FILENAME:  DECAPIS.90
 
 
                    Florida Extension Beekeeping Newsletter
           Apis--Apicultural Information and Issues (ISSN 0889-3764)
                      Volume 8, Number 12, December 1990
 
                                 TAKING STOCK
 
This will be the 95th consecutive number of APIS to be published since
Hum of the Hive got a face lift in February, 1983.  Every year at this time, I
try to take stock of what has happened in the last twelve months and provide a
glimpse into the future.
 
As expected, 1990 was the year of the African bee.  In January and February,
APIS carried articles on planning for the bee's arrival in Florida and results
of the DNA honey bee research program underway at the University of Florida.
A new video, "A Glimpse of Florida Beekeeping," was also released which is a
good resource to use in communicating to the general public what Florida
beekeeping is all about.  And, of course, there followed the news that the bee
was finally detected in Texas (October).  Trapping bees and expanded knowledge
about the bee's potential northern distribution were covered in the November
issue.
 
Varroa bee mites also received a lot of ink.  The June issue summarized
thoughts on stock introduction to combat the mite.  There continue to be many
persons who don't know about Varroa, still very new to beekeepers in the U.S.;
the August APIS provided a quiz to ensure readers were up to date on this
parasite.  This was closely followed by a description of the first find of
fluvalinate, the only material approved to control Varroa, in honey.  As a
followup, the September issue (which also noted that particular month as
National Honey Month) detailed a resume of food safety concerns along with
information on honey contamination crisis programs.
 
Bee management was also featured with articles on limiting factors (April),
the "sad and bad" bee phenomenon reported in California and reflections on
protein management (July), and oiling your bees for tracheal mite control.  A
sprinkling of other issues were also reported: infotainment--the media's
hybrid of information and entertainment (March), professionalism in the
beekeeping business (May), registration requirements (July), and in April and
July, developments concerning a major beekeeping database on the Florida
Information and Retrieval System (FAIRS).  The latter is available to all
county extension offices.
 
A full index follows:
 
January--Planning for the African Bee's Arrival; A Glimpse of Florida
Beekeeping (Video).
 
February--African Honey Bee Research in Florida; Pesticide Paradox; The Bee
Breeder (publication).
 
March--On Certification; DNA Revisited; Infotainment--Doing the Unexpected.
 
April--Pesticide Registration; Limiting Factors; African Bee Awareness;
Speaking Clearly.
 
May--American Foulbrood--Old Foe; Professionalism; Oiling Your Bees.
 
June--Stock Introduction in Florida; The Numbers Game; The Other Half of
Beekeeping.
 
July--Beekeeper Registration; Sad and Bad Bees; Reflections on Protein
Management.
 
August--Contaminated Honey; Varroa in Florida-Test Your Knowledge; Survey of
Florida Beekeeping Industry.
 
September--Beekeepers Institute; Food Safety; Honey Contamination Crisis;
Costs of Beekeeping.
 
October--American Bee Research Conference; African Bee Arrives.
 
November--Varroa Treatment; Seedless Watermelons in Florida; Trapping Bees;
Honey Farming; African Bees and Our Northern Neighbors.
 
For those with access to the IFAS VAX, all the above issues are available
by entering at the $ prompt, TYPE [MTS.NEWSLET]---APIS.90, where the first
three letters are those of the appropriate month.  For example, JANAPIS.90
is January's issue.  Plans to have the current year's issues also available on
IFAS Online on the VAX and through FAIRS are being implemented.
 
The 1990-1991 fiscal year continues to be more critical than most due to
extreme budget cuts at the state and federal levels which are affecting
Cooperative Extension programs at all levels.  As a postscript to my call for
support in the October issue of APIS, I wish to thank all those who took the
time to write about the service this newsletter provides to beekeepers
everywhere.  It was gratifying, but the fight is probably not yet over.
 
I have always tried to find a succinct description of the kind of publication
APIS really is.  It is not meant to and cannot compete with the established
big three beekeeping subscription publications in the U.S.  It was Kim
Flottum, editor of Gleanings in Bee Culture, who put his finger on it.  APIS
seeks to write "around the edges of beekeeping."  This is more than food for
thought; it provides one reasonable answer to the question:  why publish one
more bee newsletter?
 
We have now completed our move into the new building in Gainesville.  Notice
the changed address and added extension number on the telephone.  Although
physically moved, this is really only the beginning.  You can expect to see
significant changes in departmental programs, including that devoted to
apiculture, as we adjust to the new location.
 
It is certain that Varroa mites, African bees and food safety will still be of
great concern to the beekeeping industry in 1991.  Although there are plenty
of problems surrounding these issues, at least beekeepers can now focus more
easily than in the past when they were only on the horizon.  And it is
important to remember that all of them are manageable in one way or another.
It is the decade of the manager, as many pundits have said.  And often, the
manager's point of view determines the probability of success or failure of a
venture.  As I said last year at this time while trying to sum up what we
might expect in the 1990s, "It will depend on whether those involved (managers
and beekeepers) perceive their cup as half empty or half full."
 
