida Extension Beekeeping Newsletter
Apis--Apicultural Information and Issues (ISSN 0889-3764)
Volume 8, Number 11, November 1990
VARROA TREATMENT
The new Apistan (R) strips have finally been released by Zoecon Corporation.
They will carry a Section three or general-use label. This means that it will
no longer be necessary to treat for Varroa under a compliance agreement,
unless the specific state requires it. Florida so far continues to demand
such an agreement. In addition, any instructions on the label must be
followed to the letter. It cannot be overemphasized that the label on any
pesticide is the law, and that it must be in the applicator's possession while
using any pesticide.
A recent meeting of Florida's Honey Bee Technical Council revealed how
management of Varroa is evolving. A constantly changing set of rules and
regulations that effect Florida beekeepers is in place. One reason is to
try to conform with the agreement signed last spring by Florida and a few
northeastern states to ensure orderly movement of honey bees for pollination.
I will attempt to briefly summarize the current rules as described at the
Council meeting, but be aware that they are complex and subject to be modified
based on specific circumstances. Your most up-to-date source is the local bee
inspector.
1. In order to be certified to move bees in Florida, 20 percent of colonies
must be surveyed using ether roll. If no mites are found and there is no
history of mites, a mite-free certificate is issued and the bees can move.
This is very rare; as a matter of course, the vast majority of colonies in
Florida are considered infested with Varroa at some level. If mites are
found, the bees must be treated with Apistan (R) chemical within 60 days
unless prior arrangements are made before being moved.
2. If bees are treated, a 12-month treatment certificate is awarded after the
compliance agreement, treatment forms and proof of purchase (save your
receipts) of strips have been received by the Division of Plant Industry. A
post-treatment and six-month recheck may also be required. These latter
procedures are to ensure that the treatment was effective.
3. Bees moving out of state fall under other rules, and vary depending on the
receiving state. Those complying with the eastern states' agreement are
usually sampled at the five percent level with Apistan (R) strips. Depending
on the number of mites found, treatment will usually be required before
movement, and colonies may be subject to post-treatment and six-month checks.
OSSA BEEKEEPING FACT SHEET
A new beekeeping fact sheet has been published by USDA's Office of Small-Scale
Agriculture (OSSA). It is pretty generalized and something that can be handed
out at bee meetings and other educational events. According to the sheet,
over 211,000 beekeepers maintain about 3.2 million colonies of bees in the
U.S. Thousands are small-scale entrepreneurs, keeping bees for honey, pollen,
beeswax, propolis and royal jelly production. Information on how to get bees,
their management, effects of insecticides, diseases and pests and where to
obtain information is included. Copies are available from OSSA, 342-D
Aerospace Bldg., USDA, Washington, DC 20250-2200.
SEEDLESS WATERMELONS IN FLORIDA
An article in the July issue of Florida Grower and Rancher last July promoted
the growing of seedless watermelons in Florida. The authors, D. Maynard and
G. Elmstrom of the University of Florida's Gulf Coast Research and Education
Center in Bradenton, say that the technology for growing this fruit, as well
as suitable commercial varieties, have been around for two decades. The cite
that yield is often higher for seedless melons than for either the standard or
icebox watermelon:
Table 1. Yields and fruit weight in Bradenton and Quincy, 1987-1989.
Average Yield Fruit Wt. Seeds
Fruit Type (Cwt/acre) (lb) (No./fruit)
Seedless 613 14.6 0-20
Standard 470 21.4 500-1000
Icebox 419 9.3 200-500
In addition, the authors say that consumer demand for specialty vegetables is
high and these melons provide an attractive alternative for the upscale
consumer and food service industry. Only about 5 percent of commercial
watermelon acreage in Florida is devoted to seedless watermelons, but
plantings are on the rise.
As a first guess, it would seem that pollinating insects would play a small
role in a melon that has no seeds. But the authors say that as many or more
bees are needed to ensure adequate fruit yield than for the other varieties.
This is because the growth hormone needed for seedless fruit comes from pollen
and so normal watermelons must be interplanted to act as a pollen source.
Seedless fruit tends to be malformed unless sufficient pollinizers (normal
watermelons) and bee populations are present. The authors say experienced
watermelon growers should plan on at least the same, and perhaps higher, bee
populations than they have used in the past on regular fruit. This usually
means from one to five colonies per acre or one bee per every hundred flowers
in a field.
Although not emphasized by the authors, use of normal watermelon pollenizers
provides the opportunity to grow two crops, seedless and normal melons,
spreading the risk to the grower. This and the higher yield and price
expected from seedless watermelons are valuable inducements beekeepers might
use while marketing a pollination service to a grower. In the 1990s, service
is what most companies are being urged to provide to customers by consultants.
A good part of the service provided by the would-be pollinator is to help the
grower find new ways of growing and marketing crops.
The authors provide valuable tips on recommended varieties, seed germination,
pollenizer selection and field arrangement to be successful in growing
seedless watermelons. I have copies of the full article available for those
interested in the details. In addition, I publish Hint for the Hive 110, A
Sample Pollination Contract. This and other useful information on watermelon
pollination is available from county extension offices through the beekeeping
database now resident on the Florida Agricultural Information and Retrieval
System (FAIRS).
TRAPPING BEES
Expect more and more discussion about trapping bees as the African bee (AHB)
becomes more established in the United States. The topic is receiving
attention, especially with evidence coming from the University of Florida
concerning limited hybridization in the tropics and subtropics. This research
strongly suggests that two populations of bees may well coexist in Florida in
the future. One will be managed in boxes; the other will be feral and often
out of beekeepers' control.
