Submitted by: Terry Dahms
East Central Iowa Beekeepers Assoc.
internet: [log in to unmask]
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THE BUZZ MARCH, 1994
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A newsletter published monthly as a cooperative effort by The Iowa
Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and The Iowa Honey
Producers Association (IHPA), an affiliate member of the Iowa
Horticultural Society. Copy deadline is the 20th of each month.
Your ideas, comments and letters are welcomed and encouraged.
EDITOR: Bob Cox, State Apiarist, Iowa Dept. of Agriculture,
Wallace Building, Des Monies, IA. 50319 Phone: (515) 281-5736.
IHPA MEMBERSHIP: Membership dues in the Iowa Honey Producers Assn.
are $5.00/year. Send to Gordon Powell, IHPA Treasurer.
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STATE APIARIST REPORT
On February 11 & 12 the Iowa Honey Producers Association had a
booth at the Iowa Fruit & Vegetable Growers Annual Conference.
This seemed to be a very profitable promotion of the beekeeping
industry in Iowa. One beekeeper manning the booth commented, "This
is where we belong. These people are interested in beekeeping."
We have had booths set up for other state conventions and not had
near as much interest. My thanks go to John Johnson, Paul Goossen,
Margaret Hala, Gordon Powell and Walter Clark for manning the booth
on Friday and Saturday.
The theme of the display was: "Successful Bee Pollination is a
Partnership between honey bees and flowers, beekeepers and growers
(and weather factors also)." We served cinnamon-flavored, creamed
and liquid honey on apple slices and snack crackers. A number of
beekeeping information sheets, directories and supply catalogs were
given out. I don't think it will be hard to convince the board to
do this again next year.
I would be interested in talking to any beekeepers in Iowa who
rent bees for pollination of crops. The more we can learn about
the business, the better job we can do of marketing our bees for
pollination. If we do not convince fruit and vegetable growers
that insuring a supply of bee pollinators is important, they will
not reach yield potentials possible and not many colonies of bees
will be rented for pollination in Iowa. This spring let's take
advantage of this opportunity to "make a go" of both of these
businesses. This is a marriage made in heaven.
March is the month to check your apiaries to determine the
condition of your colonies. Find out how many are dead, pick up
those colonies and take them to your shop. You should check the
colonies for weight and feed any that are light. Give them a dose
of terramycin powder also for the prevention of Foulbrood disease.
The winterkill so far in central Iowa is running about 35 to
40 percent of the colonies taken into winter. Some hobbyists have
brought all colonies through the winter alive, while others lost
all their colonies. The commercial apiaries ranged from 7 to 57
percent loss. Twelve apiaries in Polk, Story, Tama, and Poweshiek
counties were checked February 14th and 16th. If you know how many
colonies you have lost this winter so far, I would appreciate
knowing that information. Would you please call or send me a note
at the State Apiarist's office in Des Moines?
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA UPDATE by Dr. Marla Spivak
Recently I received the good news that the grant proposal
submitted to the Minnesota Agricultural Utilization Research
Institute, Pesticide Reduction Options Program (AURI-PRO) was
funded. This is a matching funds program, where money granted by
AURI must be matched dollar for dollar by, in this case, beekeeping
associations. I want to express my sincere thanks to everyone who
rallied to come up with the matching funds: Minnesota Honey
Producers Assn. promised to contribute $32,000, Minnesota Hobby
Beekeeping Assn. $2,000, North Dakota Beekeeping Assn. $8,000, and
Wisconsin Honey Producers Assn. $4,000. I'd also like to add a
special thanks to Erwin and Zada Glew from Iowa for their private
contribution of $150 to the Basil Furgala Scholarship Fund. All
beekeepers have been very supportive our research program here.
Thanks again.
Here is a brief summary of the project I proposed, taken
directly from the proposal:
Our long-term goal is to promote sustainable beekeeping
practices in Minnesota and the upper Midwest by breeding honey
bees resistant to two parasitic mites: varroa mites (Varroa
jacobsoni) and tracheal mites (Acarapis woodi). The use of
resistant bee stocks will reduce the use of pesticides
(miticides) within bee colonies, reducing production costs and
the risk of contaminating honey and beeswax. The breeding
program, already underway at the University of Minnesota,
involves selection for bees that exhibit rapid hygienic
behavior, a genetically based behavior which is a mechanism of
resistance to varroa mites and several bee diseases. Varroa
and disease resistant bees will then be tested for resistance
to tracheal mites. Finally, field tests will be conducted in
collaboration with migratory and non-migratory beekeepers to
compare the performance of the mite resistant bee lines with
the commercial bee stock currently used by these beekeepers for
honey production and overwintering ability. Ultimately, we
hope to make mite resistant breeding stock available to
beekeepers in Minnesota and the upper Midwest.
