> There are 18 messages totalling 621 lines in this issue. > > Topics of the day: > > 1. bee story (2) > 2. WARMING HONEY. (4) > 3. West African bees > 4. IMHO (2) > 5. JENTER QUEEN SYSTEM > 6. Races? (2) > 7. Warming honey > 8. Pashke's Building Frame (2) > 9. Races > 10. molds for candles > 11. Where angels fear to tread > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Date: Sun, 14 Jan 1996 22:25:00 GMT > From: Michael Hardy <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: bee story > > Several people asked me to post the newspaper story I wrote, after I > had posted a question on this listserv. It's probably old news to > all of you, but my aim was to educate the general public. Here it is. > Copyright 1996, Mobile Press Register. > > Invaders too small to see ravaging bee population > > Experts say spread of mites will lead to higher food prices > > By MICHAEL HARDY > Staff Reporter > > Where have all the bees gone? > When did you last see wild bees crawling over clover blossoms? > It's probably been a while, because bees have been disappearing. > Their decline comes courtesy of two almost microscopic invaders: > varroa mites and tracheal mites. The pests, native to South America, > showed up in the United States roughly 10 years ago and have been > quietly spreading ever since. Beekeepers and scientists are worried > that soon the native bee populations will be gone > altogether. > ``It's going to touch everybody's table,'' said Marge Smith, a > beekeeper in Chunchula. The wild bees pollenate crops. Without them, > farmers will have to keep bees, too, or have bees brought in, raising > the cost of growing food. > The Alabama Cooperative Extension System has contracted Dr. James > Tew of Ohio State University to help create an educational > program, said Mobile County extension agent Tony Glover. Tew holds a > Ph.D. in apiculture, the study of bees. He was not available for > comment. > The system has contracted Tew for one year to conduct workshops > and prepare written materials educating beekeepers about > the mites and how to control them, as well as other beekeeping > principles, Glover said. Unlike many states, Alabama has no state > apiculturist. > But no matter how well-educated the keepers, the mites are here to > stay, Glover said. While beekeepers can use chemicals to treat their > beehives, wild bees are unprotected. > ``It's a tremendous problem,'' he said. ``It's continually getting > worse. The bee population in the wild, as well as managed hives, is > decreasing. I don't think it's bottomed out yet, especially in the > wild.'' > Even with treatments, Andy Webb said he has lost about half > of his bees over the past five years. Webb runs the Calvert Apiary > near the Washington County line. He supplies bees to beekeepers > around the country. > He's also seen his customer base change. Many hobbyist beekeepers > are dropping out, because the cost and work involved in > maintaining a hive has become too much to squeeze into free time. > ``Bees used to be self-sustaining,'' he said. ``You could > just put them in the hive. Now it takes a great deal of management > because of the mites.'' > Some new beekeepers are more successful than veterans, because > they start off having to fight the mites, he said. They have no old > ways to unlearn. > Commercial beekeepers are hanging tough, inspired by a rise in the > price of honey, Webb said. That came about in 1994, after trade > groups sued the Federal Trade Commission to stop the inflow of > Chinese honey into American markets. > ``That was kind of a shot in the arm,'' Webb said. > Varroa mites suck the life out of bee larvae, Webb said. They > attach themselves to adult bees, but the adults are primarily > carriers. The larvae provide food for the parasitic mite. > Tracheal mites reproduce in the bee's trachea. If they're small > enough, they can cause infections. If they're bigger, they > suffocate the bee. > Beekeepers use a chemical called apistan to kill varroa, and > menthol to get rid of the tracheal mites, Glover said. > The pesticides control the mites, but they don't completely > eradicate them from the hive, Glover said. ``If you were to kill > every varroa mite in the hive, the bees would die first from the > level of treatment you'd need.'' > What worries Glover the most is, apistan and menthol are the only > weapons the beekeepers have. And eventually, the mites will become > resistant to them. > Harsher chemicals are not an option, because they would kill > the bees along with the mites, Glover said. They would also > contaminate the honey. > Just exactly how much the native bee population has declined is > uncertain. Glover said reliable data on the number of bees > that used to be present is hard to find. > But