FILENAME:  MAYAPIS.92
 
            Florida Extension Beekeeping Newsletter
    Apis--Apicultural Information and Issues (ISSN 0889-3764)
                  Volume 10, Number 5, May 1992
 
                AFRICAN BEES-INFORMING THE PUBLIC
 
     The merry month of May is a time of transition from spring to
summer.  It brings to mind the poem:
 
     A swarm in May is worth a bale of hay.
     A swarm in June is worth a silver spoon.
     A swarm in July isn't worth a fly.
 
The above lines were written by a midwestern beekeeper.  Here in
the south, the events described occur earlier.  Over the last two
years, the month of May has also meant something else.  It's the
time when African bees get noticed by the mass media.  According to
official APHIS reports, three stinging incidents occurred in March.
A goat, a sheep and two dogs were stung to death.  They were tied
and so they couldn't escape.  In conjunction with these incidents,
two people were taken to the hospital for treatment and were
released.  On April 13, the 60-year-old postmistress of Sebastian,
Texas was stung over 400 times while using a weed eater.  She
survived.  Her daughter was also stung some 40 times when she tried
to give aid.
 
The press reported the first fatality in northern Tamaulipas,
Mexico in April.  And in early May, an Associated Press report said
that the bees have reached San Antonio.  Expect to see a good
amount of attention in the mass media on this event.  San Antonio
is the first large metropolitan area in the U.S. the bees will
invade.  What will happen is anybody's guess at this time, but
reports from officials emphasize that people will have to learn to
live with this insect in the environment.
 
Echoing that statement is an article authored by Dr. Mark Winston,
The Sciences, March/April 1992.  The title is "Honey, They're Here-
-Learning to Cope with Africanized Bees."  Dr. Winston calls the
bee the "pop insect of the twentieth century" which has become part
of our collective consciousness.  As examples of its notoriety, he
recalls the 1978 movie, The Swarm, which many in the bee industry
feared, but fortunately "was a flop and closed within days of its
opening."  He also says a more benign presentation was the famous
skit on "Saturday Night Live," with John Belushi dressed like a bee
saying "Your pollen or your wife!"  He hopes the scare stories have
run their course and concludes that "frightening the public is
easy, informing more difficult; and it is information, not horror,
that is needed now.  For the Africanized bee is here to stay, and
we are left with only one option: learning to live with it."
 
Informing the public about the bee continues to be the focus of
both the USDA and Texas Cooperative Extension Service.  USDA News,
an internal information publication by USDA, recently carried a
story on what is being called "the bee box."  This show-and-tell
kit is designed to teach school children about honey bees in
general and African bees in particular.  It comes packaged in a
blue cardboard box that looks like a bee trap and contains four 15-
minute lesson plans, cartoons and handouts.  Also included are
photos of honey bee-related scenes, African and European bees
encased in resin, a color slide set with scripts and audio
cassettes in Spanish and English, and scratch and sniff pheromones.
Cable News Network did a story on the box's inauguration when it
was presented to a third-grade class in Weslaco, Texas.  Because
funds are low and "the bee box" is so popular, the Texas Extension
Service is now selling them for $50.00 each.  To order, send a FAX
to 409/845-2414 or mail a check to Agricultural Communications
Dept., 201 Reed McDonald Bldg., Texas A & M, College Station, TX
77843-2112, ph 409/845-6800.
 
The Texas-USDA Extension efforts also resulted in four 30-second
Public Service Announcements (PSAs) in Spanish and English.  These
have been distributed to many television stations in the Rio Grande
Valley.  The quality of the programming is so good, the PSAs were
awarded the grand prize in the Television Spots Division of the
Audiovisual Communications category from the Council on
Agricultural Science and Education District IV Series.
 
The Florida Division of Plant Industry (DPI) has also begun a
campaign to inform the public about the African bee under the
leadership of Ms. Phyllis Habeck and Ms. Maeve McConnell.  A module
for grades 1-6 in the public schools has been written and is now
being published.  It will be available to teachers who are enrolled
in the "Ag in the Classroom" program.  The Escarosa Beekeepers
Association has graciously agreed to help fund production of the
slides to accompany the module.  A training program for teachers in
this program is scheduled for July 6-8, 1992 on the University of
Florida Campus.  An article in the May 1 Florida Market Bulletin
quoting Agriculture Commissioner Crawford stated that "Ag in the
Classroom" is ploughing new ground in Florida agricultural
educational efforts.
 
A journalism student, Christopher Harig, is also actively writing
articles for Florida agriculturally oriented magazines under the
auspices of DPI.  One was recently published in Citrus and
Vegetable Magazine entitled:  "Beekeepers Humming Along, Prepare of
African's Arrival."  Another has been accepted by Florida Living
and is to be published in August.  One will be proposed to Horse
Breeding.
 
The results of informing the public and educating children about
African bees are mixed and not a panacea.  Dave Mayes in the Dept.
of Agricultural Communications, Texas A & M, tells me that response
to the African bee situation and press coverage cannot be
predicted.  The Texas Public Health Commission has declared that
the bee is not a major health hazard.  Fire departments in Houston
and Del Rio are training personnel to handle bee problems; the one
in McAllen has taken an "it's not our problem" approach.  The
Houston Fire Department has embarked on an ambitious, proactive
program even before the bees arrive.  These efforts are described
in a recent Houston public television program.  I am also informed
that a fire department in a small Texas valley community quickly
used up its surplus money responding to a large number of bee
calls.
 
Fire departments and other public agencies are more involved than
they might like to be because pest control companies have shown
themselves to be not interested in routine bee calls.  The profit
margin is low and the liability risks high.  Paradoxically, the
Texas Legislature recently passed a law stating that only
registered pest control operators could legally kill bees.  This
effectively eliminated a pool of persons who might assist
individuals and governments in this area, beekeepers themselves.
 
