Editor - Eugene Makovec

Advertising Manager - Marta Menn

Publishing Department -
Dianne Behnke & Susan Nichols
info@americanbeejournal.com
www.americanbeejournal.com
subscriptions@americanbeejournal.com
CONTENTS
Volume 159 No. 9 September 2019
DEPARTMENTS
From the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 959
ARTICLES
Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . 961
• International Honey Market Report:
News and Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 965 Import Fraud and Adulteration Continue to Undermine the
Honey Industry
U .S . Honey Crops and Markets . . . 977
John Phipps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .981
Classified Advertising . . . . . . . . . . 1063
• Shelter Science: Overwintering Bees in Extreme
Advertising Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1066 Northern Conditions
R Micheal Magnini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1013

COLUMNS • Nosemosis: Part 4 of a Series

The Classroom Randy Oliver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1027
Jerry Hayes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 991
Beekeeping Basics: Getting Ready • Development Project: Nicaragua
for Winter Poverty, Unrest and Africanized Bees
Tina Sebestyen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 999 Kris Fricke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1035
Science Insider: Wasp Woes
Alison McAfee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1003 • The Importance of Mentor Programs
Notes from the Lab: Making Wild Bees Sick
Darryl Gabritsch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1047
Scott McArt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1009
• Cool Chicory:
The Curious Beekeeper: Cultivating an
Obsession with Bees
The Under-appreciated “Blue Dandelion”
Rusty Burlew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1017 Charlotte Ekker Wiggins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1053
Beekeeping, Past and Present: The Secrets
• Hobby Gone Huge:
of Old Homemade Bee Smokers
Wyatt A. Mangum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1023 Ontario Flower Farmer Grows Into Commercial Beekeeper
Sylvia Dekker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1055
A Close Look @ the Hive:
Hive Sounds: The Signal in the Noise
Peter L Borst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1041 • Bee Underground:
The Native Species Underfoot
The American Bee Journal Laura G Shields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1061
ISSN 0002-7626
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL (ISSN 002-7626) is
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Street, Hamilton, IL 62341. Periodicals Postage Paid at
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$28.00 a year; two years, $53.00 and three years, $75.00. Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) is native to most of the continental
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Michigan 48106. ©Copyright Dadant & Sons, Inc., 2019.
All rights reserved, printed in USA. The Publishers cannot Diane Makovec refers to this as the “Horton Hears a Who” bush, due to its
guarantee advertisements in this magazine, but we ask
that any advertising complaints be made known to us, so distinctive pincushion flower heads. And indeed, photographer Nicholas May
we can further check the company’s reliability. Opinions said he was camping on the Courtois Creek in southern Missouri’s Huzzah Valley
expressed in articles are not necessarily those of the pub- when he ran across these “Dr. Seuss-like flowers” with bees all over them.
lisher. American Bee Journal, 51 S. 2nd St., Hamilton, IL
62341. (888) 922-1293. Fax (217) 847-3660.

September 2019 955

956 American Bee Journal
March 2018 957

I am not a weekend yard warrior.
I mow the grass when it needs it (or
at least within a couple of days after
it needs it); I try to pull most of the
ragweed before it produces pollen;
I wage a halfhearted battle against
the bush honeysuckle and pokeweed
that seem to sprout everywhere
around here; and I hurl the appropri-
ate epithets at the moles who raise
mountains here and there through-
out the yard. Other than that, it’s live
and let live.
Back in the burbs, I had neigh-
bors who routinely spent their en-
tire weekends toiling in their yards.
Sunup to sundown I’d see them out
there mowing, trimming, edging,
raking, bagging … it was exhausting!
(I’m sure it was tiring for them too, but
they really seemed to enjoy it.)
One neighbor down the street stood
above the crowd. One weekend when
Phil had to fly out of town on busi-
ness, his wife told us he’d climbed
the tree in the front yard on Friday
to knock as many leaves as he could
onto the ground so he could rake
them up before he left. I don’t know
what was more surprising, that he’d
done such a thing or that his wife was
sharing. (A couple of years later he
lost the tree; the arborist couldn’t say
what was causing its slow death, but
Phil had at one point applied some-
thing to the lawn to kill the grass so
he could start fresh, and I suspect that
treatment had eventually caught up
with the tree as well.
I was kind of the opposite, not so
neglectful as to be cited by the city, but
too busy with my side gigs — photog-
raphy, bees, watching football — to
spend valuable time micromanaging
my lawn. And there was the fact that
I was just not that interested; to me,
making the grass grow is not much
more exciting than watching it grow.
September 2019
From the Editor
Eugene Makovec
editor@americanbeejournal.com
TAMING THE NATURE
IN OUR YARDS
Frankly, I was just happy if there was
something growing out there, prefer-
ably green but not necessarily. If my
yard wasn’t as perfectly manicured as
those of my neighbors, so what? They
should have thanked me for helping
keep their property taxes down.
Honestly, I don’t know what it is
with Americans and their lawns. But
at least in my middle-class neighbor-
hood the fanatics did the work them-
selves. In surrounding zip codes,
homeowners were above that, hiring
the professionals to do the work for
them. A common marketing theme in
that trade is the promise of “a bare-
foot lawn.” They send out a crew
with a license to kill:
They begin by spraying any clover,
dandelions, violets or anything else
that might bloom and attract stinging
insects of any kind.
They exterminate any existing in-
sects that might be lurking on the
lawn or in the soil.
If necessary, they just wipe out the
entire existing lawn, with its unwant-
ed native grasses and “weeds,” then
start over with varieties that grow
plush, thick and bright green — with
the right inputs of course: annual
“weed & seed” mixtures, and lots and
lots of water. Which of course means
you’ll need to mow constantly, bag all
those clippings and dispose of them
somewhere.
But in either case, by season’s end
you’ve dumped more water on your
lawn than in your swimming pool,
and more gas in your mower than in
your Suburban. All in all, this “bare-
foot lawn” costs you hundreds of dol-
lars a year to maintain. Why not just
pick up a pair of ten-dollar flip-flops
at Walmart?
As Jerry Hayes reminded us in his
March “Classroom,” Americans tend
40 million acres of lawn with 80 mil-
lion pounds of chemicals and 400 bil-
lion gallons of water. But help is on
the way: A recent Wall Street Jour-
nal article (“The Future of Lawns Is
Fake,” July 19) describes the trend
among modern jet setters to forgo the
traditional lawn altogether, “shifting
to artificial landscaping to curb water
use, save maintenance hassles, and
avoid dust and dirt.”
“Grass is messy,” says one Califor-
nia homeowner who paid $200,000
for her “faux landscaping,” a com-
bination of nylon, polyethylene and
polypropylene. Plastic grass is com-
plemented by plastic flowers with
special coating to slow the inevitable
fading from sunlight. (Perhaps future
developers can also install domes and
UV-free lighting options.)
Most importantly, the fake grass is
augmented with artificial thatch and
brown tinges to mimic nature. I am
reminded of the old American Dairy
Association commercial with the tag-
line, “We’ll never claim butter tastes
like margarine.”
But the biggest advantage, of
course, is voiced by a Brooklyn town-
house owner with a $50,000 faux
yard: “It looks real and I’m less likely
to step on a bee.”
959
 Send your letters to the editor,
Attn: Eugene Makovec,
Dadant, 51 S. 2nd Street,
Hamilton, IL 62341,
Fax: 1-217-847-3660,
or email: editor@americanbeejournal.com
Due to size and content, we may be unable to publish all information received.
We may also edit your letter to avoid offensive language. Thank You!

BEE LATTE
A coffee tree on my porch draws an
eager consumer this Sunday morning
with a burst of fresh floral blend. Very
few bees in my garden in Washington,
D.C., I’m sorry to say. I’m happy to
have this one.
John Bray
TheHoe.org
EDITOR RESPONSE
Hi John,
Neat photos — is that an ornamental,
or does it also produce beans?
Eugene
The coffee trees produce cherries
that contain the bean. I’ve tried to
make coffee with the harvest, but it’s
a laborious process. The trees really
work better for me as an ornamental.
They are quite beautiful and durable,
with a subtle scent to the bloom and
bright red cherries. I was thrilled to
see a bee working the flowers.
John
GOOD DISCUSSION
Dear Mr. Makovec,
You are a refreshing editor. Ameri-
can Bee Journal has always been a good
magazine, but under your leadership
it has become more balanced and
much more interesting. The “Mod-
ern Farm Myths” series generated
much discussion and back and forth.
I appreciated reading another point of
view from a knowledgeable person. I
saw that many readers took issue with
Charles Linder’s articles. You stated in
the May issue that you had received
many comments, more positive than
negative, but I noticed you printed
three negative comments and only
one positive.
I live in the country surrounded by
small scale farmers in southwest PA. I
have been a beekeeper for 14 years. I
generally have between 5-10 hives. I
have not lost a hive in summer or win-
ter for the past two years. (I hesitate
to even make that statement out loud
as nature may get me for my hubris.)
Research continues across the country,
but location, location, location and
mite treatment probably has some-
thing to do with my success.
In the March 2019 issue, I thought
“The Beekeeping Continuum” (I am
closest to an organic backyard bee-
keeper) and “Are we talking about Pes-
ticides too much” interesting. I found
“Diagnosing a Dead-Out helpful.
I used to glance through the index
of articles and sometimes barely read
an article. It is taking me much longer
to get through each issue produced
since you became the editor.
Thank you and keep up the good
work.
Lisa Laskow
Stahlstown, Pennsyslvania
EDITOR RESPONSE
Hi Lisa,
Thank you for your kind words.
I’m sorry to be taking so much of
your time these days. I also find my-
self spending hours on each issue in
recent months, so I guess we’re in the
same boat!
Eugene
MODERN FARM MYTHS
In response to the Modern Farm
Myths I had to make a reply based on
what I have seen in my life. The usage
of pesticide I do not agree with. As
there is evidence that gets passed on
down the food chain where we stand
on the receiving end of it. Which
points to our healthcare which I’m
sure you are all aware of the process
they call better and cheaper health-
care. With that in mind why is it fail-
ing to meet its goals?
You ask what has this to do with
bees? The percentage of people dy-
ing and being cured is losing due to
the diet of the people, which in turn
points to the chemicals in our food
and in the food of the animals we eat.
To say organic farming doesn’t
have some faults would be false, but
to say conventional is the way to go
is wrong. You say not enough food
for the population. Organic farms
in my area equal or exceed conven-
tional yields with higher prices at the
market. That fact challenges Charles
Linder’s train of thought; is what he’s
saying actually so?
I think most of you would agree the
bees are now to us what the canaries
were to the coal miners. Is GMOs and
pesticide usage the reason the bees
can no longer tolerate high mite lev-
els because of decreased nutrition?
The point is I believe pesticides in our
lives and food directly impact us, our
health and our bees.
I just want to say thank you for
publishing a great magazine. Plus a
huge thank you to Randy Oliver for
his extensive articles on mites and
pesticides. Also Scott McArt for his
latest research.
Trying to keep bees here in Ohio,
Merle Keim
P.S. More articles from Kirk Web-
ster would be welcomed including
other pioneers with mite resistant
bees.