there's no doubt there aren't many now. ``I'll go out > and do informal counts, and there's no bees out there, maybe one in > 1,000 blooms,'' he said. ``And that's at a time when they should be > humming, early morning and blooms all over.'' > The mites are spreading like fire ants, Glover said -- slowly, but > inexorably. > ``We're continually seeing new areas affected that weren't > affected before,'' he said. > Adrian Wenner, professor emeritus of natural history at the > University of California in Santa Barbara, monitors an Internet > electronic mailing list dedicated to bee enthusiasts. > In response to a reporter's question posted on that mailing list, > Wenner said that historical in@@hyphen@@formation about bee numbers > is hard to find for any area of the country. > ``On the e-mail network, though, the plaintive `Where have all the > bees gone' (messages) came from all regions of the country,'' he > wrote. ``Suddenly, growers and backyard gardeners realized > that they no longer had honeybees pollenating their fruit.'' > The decline of bees will affect more than the price of honey. Bees > are vital to the pollenization of fruit trees, melons and many other > crops. As the wild bees disappear, beekeepers will find another > source of income in making their bees available for pollenization. > That's already a widespread practice, and due only to expand. > ``Everybody has been used to free bees, but they're just not there > anymore,'' Webb said. > > ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Sun, 14 Jan 1996 22:13:06 -0800 > From: Mark Jensen <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Re: WARMING HONEY. > > >I regularly heat my crystalized honey and notice no change in the > >flavor. I am though cautious to heat only to about 145 degrees F. When > >I first did this using a double boiler, it was hard to maintain the > >temperature. I found the solution at a farm auction. I bought a old > >thermostatically controlled deep frier. It does an excellent - and > >inexpensive - job. Once set, the thermostat warms to 145 and holds it > >until all crystals are gone. I can do about a half dozen one pound > >bottles at a time... The water (which I use instead of the oil the frier > >used to use) acts as a buffer just as the double boiler would. > > > >Larry Krengel > >Marengo, IL USA > > 145 degrees will seriously damage your honey. Anything above 110 will > destroy the enzymes which are in the honey and which give fresh honey its > special flavors and odors. Do a taste test on before and after samples You > can liquefy your honey by setting your melter to 100 degrees F and leaving > it for 24 hours. Experiment with the temp and the time. The lower the temp > the longer it will take. I would recommend the lowest temp to liquefy the > honey in 24 hours. I have a waterbed heater in an old chest freezer > connected to a Walter Kelley temperature switch. With the switch set to 95 > degrees F most any honey liquefies in 24 hours. 60's take about 2 days. > > Mark Jensen-Double J Apiaries [log in to unmask] > Los Altos Hills, CA, USA fax 415 941 3488 > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 1996 11:20:52 +0000 > From: Patch Byrne <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: West African bees > > To all Bee people around the world . . . . if you have read this already sorry! > > I am a third year biology student at Royal Holloway University of > > London. Last summer I was working at the International Institute for > > Tropical Ariculture (IITA), Biological Control Centre for Africa, Cotonou, > > Benin, West Africa. > > > > My project at IITA was to test the entomopathogen METARHIZIUM FLAVOVIRIDE for > > detrimental effects on APIS MELLIFERA ADANSONII. It is hoped that the fungus > > will soon be used as a biocontrol agent against locusts and grasshoppers. > > > > Information on the West African honey bee I worked with appears to be scarce, > as seems to be information on bees suseptability to entomopathogens. Any > > information you can forward me through E-mail/post would be much appreciated. > > Once my project has been written up I would be glad to forward you a copy. > > > > Thank you in advance > > > > \|/ > @ @ Patrick Byrne > ----------oOO-(_)-OOo--------------------------------------------- > | Email: snail | > | [log in to unmask] | mail :61, Bond Street | > | | Englefield Green | > | | Surrey. TW20 OPL | > | tel: 01784 434955 | England. | > | | | > | | | > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 1996 13:43:17 +0100 > From: Michael Haberl <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: IMHO > > Every now and then some of you use the abreviation *IMHO*, e.g. > > > To quote chapter, verse,and author before the precis does not IMHO make the > > article less valuable > > Could someone please explain. > Thanks. > > ____________________________________________________________________ > Michael Haberl > Zoologisches Institut der Uni Muenchen Tel: ++49 89 5902-444 > Luisenstr. 