File item: BUZZ0193.TXT 2/22/93 9:37AM 29941 Iowa Honey Producers Association (IHPA) Newsletter ----------------------------------------------------------------- THE BUZZ JANUARY, 1993 ----------------------------------------------------------------- A newsletter published monthly as a cooperative effort by The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and The Iowa Honey Producers Association (IHPA), an affiliate member of the Iowa Horticultural Society. Copy deadline is the 20th of each month. Your ideas, comments and letters are welcomed and encouraged. EDITOR: Bob Cox, State Apiarist, Iowa Dept. of Agriculture, Wallace Building, Des Monies, IA. 50319 (515) 281-5736 IHPA MEMBERSHIP: Membership dues in the Iowa Honey Producers Assn. are $5.00/year. For a membership form contact IHPA Treasurer, Robert Shepherd, 917 N. Iowa in Washington, Iowa 52641 ph.# (319) 653-4888 OR send in the form on page 11 on THE BUZZ. ----------------------------------------------------------------- BEE LAW AMENDMENTS AND NEW APIARY RULES SLATED FOR 1993 At the December 5th Iowa Honey Producers Board of Directors meeting a motion passed to recommend proposed rules as well as some changes in the Bee Law. Senator Richard Vande Hoef from Harris is sponsoring the bill that would amend the Bee Law in the 1993 state legislative session. The amendments would modify entrance requirements for colonies, packages and supers transported into Iowa. Amendments also deal with the clean-up of diseased, parasite-infested and/or Africanized bees. Many of the specifics will be spelled out in the administrative rules instead of the law. The law gives the state apiarist the authority to regulate diseases, parasites and Africanized bees, as contrasted to the rules that specify the procedures and methods used in regulating. The rules can be changed at any time to adjust to changing conditions. New and revised rules will be filed. The rules specify the parasites to be regulated, methods of detection and appropriate treatment of the Varroa mite and American foulbrood disease. The option to use an EPA approved chemical treatment for mites is given and described, that would satisfy requirements for the sale or interstate transport of bees. An expiration date is specified for an Iowa certificate of inspection. Additionally, the rules describe undesirable races of honeybees (Africanized and others) and a plan of action for dealing with these bees. Any interested person may make written suggestions or comments on these proposed rules prior to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday February 23, 1993. Such written materials should be directed to Robert L. Cox, State Apiarist, Department of Agriculture and Land Stewarship, Henry A. Wallace Building, Des Moines, Iowa 50319. DISCOUNT ON NEW EDITION OF THE HIVE AND THE HONEY BEE Dadant & Sons is offering a special discount on the new edition of The Hive and the Honey Bee. The regular rate is $36, but if an association can pool orders, they can offer the new edition at $27 on quantities of at least 8 and if 24 or more are ordered the price goes down to $25.65. Walter Clark, secretary of the state association will take your orders. Contact Walter at P.O. Box 30008, Des Moines, IA 50310 phone: (515) 253-0525. IOWA HONEY QUEEN TO COMPETE IN AMERICAN HONEY QUEEN CONTEST Heather Pomeroy, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. David Pomeroy of Wayland will be attending the American Honey Queen Contest in Kansas City January 20-23, 1993 to represent the state of Iowa. As the Iowa Honey Queen this past year, Heather travelled around the state promoting honey, honeybees and beekeeping. This promotion involved attending state and county fairs and conventions, giving cooking demonstrations, handing out honey samples, giving school presentations, and giving radio and television interviews. At the American Honey Queen Contest, Heather will compete against at least seven other state honey queens for the 1993 American Queen title. The contestants will be judged on their poise, personality, public speaking ability, and knowledge of honey, bees, and beekeeping. If Heather should win the American Honey Queen title, she will travel around the U.S. for one year, promoting the honey industry. Heather's interest in honey and beekeeping began eight years ago when her mother started keeping bees. Since then, Heather has become a beekeeper herself, and has enjoyed telling people about the products and benefits of honeybees. Heather started helping a local beekeeper