September 2019 961

GREEKS LOVE THEIR HONEY
My husband and I just returned
from a trip to Greece. We saw many
hives along the roads; a common
breakfast option there is a bowl full of
Greek yogurt with honey on top. Vari-
ous varieties include fir and chestnut
honey. At the base of some sandstone
geological formations called Meteora
(monks lived up in the rocks in the
Middle Ages), we were finally able to
get a shot of some Langstroth hives ―
the bees were happily buzzing around
us, just like at our two hives at home.
Anna O’Brien and Steve Boscovitch
Frederick, Maryland
SQUARE COMB MUTATION?
I would like to publish this picture
with the very special phenomenon:
square cells in a comb of Honey Comb
(left side at the bottom), and hexago-
nal cells on the right.
Dr. Azaria Lupo
Israel
Square comb
EDITOR RESPONSE
Hello Dr. Lupo,
Thanks for the interesting photo.
While we’ve all been taught over
the years that honey bees build their
comb in this amazing hexagon shape
which maximizes strength and stor-
age space, researchers in recent years
have suggested otherwise. Apparent-
ly the cell is round when originally
shaped, but when round shapes are
compressed together they become
hexagonal. We can see this with suds
in the kitchen sink. But brand new,
freeform comb is extremely malleable,
962
Langstroth hives in Greece
and I think in this case it has just got- and hobbies, the more the govern-
ten stretched and distorted in the pro- ment gets involved the more work
cess of being removed. and problems I have. It almost makes
Eugene me want to choose another hobby.
Thank you for your response. David McKinley
I think this rare phenomenon, in the Spencerville, Indiana
picture, is very interesting and worth
to be published in American Bee Jour- GOT WAX? GET PAID!
nal (Letters to Editor). It’s that simple!
Maybe the cause is behavioral ge-
netic mutation. I am very curious Light and dark.
to see the response of beekeeping Rendering services available.
experts.
Thankfully, BEE EXCELLENT
Dr. Azaria Lupo
Phone (218) 776-3593
Hello again, Fax (218) 776-3502
I passed this along to Jerry Hayes, E-mail bexcel@gvtel.com
who writes our “Classroom” column, Global inquiries welcome.
and he had this to add:
“I think what you are seeing is new-
ly constructed free form comb being
built not on foundation and this if left
alone in the colony would have met
the standards of ‘physics’ and been
transformed into hexagonal cells as
the process continued. Pretty cool to
see how honey bees are under the
laws of ‘physics’ just like we all are.”
Thanks again for sharing the photo.
It is neat to see comb in hexagons,
squares, circles and even diamonds!
Eugene
TOO MUCH GOVERNMENT
Thank you very much for the article
in July page 735 (From the Editor).
I will make this short and sweet. I
am a hobby beekeeper with 6 hives
and I have found that in my business
American Bee Journal
964 American Bee Journal

