FILENAME: DECAPIS.T9X
Apis--Apicultural Information and Issues
Florida Extension Beekeeping Newsletter
Volume 7, Number 12, December 1989
THE 1990s--WHAT MIGHT WE EXPECT?
There seems little doubt that the apicultural event of the next decade will be
the arrival of the African honey bee. It has been reported 200 miles south of
the Texas border and on the move. Unfortunately, after a great many years of
study, prediction, and controversy, we still do not know for certain how this
bee will affect beekeeping in the United States. Reports of the Brazilian
experience at the recent Apimondia meeting in Rio de Janeiro clearly showed
that the arrival of this insect will demand change in management practices.
Although many are focusing on the African honey bee, the 1990s will also bring
attention to other issues which cannot be ignored when considering
beekeeping's future.
Food safety and sustainable agriculture are certainly at the top of the list.
An offshoot of the first term is the increasing interest in "organic" foods.
This is good news for beekeepers; honey has a reputation as a healthful,
organic product. At the present time, however, confusion reigns over this
terminology. Because true standards don't exist, many use the word for their
own purposes, defined in their own terms.
Ms. Pat Radloff in her newsletter, "Better Beekeeping," recently published a
first draft of organic honey standards for the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm
Association. Proposals include certifying each apiary as free of disease and
chemicals. Other conditions: no chemicals to be introduced into the hive for
mite or disease detection, no sugar to be fed colonies while honey supers are
on, no wood to be treated with unapproved preservatives (creosote), and no
product to be heated above 140 degrees F. Ms. Radloff emphasizes that these
will only be enforced for products to be labelled "organic." However, the
rest of the industry will not be immune from many of these issues in the next
decade.
Agrichemical Age's editor, Mr. Len Richardson, also sees food safety as an
issue that will change agriculture in the 1990s. However, he writes that
resistance to this change by farmers and chemical manufacturers threatens to
isolate them. Fortunately, there are some things that individuals can do to
reduce the impact. He recommends:
1. Backing legislation supporting a negligible risk standard for chemicals in
food, as opposed to no risk and zero tolerance as is currently the case.
2. Supporting strong, uniform national guidelines or face regulatory
decisions at every level, including your local supermarket.
3. Encouraging investment in research to rebuild an environmentally strong,
value-added agriculture.
4. Recognizing that public perception is a stronger reality than scientific
or economic fact.
5. Understanding the need for change. The old, single focus on production
and yields must give way to a systems approach that integrates production,
processing, marketing and public constraints into a more profitable
agriculture.
Mr. Richardson's last item points directly to the tenents of sustainable
agriculture. Again, like the word "organic," sustainable agriculture means
many things to many people. However, the ideas behind the terminology cannot
be ignored. Dr. Eric Mussen in "From the UC Apiaries," believes it is so
important that he devoted the majority of two issues of this newsletter to the
concept. Dr. Mussen reports that some $350,000 has already been redirected
toward the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP) and
several new positions will also be created in the near future. The Director
of the SAREP says, "...Growers want farming systems that are more economical
yet environmentally sensitive. The cutting edge in farming is at the
agricultural-environmental boundary. We must ask a broader set of questions
and change the way we organize ourselves."
The same advice is applicable to beekeepers in the 1990s. This is especially
true now that pesticides are playing an increasingly larger role in reducing
mite populations in beehives. Most agree that chemical treatment can only be
looked at as a stop-gap measure. It is the long-range strategy, however,
encouraged by the sustainable agriculture concept, that will prevail. As Mr.
Richardson concludes: "Our country, to say nothing of manufacturers, has a
short term, tomorrow's quarterly report, investment focus. Instead of short
term manipulation of money, the United States should be concerned with
productive long-term investment in agriculture and manufacturing."
Predicting the future of beekeeping in the new decade is risky business. One
reason is that there are so many levels of the activity, from the few outfits
that run tens of thousands of colonies to those with less than ten. However,
some principles will apply at all levels. Changing from extensive beekeeping
to more intensive, efficient management will be necessary. Innovative ideas
are needed to help beekeepers find, mark, select and certify queens. Managing
excessive stinging, swarming and absconding will be major challenges presented
by introduction of the African bee. Genetic resistance to diseases and pests
with less, not more, reliance on chemical treatments must also be on every
beekeeper's agenda. Discovering new outlets and ways to market the natural
products of the honey bee should be part of any long-range strategy, as will
intensive financial management. Most authorities believe that the chance of
finding the greatest efficiencies is not in producing, but in marketing and
fine tuning finances.
As mentioned above, developing solutions to the future's agriculture problems
will require asking different, broader questions. For beekeeping it will mean
looking at the whole enterprise rather than breaking it down into smaller and
smaller parts. The 1990s can be looked at as a disastrous era when unexpected
changes only mean failure and despair or an exciting time which presents fresh
challenges. In the final analysis, it will depend on whether those involved
perceive their cup as half empty or half full.
1990 4-H ESSAY CONTEST
It's time again to enter the 4-H Essay Contest sponsored by the American
Beekeeping Federation. Florida has yet to have a national winner, but each
year the state sends forth its finest effort for judging. Last year, only 27
states had a finalist. This increases the odds for those taking the time to
write the essay. As every writer knows, perseverance and patience pays off.
This year's topic is "The Relationship Between Honey Bees and Man Through the
Ages." To provide some background, here is what the announcement says about
this year's subject: "Man and honey bees have enjoyed an unusual relationship
through the ages. The earliest records of this have been found in cave
drawings. Aside from the obvious role of providing honey to eat and
pollinating plants, the honey bee has played other parts in history, including
involvement in war. Develop an essay on this relationship, covering as many
different facets of it as you can." As an addendum, I might point on that
essayists should not forget the honey bee's impact on women's lives.
