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            Florida Extension Beekeeping Newsletter
    Apis--Apicultural Information and Issues (ISSN 0889-3764)
               Volume 13, Number 9, September 1995
 
      Copyright (c) 1995 M.T. Sanford "All Rights Reserved"
 
                        SEPTEMBER SEMINAR
 
     The third annual beekeeping seminar held in Florida's
Panhandle has just been completed.  This meeting featured several
distinguished speakers, including Dr. Clarence Collison, chairman
of the department of entomology, Mississippi State University,
former extension apiculturist at Penn State University, and Dr.
John Miller, plant (and now honey bee) pathologist with the
Division of Plant Industry, Florida Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services.  Dr. Collison spoke on swarm management and
pollination, whereas Dr. Miller discussed diagnosis of American
foulbrood at the laboratory level.  The seminar also featured a
half-day of open-hive demonstrations.  Of special interest was a
discussion by one of the younger beekeepers in the region, Mark
Bundrick, on his management style and future plans.
 
     The seminar, held as a substitute for the traditional Florida
Beekeeper's Institute (see September 1993 APIS), appears to be an
idea that is catching on in beekeeping circles around the state.
Another was held last spring in Clay County and will be scheduled
again next year with an expanded program.  In addition, the Central
Florida and Tampa Bay beekeepers are considering holding one of
their own.
 
     Several key ingredients appear to have contributed to the
success of these  seminars.  Each differs somewhat depending on
venue.  In Florida's Panhandle, the Escarosa and Tupelo
associations combined forces with the local bee inspector, Joe
Robinson.  In Clay County, the local cooperative extension office
was involved, again in conjunction with the inspector in that area,
Tomas Mozer.  The ideal recipe for an outstanding seminar,
therefore, would seem to be for all three entities (local
inspector, local Cooperative Extension Office and local
association) to work together.  In an effort to promote more
seminars around the state, a session on this is to be scheduled at
the October meeting of the Florida State Beekeepers Association.
 
        FLORIDA STATE BEEKEEPERS MEET IN CYPRESS GARDENS
 
        October 26, 27 and 28 are the dates for the annual Florida
State Beekeepers Association convention.  This year's event takes
place in Cypress Gardens with an expanded program.  It is scheduled
to begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday, October 26, with a swap meet
dedicated to selling or trading beekeeping equipment.  The
traditional free barbecue will follow at 6 p.m.  This is a special
meeting because it marks the Association's 75th annual convention.
A special registration packet is due to be sent to all members.
For further information, contact the executive secretary, Ms.
Eloise Cutts, 2237 NW 16th Ave., Gainesville, FL 32605, ph 904/378-
7719.
 
                      NATIONAL HONEY MONTH
 
     September and October begin what is traditionally a time of
increased honey marketing activity, culminating in the holiday
season from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day.  September is routinely
declared National Honey Month and the National Honey Board also
increases its efforts at this time of year.  A recent news release
from the Colorado office says to look for several advertisements
featuring the squeeze bear this fall and winter in Family Circle,
Woman's Day, Better Homes and Gardens and other magazines.
 
     It is ironic that a bear, considered by many beekeepers to be
nothing more than a honey bee colony pest, is an icon that the
Board has used with great success to market honey.  So much so that
Mary Humann, marketing director for the National Honey Board, says
research indicates the featured squeeze bear is responsible for
better read and remembered ads than those published by many brands
that are household names.
 
     Besides doing its own promotions, the Board actively helps
beekeepers promote and sell their own honey (see February, March
and June, 1995 issues of APIS).   It has recently developed sales
kits dedicated to selling in foodservice and industrial markets and
also is distributing press kits for the upcoming holiday season,
and hang tags to brighten up retail packs.  This winter, it will
put on two marketing seminars.  One will be held December 1 and 2
in Minneapolis, MN.  Another dedicated to exporting honey,
will be conducted Saturday, January 20, 1996 at the Red Lion
Hotel/Lloyd Center in Portland, OR, in conjunction with the annual
meeting of the American Beekeeping Federation.  For more
information on any of the Board's programs, call toll free, 1-800-
553-7162.
 
                         FINDING QUEENS
 
     Those new to beekeeping are often surprised that most of the
technology of the craft was developed before 1900.  Only one,
instrumental insemination, evolved after the turn of the century.
The next question often asked is what technology is left to be
developed.  Most beekeepers would say that a quick and effective
method of finding a queen would be very high on the list.
 
     In volumes 30 and 31 of Beekeeping & Development, two
scientists from Latin America discuss this topic.  B.M. Freitas
from Brazil suggests a method based on the unique odor of a colony
and the intolerance of one queen for another.  Beekeepers in that
country, faced with extremely defensive Africanized honey bees, had
to develop a method that did not overly disturb a colony.  In
summary, the technique replaces a frame in the colony where the
queen is sought with a frame shaken free of clinging bees from
another colony.  If little smoke has been used in the process,
after three to five minutes, the queen, prompted by the different
odor, will move to the introduced frame in search of a rival.  The
beekeeper then only has to look at that one frame for the queen.
 