FORD MOTOR COMPANY SHARES ITS
BEEKEEPING EFFORTS WITH “HEROES
TO HIVES” TO HELP VETERANS HEAL
DEARBORN, Mich., July 10, 2019 — Adam Ingrao was
a military man. He always knew it, just like his father and
his father before him, so he enlisted. But when Ingrao’s
military career abruptly ended, he struggled to acclimate
back into civilian life. A few years later, he found solace in
an unexpected place — with honeybees. Now, he’s teamed
up with Ford to help more veterans find healing in the
hive.
In 2015, Ingrao started a therapeutic beekeeping pro-
gram with just five other veterans. Since then, it has
evolved into Heroes to Hives, a unique nine-month pro-
gram offered through Michigan State University Exten-
sion that seeks to address the financial and personal well-
ness of veterans via professional training and community
development centered on beekeeping. Ingrao serves as
agricultural entomologist educator and veteran liaison for
Michigan State University Extension.
Initially, the program that helps to provide the comrad-
ery, mindfulness and structure many veterans need to suc-
cessfully acclimate back into civilian life did not have a
presence in Southeast Michigan. So when Cormac Wright,
Ford global energy systems project manager, learned
about Heroes to Hives and its need for a location in South-
east Michigan, he knew there had to be an opportunity
with Ford.
“Heroes to Hives is an amazing program,” said Wright.
“It’s a privilege for all of us at Ford to be able to provide
something to help our veterans.”
Decorative hive enclosures at Ford Motor Company head-
quarters
September 2019
Wright spearheads the Ford corporate-wide beekeeping
program. The sustainability initiative supports honeybee
populations, the local ecosystem, gardening and farming
communities, and Heroes to Hives aligns with these ef-
forts. So when Wright set out to find space at Ford for the
program, his efforts led him to a Ford farm in Ypsilanti.
Ford Cherry Hill Farm is an 800-acre working farm pro-
ducing corn, soybeans, wheat and hay. Once used as a test-
ing site for the Ford tractor division, it is now the newest
location for Heroes to Hives. Ford is dedicating five acres
of Cherry Hill Farm to the program. In addition to the
hives, there will be pollinator-friendly plants to support
the honeybees and other pollinators.
“Most veterans in the state reside in Southeast Michi-
gan,” said Ingrao. “Ford has enabled us to provide a more
accessible location for many of our Heroes to Hives par-
ticipants.”
Ford bees Flourish on campus oF company headquarters
Last year, the company welcomed six Langstroth hives
to a walking path extension north of Ford World Head-
quarters.
Adding a creative flourish to the installation, the hives
are enclosed in special hive shells imagined by Ford’s own
designers, who participated in a unique competition to see
who could come up with the most aesthetically pleasing
and functional home for the bees.
Over a dozen design concepts were submitted, span-
ning a variety of formats and employing numerous ma-
terials ranging from wood, plant matter, acrylic, ceramics,
mill foam, fiberglass and metal. In the end, the concept of
Chris Westfall, a designer of vehicle interiors, was chosen
for its overall benefits to colony health. Titled “Honey-
comb Sail,” the design features two sails that wrap around
each beehive to provide a peaceful space away from the el-
ements. The design takes cues from both bee wings and a
thick drop of honey. One side allows for easy access by the
beekeeper and the other entrance is sized just for the bees.
Ford employee volunteers serve as beekeepers and man-
age the hives. They collect data on the hives as part of the
Bee Informed Partnership’s Sentinel Apiary Program, a
collective of over 100 beekeepers from 33 states who track
honeybee health and diseases nationally.
This spring, the bee population multiplied enough to
warrant a controlled split. The resulting five new hives
will go to Ford’s Cherry Hill Farm to help veterans as part
of the Heroes to Hives program.
For more information, contact Monique Brentley at
313.594.3744 or mbrentle@ford.com.
EPA REGISTERS LONG-TERM USES
OF SULFOXAFLOR WHILE ENSURING
STRONG POLLINATOR PROTECTION
RegistRation pRovides benefits to gRoweRs and is suppoRted
by stRong science that shows minimal Risks foR pollinatoRs
Today [July 12, 2019], the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is issuing a long-term approval for the insec-
ticide sulfoxaflor — an effective tool to control challenging
pests with fewer environmental impacts. After conducting
an extensive risk analysis, including the review of one of
the agency’s largest datasets on the effects of a pesticide
on bees, EPA is approving the use of sulfoxaflor on alfalfa,
965
corn, cacao, grains (millet, oats), pineapple, sorghum, teff,
teosinte, tree plantations, citrus, cotton, cucurbits (squash,
cucumbers, watermelons, some gourds), soybeans, and
strawberries.
“EPA is providing long-term certainty for U.S. grow-
ers to use an important tool to protect crops and avoid
potentially significant economic losses, while maintain-
ing strong protection for pollinators,” said Alexandra
Dapolito Dunn, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of
Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “Today’s deci-
sion shows the agency’s commitment to making decisions
that are based on sound science.”
Sulfoxaflor is an important and highly effective tool
for growers that targets difficult pests such as sugarcane
aphids and tarnished plant bugs, also known as lygus.
These pests can damage crops and cause significant eco-
nomic loss. Additionally, there are few viable alternatives
for sulfoxaflor for these pests. In many cases, alternative
insecticides may be effective only if applied repeatedly or
in a tank mix, whereas sulfoxaflor often requires fewer
applications, resulting in less risk to aquatic and terres-
trial wildlife.
EPA’s registration also includes updated requirements
for product labels, which will include crop-specific restric-
tions and pollinator protection language.
background
In 2016, following a 2015 decision of the Ninth Circuit
Court of Appeals vacating the registration of sulfoxaflor
citing inadequate data on the effects on bees, EPA reevalu-
ated the data and approved registrations that did not in-
clude crops that attract bees. The 2016 registration allowed
fewer uses than the initial registration and included ad-
ditional interim restrictions on application while new data
on bees were being obtained. Today’s action, adding new
uses, restoring previous uses, and removing certain appli-
cation restrictions is backed by substantial data support-
ing the use of sulfoxaflor.
For additional information, please visit: https://www.
epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/decision-
register-new-uses-insecticide-sulfoxaflor.
PAINTER RETURNS TO ADD 7-FOOT
BEE TO CALIFORNIA MURAL
Dixon, California native and artist Colleen Gnos was
back home this summer to enhance and restore “Gazing
Into Infinity.”
She painted the 46-by-32-foot mural as a commission for
Agriform Inland Terminal and the City of Woodland, CA
from June to July 2012. Colleen hopes her updates using
state-of-the-art materials and techniques will extend the
resilience and visibility of the giant painting in Yolo Coun-
ty’s intense weather conditions. Measuring 65 feet at its
highest point, this prominent work of art depicts a farmer
looking at the sunrise, and pays homage to Gnos family
agricultural roots. https://youtu.be/KEjEearUM6k
Mural History
The impressionistic mural is on the Tremont Group
Building, off Highway 113 at 1002 N. East St.
In 2012 Agriform Inland Terminal, a major California
fertilizer distributor, commissioned Gnos to create the
iconic mural when the City of Woodland required new
966
The original 2012 mural
commercial projects to include public art. The community
watched daily progress that summer as the giant farmer
in the field came to life. The muralist says she continues to
appreciate local residents’ enthusiasm, along with Inland
Terminal’s long-term interest to maintain the mural.
Gnos shared, “It’s so refreshing to work with a company
that wants public art to reflect their community. Inland
Terminal was wise to plan a maintenance budget to protect
and conserve their investment. Since I started my painting
updates, it’s been gratifying to hear workers’ comments,
to get drivers’ reactions and to see social media comments.
When I originally did the mural in 2012, I wanted to recre-
ate memories of accompanying my father to Dixon’s fields
at sunrise, to pay respect to local farmers like my brother,
and to capture the area’s natural beauty. Even more so to-
day, I feel like this 65-foot tall artwork represents the past,
present & future of this agricultural community and In-
land Terminal’s mission.
Inspiration
“My paintings tend to be narrative, especially my mu-
rals. ‘Gazing Into Infinity’ shows the story of a hardwork-
ing man connected to his farm. That industrious lifestyle
reflects families who live and farm in Woodland, Dixon,
and other California regions, working their own land. I
grew up as a farmer’s daughter and worked alongside my
Dad in summer months. When he picked up a handful of
soil and smelled it, I didn’t know then what he was doing.
Over time I realized that only a farmer would know this
bond with the land. Farmers are so in tune with the earth.
Returning to enhance this giant project has been a special
homecoming. This mural, this community is a continuous
celebration of my upbringing.”
Why Back to Woodland Now?
It’s been seven years since Gnos painted the large mural
that Yolo County residents and passersby enjoy in this ru-
ral area. Weather, harsh sunlight and winds take their toll
on painted surfaces. There are several reasons that Gnos
wanted to update the agricultural work of art now.
The Shell Beach, CA artist wanted to enhance the cur-
rent colors so the painting would still be vibrant from a
distance. Over time outdoor painted surfaces fade. She ex-
plained, “The way an artist uses and mixes colors is their
signature. My regular practice of using subtle color blends
on a smaller painting is almost invisible from far away.
So while I’m painting for hours up in a forklift, I have to
make sure I also take time to look at the mural from fur-
ther away in the sunlight and make sure colors seem deep
American Bee Journal
and saturated. I want to see what drivers and workers will
see when they pass by every day.”
She decided to add a new 7’ Italian honeybee on the mu-
ral’s right edge in a trompe l’oel style to signal the region’s
passion for this important agricultural creature. Gnos
shared, “I know people are crazy about their honeybees
here, and for good reason. My family has several neigh-
bors who are beekeepers.”
Most importantly, Gnos recognized the need to inte-
grate advanced materials and techniques to preserve the
artwork longer.
Special Considerations
The highest point of the mural is 65 feet above ground.
So for Phase 1, Gnos & her husband, Che Miller attended
OSHA’s required class to become certified as Arial Lift
Operators. Both Gnos & Miller spent the first week atop a
tall boom lift. They inspected all mural surfaces. Then they
gently washed and scrubbed the entire 46’ x 32’ mural, us-
ing a 100-gallon pressure washer mounted on the back of
a truck, before Gnos started careful touch-ups and meticu-
lously added the vibrant new honeybee.
The height of Inland Empire’s building hasn’t been the
only obstacle. There’s also intense heat, misleading shad-
ows and wind to deal with. In order to beat the heat of
oppressive 100 degree temperatures, Gnos wakes by 3:30
am to be on the job site by 4:45 am. She paints until the sun
hits the west side of the building, and tries to finish by 1
pm, followed by drinking lots of fluids and rest.
Art & Science of a Mural
— A Little Help from a Friend
This devoted artist has always had a clear artistic vision
of what “Gazing into Infinity” might look like.
