FILENAME:  APRAPIS.93
 
            Florida Extension Beekeeping Newsletter
    Apis--Apicultural Information and Issues (ISSN 0889-3764)
                 Volume 11, Number 4, April 1993
 
                        PHIL PACKARD DIES
 
     While attending my first Florida State Beekeepers meeting, an
imposing figure in the lobby of the hotel where the meeting took
place grabbed my attention.  He walked unsteadily on a cane,
blustered and intimidated those around him.  I, too, being new to
the Florida beekeeping scene, was somewhat awed.  His presence
conjured up images of the Stevenson's, Long John Silver.  Later I
realized that, like that pirate, his bark was worse than his bite.
But it was this first impression that held my mind's eye when I
learned of his death.
 
     Phil Packard could only be described as a Florida beekeeping
institution.  He served as Florida's Chief Apiarist for 15 years
(1961-1976).  During his tenure, he was president of the Apiary
Inspectors of America, as well as the Florida State Beekeepers
Association.  He helped found one of the most active local groups
(Tampa Bay) and served as director to the American Beekeeping
Federation.  After his retirement, Mr. Packard continued to run a
queen rearing and pollination business in the Homestead area.  Part
of his honey house was blown away by Hurricane Andrew last August.
 
     When Mr. Laurence Cutts and I tried to determine what to write
about Phil Packard in this space, it was apparent that in spite of
all the years involved with beekeeping, we didn't have much
information about him.  What is clear is that another pioneer
beekeeper has been lost and the industry will be poorer as a
result.
 
                 CHRONICLE GUIDANCE PUBLICATIONS
 
     We often hear in meetings that there is little young blood
coming into beekeeping.  Because of this it is generally
recommended that more information on bees and apiculture should get
out to public schools and other educational institutions.
Beekeepers have now joined the ranks of other occupations described
by leaflets published by Chronicle Guidance Publications.
 
     "Beekeepers" is the title of a four-page brief (#518) from
Chronicle.  It provides an overview of what beekeepers are and a
description of the work involved.  These handouts and are made
available to a number of places, including public schools,
community colleges, employment agencies and libraries.
 
     If your library or school doesn't have information of this
sort, copies of this brief can be ordered by calling 1-800-622-
7284.  There is minimum order of $5 and prepayment will be
requested for orders under $35.
 
                EPA OFFICE FOR PESTICIDE PROBLEMS
 
     If a beekeeper is not satisfied with a product advertised to
control a disease or parasite, what are the options?  The
manufacturer is usually the first place to turn to.  But if
satisfaction is not possible this way, there are few options left.
However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does have an
office which will look into the matter.  If you have pesticide
concerns, then send a description of the problem, the name of the
product, the registration number and batch number to Mr. Dennis
Edwards, Jr., Registration Division, Office of Pesticide Programs,
H-7505C, US-EPA, 401 M. St., Washington, D.C. 204060, ph 703/305-
6386.
 
                         HONEY LABELLING
 
     According to the National Honey Board, recent legislative
changes will mean a redesigning of many food labels.  Thus, there
is no better time to consider the information on your product and
how it might be changed.
 
     With this in mind, the Board has published a brochure
entitled:  "Giving Your Honey Label Appeal Can Sweeten Your Honey
Sales."   This is a nifty item and it's jam packed with ideas and
information about honey labelling.  Subjects in this publication
include:  honey labelling research methodology, the "new"
nutritional labelling regulations as they apply to honey, uniform
product codes (UPC) applicable to the product, and correctly
designating weights and measures.  Other items include country of
origin labelling and how the bees themselves should be portrayed on
a product.
 
     The information also answers several important questions that
every honey seller will no doubt have.  These include when
nutritional information is required and what size operations are
exempt.  Most new labelling regulations will go into effect May 8,
1994, however, any rules pertaining to "health claims" will be
implemented May 8, 1993.  The brochure recommends finding a local
advertising firm or student to design a professional-looking label
and provides an address so that the final result can be reviewed by
the Food and Drug Administration.  To request a copy of this
brochure, write the National Honey Board, Label Brochure, 421 21st
Ave. #203, Longmont, CO 80501, ph 303/776-2337.
 
     When the new Federal regulations go into effect, they will
supersede most state requirements.  Presently, however, Florida has
its own labelling regulations.  They are available as Hint for the
Hive 107:  "Florida Honey Labelling Regulations."  I also have
copies of Hint for the Hive 106:  "Honey House Sanitation and the
Florida Food Law."  Write or call for copies.
 
                      BEEKEEPERS INSTITUTE
 
     It's not too early to make plans to attend this year's
Beekeepers Institute at 4-H Camp Ocala, August 13-15, 1993.  This
year's focus will be queen rearing and breeding, including
instrumental insemination.  Dr. Hachiro Shimanuki of the
Agricultural Research Service's Bee Research Laboratory in
Beltsville, MD, will also be in residence.  Dr. Shimanuki is one of
the authors of the model certification plan many states are
adopting for both African honey bees and other diseases and pests.
 
     The costs of the Institute are expected to be the same as last
year for full participants ($65.00).  A late charge of $20 will be
charged after August 6.  The one-day only charge has been raised to
$40.  A brochure describing the Institute that includes
registration forms, will be mailed to the APIS mailing list in late
June or early July.
 
                    NEVIS BEEKEEPER PROBLEMS
 
     I have received a plea for help.  The little island of Nevis
in the Eastern Caribbean has been hit by a disaster.  The hugely
successful Nevis Beekeeper Cooperative was gutted by fire February
2, 1993.  All extracting and candle-making equipment was lost, as
well as a good deal of woodenware and other items.  Rebuilding and
replacing the facility is estimated to cost $30,000.  Donations of
cash, new equipment or other "in-kind" support are being requested
throughout the Caribbean.  If you believe you can help in any way,
please contact Ms. Ann Macmillan at Florida Volunteer Corps
(FAVA/CA), 1311 Executive Center Drive, Suite 202, Tallahassee, FL
32301, ph 904/877-4705, FAX 904/942-5798.
 