A great challenge for those in beekeeping in this state, therefore, will be
how to manage the feral population that will reduce nectar resources for, and
genetically mix with, managed bees and become a potential source of stinging
incidents. The bee trap is the logical tool, but we still have a lot to
learn as was abundantly clear at the American Bee Research Conference in
Tucson, Arizona. The following information was gleaned from talks conducted
at this meeting.
What trap styles are available for detection and control of African bees? At
present the paper pulp trap marketed by Scentry, Inc. appears to be the trap
of choice. They recently have introduced one that will take frames, but
experience with this is limited.
What is the necessary trap density for detection and/or control? This is not
well known yet. It was suggested by Dr. Orley Taylor that 80% detection is
possible with 8 traps/square mile in urban areas and 4/square mile in rural
situations. Traps also collect bees from managed apiaries; experience
suggests this reaches a peak between 250 to 500 yards from the apiary.
What about servicing traps? Experience suggests they should be run at least
one to two times a week during the active (dry) season, but at six-week or
one-month intervals in the inactive (wet) season. Two persons can take down
about 100 traps per day. A big problem is how to dispose of the swarms found
in the traps. Unfortunately, destruction of the bees is usually mandatory,
and is the reason for trapping in the first place. Leaving trapped bees in
black plastic in the sun will often be successful.
There are many unknowns about bee trapping technology. Are traps responsible
for bringing in populations that might not be there to begin with? This has
been the result in some cases when traps have been used for pest species like
Japanese beetles. What level of feral bees is acceptable near beekeeping
operations before they affect an operation? This threshold is not known.
Although we have much to learn, it seems reasonable to suggest that this area
will continue to get study as the AHB makes its way across the coastal plain
of the Gulf of Mexico toward the Sunshine State. All evidence so far
suggests that bee trapping is an activity beekeepers will indulge in far more
than in the past.
NATIONAL MEETINGS
I am in receipt of information on the American Beekeeping Federation meeting
this year near Florida in Mobile, Alabama. A special event will be the 1991
American Honey Show including 13 classes: 7 colors of extracted honey, chunk
comb, square and round sections, creamed honey and two classes of beeswax.
Entry forms must reach the Federation office by December 31. The entry itself
must arrive between January 1 and 21, 1991. The convention opens noon on
January 23 at the Stouffer Riverview Plaza Hotel and concludes on the evening
of January 26 with the annual banquet. Travel arrangements are being handled
by Caravelle Travel Management, ph 800/222-6664, and 5 percent discounts are
available on several air carriers. For details on registration, contact the
Federation's business office, P.O. Box 1038, Jesup, GA 31545, ph 912/427-8447.
The American Honey Producers Association will meet in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
January 8-13, at the Holiday Inn Holidome South. Because it will be meeting
in Louisiana, the program has a good lineup of bee scientists talking about
current research going on at the Bee Lab there. American Airlines is the
official carrier with 5 percent discounts, ph 800/433-1790 and ask for STAR
File #S-0111PI. For additional information, contact AHPA Convention, P.O. Box
815, Dayton, TX. Ph 409/258-3034.
HONEY FARMING
I am in receipt of information regarding honey farming from Mr. Geoff Wilson,
Consultant to Greening Australia and Honorary International Secretary of the
International Tree Crops Institute. According to Mr. Wilson, there is
interest in honey farming in Australia. The activity would take the
beekeeping enterprise into areas not yet capitalized on. "A honey-farming
enterprise that provides its own year-around nectar flow from the multitude of
Australian native species available, would not require heavy capital
expenditure on a semi-trailer truck and processing facilities. Instead, a
farmer or group of cooperating farmers could share both hives and honey
extraction and processing equipment. They could also share the cost of an
ancillary money making enterprise--a tourist facility combined with extraction
and processing and retail sales."
As evidence for the potential of honey farming in Australia, Mr. Wilson cites
a honey farmer in Florida in 1978 who owned about 1,000 acres of land planted
in nectar-producing trees and shrubs. According to his sources, Mr. Wilson
indicated the farmer made as much, if not more, from servicing tourist
interests as he did in honey sales. Apparently, the honey farmer was located
near Disney World, but that is all the information we have. If anybody knows
of this activity or the person conducting it, Mr. Wilson asks them to please
communicate this information to me at the APIS newsletter desk. It would not
only be interesting for Australians, of course, but for Floridians as well.
AFRICAN BEES AND OUR NORTHERN NEIGHBORS
The debate continues concerning how far north African bees might establish
themselves in North America. A recent article in the Ontario beekeeping
newsletter indicates the bees are not expected to be a problem in Canada. In
fact, the African bee may be a boon to Canadian beekeeping because that
country now produces about $1 million worth of queens and package bees. This
supply of genetic material might be in demand in areas where the African bee
will be established.
In spite of the above prediction, there is evidence that the full story is
not yet known. A new study by E. Southwick, D. Roubik and J. Williams
indicates that African bees might be more cold hardy than previously
recognized. These investigators predict that North American distribution will
include most of Long Island, New York, parts of Pennsylvania, central Ohio,
Illinois and Indiana and the southern borders of Iowa and Nebraska, central
Colorado, northern Utah, Nevada, western Idaho and Washington state. The
article is entitled: "Comparative Energy Balance in Groups of Africanized and
European Honey Bees: Ecological Implications," Comparative Biochemical
Physiology, Vol. 97A, No. 1, pp 1-7, 1990. Evidence from studies done by
A. Dietz and colleagues in Argentina by USDA some years ago also supports the
idea that the African bee can tolerate relatively low temperatures.
Sincerely,
Malcolm T. Sanford
0740 IFAS, Bldg 970
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-0740
Phone (904) 392-1801, Ext. 143
FAX: 904-392-0190
BITNET Address: MTS@IFASGNV
INTERNET Address: [log in to unmask]
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