Since 2012 though, Gnos knew that the science to pre-
serve and protect outdoor paintings continually changes.
She wanted to take advantage of the most current and
proven technology paints and sealers for this public art’s
maintenance. So she consulted other West Coast mural-
ists, including Scott Haskins of Fine Art Conservation
Laboratories.
Haskins is Los Angeles County’s top public art conser-
vationist, with expertise on hundreds of southern CA mu-
rals, known world-wide for his passion and expertise to
protect and preserve major artwork. He reviewed Gnos’
proposed materials and technical plans, and made sugges-
Revision in progress with new bee at right
September 2019
tions to incorporate new state-of-the art solutions for the
Woodland mural’s painted areas and surface protection.
Gnos used these new paint formulations in Phase 1 of her
restoration.
In Phase 2, Gnos built a stronger barrier against the el-
ements by adding 4 more protective layers using a new
formula after she finished the painting. She allowed more
time for critical curing between layers, too. Haskins was so
impressed by the magnitude and artistic quality of “Gaz-
ing into Infinity” that he offered to meet Gnos in Wood-
land to help apply the critical final layers of the new coat-
ing material. Both artist and conservationist returned to
Woodland to finish this unique mural July 24-26.
How People Can View Colleen Gnos’ Regional Art
Motorists can see the mural by driving north out of
Woodland, along Highway 113, at County Road 18C.
“Gazing Into Infinity” isn’t Gnos’ only local public art.
In July 2018, Gnos installed “Stewards of The Soil” in
Dixon, a 20-foot tall highway mural paying tribute to
CA’s farming and agriculture families. She also has a
mural inside St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Dixon. Fol-
low Gnos’ Yolo County mural updates on Facebook at
https://youtu.be/KEjEearUM6k, https://www.facebook.
com/colleengnosart/ and at https://www.gnosart.com/
stewards-of-the-soil
References:
WATCH: 2012 “Gazing into Infinity” unfolds over a hot summer:
https://youtu.be/KEjEearUM6k
SLOVENIAN BEEKEEPING
pResents its
8th beekeeping touR to slovenia
in coopeRation with apitouRs
10-20 oct, 2019
Slovenia is just one of those gems that has been a se-
cret for a long time. It is also known as the Beekeepers
of Europe as they have more beekeepers per capita than
any other country! Between its Alps, coastline and plains,
there is beauty everywhere you go. These tours are a per-
fect combination between learning how to manage the
wonderful Až hives and enjoying the beauty Slovenia has
to offer.
The tour includes visits with several local beekeepers,
an apitherapy class, and sightseeing jaunts to attractions
including Lake Bled, Logarska Valley, the Rinka Waterfall
and the Olimje Monstery.
Lake Bled Olimje Monastery
For more information, contact Suzanne Brouillette at
beeslovenia@gmail.com.
967
 CONGRATULATIONS TO THE
2019 USA PAM-COSTCO
SCHOLAR FELLOWSHIP AWARDEES!
Scholarship: Since 2013, Project Apis m. (PAm) and
Costco Wholesale Corporation have collaborated to spon-
sor a competitive scholarship program for a Ph.D - level
candidate. The purpose of the Costco Scholar Program
is to ensure the continuity of honey bee health scientists
and specialties in the academic and research world. It also
intends to develop and contribute to sustainability of the
beekeeping industry and assure its future contributions to
agriculture, where many crops depend upon pollination
for success. The program recognizes and supports out-
standing graduate students who are, or will be, pursuing
research-based doctoral degrees in fields within the Proj-
ect Apis m. mission of enhancing honey bee health while
improving crop production.
2019 Awards: 11 highly qualified and impressive indi-
viduals applied for the PAm-Costco Scholar Fellowship.
A review panel including PAm Science Advisors, PAm
Board Members, Costco Representatives, 2016 PAm-Cost-
co Scholar Morgan Carr-Markell, and PAm Staff carefully
reviewed applications and interviewed five applicants.
Awards were given to two outstanding candidates who
demonstrated exemplary initiative, capacity, innovation,
scholastic dedication and skillful communication of honey
bee health research.
Introducing the 2019 USA PAm-Costco Scholar:
Zachary Lamas, University of Maryland
Varroa Feeding Behavior and the Effects of Pesticides on
Queens
Award: $50,000 per year for 3 years of funding totaling $150,000
Zac Lamas is a PhD student at the University of Mary-
land where he studies varroa feeding behavior. Previously
he worked for Michael Palmer of French Hill Apiaries
where he managed honey and nucleus colony production,
while simultaneously running his own migratory opera-
tion between the coast of North Carolina and upstate New
York, producing queens and surplus colonies. Zac has an
innate love for agriculture and ran a biodynamic farm
while attaining his bachelor’s degree at Colby-Sawyer
College in New Hampshire. He aims to find sustainable
methods to improve the quality of farming while reducing
its impact on the environment.
968
Zac is continuing that work now in the VanEngelsdorp
lab at UMD where he has been given the freedom to in-
vestigate dual interests: varroa behavior and the effects of
pesticides on queens, and how certain varroa behaviors
can be major drivers of viral transmission. On the pesti-
cide front, he’s created tiny, closed system colonies that
can rear brood or queens in laboratory settings. His viral
work is with collaborators at the Beltsville Bee Lab. He
hopes his work will ultimately improve honey bee health
and dramatically reduce the cost of pesticide research.
Introducing the 2019 USA PAm-Costco
Scholar Runner-Up:
Alex McMenamin, Montana State University
Molecular Mechanisms of Honey Bee Antiviral Defense
Award: $50,000 per year for 2 years of funding totaling $100,000
Alex is currently a PhD
student in Montana State
University’s Pollinator
Health Center, which is
co-directed by his advi-
sor Dr. Michelle Flen-
niken. Before coming to
MSU he received a B.S.
in Immunology and In-
fectious Disease at Penn
State University, where
he stayed to complete a
M.S. in Entomology un-
der Dr. Christina Groz-
inger studying the health
and behavior of Kenyan
honey bees.
His current research
focuses on the molecular
mechanisms of honey
bee antiviral defense to help build a basic understanding
of honey bee host-pathogen interactions. This includes
projects investigating (1) how the heat-stress response is
associated with antiviral immunity, (2) the function of a
novel antiviral immune gene and (3) the role of honey bee
hemocytes in the antiviral response. The long-term goal is
to use that basic understanding to aid the rational devel-
opment of therapeutics and breeding programs to combat
the viral diseases of honey bees.
URL: http://www.montana.edu/pollinators/
Project Apis m. thanks all of the PAm-Costco Scholar
Fellowship applicants, they showed outstanding potential
to contribute to science, and honey bee health research.
Contact: For additional information, contact Sharah
Yaddaw at Sharah@ProjectApism.org.
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE FINDS
HONEY BEE HEALTH
IMPROVES IN AG AREAS
by gingeR Rowsey,
univeRsity of tennessee institute of agRicultuRe
While recent media reports have condemned a com-
monly used agricultural pesticide as detrimental to honey
bee health, scientists with the University of Tennessee In-
American Bee Journal
stitute of Agriculture have found that the overall health
of honey bee hives actually improves in the presence of
agricultural production.
The study, “Agricultural Landscape and Pesticide Ef-
fects on Honey Bee Biological Traits” which was published
in a recent issue of the Journal of Economic Entomology,
evaluated the impacts of row-crop agriculture, including
the traditional use of pesticides, on honey bee health. Re-
sults indicated that hive health was positively correlated
to the presence of agriculture. According to the study, col-
onies in a non-agricultural area struggled to find adequate
food resources and produced fewer offspring.
“We’re not saying that pesticides are not a factor in
honey bee health. There were a few events during the
season where insecticide applications caused the death
of some foraging bees,” says Mohamed Alburaki, lead
author and post-doctoral fellow with the University of
Tennessee Department of Entomology and Plant Pathol-
ogy (EPP). “However, our study suggests that the ben-
efits of better nutrition sources and nectar yields found
in agricultural areas outweigh the risks of exposure to
agricultural pesticides.”
Alburaki and fellow researchers established experimental
apiaries in multiple locations in western Tennessee ranging
from non-agricultural to intense agricultural production.
Over the course of a year, colonies were monitored for per-
formance and productivity by measuring colony weight,
brood production and colony thermoregulation. Colony
thermoregulation, or the ability to maintain an optimal
temperature within a hive, is an important factor in brood
development and the health of the resulting adult bees.
According to the study, hives located in areas with high
to moderate agricultural vegetation grew faster and larger
than those in low or non-agricultural areas. Researchers
suggest the greater population sizes enabled better colony
thermoregulation in these hives, as well.
Meanwhile, bees located in a non-agricultural envi-
ronment were challenged to find food. Although fewer
pesticide contaminants were reported in these areas, the
landscape did not provide sustainable forage. In fact, dur-
ing the observations, two colonies in the non-agricultural
areas collapsed due to starvation.
Disruptions and fluctuations in brood rearing were also
more notable in a non-agricultural environment. Interest-
ingly, brood production was highest in the location that
exhibited a more evenly distributed mix of agricultural
production, forests and urban activity.
“One possible explanation for this finding could be the
elevated urban activity in this location,” says Alburaki. “Or-
namental plantings around homes or businesses, or back-
yard gardens are examples of urban activity that increase
the diversity of pollen in an area. Greater pollen diversity
has been credited with enhancing colony development.”
Researchers also evaluated trapped pollen from each
colony for pesticide residues. Low concentrations of fun-
gicides, herbicides and insecticides were identified, but at
levels well below the lethal dose for honey bees. Imida-
cloprid was the only neonicotinoid detected, also at sub-
lethal levels.
Agricultural pesticides, particularly neonicotinoids, are
considered by some to be a key factor in declining hon-
eybee populations. The UTIA study found that higher ex-
posure to pesticides in agricultural environments did not
result in measurable impacts on colony productivity.
“We train agricultural producers on careful selection
and conscientious application of pesticides to reduce bee
September 2019
exposure,” says Scott Stewart, Integrated Pest Manage-
ment Specialist with UT Extension, “but it’s becoming
more clear that the influences of varroa mite and food
availability are more important factors in honey bee health
than agricultural pesticides.”
CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF
PROFESSIONAL APICULTURISTS
STATEMENT ON HONEY BEE
WINTERING LOSSES IN CANADA (2019)
The Canadian Association of Professional Apicultur-
ists (CAPA) coordinated the annual honey bee wintering
loss report for 2018-2019. As in previous years, the survey
consisted of harmonized questions based on the national
beekeeping industry and the Provincial Apiculturists col-
lected the survey data. All provinces were included in the
national survey. The respondents operated 398,728 honey
bee colonies across Canada. This represents 50% of all
colonies operated and wintered in the country in 2018-
2019. The national winter loss, including non-viable bee
colonies was 25.7% with provincial losses ranging from