promote honey at local events and eventually became the Iowa State Honey Queen in 1992. Currently, Heather is attending Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania, where she is majoring in International Business. She hopes to get started in a business career where she would work with people in Spanish speaking countries. TIME TO REGISTER APIARIES Please fill out the apiary registration form on page 13 of THE BUZZ and return it to the state apiarist's office as soon as possible. Send to: Bob Cox, State Apiarist, Iowa Department of Agriculture, Wallace Building, Des Moines, IA 50319. Registration deadline is April 1, 1993. By registering your beeyard (apiary) locations, pesticide sprayers will have access to the information used in contacting you. Remember, they will only contact you if they are applying a pesticide that is toxic to bees within a two-mile radius of your apiary. The information will also assist the apiary bureau carry out inspections. Do not turn the forms in at the county ASCS or Extension office. If you keep bees in more than one county, please make photocopies of the original and fill out a separate sheet for each county. You should keep a photocopy each year to make it easier to register the next year. CHOCOLATE HONEY SAUCE - Bill Van Roekel 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips 1/4 cup water 2 Tbsp butter or margarine 1/4 cup honey Melt chocolate with water over low heat in sauce pan. Simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in honey and butter. Beat hard. Store in airtight container and re-heat but do not boil. 1992 STATE APIARISTS ANNUAL REPORT The poor honey crop again this year has made 1992 a challenging year for the Iowa beekeeping community. A bountiful harvest greatly improves the attitude which in turn seems to make other problems seem less important. However, the poor honey crops may force us in the industry to deal with problems like: parasitic mites, poor locations, inefficient management decisions, or marketing strategies. Making adjustments in these areas may put us in a better position to take advantage of good nectar flows when they do come. Hard times force a person to change and sometimes change is necessary for future success. Iowa's apiary program has two general areas of emphases: Inspection/Regulatory and Educational/Promotion activities. Educational/Promotion acitivities ease the inspection/regulatory workload and both aim at promoting the health of the beekeeping industry in Iowa. Inspection/Regulatory The Apiary Bureau had fewer bee inspection hours with which to work this season because funds were not available to hire all four summer inspectors. Bill Eickholt of Cherokee and Mike O'Hearn of Northboro worked the northwest and southwest areas of the state, respectively. Tom Schuster of Dubuque covered northeastern Iowa and Bob Wells, assistant state apiarist, is responsible for educational programs, inspecting in southeastern Iowa and assisting in other parts of the state as needed. Bob Cox, state apiarist, is responsible for the entire apiary program, the Des Moines office, and inspecting in central and part of northcentral Iowa. Jean Van Houweling worked parttime as the secretary for the Apiary Bureau in Des Moines. State legislators and the Governor's office both proposed elimination of the Apiary Bureau in 1992, but due to Iowa beekeepers' strong positive response in support of the Bureau the Apiary program was left intact. This program exists for Iowa beekeepers and will only remain as long as beekeepers express strong support for it. Inspections were made in 1045 apiaries in 95 Iowa counties in 1992. These apiaries belonging to 354 beekeepers contained 19,262 colonies of bees. Every colony in the apiary (up to 10/apiary) was examined for brood diseases. In apiaries with 20 or more colonies the brood in only 50% of the colonies was examined. 20% of the colonies in each apiary were sampled for Varroa mites. A sample was collected to test for tracheal mite when requested. Tracheal samples are being processed and analyzed this winter. The incidence of Varroa mites has greatly increased in Iowa in the past four years. In 1989 Varroa was discovered in three townships in one county in northern Iowa and by 1992 positive Varroa tests occured in 38 Iowa counties (see figure 1). 