In other news, we have just completed a professionally-filmed
video of queen rearing that will be used to supplement the manual
for the Queen Rearing Short Course offered again this spring. The
video looks great and we have updated the manual, so the two
together make a nice educational packet. Please look for the ad
for the video and manual, as well as ads for the Queen Rearing and
Beekeeper's Management for Beginners Short Courses in your
newsletter. Hope to see you at these courses.
HONEY BEE QUEEN REARING SHORT COURSE
Come to the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota on
April 22-23 or May 7-8 and get a hands-on experience learning to
rear your own queens. Dr. Marla Spivak will teach the two-day
course which costs $40 and includes an 80-page manual and lunch.
For more information please call (612) 624-2275.
BEWARE OF VARROA MITES THIS YEAR
It is a must this year to pay attention to Varroa mites. We
found this mite in most areas of the state last year. It is
imperative that you check your bees for Varroa early this spring to
decide whether to treat before the honey flow. If you have too
many mites and wait to treat until after your honey is harvested,
you may not have bees to treat in the fall.
You need to understand the mite and bee life-cycles to decide
when to treat and when you can wait. Female Varroa mites
overwinter on the adult bee, sucking bee blood from between the
bee's body segments. Varroa mites cannot reproduce during this
phase of life. Bee populations in late winter are at a low point
for the year. In the early Spring, when bee brood rearing
commences, the reproduction of Varroa mites also starts.
This time of the year the best way to detect Varroa is to put
in mite control strips (APISTAN currently) and count Varroa mites
that fall to a sticky board placed on the bottom board. This will
give a pretty accurate count of the Varroa mites in the colony,
depending on how long the sticky board is left in the hive. The
sticky board should be checked after 24 hours. If the temperature
is above 50 degrees, a piece of 8-mesh hardware cloth or similar
screen should be placed just above the sticky board. The bees may
get stuck on the sticky board or clean off the mites if a
protective screen is not used. If more than 500 mites are found on
sticky board, then the Apistan strips should be left in the hive
and treated according to the label.
The mated female Varroa mite will move into a brood cell and
lay eggs shortly before the cell is capped. At the peak of bee
brood rearing in mid-summer about 80% of the Varroa mites are
located inside the sealed brood cells. During the summer the best
way to assess Varroa mite levels is to sample the brood for mites.
There are several methods available.
A very simple method is to carry a capping scratcher and
remove purple-eyed drone pupae from a brood comb. The large
(pin-head size), dark reddish-brown mites will show up on these
white bodied bees. About 20 drone pupae can be removed at once by
sticking the tines of the scratcher into the drones' thorax (chest)
and prying upwards. HINT: If you do not dig deep enough or the
pupae are too young, you will only remove the heads.
Another method is to remove a whole frame of emerging brood
(drone preferably, but worker brood is acceptable), brush or shake
off adult bees and place in a white plastic, tall kitchen garbage
bag. Store indoors in a warm place for 24 hours. Then shake off
newly emerged bees and return comb to the hive. Pour newly emerged
bees into a quart jar and do the ether roll test. Be sure to look
at the side of the plastic bag for Varroa mites.
The other test that can be used is the "ether roll test". A
more descriptive name for the test would be the ether "shake,
rattle and roll" test. Approximately 300 bees (about a one-inch
deep layer of bees) are placed in a quart mayonnaise or canning
jar. This can be accomplished by shaking bees from a comb into a
cardboard funnel or vacuuming into a jar with a battery operated
portable vacuum. Bees for this test should be taken from the brood
nest, so be careful to locate the queen before performing this
test. Spray a one-second blast of ether (engine starting fluid)
into jar, replace lid and shake. Rotate jar and look for the mites
stuck on the inside surface of the jar. During hot weather the jar
can be left in the sun for 15-20 minutes and mites will fall off
the bees with no ether. Also, a 1/2 inch layer of vegetable oil
can be placed in the jar before the bees instead of spraying ether.
The oil will knock the mites off the bees and make mites visible.
To calculate the number of mites that are on the approximately
30,000 adult bees in the hive, multiply times 100. Also remember
that in the peak of brood rearing only 20% of the Varroa mites are
on the adult bees. To account for this factor, multiply this
number by five. When colonies have little or no brood present in
the late fall or early spring, this adjustment not made.
A level of 10 mites on an ether roll test should trigger
immediate treatment. This level is equivalent to 1,000 to 5,000
mites per beehive, depending on the amount of brood present at the
time of the test. With fewer than ten mites, treatment should be
initiated sometime before October 15th of the same year. Once
mites are found in an apiary, a treatment in the Spring and the
Fall may be necessary to maintain healthy colonies.