19.8% to 54.1%. The overall national colony loss reported
in 2019 is in the middle range of reported losses since 2007.
Through the hard work of beekeepers replacing loses and
making increases, Statistics Canada reports show that the
total colony count has increased by 35.2% during the pe-
riod between 2007 and 2018.
Respondents reported some variation in identifying
and ranking the top four possible causes of colony losses
across the country. The most frequently cited causes in
order from high to low were: weather, starvation, poor
queens, and weak colonies in the fall.
Beekeepers also responded to questions on the manage-
ment of three serious parasites and pathogens to beekeep-
ing: Varroa mites, Nosema spp. and Peanibacillus larvae
(the causal bacteria of American foulbrood disease). The
majority of beekeepers in most provinces reported that
they monitored for Varroa mites. The most commonly re-
ported Varroa treatments were Apivar® and formic acid
(Mite Away Quick Strip® (MAQS), repeated 40 ml of 65%
formic acid treatments or flash treatments) in spring, Api-
var® or formic acid (MAQS or flash treatments) in the
summer or fall and oxalic acid in late fall. Many beekeep-
ers reported using spring and fall applications of Apivar®
or Apivar® plus formic or oxalic acid to keep mites under
control in 2018. Nosemosis and American foulbrood were
treated by many Canadian beekeepers. Across the country
registered antibiotics were the commonly used treatments;
but methods and timing of application varied from prov-
ince to province.
Provincial Apiculturists, Tech-transfer agents and re-
searchers have been working with beekeepers across Can-
ada to encourage them to monitor honey bee pests, espe-
cially Varroa mites and nosema, and adopt recommended
integrated pest management practices to keep these pests
under control. Through various working groups, that in-
clude various stakeholders, CAPA members continue to
work on development and improving management op-
tions for beekeepers to keep healthy bees. CAPA mem-
bers are also actively involved in the Federal Bee Health
Roundtable to develop strategies that work toward ad-
dressing risks and opportunities for developing a sustain-
able, healthy beekeeping industry.
969
 Disclaimer: Survey data were supplied by the provin-
cial apiarist of each province. The data were then com-
piled and further analyzed by the CAPA National Survey
Committee.
OBITUARY
ILYA JUNG (1922 – 2018)
Mother, Beekeeper, Life Member of the
BC Honey Producers’ Association
by Kerry Clark
Ilya was born January 21, 1922 in Colorado Springs, to
Osia Evelyn and Conrad Gephardt. She graduated from
high school in 1940 in Denver, Colorado. There with her
first husband John Wright, she had three daughters: Con-
nie, Shirley and Donna. Also in Colorado, Ilya and her
second husband Karl (Bub) Jung had a son: Lyle and 2
more daughters: Judy and Karla. In 1957 the whole family
came north to Arras, near Dawson Creek and purchased
three quarter sections of land (for $4500). They had an-
other daughter Deanna, and fostered a son Johnny, as they
farmed up to 40 beef cows, 250 ewes, 5 milk cows and for a
time, up to 80 pigs. With just a woodstove in the one-room
house without power or running water, Ilya made home-
made butter and cottage cheese and grew several large
gardens every year to help feed the family.
After 10 years in Arras, Ilya’s husband returned perma-
nently to Denver, leaving Ilya to care for the family. Ilya
worked as the Airport Meteorologist in Dawson Creek in
the late 1960s, and ran the cafe at the airport terminal. She
Notice by Kerry Clark, her friend, with fond memories of Ilya’s
constant positive good nature.
970
worked a couple of years trimming and wrapping meat,
and doing paperwork in the afternoons, for Lawrence
Meats, in Dawson Creek. She cut hair in the coffee room
on her noon hour break. She also offered boarding for up
to six children at a time when the Upper Cutbank School
was closed and students were redirected to her commu-
nity school.
Ilya got her first hive of bees in 1958, and took a short
course in beekeeping. Back then she sold a four pound tin
of honey for a dollar. During her beekeeping career, she
kept up to 25 hives of bees and enjoyed some nice crops of
honey, up to 400 pounds from one colony.
In 1972 Ilya answered an ad and was pleased to actually
be paid to work with her greatest love: BEES (a honey of
a job, she called it). From 1974 to 1987 she worked for the
government of British Columbia doing apiary inspections,
disease control, giving courses in beekeeping, and “other
related duties as required.” In the “History of Beekeeping
in BC: 1950–2000,” she is referred to as being the first full-
time woman apiary inspector in North America. Eventu-
ally she became known to beekeepers across northern BC,
where she was good-naturedly given the nickname “Ilya
the torch,” related to the need for her to burn bee equip-
ment infected with American Foulbrood disease.
Once she had to explain an expense account item, when
she claimed two hotel room charges for the same date. She
had to do a mid-summer inspection near Terrace, so she
drove from Arras, but was so tired by Smithers that she
stopped, got a room and fell asleep still in her traveling
clothes. She awoke to a bright and sunny 10 o’clock, figured
she’d slept in, jumped into the truck and continued into Ter-
race. When she found the lunch cafe closed, she realized
that it was midnight, not noon, so she got another room.
Ilya was Secretary-Treasurer for Peace River South Bee-
keeping Association for 25 years, when the region sup-
ported about 20,000 honey producing hives. She was in-
volved with 4-H clubs and participated in local Fall Fairs
for 10 years judging honey, garden produce, jams, jellies,
and horses. Ilya regularly attended Beaverlodge Field
Days, was honored with a Life Membership in BC Honey
Producers’ Association, and traveled to BCHPA meet-
ings throughout BC. She joined beekeeping tours to New
Zealand in 1972 and to China in 1980. I got to know her
quite well when we were part of the group touring New
Zealand. I had just graduated from UBC and took the op-
portunity to join the tour. It was a great three-week visit to
dozens of bee operations with Ilya and about 20 beekeep-
ing enthusiasts with so many years of field experience.
Then and in many years after, I was impressed by Ilya’s
consistently positive attitude. Not apparently a result of
an easy life history, but she seemed to do well with it, and
maybe it contributed to her 96 years.
After retirement, she continued to visit staff at the Daw-
son Creek Agriculture office, including each year’s pot
luck “Harvest Breakfast.” The photo here, taken in 2008,
shows her holding an earlier photo of herself doing bee-
keeping extension in 1974. She kept her hand in beekeep-
ing for most of her life, whether on her own or helping and
mentoring others.
When dementia started encroaching on her life, her fam-
ily moved her into town but she never settled. She lived
almost 3 years in Lac La Hache and Williams Lake with
daughter Judy, but in 2018 when she was diagnosed with
cancer her family moved her back home to Dawson Creek.
The Peace River area is what she always called home and
that’s where she wanted to be. She died at 96, on December
American Bee Journal
1, 2018 after a series of strokes. Many of her family, some
of numerous great-grandchildren, 3 great-great grandchil-
dren and many, many good friends attended her Celebra-
tion of Life on December 15, 2018 at the log community
church in Progress. A remarkable life, indeed.
WORLDWIDE
APIMONDIA
ON THE ROAD TO APIMONDIA MONTRÉAL 2019!
Register now!
To register for Apimondia Montreal 2019, simply go to
http://www.apimondia2019.com/ and follow the instruc-
tions. The cost to attend the scientific program and Api-
Expo from 8 to 12 September 2019 is $375 CDN. We have
negotiated competitive prices for accommodations near
the Palais des Congrès de Montréal with 3 to 5-star ho-
tels available. Montreal is a popular tourist city and we
anticipate several thousand delegates, so do not hesitate
to make your hotel reservations to ensure your desired
choices will be available (go to the “Accommodation” tab).
Our scientific program is fascinating with numerous
symposia, round tables and training workshops on hot
bee topics.
Excellent sponsorship options and several ApiExpo
spaces / kiosks are still available; we invite all beekeeping
stakeholders to take advantage of this unique opportunity
to promote your business or sell your products. Interest-
ed? Go to the website http://www.apimondia2019.com/
and look under the “Sponsor” tab for more information,
or write directly to Marguglio Marienza (m.marguglio@
aimgroup.eu).
Follow Apimondia Montreal 2019 on our facebook page
https://fr-ca.facebook.com/apimondia2019/.
Rod Scarlett, Steve Pernal and Pierre Giovenazzo
Apimondia Montréal 2019 executive committee
MITE-A-THON 2019
help pRotect bees eveRywheRe
Hello beekeepers,
We are the Pollinator Partnership, an organization de-
voted to pollinator conservation, and we are reaching out
to you about a collaborative effort we are leading to help
beekeepers and honey bees across North America - the
Mite-A-Thon.
The Mite-A-Thon is an initiative to assist beekeepers in
checking their bees for the parasitic mite, Varroa destruc-
tor (varroa), with the two primary objectives of 1) raising
awareness about honey bee colony varroa infestations in
North America through effective monitoring methods and
2) making management strategies available for discussion
within bee organizations utilizing Mite-A-Thon partner-
developed information and outreach materials.
September 2019
As you may know, varroa compromises a bee’s health
and can lead to many colony health issues. Having var-
roa in the hive is a common occurrence, and knowing how
many mites are in the colony is invaluable to the beekeeper.
For the Mite-A-Thon, beekeepers are invited to check
their hives at least once during a one week period from
September 7 to 14. Checking for the varroa mite follows
one of two standard protocols found at http://www.
pollinator.org/miteathon. Beekeepers participating in
the Mite-A-Thon check their hives and then upload the
results at www.mitecheck.com or using the MiteCheck
app. All the data entries are kept anonymous, and the data
are not tied to specific beekeepers or organizations. These
data are then aggregated and will provide a snapshot of
the level of varroa mites in colonies across the continent
during this week.
Can we count on your participation in the 2019 Mite-A-
Thon? As a beekeeper, there are no costs to you, and the
ability to accurately gauge the level of mite infestation in a
hive is an important tool to master. Last year over 650 North
American beekeepers participated in the Mite-A-Thon and
we would like to surpass that number this year. You might
want to ask your beekeeping organization to make this a
group activity and to support learning more about varroa.
We hope you will participate in the Mite-A-Thon, and
would appreciate your confirmed commitment by Friday,
August 9th. Simply reply to this email. We would love to
also highlight your participation by posting your opera-
tion’s logo on the program website and other materials.
If you have a logo and want it posted, send along a high-
resolution version in your email.
Thank you for your partnership and collaboration! If
you have questions feel free to call us at 415.362.1137 or
visit http://www.pollinator.org/miteathon.
STATES
ALABAMA
2019 alabama beekeepeRs association annual meeting
septembeR 20 & 21 2019
clanton, alabama
Register online at Alabama Beekeepers Association:
https://alabamabeekeepersassociation.formstack.com/
forms/conference_registration_form_template_copy
www.alabamabeekeepers.com
CALIFORNIA
califoRnia state beekeepeRs annual convention
Save the date for the 2019 Annual CSBA Convention.
Taking place the week before Thanksgiving! Join us No-
vember 19th - 22nd, 2019 at Pechanga Resort and Casino in