                     QUEEN REARING REBOUNDS
 
     Is queen rearing rebounding in Florida?  The state's queen
industry was essentially killed by discovery of and then
deregulation for tracheal mites.  It didn't help when Varroa mites
were detected just a few years later.  With passing of time,
however, the rest of the U.S. is now considered generally infested
with both mites.  Inclement weather this year in many traditional
rearing areas is causing a demand for queens from Florida.  Several
operators who didn't market for several years are back in business.
 
 
     Whether a queen rearing trend will continue is not yet clear,
but signs are hopeful that this will be the case.  Florida is also
in an enviable position.  It will probably be one of the last
states in the southern tier to be invaded by the African honey bee.
Thus, European queens will be available longer from the sunshine
state than many others.
 
                     SWARM--WHAT'S IN A WORD
 
     Recently, on a field trip to northern Mexico, I was forced to
rexamine the meaning of the word "swarm."  Almost every reference
book on beekeeping defines this term as an agglomeration of honey
bees issuing from a spontaneously dividing colony, when half of the
population goes elsewhere in search of a home.  This is the
reproductive swarm and is the model that those keeping European
bees know all too well.
 
     But there is another kind of "swarm."  This is the absconding
or migrating swarm, where honey bees simply abandon their nest and
go in search of another site.  Rarely seen in European honey bees,
the migrating swarm is quite commonly associated with the African
bees now moving through northern Mexico.  These migrating swarms
are not as big as the reproductive ones and also have few, if any,
drones associated with them.  The migratory swarms are often
associated with moisture availability and prolonged rainfall can
cause a great increase in numbers.   These bees are so quick to
abscond that it becomes a real management problem for beekeepers.
 
     While visiting the research headquarters of Dr. Orley "Chip"
Taylor south of the Texas border in early March, I saw a large
number of migrating swarms.  However, the season for reproductive
swarms was just beginning and that type would supersede the
migrating ones for another two months or so.  The typical
reproductive swarming pattern in the area, according to Dr. Taylor,
who's now observed the bees in the area for three years, is similar
to the European bee model.  But factored in is the migratory
(absconding) swarming season that occurs from perhaps November to
March and then from July through November now that the African bee
is present.
 
     In other words, one might see "swarming" in northern Mexico at
any time of the year.  Given these two kinds of swarms, how is one
to interpret the often cited information regarding swarming in
African bees?  They do indeed appear to "swarm" more often than
Europeans.  However, the fact that there are two distinct types of
swarms can muddy perceptions by bee scientists and beekeepers alike
who have only experience with the reproductive kind found in
European honey bees.  This is one example of how the arrival of a
feral African honey bee population will force us all to reconsider
many of our previous notions about beekeeping techniques.
 
           TRACHEAL MITE--ANOTHER CASE FOR RESISTANCE
 
     My recent trip to Northern Mexico revealed that problems with
tracheal mite in that region described in the mid and late 1980s
have abated.  The reason is not clear, but a good guess is that
susceptible stocks have been naturally replaced by those more
resistant to the mite.  This pattern of disastrous infestation
followed by recovery has repeated itself elsewhere.  It is
instructive, for example, to look at an article first published by
John Anderson about Isle of Wight disease associated with tracheal
mite in the Scottish Journal of Agriculture.  Vol. 6, pp. 181-191
and reprinted in The Speedy Bee, Vol. 21, No. 4, April, 1992.  I
cannot give justice to the full article here, but am selecting
quotes which are revealing about the course of tracheal mite
disease from 1906 to 1920:
 
 
"Stocks affected rapidly dwindle, and usually succumb in about a
month or six weeks, leaving their stores, and often a quantity of
brood.  The queen appears to keep healthy and survives to the
last....A pasty mass of pollen grains is contained in the 'colon'
or lower bowel of the bee and the insect appears to have lost the
power of voiding it.  Pressure on the abdomen will often rupture
both the colon and body-wall.  Bees crawling...will revive if
warmed and fed, but the power of flight will not be regained."
 
"Bees have recovered after treatment with numerous cures, but they
are found to recover quite as often when left untreated.  This
disease is fluctuating in character, and we have thus perfectly
honest testimony to the virtues of a long list of specifics from
disinfectants like bacterol, yadil and dioxygen down to flowers of
sulphur and aromatic chalk.  Any treatment...whether by drugs or
otherwise, that would prolong the life of susceptible stocks of
bees would distinctly hinder regeneration of British bees."
 
"Nature has succeeded where man has conspicuously failed...there is
a large body of evidence that recovery is well advanced in the
regions first attacked.  The character of the disease...changed
somewhat in recent years.  When first noticed it was worse in
summer, but now it was seen chiefly in the late autumn and spring.
Isle of Wight disease used to kill bees in a week or two.  We have
here one more illustration of nature's way with an infectious
disease.  Bees differ in their power of resisting this
disease...The susceptible bees tend to die out, but this only makes
more room for...the more resistant."
 
"We must replace susceptible bees by resistant bees.  When buying
fresh stock we must carefully avoid bees from the few secluded
glens that the disease has not yet reached...We should rather buy
bees from surviving stocks in districts already swept by the
disease.  Even without co-operation of the beekeeper, biological
law will in due course relegate Isle of Wight disease to a position
of little importance.  But why should we stand by?"
 
Sincerely,
 
 
 
Malcolm T. Sanford
Bldg 970, Box 110620
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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