13% of the ether roll tests performed for Varroa mite were positive this year (see Table 1). Varroa mite is now more commonly found than American foulbrood disease (see Table 2). Figure 1. Varroa mite-infested counties in Iowa from 1989 to 1992. Table 1. Varroa mite infestation in Iowa (ether roll test) % positive No. of No. of No. of Year E.R. Test apiaries beekeepers counties ___________________________________________________________ 1989 0 * 6 2 1 1990 <1 * 18 8 7 1991 5 58 18 15 1992 13 136 63 38 * In 1989 and 1990 almost all Varroa mite detections were made with Apistan strips and sticky boards. Table 2. Comparison of American foulbrood disease and Varroa mite infestation in Iowa apiaries in 1992. *percent of E.R. tests pos. Number of: Examined AFB Varroa __________________________________________________________ Colonies 9,742 305 (3.1%) --- (13%)* Apiaries 1045 78 (7.5%) 136 (13%) Beekeepers 354 48 (14%) 63 (18%) Counties 95 38 38 The Varroa mite was most prevalent in the vicinity of Dubuque and Council Bluffs (see a map of infested apiaries in Figure 2). 136 of the apiaries (13%) and 63 of the beekeepers (18%) inspected were infested with Varroa. Beekeepers were required to treat all infested apiaries with an EPA approved miticide or depopulate colonies before October 1 this year. Figure 2. Varroa mite-infested apiaries in each county in Iowa in 1992. "x" denotes counties where Varroa was found in 1991 only. Varroa-infested colonies that are properly treated will be healthy and have a reduced chance of spreading Varroa to nearby apiaries. However, these apiaries will need to be treated regularly until we have some resistant stocks of bees or some other way of combating these mites. Miticur plastic miticide strips were approved by EPA for general use in November. Having two chemicals with which to treat may reduce the chances of Varroa developing genetic resistance to these pesticides. American foulbrood disease was found in 3.1% (305) of the colonies examined in 1992. These colonies were either treated with Terramycin or diseased equipment disinfected or a combination of both. In the case of a beekeeper who did not clean up the disease, inspectors killed bees if necessary and burned diseased combs. Chalkbrood disease was found in 1101 colonies (11%) and less than 1% of the colonies were infected with European foulbrood. The beekeeper is provided information about these diseases if requested, but they are not regulated. Entry permits were issued for 13,602 colonies of bees and honey supers. 11,874 colonies came from Texas with the remainder coming from Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska and Oklahoma. Certificates of inspection were issued for colonies moving south for the winter or empty equipment being sold or moved to other states. Currently 247 beekeepers have 33,719 colonies in 1859 apiaries registered for pesticide applications notification and entry permits for migratory beekeepers. We keep records for 3 years and if not re-registered the registrations are dropped off the list. In February 1992, USDA's Iowa Ag Statistics Service reported that 92,000 colonies of bees in 1991 produced 5,152,000 pounds of honey (56 lbs./colony average) and is valued at $2.8 million. This compares to 54 pounds per colony in 1990 and an average of 80 lbs/colony in the last twenty years in Iowa. Educational/Promotion The purpose of the education program is to reduce disease and mite problems and in general, assist beekeepers in operating more profitable and enjoyable apiaries. This is accomplished by producing written materials, personal consultations, and public presentations. Disseminating information about honey and beekeeping to the general public also is carried out in order to benefit beekeeping in Iowa. A series of 22 "Beekeeping Information" sheets was compiled (or written, if necessary). These are available to send any person requesting information on a particular subject. A list of these sheets is available upon request from the State Apiarist's office. The state apiarist's office also has several videotapes that one of the inspectors can show to any interested group upon request. Twelve monthly issues of Iowa's beekeeping newsletter, THE BUZZ, were edited and published. The newsletter was sent to about 1200 persons with an interest in Iowa beekeeping until September 1992. Starting in September THE BUZZ was only mailed to individuals who returned the last page from the July or August BUZZ indicating they would like to continue to recieve the newsletter. The newsletter is currently sent to about 650 people. This change will save the department of agriculture several thousand dollars per year in printing and postage costs. Beekeeping presentations were