Submitted by: Terry Dahms, Pres. East Central Iowa Beekeepers Assoc. internet: [log in to unmask] ps: sorry for the delay in posting. ------------------------------------------------------------------ THE BUZZ JUNE, 1994 ------------------------------------------------------------------ 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------ STATE APIARISTS REPORT What a fantastic spring for the bees we have had! You can expect lots of swarming if you have not managed the bees properly. It is time to start thinking about getting supers on your colonies and preparing for the harvest. That brings up the Iowa State Fair. Get involved this year. Enter some of your best product in the apiary division or perhaps cook something with honey to enter in the food division. It doesn't matter whether your bees produce dark or light honey, liquid or comb honey, beautiful beeswax or a nice observation beehive. There is a class for everyone. Think about putting in a bid for selling honey or beeswax at the Iowa Honey Producers Association Salesbooth at State Fair. We could really use good quality product and at the same time promote our favorite industry or hobby. I am finding the Varroa mite in many places around the state this year. Beware of this mite and treat if you have them. Time is running out to treat this spring, if not already past in most areas of the state. The black locust trees are blooming now (May 23rd) and some sweet clover is starting to bloom here in central Iowa. This is the time of year to put on supers for the bees to store surplus honey. In June there are local beekeepers meetings being held in Marshalltown, Iowa City and Davenport. For specific dates, places, and times consult the "Calendar of Events." These are a great opportunity to compare notes and see how other beekeepers do things. Why not pick one closest to you and attend it? If you want to be on a list of beekeepers wanting to retrieve swarms or need bees inspected before July 1st, give me a call at (515) 281-5736. - Bob Cox CENTRAL IOWA BEEKEEPERS MEETING The Central Iowa Beekeepers Association (CIBA) will hold their summer meeting at the Anson Park Shelter House in Marshalltown June 18th at 5:30 p.m. A member appreciation meal will be cooked and served by CIBA board members for continued support of the membership. The program will follow at 6:30 p.m. featuring Bob Mitchell, Tim Laughlin and Bob Cox (Mo, Larry and Curly?) For further information contact Margaret Hala (515) 752-2981. IOWA SUMMER BEEKEEPING FIELD DAY Saturday, July 23rd the Iowa Honey Producers and Central Iowa Beekeepers Association will hold a beekeeping field day at the Riverside Bible Camp near Story City, Iowa. The camp is located just 2 miles off of I-35 about 20 miles north of Ames. Registration is at 8:30 a.m. and the program will last until 4:00. Dr. Marla Spivak of the University of Minnesota Bee Research Laboratory will present a program on queen management: finding and evaluating the queen, queen selection, breeding, rearing methods, replacement and introduction methods. Everyone attending will get a copy of the new disease booklet published by the University of Minnesota. The morning will start out with a walking tour of bee plants on the grounds. Breakout sessions in the afternoon will include choices of Comb Honey Production, Pollen Trapping, Beginning Beekeeping, or Bee Diseases and Pests. The camp setting is a great place for beekeepers and their families. There is a beeyard with a screened-in observation building on the property. Some of the talks and lunch will be held in an air-conditioned retreat center. Pre-registration ($4.00 for single or family) is required for a prepared meal ($5.75 per adult) or you could bring your own lunch and eat at picnic tables outside. To register fill out the form on page 9 and send in with your check for the registration and meal. The registration fee at the door is $5.00. For further information contact Bob Cox, State Apiarist, Iowa Department of Agriculture, Wallace Building, Des Moines, IA 50319 (515) 281-5736 or Gordon Powell, 4012 - 54th St., Des Moines, IA 50310 (515) 278-1762. SCOTT COUNTY BEEKEEPERS FIELD TRIP Thurday, June 16th at 6:00 p.m. the Scott County Beekeepers Association will hold a beekeeping field trip. Meet at Al Gruber's beeyard at 1945 Wisconsin St. on the west side of Davenport. This will be a hands-on experience in the beeyard or you may want to watch. Anyway, bring you own hat, beeveil and other personal gear if you have it. However, come even if you do not, because we will have some extra equipment for you to use. We will identify queens, swarm cells, and other aspects of a bee colony. We will demonstrate how to make splits and requeen colonies and when to place supers on colonies for surplus honey production. Hopefully, we will not have a rainstorm again. DIRECTIONS: Turn north on Wisconsin Street off of Locust, 1 1/4 miles east of I-280. Come and bring a friend. For further information contact Ray & Jo Whitwood (319) 263-0992. HONEY OF A VERSE "John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins... And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild HONEY" (Mark 1:4,6) NOSEMA IN HONEYBEES by Carol Fassbinder (Hawkeye Science Fair Winner) In the past four winters the winter kill rate for honeybees in Iowa has been 50-75%. In my science fair project I wanted to determine if Nosema disease is a contributor to such a high winter loss. I predicted that the colonies