14 Fax: ++49 89 5902-450 > 80333 Muenchen, Germany E-mail: [log in to unmask] > ____________________________________________________________________ > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 1996 09:11:41 -0500 > From: John Iannuzzi <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: JENTER QUEEN SYSTEM > > "Practical Queen Rearing," book by Charles/Pauline Dublon (Welsh couple), > includes an > in-depth discussion of the SUBJECT line. Brushy Mountain Bee supplies > in Moravian Falls NC usa (1-800-BEESWAX) was selling it in 1994 for > $17.45 plus 2# shipping (send 4 their free catalog?). Bonne chance. > Jack the B-man > Ellicott City MD usa > PS "It's a pleasure to give advice, > humiliating to need it, > and perfectly normal to ignore it." > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 1996 14:24:29 +0000 > From: Malcolm Roe <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Re: Races? > > Regarding libraries, you don't have to have access to a university > library to get copies of papers, etc. The following, from IBRA's www > pages (http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/ibra/index.html) says it all. > > _________________________________________________________________ > > > > The library at IBRA's headquarters in Cardiff holds a wealth of > information on bee related subjects unequalled elsewhere in the world, > and it is continually being added to with contributions from many > countries. > > People from all over the world can use the library, though our > information search and document delivery services. We can use our > computer databases to answer your queries, prepare specific > bibliographies or carry out subject searches. > > Members of IBRA have special privileges: they can borrow books by > post, use the library in person, and receive a 50% discount on all > library charges. > > _________________________________________________________________ > > -- > Malcolm Roe Phone : +44 1442 345104 > Crosfield Electronics Ltd Fax : +44 1442 343000 > Hemel Hempstead, Herts. HP2 7RH, UK E-mail : [log in to unmask] > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 1996 14:57:37 +0000 > From: Malcolm Roe <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Re: WARMING HONEY. > > In the UK many small scale and hobby beekeepers keep honey in bulk > containers and re-melt it before putting it in jars to sell. Often they > use 28lb containers. (I use 5 litre second hand food containers which > hold 16lb.) > > The usual method of re-melting is to use a warming cabinet, which is an > insulated box with a door, a lightbulb at the bottom and a grill above > for the container to stand on. Normally the honey is left in for about > 24 hours. A certain amount of experimenting is needed to get the right > power level to raise the honey to the correct temperature but no higher. > You don't really need a thermostat since, ignoring changes in ambient > temperature, the loss of heat through the walls of the cabinet is > constant once equilibrium has been reached. Typically 60 to 100W is > about right. A particularly economical method of making a cabinet is to > use an old refrigerator with the pipework and compressor removed > although American refrigerators in particular may be a bit large for > many people. > > -- > Malcolm Roe Phone : +44 1442 345104 > Crosfield Electronics Ltd Fax : +44 1442 343000 > Hemel Hempstead, Herts. HP2 7RH, UK E-mail : [log in to unmask] > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 1996 10:46:55 EST > From: "Frederick L. Hollen" <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Re: WARMING HONEY. > > The lowest temperature setting on my wife's crock-pot cooker > happens to result in a temperature of 140 degrees. I store my > honey in one-gallon glass jars which just fit the crock-pot > with room for a water bath around them. Liquifies in 3-4 hours. > OK for my own use, but not large-scale. > > Fred > > According to krengel lawrence e: > > > > I regularly heat my crystalized honey and notice no change in the > > flavor. I am though cautious to heat only to about 145 degrees F. When > > I first did this using a double boiler, it was hard to maintain the > > temperature. I found the solution at a farm auction. I bought a old > > thermostatically controlled deep frier. It does an excellent - and > > inexpensive - job. Once set, the thermostat warms to 145 and holds it > > until all crystals are gone. I can do about a half dozen one pound > > bottles at a time... The water (which I use instead