made at workshops or beekeepers meetings in Allerton, Ankeny, Clarinda, Davenport, Huxley, Iowa City, Mt. Pleasant, Newton, Portsmouth, Spencer, and Waterloo. In 1992 bee talks were given to 46 classes in public and private schools primarily in the Des Moines area. Interviews were given with several radio stations and newspapers concerning bees, honey or beekeeping in Dubuque, Ft. Dodge, Indianola and Des Moines. Four news releases were sent out to over 400 media outlets servicing Iowa concerning benefits of honey bees to agriculture, the honey queen, honey month and the honey crop. The Apiary Bureau assisted in 25 different educational or promotional exhibits or projects. These exhibits involved several seasonal events at the Des Moines Botanical Center, an FFA trade fair, Farm Bureau Women and Iowa Home Economics Conventions, Hawkeye Science Fair, Boy Scout Celebration, Renaissance Fair, State Fair, Honey Month (September) Celebration, Burger King restaurant, Old Threshers Reunion, Laplanders Honey Conference, Iowa Products Day, Alternative Christmas Market, National Young Farmers Institute, Horticulture Society Holiday Promotion and new IHPA honey bear label. CALENDAR OF EVENTS JANUARY 5-10 American Honey Producers Association Meeting in Houston, TX. Contact: Dr. Larry Connor in Cheshire, CT at (203) 250-7575 12 Southeast Iowa Beekeepers Meeting 6:30 P.M. at Sirlion Stockade in Mt. Pleasant, IA. Election of officers. Contact: Ray Tull (319) 835-5201 20-24 American Beekeeping Federation Convention in Kansas City Contact: Troy Fore in Jesup, GA at (912) 427-8447 or 4018 BEEKEEPING WORKSHOPS The Apiary Bureau in cooperation with ISU Extension Service will be presenting a series of beekeeping workshops around Iowa this Spring. All workshops will begin with registration at 6:30 p.m. and program lasting until 9:00 p.m. A small registration fee may be charged at some locations. More information may be obtained from the local extension office or the State Apiarist's Office at (515) 281-5736. The workshops will be held on the following dates and at the following locations: FEBRUARY 18 & 25 Cerro Gordo County Extension Office, 2023 S. Federal, Mason City MARCH 1 & 8 Pottawattamie County Extension Office, 2719 E. Highway 6, Council Bluffs MARCH 15 & 22 Indian Creek Nature Center, 6665 Otis Road S., Cedar Rapids APRIL 5 & 12 Putnam Museum, 1717 West 12th, Davenport AFRICANIZED BEE UPDATE A 67-year old man was the victim of a bee attack in San Benito, Texas on November 28, 1992. Health Department officials and the San Benito Fire Department responded to the call. The man received over 150 stings and was hospitalized for two days. A sample of bees from that stinging incident has not been received by USDA or Texas A&M laboratories. As of December 1, 1992 there have been 112 Africanized bee stinging incidents and 37 European bee stinging incidents reported in Texas since the Africanized bee arrived in the fall of 1990. A HONEY OF A VERSE My son, honey whets the appetite, and so does wisdom! When you enjoy becoming wise there is hope for you! A bright future lies ahead! (Proverbs 24:13 TLB) IN THE BEEYARD So much has been written about beekeeping subjects. In my search for ideas to write about in this space I found some old yellowed pamphlets given to me some time ago by a beekeeping friend. They were part of a series of 20 pamphlets on various subjects, copyrighted in 1920 by G.B. Lewis Company in Watertown, Wisconsin. Two of the topics were: How to Manage Bees in Spring and How to Locate Apiaries. Its amazing that these same topics will still bring about a lively discussion today. On a related topic, it was some 60 years ago that a working relationship between Lewis Beeware and Dadant's Foundation began. At the last Annual meeting the Iowa Honey Producers voted to support a research project in the amount of $500. Back in 1979 the IHPA helped finance an ISU graduate student's research project. The student, Judith O'Keefe, investigated the degree to which honey bees visit soybean fields. Her results were published in the American Bee Journal in 1981. She tested honey samples from 48 Iowa counties for soybean pollen and not one sample was free of soybean pollen. In fact, 100% of the pollen in the O'Brien county samples was soybean pollen. - Bob Wells, Asst. State Apiarist MAKE YOUR HONEY LABLES 'SAY' QUALITY, PURE AND NATURAL An appealing label can give your honey sales a boost. According to a label research study sponsored by the National Honey Board (NHB), however, many honey