I think it useful to give examples of what people are doing to Bee
Sustainable. Here a fellow from Pennsylvania got a SARE Grant to do
just that. ("Since 1988, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and
Education program has helped advance farming systems that are
profitable, environmentally sound and good for communities through a
nationwide research and education grants program. The program, part of
USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service,
funds projects and conducts outreach designed to improve agricultural
systems")


excerpts:

SARE Grant
Project Number: FNE06-567
Type: Farmer/Rancher Project
Region: Northeast
Report Year: 2007
Craig Cella
867 E. Winter Rd.
Loganton, PA 17747
Phone: 570-725-3682

How to make beekeeping more sustainable

Goals
To develop a management program that would increase hive production
during early summer and also to reduce virus levels during the late
summer nectar dearth.

Part 1 was to divide colonies into two equal nucs and introduce a new
queen into both the test group and the control hives managed in the
traditional way.

Part 2 was designed to see if feeding sugar syrup in mid summer during
the nectar dearth would have any influence on the amount of virus
indications that could be seen on brood combs such as empty cells,
holes in cappings or dead pupae.

Farm Profile
We have a 125 acre hay and grass production farm along with over 100
honey bee colonies that are used primarily for research. We also
supply game birds to people


Economics
It wasn't an earth shattering study but I think it opened up some
possibilities to make beekeeping more profitable. For the price of a
plywood cover ($4.00) and a bottom ($4.00) you could double your hive
numbers by just buying one new queen, although you should replace the
old queen also. Queens will usually sell for around $15.00 at this
time of the year so to replace the old queen plus add a new queen to
the 2 divides you would have about $30.00 involved. Queens should be
replaced at least once a year for a number of reasons but it all boils
down to better production. Just like animals, a two year old chicken
doesn't lay like a year old one and an 8 year old cow doesn't milk
like a 4 year old. I think in a normal year you would double your
production and you have the opportunity to select the top half of the
queens when you reunite in mid July. Culling is one thing we must do
more of. It would be very difficult to place a dollar sign on the
impact of late summer feeding. First it will depend on your local area
and nectar sources and then you have to factor in the late summer
flows and your bee condition. Then you are left with winter losses -
do those that are fed overwinter better?  I don't know but I know fat
fall cows drop more healthy calves in the spring than ones in poor
condition going into winter.

For full report go to:

http://tinyurl.com/3da7xs

http://www.sare.org/reporting/report_viewer.asp?pn=FNE06-567&ry=2007&rf=1

http://www.sare.org/

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