PREPARING FOR BEE EMERGENCIES
Monday, February 21st Grundy county beekeepers, Fred Terfehn
and Tim Laughlin, presented a program on "Controlling Bee
Emergencies" to the Grundy Center Volunteer Fire Department. They
showed A.I. Root Company's training video "Controlling Bee
Emergencies" and a recording of a "911" TV program dealing with a
bee emergency. The fire department pictured in the TV program was
not prepared for this type of emergency and served as a good lead
in for discussing the topic. The program was well received by the
25 firemen in attendance.
The videotape can be borrowed from the State Apiarist's Office
for a deposit of $40, refunded when the videotape is returned.
AUCTION: CIBA Annual Auction April Saturday April 23rd in
Cambridge, Iowa, CONSIGNMENTS so far: Arvin Foell - several hundred
deep frames, scraped, melted, and bundles in 10's, ca. 100 entrance
blocks, stainless holding tank & other items listed later. Bob
Mitchell - several 6 5/8 supers with 10 frames of foundation, other
items listed later. Leroy Kellogg - ca. 150 - 6 5/8 supers with
nine frames of drawn white comb. Contact Margaret Hala for
consignments. 1988 Vine Ave., Marshalltown, IA 50158 phone: (515)
752-2981. Consignments will be made in the order received.
BEEKEEPER'S MANAGEMENT SHORT COURSE FOR BEGINNERS
Department of Entomology and Minnesota Extension Service
University of Minnesota
March 11 - 12, 1994
This short course teaches the general principles of managing bees
in the upper Midwest based on Dr. Basil Furgala's "Horizontal Two
Queen" system. The cost of the two-day course is $40 which
includes a 55-page manual & lunch. Please call (612) 624-2275.
SOUTHWESTERN WISCONSIN BEEKEEPERS MEETING
The Southwestern District Spring meeting will be held at the
Metz Honey Farm located on U.S. Highway 61 north of Kieler,
Wisconsin (just across the river from Dubuque, Iowa). Coffee and
rolls furnished. Rolls homemade with honey! Bring a dish to pass
around and your own table service for lunch.
Agenda:
9:00-9:30 Registration, Coffee and Rolls.
9:00-10:15 Phil May, Economics of a larger producer/packer.
10:15-11:00 Ann Garber, Economics of a smaller producer/packer.
11:00-12:00 Tour of the plant, grading honey for color & moisture.
12:00-1:00 POTLUCK LUNCH
1:00-1:45 Bob Cox, Iowa Dept. of Ag. update on mites, what
works, what might work and what doesn't work.
1:45-2:30 Lee Heine, update on Honey Board, A.B.F. and the state
2:30-3:00 Business meeting. Bee yard reports.
FOR SALE: Packaged Bees - 2 lbs. with Queen $23.50; 3 lbs. with
Queen $26.50; All packed with Apistan strips; To be picked up at
Aurora, Iowa April 7th. Contact: Douglas Child (319) 634-3682.
FOR SALE: Complete bee operation, approx. 40-60 doubles with bees
plus all equipment. Date for sale to be announced later. Call Dave
Lambert at (319) 583-8958.
FOR SALE: Hive bodies, 6 5/8 honey supers and half depths in good
to excellent condition. Also covers, inner covers and bottom
boards, etc. Call Dean Hogan in Ft. Madison evenings after 6:00
p.m. or weekends at (319) 372-2310.
FOR SALE: Bee hives, singles and doubles and some equipment.
Treated with Apistan, Menthol and Terramycin in 1993. Mostly 1993
queens. Bottling business has grown and do not have time to run
1,000 hives. Most equipment in good to excellent condition. Call
(608) 568-7601 Days or (608) 748-4706 evenings.
FOR SALE: 80 - 6 5/8 honey supers with 9 frames of drawn comb.
Standard size - most have frame spacers. $3.75 each. Call Monroe
or Janet Neihart near Clarinda (712) 582-3200.
FOR SALE: Frames of brood - no frame exchange. $5.50 per frame
and $2.00 per frame deposit. Single story hives with mite
resistant queens, top & bottom with mouse guards. 10 frames of
brood, pollen, and honey on light comb $44.00 each - $10.00 deposit
per hive. Call Monroe or Janet Neihart near Clarinda (712)
582-3200.
FOR SALE: Walter Kelley equipment at half of new price: Stainless
uncapping tank $120; Cappings melter w/stand & 2 separators $75; 2
- 40 gal. stainless tanks $60; 80 plastic division board feeders
$1.00 each; Electric uncapping knife $20; 100 queen excluders
$2.50; 129 sheets of deep & 560 sheets of wired foundation for 6
5/8 frames; much more misc. Call or write for complete listing:
Steve Lockridge, RR 2, Box 29, Corydon, Iowa 50060 (515) 872-1068.
FOR SALE: Clover honey in barrels or pails. Call Lapp's Bee Supply
Center at 1-800-321-1960.