labels do not motivate a consumer to purchase. In fact, some common honey label artwork is veiwed negatively by the typical honey consumer. The study showed that the three most important attributes to be conveyed on a honey label are quality, pure and natural. "Consumers buy honey for its great taste and its downhome qualities," said Mary Humann, marketing director for the NHB. Higher purchase interest (19%) was also noted for labels which included a local address. Local honey was often considered to be of higher quality and higher purity. Interestingly, "American" was not associated with higher purchase interest. They reported "taken in combination with other findings, this suggests that it may be better to imply country of origin with local identification or an address rather than to directly state 'American' on the label." While the study participants liked the idea of a cute bee or bear on the label, many responded negatively to realistic bee and beekeeping images. Producer/packers must remember that the typical honey buyer is anxious about bees, said Humann. "When she sees a realistic bee, she thinks of being stung or insects in her home. It's just not a positive message," Humann said. One participant in the study said "I've got a thing about bees -- if I've got to grab that jar, in my mind I'm grabbing that bee." Another said "I wouldn't buy it with a bee -- I wouldn't touch it." "I just don't like bugs," said one participant. Other images which may lower a consumer's purchase interest included fruit and honey combs. Flowers and skeps yielded a neutral response. Cute bees and bears were viewed positively. The "Honey Nut Cheerios bee" was often cited as a cute bee. One participant noted that they should be "cute, friendly and happy." The majority of participants (85%) said that nutritional information on honey containers is "extremely or very important". Respondents also said calories per serving is important information. Consumers also want basic honey storage and use tips on the label. Information on how to substitute honey for sugar was also deemed important. The study was conducted by the Honey Board to coincide with FDA's new nutritional labeling requirements. HONEY BOARD OFFERS 1993 HONEY PROMOTION CALENDAR It's here! The National Honey Board (NHB) announces the availability of a 1993 calendar. The colorful calendar features favorite recipes developed by the NHB. Also, dates of key Honey Board advertising and promotion activities are highlighted so you can watch for what's new! The Honey Board's activities calendar can help you plan your own honey promotions. A special thank you to Dr. Larry Connor of the Beekeeping Education Service for furnishing many of the beautiful photographs of bees and some of their favorite nectar sources. Individuals who have paid an assessment to the NHB in 1992 can order one calendar free of charge. To order your calendar, write: National Honey Board, 421 21st Ave. #203, Longmont, CO 30501. Or, you may call Tina Tindall at (303) 776-2337. Additional copies of the calendar are available for $4.00 each. Supplies are limited, so send in your order soon! The National Honey Board wishes you a prosperous 1993. 1993 IOWA HONEY PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP DUES: Iowa Honey Producers Association $ 5.00 $_________ American Honey Producers 1-50 colonies $20.00 $_________ 51-500 colonies $75.00 $_________ American Beekeeping Federation-Minimum $20.00 $_________ First time [] Renewal [] (Check one) SUBSCRIPTIONS: American Bee Journal One Year $15.60* $11.70 $_________ Two Years $28.96* $21.72 $_________ First time [] Renewal [] (Check one) Gleanings In Bee Culture One Year $15.00* $11.25 $_________ Two Years $28.00* $21.50 $_________ First time [] Renewal [] (Check one) QTY BOOKS 1-9 10 or more ____ Large Honey Recipe Book $3.00 $ 2.50 $_________ ____ Small Honey Recipe Book $1.00 $ 0.65 $_________ ____ Honey Pamphlet $0.03 Same $_________ ================= TOTAL $_________ *PRICE YOU WOULD PAY FOR MAGAZINE IF YOU DID NOT BELONG TO IHPA CHECK PAYABLE TO: IOWA HONEY PRODUCERS ASSN. SEND CHECK TO: Robert E. Shepherd, Jr. 917 N. Iowa Washington, IA 52353 (319) 653-4888 NAME________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS:____________________________________________________________ CITY:____________________STATE_________________ZIP__________________ PHONE(____)_________________________________________________________ NO. OF COLONIES_______________ Submitted by Terry Dahms President-East Central Iowa Beekeepers