that were treated with Fumadil-B will have little or no Nosema spores, and survive winter better than the colonies that were not treated. Procedure: I tested 8 different yards (averaging 26 colonies per yard) and gathered a 25-bee sample from each. Yards #1 and #2 were treated with Fumadil-B and winter-wrapped, #3 and #4 were treated and not wrapped, #5 and #6 were not treated but wrapped, and #7 and #8 were not treated and not wrapped for winter. At each yard I recorded the number of living colonies in the spring. I then dissected the bees by removing the head, then grasping the stinger end of the abdomen, and gently removing the insides. After removing the insides from 25 bees, the gut, ventriculus and honey stomach were ground up with 25 millilters of water (1 ml per bee) with a mortar and pestle. I used a wire loop to transfer a small amount of this solution onto the hemocytometer for counting the number of Nosema spores. Under a 430 power microscope I counted the Nosema spores in 80 small squares on a special grid and used a mathematical formula to calculate the correct number of spores per bee and the level of infestation. Results: The Nosema infestation is displayed in Table 1 and the winter survival rate is shown in Table 2 on page 4. In yards #1 and #2 (Fumadil & wrapped) the average spore count was 1,667 spores per bee, and they had an average winter survival rate of 85% and the amount of dysentery was extremely low. In yards #3 and #4 (Fumadil but not wrapped) there were 24,834 spores per bee and they had an average winter survival rate of 85% and was not much dysentery dtectable at these yards. In yard #5 and #6 (no Fumadil but wrapped) the average spore count was 66,665 spores per bee, and 83% winter survival raate and there was a fair amount of dysentery on the outside of the hives, but the inside of the hives were still clean. In yards #7 and #8 (no Fumadil & not wrapped) the spore count was 152,667 spores per bee, with only 31% surviving winter and dysentery covering the front of the hives, as well as the inside of the hives. Conclusions: It appears that if the bees are either well protected for winter by wrapping or treated with Fumadil-B, their winter survival is reasonable. However, if the bees are neither treated with Fumadil-B, nor protected by wrapping, they do not survive winter well. I conclude that winter protection is more important than treating with Fumadil-B (because of the added expense). If the bees are not protected, then treatment with Fumadil-B is essential. Since other factors play a part in winter survival, more reasearch needs to be done. (Carol is a 7th grader at Valley Community School and daughter of Robert and Kathy Fassbinder , commercial beekeepers from Elgin, Iowa.) Figure 1 - Number of Nosema Figure 2 - Winter survival rate spores per bee in the spring in the spring of 1994 after of 1994 after colonies were colonies were treated with treated with Fumadil (3+4), Fumadil-B or wrapped or both wrapped (5+6), both (1+2) or or neither. neither (7+8). CALENDAR OF EVENTS JUNE 13 Eastcentral Iowa Beekeepers Meeting 7:00 p.m. in basement of Montgomery Hall, Johnson County Fairgrounds, Iowa City 16 Scott County Beekeeping Field Day 7:00 p.m. at Al Gruber's beeyard, 1945 Wisconsin St. in Davenport. 18 Central Iowa Beekeepers Dinner & Meeting 5:30 p.m. at Anson Park Shelter House in Marshalltown. Program at 6:30 25 IHPA Board Mtg. 1:00 p.m. at Royal Cafe in Huxley. JULY 13-15 Eastern Apicultural Society Annual Conference in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Contact Maryann Frazier telephone: (814) 865-4621. 23 IHPA/CIBA Summer Field Day at Riverside Church Camp, Story City, Iowa. Contact Gordon Powell or Bob Cox for further details. NOVEMBER 11-12 Iowa Honey Producers Annual Meeting in Marshalltown. WHAT TO DO ABOUT SWARMING (Reprinted from the Alaska newsletter - By Dr. Clarence Collison, Mississippi State University) Swarming is an instinctive desire of honeybees to increase their numbers by reproducing at the colony level, giving them twice the chance to survive. While this behavior is not fully understood, several factors contribute to the swarming impulse. The major factor is congestion in the brood area which is related to population size and availability of space. Swarming also is associated with the production and distribution of chemicals secreted by the queen. When there is a shortage of these secretions (queen substance), the bees make queen cells in preparation for swarming or supercedure (a natural replacement of an established queen by a daughter in the same hive). Swarming also may be modified by the weather. When colonies are strong and developing, good weather following some bad weather seems to accentuate the swarming fever. Other factors that contribute to swarming include poor ventilation, a failing queen, heredity and an imbalance in the makeup of the worker bee population. Most swarming occurs during April and May in Mississippi, and you need to check the colonies every 8 to 10 days during this season. The presence of queen cells in the brood area is the first indication the colony is preparing to swarm or supercede its queen. Swarm cells are commonly found on or near the bottom bars of the combs in the upper brood chamber(s). Whereas supercedure queen cells are generally found on the face of the comb. To check quickly for swarm cells, tip back the top brood chamber(s) and look up between the frames, destroy all (unsealed) swarm