                          1991 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; however,
the state did have a third-place award won by Mark Dickinson from Tallahassee
last year.  Only 26 states entered last year's competition which is about
normal.  This increases the odds greatly for those who do enter.  Get out your
pencils and sharpen up your brains for this year's event.
 
The topic for 1991 is "Honey Use in My Community."  The essay should describe
ways honey is sold, served and used in your community.  Rural residents can
focus on a nearby city, but size of the community will have no bearing on the
judging.  It is suggested to gather information by looking at:
 
Consumer Use:  Do your neighbors eat honey?  Why or why not?  How much do they
use and how do they use it?  Talk to the "good cooks" in your community about
their use of honey.
 
Retail Honey Sales Outlets:  Talk to beekeepers who sell directly to consumers
and food stores.  Note volume and variety of honey on display.  Interview
managers about honey sales.
 
Foodservice Establishments:  Visit traditional restaurants and fastfood
outlets to determine if honey is available on request, is routinely offered
with certain menu items, or is not available.  Interview managers about the
establishments' use of honey.  Don't overlook your school's foodservice
(cafeteria).
 
Food Manufacturers:  If there is a food processor in your area which could use
honey in its products, visit with the manager to discuss the company's use or
non-use of honey.
 
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 each state winner.
 
                                    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 with endnotes; failure to do so
will result in disqualification.
 
3.  Contest is open to active 4-H members only.  Those who have previously
placed first, second or third at the national level are not eligible; other
state winners are eligible to re-enter.
 
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,
TELEPHONE NUMBER AND DATE OF BIRTH.
 
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, 1991 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, 1991.
 
                             OILS AS INSECTICIDES
 
The use of various kinds of oils as insecticides is receiving a good deal of
attention these days.  They have a number of advantages, being in the main
biodegradable, and will not adversely affect the environment many
insecticides.  An article in the IPM Practitioner, Vol. XII, No. 8, August,
1990, describes a basic stock solution used to kills aphids, whiteflies and
spider mites on cotton and vegetable plants.  It is one to 2 1/2 teaspoons of
a mixture of one tablespoon (15 ml) dishwashing detergent and one cup (237 ml)
vegetable oil to a cup of water.  A fine spray of this solution is applied to
leaves of plants.  In summary, the authors say:  "...household cooking oils
and liquid detergents, available in most homes, provide a safe and economical
solution for control of several common insect and mite pests that plague the
home gardener.  Phytotoxicity may occur on certain plant types such as squash
and crucifers."
 
This information may be valuable for beekeepers to communicate to home
gardeners.  In addition, this solution may also be a good candidate for
eliminating unwanted bee swarms.  A paper at the latest American Bee Research
Conference compared killing swarms by using several materials.  Water and
detergent mixed sixteen to one worked well; however, use of detergent has been
criticized as polluting the environment.  In many communities there are strict
regulations concerning the disposal of "gray"  or soapy water.  By mixing in
vegetable oil, the amount of detergent used can be reduced.  It should be
emphasized that although this technology is promising, it is technically not
legal to use either detergents or vegetable oils as insecticides.
 
The reason for the above paradox is that both materials are not registered
with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for this use.  Thus, it is
illegal even to recommend the use of these materials.  This is a classic
"catch 22" that must somehow be resolved as registration of these materials is
highly unlikely.  It takes at least $150,000 for filing fees and much more
money to run the appropriate tests required by EPA.  There is little incentive
to spend this amount on a relatively inexpensive product just to register its
use as an insecticide.
 
                             ARIZONA'S SWEET BEES
 
The March issue of Arizona Highways has a piece on the honey bee, entitled,
"Arizona's Sweet Bees."  The striking part of the this article is the profuse
use of color pictures.  Bees are shown inspecting foundation, probing flowers
and chewing their way out of the comb as they achieve adulthood.  The
information is also refreshingly different than in most articles of this
nature I've seen.  For example, the Goulds at Princeton are quoted as saying
that the honey bee is as advanced an organism as the human on its side of the
animal family tree which includes 17 phyla, the arthropods (and insects) being
dominant.  On the other side, where humans are at the top, 4 phyla are
represented.  One cannot but wince a little at at the hubris in the statement
attributed to the Goulds, however, "...whereas humans are the most highly
evolved species on our branch.  To look at honey bees, then is to see one of
the two most elegant solutions to the challenges of life on this planet."
 
Steve Buchman at the Carl Hayden Bee Research Laboratory also is quoted as
describing honey bees' bodies as "living Swiss Army knives."  This image
brings to mind the quaint Christmas flick now at many theaters, Edward
Scissorhands.  Maybe bees and humans aren't all that far apart.
 
With reference to the African bee, the article beats the refrain we have heard
for many years, predicting a decline in beekeeping (especially) hobbyists in
the sunbelt where many municipalities are likely to introduce stringent laws
concerning keeping these insects.  In time, however, beekeepers will learn to
manage them.  As the article concludes:  "For as long as we have records,
people have lived with bees.  There is no reason to believe the honeymoon will
end soon."  This is a well-written article that many will be able to use as a
reference for those calls by journalists asking one to "tell me all you know
about honey bees and beekeeping in the next 90 seconds."
 
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
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