beautiful Temecula, California! Learn about the latest bee
research, trade ideas with fellow beekeepers, and explore
innovative products at the Tradeshow.
We are excited to announce that attendees will get to
hear key messages from Katie Lee and Brandon Hopkins
on their 2018 research proposals. Both proposals are a part
of the $158,399 the CSBA has funded for research.
Californiastatebeekeepers.com/events
971
 CONNECTICUT
CONTACT: Bobbie Meyzen bobbiemey@aol.com
WEBSITE: www.backyardbeekeepers.com
WHO: Jamie Ellis
WHAT: “The Indispensible Nuc”
WHERE: Norfield Church Community Room,
64 Norfield Road,
Weston, Connecticut
WHEN: Tuesday October 29, 2019 at 7:30pm
Jamie Ellis: The Indispensible Nuc
“Nucs” are small honey bee colonies housed in small
hives. Consequently, their importance in beekeeping is
often overlooked. Despite this, nucs can become an indis-
pensable tool in one’s beekeeping operation. In this lec-
ture, the benefits of using nucs will be discussed and their
importance emphasized.
The purpose of the BYBA is to provide its member-
ship with interesting and practical information about the
“how-to’s” of beekeeping. The club also provides the gen-
eral public with educational programs about honey bees
and the benefits of beekeeping in our communities. The
BYBA is a not for profit, 501C-3 charitable organization.
For more information check our website for the latest
updates www.backyardbeekeepers.com.
GEORGIA
GEORGIA BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION MEETING
September 26-28, Cumming, GA
Our speakers include Jennifer Berry, Leo Sharashkin,
Clarence Collison, and Lewis Bartlett. Friday night is din-
ner, drinks and a talk. Great sponsors: Rossman Apiaries,
Mann Lake, and Pigeon Mountain. For more info on the
Honey Show rules, registration and accommodations:
www.gabeekeeping.com.
INDIANA
2019 indiana fall confeRence & woRkshop
October 25th / 26th, French Lick Springs Hotel
Keynote Speaker: Randy Oliver
French Lick Springs Hotel is a place where history is
made. It will host The Beekeepers of Indiana’s Fall Confer-
ence and Workshops. Our guest speaker is Randy Oliver,
who started keeping bees as a hobbyist around 1966 and
now keeps around 1000-1500 hives with his two sons.
On Friday evening Randy will have a one-hour talk fol-
lowed by a half-hour question and answer session. On
Saturday morning, we start with an hour meet-and-greet
followed by several break-out sessions. We have hands-on
workshops on how to make packages and creamed honey
along with Catching Swarms, Bee Anatomy and Being a
Good Beekeeping Neighbor.
972
Walk-in registration begins at 7:30 am with the program
ending around 4:30 pm. We have a Honey Show with the
rules and categories posted on our website, along with
how to reserve rooms, directions to the hotel and the latest
agenda: http://indianabeekeeper.com/
LOUISIANA
23ND ANNUAL FIELD DAY
AT THE USDA HONEY BEE LAB
IN BATON ROUGE
The USDA Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics and Physiol-
ogy Laboratory and the Louisiana State Beekeepers Asso-
ciation will hold the 23nd Annual Field Day on Saturday,
November 2, 2019. The event will be held at the laboratory,
located at 1157 Ben Hur Rd, Baton Rouge LA 70820. This
is near the intersection of Nicholson Drive (Hwy 30) and
Brightside Dr., which is about two miles south of the LSU
football stadium. A rain-out date on Saturday, November
9 has been set for that possibility.
Gates will open at 9:00 a.m. with presentations and ac-
tivities scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Field
Day will include a series of talks in the morning from
members of the Louisiana Beekeepers Association and
the USDA-ARS staff about Louisiana beekeeping and re-
search being conducted at USDA-ARS lab. Afternoon ses-
sions and demonstrations on various beekeeping topics
will be offered for beginning, intermediate and advanced-
level beekeepers.
The Fall Field Day offers beekeepers and attendees a
chance to meet established USDA-ARS scientists work-
ing at the Baton Rouge Lab as well as well as six new or
more recent staff members. These include three scientists
and three postdoctoral associates. Kate Ihle is a molecu-
lar biologist who is studying the mechanisms of disease
and parasite resistance in honey bees. Vincent Ricigliano
is an entomologist investigating aspects of honey bee
nutrition, especially the efficiencies of food use by dif-
ferent stocks of bees. Arián Avalos is a geneticist using
genomic analyses and computational biology to improve
bee stocks and bee breeding methods. Hannah Penn is
an entomologist who is evaluating honey bee stocks for
their response to deformed wing virus. Perot Sealau uses
genomics to assess genetic diversity in honey bees and
to study host-pathogen interactions. Thomas O’Shea
Wheller is a biologist who came from England to study
stress factors that lead to colony losses in the commercial
pollination industry.
A nonrefundable, pre-registration fee of $35.00 is re-
quired for attendees 12 years of age and above. Children 11
and under must stay with their parents at all times. Chil-
dren and volunteers will be charged $15 for the catered
lunch at the event. Pre-registration will be from October
2 through October 16. You may pre-register (and submit
payment) at labeekeepers.org with the option to pay by
credit card or PayPal. A printable pre-registration form
will be located at labeekeepers.org that may be mailed
along with a check made payable to Louisiana Beekeepers
Association to LBA Treasurer, Beth Derr, 210 Meadowlark
Dr, Jefferson, TX 75657 and must be postmarked by Oc-
tober 16. Registration will be available at the door for the
increased fee of $40 per person.
American Bee Journal
 MISSOURI
missouRi state beekeepeRs association
2019 fall confeRence
Moberly Area Community College,
Moberly, MO
October 18 - 19th
The Missouri State Beekeepers Association will hold
its Fall Conference beginning Friday, October 18, at 8:45
am and continue through Saturday, October 19 on the
campus of Moberly Area Community College (MACC).
Registration is open at 7:00 am on Friday in the spacious
auditorium at MACC. There is seating capacity for 400 so
there’s plenty of room for you to enjoy this conference!
We encourage attendees to register early before the con-
ference to guarantee you will get the meals offered at the
conference.
Keynote speakers include Peter Borst and Dr. Krispn
Given. Peter was Senior Apiarist at Cornell’s Dyce Lab for
Honey Bee Studies for seven years, served as an apiary
inspector for New York State, and is currently President
of the Finger Lakes Bee Club. He is a prolific author and
is currently a regular contributor to American Beekeeping
Journal and Bee Culture.
Dr. Krispn Given is Apicultural Specialist at Purdue
University’s Department of Entomology in West Lafay-
ette, Indiana. Krispn started breeding bees over 25 years
ago and gives lectures to beekeepers and researchers at na-
tional and international conferences. He was instrumental,
along with Dr. Greg Hunt, in developing the “mite-biter”
bee strain in helping to control Varroa mites.
Rounding out the General Meeting speakers are Collin
Wamsley, Chief Entomologist/Program Administrator
for the State of Missouri to talk about what the Missouri
inspection program entails to help Missouri beekeepers;
Casey Berthoud, Missouri’s Quail Forever and Pheasants
Forever state coordinator who oversees 16 biologists and
the Missouri for Monarchs coordinator, to talk about for-
age planting for beekeepers and how the organizations he
oversees might help; and Sheldon Brummel, Master Bee-
keeper Project Coordinator, Department of Entomology
for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE to talk
about the newly developed Great Plains Master Beekeep-
ing Program. Missouri State Beekeepers Association is one
of the partnering states in this exciting new program.
There will also be breakout classes each afternoon to
highlight topics of specific interest to local beekeepers and
clubs. These classes will be announced on our website,
along hotel reservation info.
Details and Registration at https://mostatebeekeepers.
org. If you have any further questions you may email
brucesnavely@hotmail.com, MSBA Program Chair.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Beekeeping Workshops, at $35 each, children under 18
free when accompanied by parent. I have 46 seasons of ex-
tensive apicultural experience which I like to pass on! All
held at my home from 1-4 PM. Look for the “BEE” sign on
the south side of Walpole Valley Road (18 MacLean Road,
Alstead, NH 03602:) Bring a veil, as we shall be open-
ing some colonies. Water and sunscreen are also a plus.
September 2019
We’ll be inside if it is a rainy day. Registration required.
Email: lindenap@gmail.com or call 603-756-9056.
“Charles Andros, former NH/VT Apiary Inspector, will
hold a beekeeping workshop from 1-4 PM on Saturday,
September 7. Topics of discussion will include treatment
of nosema and mites (including using oxalic acid), winter
preparations, winter protein and carbohydrate supple-
ments, and making beeswax hand creams.”
OHIO
annual beekeeping confeRence
Annual Beekeeping Conference sponsored by the
Ashtabula County Beekeepers Association will be held on
Saturday, October 19th from 10 a.m. till 3:30 p.m. at Gid-
dings Hall, located at 104 East Jefferson Street, Jefferson,
OH 44047 behind the police station. The speakers for the
conference will be Dave Noble, apiarist at Stratford Eco-
logical Center, John Schwartz, commercial beekeeper and
OTS Queen Rearing expert and Melanie Seal co-owner of
Blue Sky Bee Supply Ltd. Light Lunch Provided.
For more information or to RSVP call Sharon at 440-576-
8818 or e-mail sjriccio@yahoo.com. Cost $20.00 per per-
son. For more information visit: https://www.facebook.
com/AshtabulaCountyBeekeepersAssoc/
OREGON
oRegon state beekeepeRs association
fall confeRence 2019
The Oregon State Beekeepers Association will hold its
annual fall conference on October 25, 26 & 27 2019 at the
Florence Convention Center in Florence, Oregon.
Speakers include Dr. Priya Chakrabarti, Oregon State
University, Dr. Jay Evens, USDA-ARS, Dr. Brandon
Hopkins, Washington State University, Melanie Kirby,
Washington State University, Dr. Andony Melathopou-
los, Oregon State University, Micheal Palmer, French Hill
Apiaries, Dr. Ramesh Sagili, Oregon State University
Honey Bee lab, and much more.
Music at the Friday evening reception by Caught Red
Handed.
There will be a large vendors area on Saturday and Sun-
day. For more information go to www.orsba.org
VIRGINIA
viRginia state beekeepeRs association
The Fall VSBA meeting will be Saturday Nov. 2, 2019
at the Blue Ridge Community College in Weyer’s Cave,
VA and feature Dr. Heather Matilla, Dr. Alison McAfee
and Jerry Hayes. For more information see: https://www.
virginiabeekeepers.org/.
WASHINGTON
The Northwest District Beekeepers Association is proud
to offer western Washington beekeepers an educational
and fun conference on Sept. 21, 2019.
973
 Tickets for NWDBA members are $20.00 and nonmem-
bers $30.00 (plus fees). We will be meeting at the Snohom-
ish PUD Auditorium. There is limited seating (300 guests)
and we expect to sell out well before the event so if you are
interested please sign up early. This year we have 3 excel-
lent speakers and some very good presentations.
Andony Melathopoulos, Assistant Professor of Pollina-
tor Health, Oregon State University:
Doing the Multiplication — expanding your apiary the
old school and “the Next Generation” way;
974
Unsung Bee Diseases and How to Manage Them
Randy Oliver, commercial beekeeper, researcher, ABJ
author:
Reading The Combs — Understanding Bee Biology
Over the Course of a Season;
Oxalic Acid Tips
Kevin Oldenburg, President, Washington State Bee-
keepers Association:
Bees, Science and How the Media Gets it Wrong
Complete schedule and registration available at https://
www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4248173
American Bee Journal
March 2018 975
976 American Bee Journal