cells. Unfortunately, cutting out queen cells seldom prevents swarming; it only delays it since the bees usually construct more cells in a few days. Once the bees succeed in capping a queen cell, they are committed to swarming. (Tennessee Apiculture March-April 1991) I am not hard hearted--some of the time but I have a hard time feeling sorry for people who allow their bees to swarm when they don't watch their bees. July is our usual swarming time. This year the first swarm was reported June the 5th. Caging the queen first week of July to prevent swarming won't work as well this year due to the fact that the bees are swarming early. It will do the other jobs in to brood rearing, etc., that I write about. Cutting out queen cells--my way of saying it--it is a waste of time. Why? Because even experienced beekeepers miss them and when the bees have their jogging shoes on cutting out cells will not stop them, just slow them down a few days. Separate the brood from the queen by an excluder and give an uppper entrance. Let them swarm but stay in the hive. FOR SALE: queen excluders, Kelley 33-frame extractor, sump tank, 1" pump, Dadant Wax melter, Cowen uncapper, 2 - 3000 gal. S.S. corn syrup tanks, and more. Call days (608) 568-7601 or evenings (608) 748-4706. ESPY APPOINTS NEW MEMBERS TO NATIONAL HONEY BOARD Mike Espy, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, appointed two producer members, one exporter member and one cooperative member as well as alternates for each position to the National Honey Board. The new members' three-year terms commenced April 1 and expire on March 31, 1997. H. Binford Weaver, Navasota, Texas, was reappointed to serve as producer member representing Region 5 (Al, AR, LA, MS, MO, OK, TN and TX). Bobby E. Coy, Jonesboro, Arkansas was appointed as the alternate for Weaver. Stephen A. Conlon, Proctor, W.V. was appointed to serve as producer member representing Region 7 (CT, DL, DC, IL, IN, KY, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, RI, SC, VT, VA, and WV). David E. Hackenberg, Lewisburg, PA was appointed as the alternate for Conlon. John (Doug) McGinnis, Edgewater, FL was appointed to serve as exporter member. Robert E. Coyle, Bellevue, WA, a honey importer, was appointed as the alternate for McGinnis. Newly appointed members of the nominating committee are: Jerry A. Brown, Haddam, KS; Glenn E. Davis, Blue Springs, MO; Todd D. Larson, Billings, MT; Joann M. Olstrom, Reedsport, OR; Glen R. Wollman, Parker, SD; Donald J. Kohn, Withee, WI; and Charles D. Hannum, Arlington, VA. Reappointed for three terms on the nominations committee are: Reg G. Wilbanks, Claxton, GA; Donald T. O'Neill, Baton Rouge, LA; Jacob C. DeKorne, Ellsworth, MI; Darl B. Stoller, Latty, OH and Stephen H. Dilley, Nashville, TN. FRANK PELLETT, APICULTURE PIONEER, REMEMBERED An excellent article about the Hyssop honey plant, a member of the mint family, by Ayers and Widrlechner was published in the May 1994 American Bee Journal. In this article quite a mention of Frank Pellett was made with respect to his work on this honey plant. The following is quoted from this article: "Because of his extensive writing on the subject, Frank Pellett (1879-1951), more than anyone else, created a place in U.S. apicultural history for A. foeniculum (anise hyssop). Mr. Pellett was a well respected apiculturist. He was the Iowa State Apiarist between 1912 and 1917, a Field Editor of the American Bee Journal for many years, and then an Associate Editor of the same publication, a position he held until the end of his life. He was instrumental in the pioneering research on American foulbrood. He initiated and operated the American Bee Journal's Honey Plant Test Gardens at Atlantic, Iowa. He was a careful observer who published books on the history of American beekeeping, queen rearing, practical beekeeping, horticulture, botany and ornithology (Anonymous, 1951), but he is probably most remembered by today's beekeepers for his magnum opus, American Honey Plants, which he revised several times through his life (1920, 1923, 1930, and 1947). His proclamations about bee forage in general (and anise hyssop in particular) demanded the respect of the apicultural industry." (Anonymous. 1951. Frank Pellett 1879-1951. American Bee Journal 91:234-237). 1994 SUMMER BEEKEEPING FIELD DAY Iowa Honey Producers & Central Iowa Beekeepers Assn. Saturday, July 23rd Riverside Bible Camp, 3001 Riverside Rd. Story City, IA 50248 Phone (515) 733-5271 Meeting Pre-registration $4.00 $________ (Deadline - July 16) At the door $5.00 $________ (No prepared meal available if not pre-registered)** Noon meal* in air-conditioned bldg. $5.75 $________ Through age 3 - No charge Children: Ages 4 - 10 yrs - $3.00 Ages 11 and up - full price * Includes soup, salad, BBQ sandwich & chips, bread/roll, coffee/milk/coolaid ** Picnic tables outside if you would rather bring your own lunch. 1994 MEMBERSHIP DUES: Iowa Honey Producers Association $5.00 $________ Central Iowa Beekeepers Association $4.00 $________ ================= TOTAL $________ MAKE CHECK PAYABLE TO: IOWA HONEY PRODUCERS ASSN. SEND CHECK AND FORM TO: Gordon Powell 4012 - 54th St. Des Moines, IA 50310 (515) 278-1762 NAME______________________________________________________________ ADDRESS:__________________________________________________________ CITY:____________________STATE_________________ZIP________________ PHONE(____)_______________________No. of colonies_________________ 4/05/94