HELP! HELP!
DO THE BEEKEEPING INDUSTRY AND SOME YOUNG PERSON A BIG FAVOR.
SPONSOR A LOCAL HONEY QUEEN.
Over the past several years Cheryl Ann Ilers and Heather
Pomeroy have served as Iowa State Honey Queens. They both competed
with distinction at the national level. Heather Pomeroy was named
American Honey Princess, which means she placed second in national
competition. She spent considerable time during the past year
promoting beekeeping and honey throughout the nation.
So, what did these young women do to help our industry and
themselves? To tell it all would take a long time to write and
read. Here are some highlights. At little cost to Iowa
beekeepers, they obtained many hours of time on TV and radio where
they effectively promoted beekeeping and honey. The dollar value
of this air time is well into the thousands of dollars. They
personally talked "one to one" with thousands of individuals
telling them about the value of bees, pollination and uses of
honey. They met with well known people and officials such the
Governor and Secretary of Agriculture to promote and underscore the
importance of supporting our industry. They met with a huge number
of groups from young school children to senior citizens,
demonstrating the uses of honey and telling about beekeeping. They
prepared promotional literature used by an untold number of people.
They helped individual beekeepers with promotions in stores and
malls where they sell honey.
A honey queen is able to gain access and focus attention on
beekeeping and honey beyond what is possible for most of us.
Commodity organizations have utilized this type of promotion for
many years and they continue to do so. They know it costs little
and gains them a great deal. It also has great appeal to other
young people. Surely, we are all interested in that.
With all these benefits, it is a grand opportunity for the
young people who become candidates and honey queens. It grants
them a special chance to do wholesome work and to strengthen their
communication skills, work habits and other life skills. Everybody
wins when we help a young person seize the opportunity to become a
queen candidate. Please take the initiative yourself or encourage
someone else to do so. Help a girl in the 13-16 year age range get
started. Simply provide her the opportunity to have experiences so
she learns about bees and honey and helps with promotion. She will
gain the most when she does things for herself. It is a top flight
project for a local association. Provide an opportunity for a
candidate to make presentations at your local association meeting.
If you need any ideas or help in getting started, contact any
member of the State Honey Queen Committee:
Paul Goossen (Chairman) (319) 622-6410
Beverly Powell (515) 278-1762
John & Elaine Johnson (515) 232-6094
Arvin Foell (515) 359-3060
Bob Cox (515) 281-5736
W. John Johnson
Member State Queen Committee
APRIL 1ST DEADLINE FOR APIARY REGISTRATION
The deadline for sending beeyard registration forms to the
State Apiarist's office is April 1st. A listing of apiary
locations is sent to each county ASCS office so that anyone
applying pesticides that are toxic to bees can notify beekeepers
within two miles.
I believe it is very important that every beekeeper register
their apiaries. The reasons are two-fold. 1.) When you are
notified of a toxic spray in advance you have the option of moving
or covering colonies to protect them from poisoning. 2.) When a
large number of beekeepers register their apiaries this sends a
message to the pesticide applicators and land owners that we are
paying attention to our bees and care enough to register. I
believe, the end result is that the applicators are more careful
around our bees.
Please send registration forms to the State Apiarists Office
by April 1st. If we don't register, I'm afraid we will start
seeing a great deal more bee poisoning in the future.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
MARCH
11 Southwest Iowa Honey Producers Meeting at 59-er
North of Harlan on U.S. Hwy. 59. 5:30 p.m. Social Hour
and 6:30 Dinner followed by program and business mtg.
12 IHPA Board Meeting 1:00 p.m. at Royal Cafe in Huxley.
14 Eastcentral Iowa Beekeepers Assn. Meeting 7:00 p.m. at
Montgomery Hall, Johnson County Fairgrounds, Iowa City.
19 Central Iowa Beekeepers Assn. Meeting. 5:30 p.m.
Buffet dinner. 6:30 p.m. Meeting (Election of
Officers). Royal Cafe in Huxley. DIRECTIONS: Take
Hwy. 210 exit from I-35 and go west to U.S. Hwy. 69.
Go north to Huxley one mile, then through town to the
shopping center on the east side of the highway.
19 & 20 "A Honey of a Weekend" - Des Moines Botanical Center,
909 East River Drive, Des Moines. Come and
enjoy a foretaste of spring, bee crafts, bee stories
and songs, a bee herb display, and other honey bee
related activities for all ages, all under the dome.
OPEN: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
26 Southwest Wisconsin Honey Producers Meeting. 9:00 a.m.-
3:00 p.m. Metz Honey Farm. Hwy 61 North of Kieler, WI
(just across the river from Dubuque, Iowa). See program
in article on page 5.
A HONEY OF A VERSE
"The judgements of the LORD are ... sweeter than honey" (Psalm 19)
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