W
e’re still feeling the effects
of last winter in much of the
country. We’ve been saying
for months that all the moisture in
the ground portends a good honey
crop. Unfortunately for some areas,
moisture ON the ground portends
crop failure — for both farm crops
and honey.
Northeast—Things dried out in
New Hampshire — maybe a bit too
much — and that has combined with
cool weather to produce a honey crop
an estimated 10-20 percent below
normal levels.
New York also expects a slightly
lower crop than usual, as the wet
spring delayed planting season and
reduced the locust crop. Blackberry,
clover and knapweed are providing
good crops though. Bee populations
are healthy overall, and swarm con-
trol was as important as ever.
In Pennsylvania, wet weather
lasted longer, but if the sun can stay
out long enough, ground moisture
is expected to contribute to a nice
honey crop. Demand for local honey
is stronger than ever, but there is
still “too much foreign junk” being
blended by unscrupulous packers in
the industrial market.
Mideast—May was dry in Ken-
tucky, and the tulip poplar and linden
flows were nonexistent. But eastern
Kentucky saw its first sourwood flow
in four years. Locust and blackberry
were good producers in south central
Kentucky, but that region saw poor
honey production overall. It was
a good year to raise queens, with a
good drone population.
Tennessee saw good crops of white
Dutch clover and sourwood honey,
but tulip poplar and persimmon were
poor producers and honey produc-
tion is expected to be down by about
half.
Southeast—Pruduction is up
slightly in Mississippi, with privet
and tallow leading the way.
A mall in Jacksonville, Florida
sports a vending maching dispens-
ing local honey. Hopefully there will
September 2019
be enough local honey to dispense, as
most of the state’s reporters predict a
down year for production. But there
appears to be no shortage of cheap
imported honey.
Alabama has seen hot, dry weather,
with fair production from sumac, mi-
mosa, clover, privet and crepe myrtle.
Demand for local honey is as strong
as ever, but honey crops are down
slightly from last year.
Georgia’s crop looks a little bit bet-
ter than normal.
Southwest—Imports continue to
depress pricies in Lousiana, and the
crop looks to be a bit lower than last
year, with tallow leading the way.
New Mexico saw a busy swarm
season, and bees in the trees did not
help the early honey crop, but Rusian
olive and knapweed helped the bees
to catch up. Chunk comb honey is
bringing $10-12 per pound.
East Central—It looks like a poor
year for honey production in Michi-
gan. Colonies look fine with feeding,
but it’s just been too rainy for them to
collect enough nectar.
Wisconsin has also been too wet,
and many plants just did not flower
as a result. Among those that did, the
apple trees were good in the western
part of the state, and black locust in
the east. Alfalfa and raspberry under-
performed. Many of the small dairy
farmers are selling out to the larger
operators, some of whom add the
cows to their own herds but re-sell
the land to grain farmers. Much of
Northeast
Intermountain
West West Central East Central
Mideast
Southeast
Southwest
this land then goes to corn for ethanol
production.
More out-of-state beekeepers are
coming to Wisconsin for cranberry
pollination, and some are running
afoul of strict state inspectors for
not properly registering on the way
in. The cranberry crop was late this
year and production was low, along
with honey crops in general. USDA
reported a 2% increase in 2018 honey
production nationwide, but a 23% de-
crease in Wisconsin. This year does
not look to be a banner year either.
Eastern Illinois saw a good white
Dutch clover flow, which along with
dandelions made up for a poor show-
ing by honey locust and sweet clo-
ver. In the northeast, production is
way down; persistent cold and rain
suppresed the dandelion and locust
flows, and no other crops stepped up
to take their place.
Indiana looks better, with clover
and soybeans producing well. The
northern part of the state is down a
little due to cold and rain. Retail de-
mand for local honey is good, due in
part to continued media exposure of
adulterated honey in supermarkets.
West Central—In Nebraska the
dandelion flow was good, and the
clovers were very productive. Spring
was late, but it looks like a decent
honey crop. The increased popularity
of pollinator plots doesn’t hurt either.
The spring honey flow was lousy
in Kansas — a long winter, a wet
spring, and things still haven’t caught
up. The north central region was just
starting its nectar flow in July, so we’ll
see. Alfalfa and sweet clover pro-
duced some honey, but bloomed late
and dried up prematurely in the sum-
mer heat. Hopefully all the ground
moisture will support a saving fall
harvest.
In Iowa, “hobby beekeepers con-
tinue to pop up everywhere,” but they
were late getting their packages due
to high winter losses and weather-
related delays. There’s good demand
for local honey, but production looks
to be a bit lower due to the cold, wet
“Do you wholesale and/or
retail your honey?
Would you like a free subscription to
American Bee Journal?
We are looking for U.S. Crop & Mar-
ket Reporters in the West (WA specifi-
cally), Southwest (AZ, OK, TX), North-
east and Intermountain regions. We send
out monthly short questionnaires and in
return offer reporters a free subscrip-
tion to the magazine. First come, first
serve basis! Send an email to editor@
americanbeejournal.com or write us at
51 S. 2nd St. Hamilton, IL 62341.
977
 U.S. HONEY PRICES FROM OUR REPORTERS
North- Mid- South- South- East West- Inter- HONEY MARKET FOR THE
east east east west Central Central Mountain West MONTH OF JUNE 2019
Wholesale
In volumes of 10,000 pounds or greater
unless otherwise stated
White lb. Blk.$2.50-$3.50 $1.95-$4.25 $2.00-$2.60 $1.95-$2.30 $2.05-$2.45 $1.72-$3.75 $1.60-$2.60 $1.75-$3.00
(Courtesy July 29, 2019
Amber lb. Blk $2.25-$2.50 $2.05-$7.00 $1.40-$2.60 $2.05-$2.25 $1.95-$2.45 $1.72-$3.40 $1.50-$2.50 $2.00-$3.00 USDA National Honey Report)
1 lb. CS 24 $ 96.00- $ 108.00- $ 132.00- $ 80.00- $ 96.00- $ 84.00- $ 120.00- $ 144.00- Prices paid to beekeepers for extracted, unprocessed
$ 115.60 $ 168.00 $ 168.00 $ 120.00 $ 134.40 $ 104.40 $ 180.00 $ 168.00 honey in major producing states by packers, handlers
2 lb. CS 12 $ 96.00- $ 90.00- $ 96.00- $ 90.00- $84.00- $ 84.00- $ 57.00- $ 144.00- & other large users, cents per pound, f.o.b. or delivered
$ 112.60 $ 96.00 $ 120.00 $ 120.00 $115.20 $ 96.00 $ 110.00 $ 164.00 nearby, containers exchanged or returned, prompt de-
livery & payment unless otherwise stated.
5 lb. CS 6 $ 72.00- $ 60.00- $ 60.00- $ 58.00- $ 90.00- $ 84.00 $ 60.00- $ 60.00-
$128.10 $ 127.50 $ 150.00 $ 98.00 $ 120.00 $ 117.00 $ 103.00 $ 104.00 -Report includes both new and old crop honey-
Retail California
Clover Light Amber $1.83
Jars 8 oz. $ 3.50- $ 4.50- $ 4.00- $ 2.50- $ 2.89- $ 2.75- $ 4.00- $ 5.00- Meltor Amber $.70
$ 5.00 $ 4.95 $ 5.00 $ 4.50 $ 7.50 $ 3.25 $ 6.00 $ 7.00 Mixed Flower Light Amber $1.60 - $1.75
Squeeze $ 3.10- $ 5.50- $ 3.69- $ 2.80- $ 3.00- $ 4.00- $ 3.50- $ 4.80- Mixed Flower Dark $.70
Bear 12 oz.$ 6.00 $ 6.00 $ 6.00 $ 4.75 $ 6.00 $ 8.00 $ 4.85 $ 6.49 Orange Blossom White $2.25 - $2.60
Sage White $1.83 - $2.00
Jars 1 lb. $ 4.85- $ 6.00- $ 5.69- $ 6.00- $ 4.00- $ 6.00- $ 6.75- $ 7.00- Sunflower Light Amber $1.75
$ 8.00 $ 9.00 $ 8.00 $ 12.00 $ 8.00 $ 10.00 $ 10.00 $ 16.00 Valley Light Amber $1.60 - $1.75
Jars 11/2lb.$ 8.00- $ 10.00- $ 7.29- $ 7.95- $ 6.00- $ 6.65- $ 4.75- $ 8.40- Dakotas
(Pint) $ 10.00 $ 12.00 $ 8.75 $ 8.50 $ 12.00 $ 10.00 $ 10.00 $ 10.48 Alfalfa Light Amber $2.00
Jars 2 lb. $ 7.85- $ 9.99- $ 9.79 $ 7.00- $ 6.99- $ 8.00- $ 6.25- $ 13.00- Canola White $1.90 - $1.95
$ 15.00 $ 15.00 $ 13.00 $ 18.00 $ 12.00 $ 9.20 $ 11.25 $ 20.00 Clover White $1.83 - $1.95
Jars 3 lb. $ 15.00- $ 15.00- $ 12.99- $ 15.75- $ 10.49- $ 15.00- $ 18.00- $ 14.30- Sunflower Extra Light Amber $1.80 - $1.85
(Quart) $ 20.00 $ 31.95 $ 18.00 $ 21.00 $ 24.00 $ 20.00 $ 22.00 $ 21.89 Florida
Jars 4 lb. $ 10.00- $ 10.00- $ 16.00- $ 18.00- $ 16.99- $ 14.00- $ 11.00- $ 10.00- Gallberry Extra Light Amber $2.20
$ 35.00 $ 30.00 $ 22.00 $ 30.00 $ 20.00 $ 16.25 $ 28.50 $ 32.00 Orange White $2.40 - $2.60
Jars 5 lb. $ 24.00- $ 15.00- $ 15.50- $ 16.25- $ 17.00- $ 19.50- $ 16.00- $ 21.22- Orange Light Amber $2.40 - $2.60
$ 25.00 $ 39.50 $ 35.50 $ 32.00 $ 25.00 $ 50.00 $ 33.25 $ 40.00 Mixed Flower Extra Light Amber $1.95
Creamed $ 7.00- $ 5.50- $ 5.49- $ 5.25- $ 5.00- $ 6.50- $ 4.75- $ 9.50- Mixed Flower Light Amber $1.60
12 oz. $ 8.00 $ 8.00 $ 6.95 $ 6.99 $ 9.00 $ 12.00 $ 7.00 $ 16.00 Georgia
Comb $ 7.00- $ 5.50- $ 5.25- $ 5.50- $ 3.89- $ 10.00- $ 8.50- $ 12.50- Gallberry White $2.20
12 oz. $ 8.00 $ 13.00 $ 13.25 $ 13.50 $ 22.00 $ 12.00 $ 12.00 $ 15.00 Gallberry Extra Light Amber $2.20
Mixed Flower Extra Light Amber $1.95
Round $ 5.00- $ 4.50- $ 4.50- $ 8.25- $ 8.00- $ 10.00- $ 4.25- $ 12.49- Michigan
Plas. Comb$ 8.50 $13.00 $ 7.50 $ 11.00 $ 12.00 $ 12.00 $ 7.00 $ 15.00 Blueberry Light Amber $2.20
1 Gallon $ 50.00- $ 60.00- $ 54.00- $ 38.00- $ 38.00- $ 33.95- $ 24.00- $ 45.20- Mississippi
$ 78.00 $ 75.00 $ 60.00 $ 60.00 $ 50.00 $ 70.00 $ 50.00 $ 60.00 Tallow Light Amber $1.65
Montana
60 lb. $ 180.00- $ 210.00- $ 175.00- $ 140.00- $ 170.00- $ 169.75- $ 140.00- $ 197.40 Clover White $1.85 - $1.90
$ 200.00 $ 225.00 $ 225.00 $ 200.00 $ 420.00 $ 225.00 $2 25.00 $ 220.00 New York
The above prices are not meant to provide a realistic picture of prices in all states of the Mixed Flower Extra Light Amber $2.32
particular area. They are intended merely to show what a few beekeepers are receiving Oregon
for their honey and we realize prices may vary tremendously, even within individual Clover Extra Light Amber $1.90
states. The bulk prices for honey are stated per pound, delivered buyer’s warehouse, Texas
containers exchanged or furnished by buyer, unless otherwise noted. Where prices are Mixed Flower Light Amber $1.75
not shown, insufficient data were available. Utah
Mixed Flower Light Amber $1.95
Wyoming
weather. European foulbrood was a lions and then everything bloomed Alfalfa White $2.06
big problem also, with weather taking at once. Black locust thrived, and Clover White $2.06
much of the blame. Basswood flow- where there’s normally a lull between
Prices paid to Canadian Beekeepers for unpro-
ers for some reason turned brown that and the clover, they overlapped. cessed, bulk honey by packers and importers in
almost as soon as they opened, so it White Dutch, alsike, and white and U. S. currency, f.o.b. shipping point, containers in-
produced for only five days instead yellow sweet clover all produced cluded unless otherwise stated. Duty and crossing
of 10, but clover and soybeans pro- well. charges extra. Cents per pound.
Flavored honey with fruit extracts Mixed Flower White $1.32 - $1.33
duced better, and ground moisture
portends a good fall wildflower crop. is selling well in retail markets. Prices paid to importers for bulk honey, duty paid,
Dandelion and choke cherry were Intermountain—Nevada’s honey containers included, cents per pound, ex-dock or
reliable early producers this spring crop is down a bit from last year, in point of entry unless otherwise stated.
in North Dakota, and there is good part due to a poor alfalfa flow. Argentina
ground moisture to support coming West—California got a good black Clover White $1.17 - $1.19
crops. sage honey flow, and good production Mixed Flower White $1.06 - 1.25
In South Dakota, commercial bee- from coffeeberry and orange blossom. Mixed Flower Light Amber $1.06 - $1.09
A decent crop is also expected from Brazil
keepers were unable to place their ORGANIC Extra Light $1.17 - $1.19
bees until the ground dried out and toyon and blackberry. ORGANIC Light Amber $1.17 - $1.19
washed-out roads were repaired. In Oregon, prospects look about India
Honey production may exceed last average to a bit lower for the season. Mixed Flower White $0.82 - $0.91
Early wet weather increased bloom- Mixed Flower Light Amber $0.77 - $0.89
year ’s but is still expected to be Mustard White $0.79 - $.80
below normal. Wholesale demand ing plants overall, but also reduced Mustard Amber $0.73 - $.79
is low due to pressure from cheap nectar production and foraging for Mexico
imports. some. Meadowfoam failed to pro- Avocado Light Amber $1.75
duce, but blackberry and clover did Mesquite White $1.47
Missouri is looking at a banner year Ukraine
for honey production. Winter was better in parts of the state. Sunflower Extra Light $0.93
long and spring was late, but once The wholesale market has been Vietnam
things started they never stopped. spotty, as stocks are generally insuf- Mixed Flower Light Amber $0.79 - $0.91
ficient to supply them. Mixed Flower Amber $.72
There was a bumper crop of dande-