NOTICE: There has been a major rule change this year. Handwritten essays
will no longer be accepted. See rule five (5) below.
AWARDS: $250.00 cash prize to the winning essayist
$100.00 cash prize to the 2nd place winner
$ 50.00 cash prize to the 3rd place winner
A copy of an appropriate book about honey bees, beekeeping or honey will be
presented to the other state winners.
RULES:
1. Essays will be judged on (1) accuracy, (2) creativity, (3) conciseness,
(4) logical development of the argument, and (5) scope of research.
2. All factual statements must be referenced; failure to do so will result in
disqualification.
3. Contest is open to active 4-H members only.
4. Essays must be 750 to 1000 words long on the designated subject only.
(This limit does not include the references or biographical sketch).
5. Essays MUST be typewritten, double-spaced, on one side of the paper and
should follow standard manuscript form. They MUST also include a BRIEF
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH of the writer, INCLUDING COMPLETE MAILING ADDRESS AND
TELEPHONE NUMBER.
6. All entries become the property of the American Beekeeping Federation and
may be published or used as it sees fit. NO ESSAY WILL BE RETURNED.
7. Each state 4-H office is responsible for selecting one winner (only one
per state is allowed) to forward to the Secretary's office for judging at the
national level. Florida entries should be sent by April 1, 1990 to James
Northrop, State 4-H Office, 115 Rolfs Hall, 0321 IFAS, University of Florida,
Gainesville, FL 32611-0321. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD ESSAYS BE DIRECTLY
MAILED TO THE OFFICE OF THE AMERICAN BEEKEEPING FEDERATION.
8. Winners will be announced by July 1, 1990.
DOMESTIC/EXPORT SALES SEMINAR
The National Honey Board is holding its annual domestic and export sales
seminars in New Orleans. The Domestic Sales Seminar is on March 1 and
includes presentations on consumer, foodservice and industrial market
research, as well as the National Honey Board's plans for 1990. The Export
Sales Seminar will take place the following day (March 2) with reports on the
honey markets in Japan, Saudi Arabia and West Germany.
I have heard nothing but rave reviews about last year's seminar held in
Nashville. Mr. Bill Merritt, who represents Florida on the Board, attended.
You might contact him (phone 904/962-9051) for further information. Advanced
registration is $150 which includes breaks, lunches, meeting materials and
speaker costs. Individual registration for the Domestic Sales Seminar is
$65.00 and for the Export Sales Seminar, $95. After February 15, the costs
rise to $180 for full registration or $75.00 and $105.00 for the Domestic and
Export Seminars. Special room rates of $69/single and $79/double are
available at the Fairmont Hotel in New Orleans as are 50% discounted airline
fares. For more information, contact Tina Tindall at the National Honey Board
ph 303/776-2337 or facsimile (FAX) 303/776-1177.
WHAT'S BUZZIN'
The National Honey Board is distributing an educational packet for school use.
It contains a videotape, teacher's guide and worksheets. The information is
tailored to grades 4-6 and features child reporters. Their newscast, "What's
Buzzin'" shows interviews with Dr. Jim Tew and Mr. Dwight Stoller. To order
materials, send a check for $15.00 to: National Honey Board Educational Video,
421 21st Ave., Suite 203, Longmont, CO 80501-1421.
1989 IN REVIEW
New Year's Day ushers in a new decade. 1990 will also bring you the 83rd
consecutive number of APIS, first published under that name in 1983. If you
have suggestions about how this newsletter will better meet your needs in the
next decade, please let me know.
A glance at the events of 1989 reveals that we are indeed in extraordinary
times which require special tools to make decisions and that diagnostics of
the bee colony is a concept whose time has come. Importing bee stock was on
many persons' minds; so was ethics and the collapse of the negotiated rule-
making federal Varroa quarantine.
Through the miracle of electronic communications, I was able to publish four
issues while on faculty development leave in Italy. These described how
Italians are coping with many of the same issues confronting Florida
beekeepers. Finally, there were concerns about how changes such as mite
infestations and introduction of the African honey bee will affect swarm
collecting and what measures can be taken to eliminate nuisance honey bee
nests. A more detailed index follows:
January--Reflections on Management in Extraordinary Times; Making Decisions in
Times of Risk.
February--A Case for Diagnostics; 1989 Essay Contest; Honey Export Sales
Seminar, Melaleuca Survey.
March--Updating the Mailing list; Terramycin Use; Purchasing Microscopes;
Proposed Federal Varroa Quarantine.
April--Importing Bee Stock; Mite Assessment; Pesticide Treadmill.
May--On the Business of Ethics; Bar Codes on Bees.
June--Varroa Rule-What Happened?; Pricing Your Product; Wild Bees
July--Publishing APIS from Italy; Observations on Italy and Italian
Beekeeping; Flyways for Bees.
August--Observations on Italian Beekeeping.
September--More on Italy; Honey-Le Italiane lo Fanno Meglio; the EEC-A Force
to Reckon with.
October--On Remembrances; Varroa in Italy: The Florida Connection.
November--Swarm Collecting; Stopping Bees; Drugs and Disease; Menthol
Registration: Caveats.
Florida county extension offices can access back issues on the IFAS Computer
Network. At the $ prompt, enter exactly as below:
TYPE [MTS.NEWSLET]---APIS.T9X
The dashes correspond to the first three letters of the month desired. For
example, the January issue is JANAPIS.T9X. If problems are encountered,
please contact me on the Network at username MTS.
Sincerely,
Malcolm T. Sanford
0132 IFAS
202 Newell Hall
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-0132
Phone (904) 392-1989
BITNET Address: MTS@IFASGNV
INTERNET Address: [log in to unmask]
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