of the oil the frier > > used to use) acts as a buffer just as the double boiler would. > > > > Larry Krengel > > Marengo, IL USA > > > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 1996 08:01:55 -0800 > From: "Ken Umbach ([log in to unmask])" <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Re: IMHO > > IMHO = "In my humble opinion." > > On Mon, 15 Jan 1996, Michael Haberl wrote: > > > Every now and then some of you use the abreviation *IMHO*, e.g. > > > > Could someone please explain. > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 1996 11:23:47 -0500 > From: "J. David Riddle" <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Warming honey > > I've been reading alot about techniques for warming honey after it has > crystalized, but I have a couple of background questions. First, what are > the factors that contribute to the crystalization of honey? Can these be > manipulated or managed to increase the shelf life of honey? Finally, how > long can you expect the honey to remain uncrystalized after heating it? > Does the heating process cause the crystalization process to begin sooner > the next time? > > J. David Riddle > Newburyport, MA > [log in to unmask] > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 1996 12:14:48 -0500 > From: David Eyre <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Re: Races? > > David Eyre wrote. > >> Under the circumstances I would suggest a small precis of the article posted > >> on the Net would be far more valuable. > David Cawley wrote > > I was merely point to a readily available resource that coud be > >ordered from the publisher. I didn't have the issue handy and thought > >that if the person wanted to take the initiative and contact the > >publisher, they'd have a nice article at their finger tips. > > Boy....I sure stirred up a hornets nest!!! I will try again... We tend to > forget.. some of us don't live in the US, some of us don't have access to > the University library. There is no point in telling us to look up an > article in a magazine which we don't subscribe to. No... I can't afford to > subscribe to all the mags. So.. I repeat, a brief precis giving the authors > view would be benifcial to all. I'm sure the author, provided the contents, > contax, etc are not changed, wouldn't mind. Especially if it is of benifit > to all. > > **************************************************** > * David Eyre 9 Progress Drive, Unit 2, * > * The Beeworks, Orillia, Ontario, L3V 6H1.* > * [log in to unmask] 705-326-7171 * > * http://www.muskoka.net/~beeworks * > **************************************************** > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 1996 20:25:07 +0000 > From: Peter Wright <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Pashke's Building Frame > > I wonder if anyone is familiar with the construction of the above > device? In german it is called "Baurahmen" and enables the beekeeper to > see activity on the comb without opening the hive. According to H.Storch > in his book "At the Hive Entrance" it is widely used in Germany, but > unfortunately the only description he provides is, " the glass pane of > the window is arranged facing towards the inside of the hive (in Winter) > and the free space filled with corrugated paper for insulation. ...In > the summer, the building frame is positioned with a starter strip of > foundation, and then the window galss outside>" > > I cannot envisage how this is constructed as to simply replace the side > of an existing super with glass will be of no use to observe activity in > the winter time. > > Peter Wright > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 1996 15:42:55 -0400 > From: Joel Govostes <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Pashke's Building Frame > > I have seen this idea illustrated and described in German beekeeping > manuals. It is a narrow chamber across the front of a hive body and it > holds one frame. Imagine you're looking at a standard hive body, head on. > The idea would be like a double wall on the end of the hive body facing > you. There is a space between the two walls into which you can slide a > frame. This frame would be positioned "sideways" to the regular set of > combs in the hive body, and separated from them by the "inner" wall. I > suppose this inner wall has some set of holes or something so the bees have > easy access to the "building frame." The outer wall facing you would have > a pane of glass with a removable cover. Then to estimate the progress of > the colony you just take off the glass-covering panel and you can look in > to see what the bees are up to on the face of the comb. This gives you a > relative idea of what's going on in the main set(s) of combs. It makes for > a longer hive front - to - back. I have never seen the idea developed in > US/UK books. I hope this is helpful. > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 1996 23:21:12 GMT > From: Sid Pullinger <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Races > > I have been following the letters on race and which bee is best with > interest. I would suppose that in countries as large as the U.S. and Canada > beekeepers are widely spaced. Thus most matings would be with drones from > one's own apiary and would be pure most of the time. In my part of the U.K. > almost every beekeeper has another one within easy flying range. In my case > I have four others within a mile of my apiary so any attempt to maintain a > pure strain would be doomed to failure. > I have long since decided that for me race is unimportant. Starting from > scratch it took me some five years of careful selection and culling to end > up with docile, non-swarming bees which wintered well and produced honey. > That was a long time ago and it is a continuous process of selection. Any > stock attempting to swarm is artificially swarmed and ruled out of the > breeding programme however good it is. Any stock showing undue defence > mechanism is immediately sorted out and requeened. Bees which resent > handling have no place where there are neighbours. After sixty years of > beekeeping I have yet to buy in a single queen. > I would advise any beginner not to worry overmuch about race. Beekeepers > have been arguing for more than a hundred years about the relative merits of > the different races and there is still no agreement. Had there been one > superior bee it would have emerged long ago. It is interesting to note that > instrumental insemination has been practised world wide for forty years but > the everyday beekeeper still has to raise his queens in the age old way. > Unless you buy in pure queens every year or live in an oasis you will end up > with hybrids. Virgins from your queens will mate with six or more drones a > mile or more from your apiary. IMHO a carefully selected hybrid will > perform as well as any pure bred. > To start a breeding programme you need five to ten stocks to give a > reasonable range to select from. If you have just one or two and they are > bad-tempered or swarmy you have nothing to start with and they must be > re-queened from outside. > Varroa arrived in my apiary in 1994 and started causing damage in 1995. > Testing with Apistan I have already found a wide range of mite infestation > so there is now another stage in the selection process in the hopes that I > might find some of my bees more resistant than others. Another five year > programme? > _________________________________________________________________ > Sid Pullinger Email : [log in to unmask] > 36, Grange Rd Compuserve: [log in to unmask] > Alresford > Hants SO24 9HF > England > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 1996 15:00:36 -1000 > From: "Thomas W. Culliney -- Dept. of Agriculture" > <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Re: bee story > > Michael Hardy's newspaper piece on declines in feral honey bee populations > with the advent of tracheal and varroa mites contains one major error. > There is no indication that the two mites are native to South America, as > Hardy reports. Varroa is native to subtropical and tropical Asia where > its original host was the eastern honey bee, Apis cerana; problems with > tracheal mite first were reported from the Isle of Wight in England, > indicating that this species may be native to Europe. > > With regard to another statement made in the article, apiculture refers > more to the practice of beekeeping than to the study of bees. The term > "mellitology" occasionally has been applied to the study of bees. > > Tom Culliney > [log in to unmask] > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 1996 20:45:46 -0600 > From: krengel lawrence e <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Re: WARMING HONEY. > > On Sun, 14 Jan 1996, Mark Jensen wrote: > > > >I regularly heat my crystalized honey and notice no change in the > > >flavor. I am though cautious to heat only to about 145 degrees F. When > > >I first did this using a double boiler, it was hard to maintain the > > >temperature. I found the solution at a farm auction. I bought a old > > >thermostatically controlled deep frier. It does an excellent - and > > >inexpensive - job. Once set, the thermostat warms to 145 and holds it > > >until all crystals are gone. I can do about a half dozen one pound > > >bottles at a time... The water (which I use instead of the oil the frier > > >used to use) acts as a buffer just as the double boiler would. > > > > > >Larry Krengel > > >Marengo, IL USA > > > > 145 degrees will seriously damage your honey. Anything above 110 will > > destroy the enzymes which are in the honey and which give fresh honey its > > special flavors and odors. Do a taste test on before and after samples You > > can liquefy your honey by setting your melter to 100 degrees F and leaving > > it for 24 hours. Experiment with the temp and the time. The lower the temp > > the longer it will take. I would recommend the lowest temp to liquefy the > > honey in 24 hours. I have a waterbed heater in an old chest freezer > > connected to a Walter Kelley temperature switch. With the switch set to 95 > > degrees F most any honey liquefies in 24 hours. 