The view that informing the public about the African bee serves no
good purpose, in reality making the situation worse by sensitizing
the press and public, has its supporters.  On the other hand,
withholding information and/or purposefully playing down the
potential problems associated with the bee can come back to haunt.
To see this double-edged sword more closely, one only has to
carefully examine the role of mass information dissemination in the
recent Los Angeles riots.
 
Walking the fine line between information, as noted by Dr. Winston
above, and what is called "infotainment," is an art.  Given the
media's interest in the African bee, as evidenced in Texas and also
true in Florida where a press release on trap lines set up by the
Division of Plant Industry drew a huge response, the impact of a
few misplaced words could be telling.  This is why I have decided
to concentrate on the topic of the beekeeper's role in educating
the public and school children about the African bee at the yearly
Beekeepers Institute at 4-H Camp Ocala August 21-23.  Several
person with expertise in media relations and education have
volunteered to participate.  If anyone receiving this newsletter
has strong views on the subject or is willing to share expertise,
let me know.  It seems reasonable, perhaps in a brainstorming
format such as is possible at the Institute, to determine what
options might be pursued to get the correct information distributed
to mass media and education before the bee gets to Florida.
 
                        APPEAL FOR HONEY
 
Back in November, I appealed to the industry to provide a barrel of
honey to the Department of Entomology/Nematology's student program.
Mr. Scott Yocom says that although the honey was promised, the
actual delivery fell through.  Now that the active honey-producing
season is upon us, it would be a good time to set aside some hard-
won sweet for the students to sell.  Their profit margin is high
and so a small amount goes a long way.  If you can help, please
contact Mr. Yocom, currently doing mite research under Dr. Cromroy,
at 904/392-1901, ext. 211 or John Amoroso ext. 184.
 
 
               More on Soap/Oil for Insect Control
 
In the November, 1989 issue of this newsletter, I wrote about
"stopping bees" using soapy water as described the California's
Extension Apiculturist, Dr. Eric Mussen.  This recipe (a cup of
detergent per gallon of water as spray) has also been described in
some detail by others.  The August, 1989 issue of Gleanings in Bee
Culture discussed the subject in the article "To Kill a Honey Bee."
At the 1990 American Bee Research Conference it was suggested that
because detergents were polluting substances, the amount could be
reduced to some extent by substituting more benign vegetable oil.
 
     There have been several questions in the extension and
regulatory community concerning the recommendation and use of
soaps, detergents, and vegetable oils to kill various insects,
including African bees.  The situation has been clarified recently
by Drs. J. Capinera and O. Nesheim here at the University of
Florida.
 
According to these authors, "Federal and state pesticide laws do
not permit persons who have a financial interest in such materials
to make pesticidal claims in connection with their sale or
distribution unless the material is registered as a pesticide.
Examples of persons having such an interest are employees of the
manufacturer of such products, employees of wholesale or retail
establishments where such materials are sold, and pesticide
applicators who make pest control claims for trade name materials
in connection with pest control services they are selling to a
customer.  Persons making pest control claims for a material in
connection with its sale can be charged with the sale and
distribution of an unregistered pesticide."
 
"Persons who use products not registered with EPA for any use not
specifically recommended on the product label are responsible for
any plant damage or chemical residues that may result.  However, a
person at his/her own discretion can use soaps, detergents, and
vegetable oils for pest control purposes.  It is also not illegal
to recommend (or suggest) the use of these materials which have
been used for many years by gardeners and others for pest control.
Popular literature contains many references to their use and
effectiveness."
 
"Evaluations of soaps and oils for pest control have been
published; the effectiveness of these materials is less consistent
than with chemical pesticides.  The  research base is also
considerably weaker.  Therefore, soaps are more properly discussed
as options, rather than specifically "recommended."   Results of
soap and oil as pesticides have been mixed.  Plant varieties also
differ in their susceptibility to burning induced by soaps and
oils, and environmental conditions, as well as micronutrients,
fertilizers, and other additives may affect this tendency.  The
higher the rate of application, the more likely burning and
stunting will occur."
 
"Finally, when discussing soaps, detergents, and vegetable oils for
pest control purposes, it is best to avoid recommending a brand
name.  However, there are some registered products available that
contain these materials, such as the Safer (R) and Mycogen Soap
(R)."
                 Air Pollution and Citrus Nectar
 
The citrus flow seems to be different every year.  Some honey out
of the groves this season is reported to be very low moisture (15%)
for Florida and almost water white in color.  The spotty production
has few causes to correlate with.  There have been many changes in
the groves in the last five years.  After the disastrous freezes of
the mid 1980s, diverse citrus varieties are now growing in
different soil conditions than in the past.  Now another possible
change is suggested.  According to an article in the March Florida
Grower and Rancher, a concern of citrus growers in northern Manatee
and southern Hillsborough Counties is damage to trees by air
pollution.
 
The article concludes, "Leaves begin to curl, so they increase
irrigation.  No change. They decrease irrigation.  Still no change.
Leaf yellowing indicates a nutritional problem and they apply more
fertilizer.  No change.  They order a leaf tissue analysis, and the
report states the nutritional levels are normal.   They spray for
one pest after another and still the grove 'looks wrong.'"  Two
growers who can be contacted for information on the subject are
Blake Whisenant, ph. 813/776-1110, and Mike Houghtaling, ph.
813/645-3256.  If a grove "looks wrong" for citrus production,
there's a good chance this will affect nectar secretion as well.
 
 
Sincerely,
 
 
 
Malcolm T. Sanford
Entomology-Nematology, Bldg 970
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-0620
Phone (904) 392-1801, Ext. 143
FAX: 904-392-0190
BITNET Address: MTS@IFASGNV
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