     Dr. William Ramirez from Costa Rica describes a couple of
variations on this theme.  He suggests moving all the frames one at
a time into another box placed on the original hive stand, in the
process scanning each comb for the queen.  If she is not seen, the
walls of the original box can be examined and, if necessary, the
remaining bees can be shaken onto a light-colored board.  Should
the above method be impossible because of a large, defensive bee
population, he says to move the original colony away and put a box
with a frame of brood in the old location .  Over time, the
defensive, older bees will fly back to the original location.  Now
it is relatively easy to find the queen amongst fewer bees that are
younger and less defensive.
 
     Finally, Dr. Ramirez describes two other methods based on
queen odor.  A spare, live queen can be introduced into a colony
using a push-in cage.  After a time, the queen being sought will
migrate to the cage and attempt to fight with the introduced
adversary.  In a variation of this, dead queens kept in a freezer
can also be pinned to the top bar of a frame.  Again, the queen
being sought will move toward and attempt to fight with this
interloper.
 
                        4-H ESSAY CONTEST
 
     Last year, Florida recorded its first winner in a long time in
the American Beekeeping Federation's 4-H Essay Contest (See May
1995 APIS).  We had a record number of entrants and interest is
still high.  I look forward to a bumper crop of essays from around
the state again this year. Here are the details for 1996:
 
     Cash prizes to three top winners:
          1st Place $250.00
          2nd Place $100.00
          3rd Place $ 50.00
 
     Each state winner also receives an appropriate book about
honey bees, beekeeping or honey.
 
The title of the essay is:  How Honey Bees Ensure Our Food Supply.
It should explore the role honey bees play, through the pollination
of crops, to insure a plentiful, varied and inexpensive food
supply.  Part of the effort should include an analysis of the range
of crops benefited by honey bee pollination and how that
pollination influences the plants' quantity, sometimes called
yield, and quality [size, shape, flavor].  Finally, the question of
why honey bees are essential to crop cultivation given they are not
native to the Americas should be addressed.
 
Sources:  The scope of research will be an essential judging
criterion.  Personal interviews with beekeepers and farmers should
be documented.  Sources not cited in endnotes should be listed in
a "resources" or "bibliography" list.
 
RULES:
     1.   Contest is open to active 4-H Club members only.  4-H'ers
who have previously placed first, second, or third at the national
level are not eligible; other state winners are eligible to re-
enter.  [Editor's note:  In the past, I have accepted last-minute
mail-in and faxes of entries.  However, I often have no way to
confirm that those entering were indeed active Florida 4-H members.
This year, in order to be considered at all, entries must be
forwarded to me through 4-H extension agents.]
 
     2.   Essays must be 750 to 1000 words long, written on the
designated subject only.  All factual statements must be referenced
with endnotes; failure to do so will result in disqualification of
the essay.  A brief biographical sketch of the essayist, including
date of birth, complete mailing address, and telephone number, must
accompany the essay. (The word limit does not include the
references or the essayist's biographical sketch.)
 
     3.   Essays submitted must be typewritten, double-spaced, on
one side of the paper and should follow standard manuscript format.
Handwritten essays will not be judged.
 
     4.   Essays will be judged on (a) accuracy, (b) creativity,
(c) conciseness, (d) logical development of the topic, and (e)
scope of research.  [Editor's note:  A change in the rules this
year mandates that the scope of research will count 75 percent of
an essay's rating.]
 
     5.   Essayists in Florida should forward essays directly to 4-
H Beekeeping Essay Contest, Dr. M.T. Sanford, Bldg. 970, Box
110620, Gainesville, FL 32611-0620.  The deadline is February 12,
1996.
 
     6.   Each state may submit only one entry.
 
     7.   Final judging and selection of the national winner will
be made by the ABF Essay Committee, whose decision is final.
 
     8.   The national winner will be announced by May 1, 1996.
 
     9.   All entries become the property of the American
Beekeeping Federation, Inc. and may be published or used as it sees
fit.  No essay will be returned.
 
                          GOING ONLINE
 
     Over the last year, record numbers of persons are going
"online" by connecting their computer through a modem attached to
a telephone line to what is called a "provider."  These range from
the very large [America Online(R), Compuserv(R)] to smaller, local
providers.  Each has a range of services, but all give access to
electronic mail which travels the Internet.
 
     An electronic mail address has two parts.  The name of person
followed by a machine or provider name.  The two names are
separated by the @ symbol.  I will be publishing these as time goes
on.  If you wish to be listed, send me your address.  The following
are of significance to Florida beekeepers:
 
[log in to unmask]         Bee Culture editor, Kim Flottum
[log in to unmask]         BeeScience editor, Dr. Larry Connor
[log in to unmask]       Florida Beekeepers Association president,
                              Robert Kelley
 
 
 
Sincerely,
 
 
Malcolm T. Sanford
Bldg 970, Box 110620
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-0620
Phone (904) 392-1801, Ext. 143
FAX: 904-392-0190
BITNET Address: MTS@IFASGNV; INTERNET Address: [log in to unmask]
APIS on the World Wide Web--
http://gnv.ifas.ufl.edu/~entweb/apis/apis.htm
Copyright (c) M.T. Sanford 1995  "All Rights Reserved"