60's take about 2 days. > > > > Mark Jensen-Double J Apiaries [log in to unmask] > > Los Altos Hills, CA, USA fax 415 941 3488 > > > Mark - > > Your thoughts are interesting. Do you have any cites from research about > the enzymes being destroyed at 100+? I would enjoy reading it. I find > that the local commercial (I am definately not commercial) beekeeper also > heats his to 140ish... however, he uses a flash heater. I intend to try > you 100 degrees for 24 hours. > Larry > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 1996 21:49:20 GMT > From: Jean-Pierre Chapleau <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: molds for candles > > A friend asks me where he can buy molds for candles. I have seen beautiful > ones at the last Apimondia exhibition but I did not note the names and > addresses of the suppliers. Can anybody help my friend with that? > > Jean-Pierre Chapleau > eleveur de reines / queen breeder > vice-president du Conseil canadien du miel / Vice-president of the Canadian > Honey Council > 1282, rang 8, Saint-Adrien de Ham, Quebec, Canada, J0A 1C0 > tel./phone (819) 828-3396; fax (819) 828-0357 > [log in to unmask] > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 1996 20:12:43 +0700 > From: Allen Dick <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Where angels fear to tread > > > some of us don't > > have access to the University library. There is no point in telling > > us to look up an article in a magazine which we don't subscribe to. > > No... I can't afford to subscribe to all the mags. > > Anybody on good terms with even two or three people in the bee > business in most countries - and more than a very casual interest - > can get his or her hands on almost any recent (and many not so > recent) copies of Bee Culture or ABJ. > > These are, I believe, the esoteric and very rare publications about > which this matter began. Although may not be in many University > libraries, they are likely in a nearby beekeeper's bookshelf. > > > So.. I repeat, a > > brief precis giving the authors view would be benifcial to all. I'm > > sure the author, provided the contents, contax, etc are not changed, > > wouldn't mind. > > Well, what I think people are (too politely, perhaps) trying to hint > is that they *do* mind having someone demand they precis an article > of little interest to them for someone who is unwilling to get up and > get it for himself. > > And if the author him/herself is being addressed, I am sure that it > is a little insulting to be asked to give the whole carefully > prepared piece in a few words. > > Most here believe they are subscribed to a *bee* list for discussing > matters relating to bees, not the basic and well established methods > of researching and studying. > > I am sure if *anyone* is having genuine dificulty obtaining important > info, or if material is at all hard to obtain, the list will bend > over backwards to assist. On numerous occasions the scientists and > extension people here have mailed me very helpful information. > > People will give as much or as little info as they wish - Many very > knowledgeable people sit and read and never post at all - we're > privileged if they do. > > Let's bee content with taking what is offered freely and not begin to > demand that others serve us only according to our own tastes. > > And let us get back to bees... OK?? > > --------------------------------------------------- > > "Fearing not that I'd become my enemy - in the instant that I speak" > > Regards > > Allen > > W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper VE6CFK > RR#1, Swalwell, Alberta Canada T0M 1Y0 Internet:[log in to unmask] > Honey. Bees, Art, & Futures <http://www.cuug.ab.ca:8001/~dicka> > > ------------------------------ > > End of BEE-L Digest - 14 Jan 1996 to 15 Jan 1996 > ************************************************ > Freund, I n M y H umble O pinion (IMHO) Aufwiedersehen Johann der Bienemensch John Iannuzzi PhD * "Singing masons building roofs 9772 Old Annapolis Rd * of gold." --Shakespeare Ellicott City MD 21042 usa * 20 Italian colonies [log in to unmask] * 3-1/2 decades in beedom