978 American Bee Journal


I
“ f the bees disappear off the face of
the earth, man will only have four
years left to live.” -Attributed to
Nobel Laureate Maurice Maeterlinck
from Belgium (“Life of the Bee”).
While the above statement, often
attributed to Einstein, may be de-
batable, the fundamental fact of life
on our planet is that the interactions
between zoological and botanical life
forms are both omnipresent and es-
sential to the survival and evolution
of all life. The planet is thoroughly
organic and interdependent, de-
manding care for the global bee pop-
ulation and those whose labor and
skills are essential to the survival of
pollinators.
Chart 1 Source: USDA ERS Sugar and Sweeteners Yearbook
September 2019
by RON PHIPPS
The FundamenTal anomaly
When one peruses the interna-
tional honey market, certain abstrac-
tions suggest that beekeepers have
entered a state of Nirvana. But the
deeper and more comprehensive re-
ality is they have entered a State of
Crisis. On the one hand, honey con-
sumption has increased. Prices for
honey on the retail level have also in-
creased. Honey is being utilized in a
greater diversity of products and ap-
plications including manufacture of
foods, pharmaceuticals, beverages,
cosmetics, etc. In addition, the appre-
ciation of natural and organic foods
has reached unprecedented levels.
Awareness of the vital role of bees to
global food security and ecological
sustainability has never been more
acute among the general population,
especially among young consumers.
Consumption of honey in the U.S.
has increased by over 40% in the
past 20 years from about 400 million
pounds to about 575 million pounds
in 2018 (Chart 1). There are reasons
to believe that honey consumption is
higher because certain arenas of sales
are not fully captured in the data.
But the reality also includes the
facts that the global population of
bees has been stable and in Amer-
ica it has for decades declined. The
productivity of beehives has dra-
matically plunged according to
numerous analyses, including the
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
report on U.S. colonies. Bee losses
have increased due to a variety of
environmental factors, demographic
changes and modern industrial
modes of agriculture which include
heavy use of pesticides. The cost of
keeping bees and producing honey
has substantially risen.
As Professor Norberto Garcia, Dr.
Stan Daberkow, Emeritus Economist
of the US Department of Agriculture,
and I have discussed, the above cir-
cumstances and the laws of econom-
ics suggest that international honey
prices would increase dramatically.
An economic anomaly, however,
persists in that there is a steady ero-
sion, indeed a collapse, of the prices
for raw honey paid to beekeepers by
packers, importers and exporters.
The only explanation for this vex-
ing anomaly is found in the preva-
981

Chart 2 Data Source: U.S. Department of Commerce
1) The Exposé
2014 2019 April
In July 2019, the Canadian
Canada 2.14 1.49 government released results of a study
indicating that 22% of the 244 honey
Argentina 1 .85 1.04
samples pulled from retail, wholesale
Ukraine 1.46 0 .83 and bulk stocks were adulterated. The
India 1.44 0 .75 traditional Carbon Isotope test for
cane and corn sugars and the Nuclear
Vietnam 1.26 0.62 Magnetic Resonance (NMR) testing
for authenticity were both used. The
lence of adulterated honey in the countries of origin of the adulterated
international market, which artifi- products were outside Canada. It is
cially increases supply of products important to note that exports from
which are fraudulently marketed five of these countries constitute about
as honey, and with which authentic half of the imports to the USA. This
high quality honey cannot compete. was the first official report in which
The modes of adulteration create an NMR testing, based on the Bruker
overall situation in which there are database of 19,000 samples, was used.
no ceilings to quantities, nor floors The sources of adulterated samples
to prices of “honey.” It is this crisis included India, Pakistan, Vietnam,
which haunts the American honey Turkey, Myanmar, Australia, USA,
industry and demands a resolute Germany, Thailand, Israel, Greece,
solution. The high quality, numer- Taiwan and others. The full report
ous positive attributes and charm is available at http://inspection.
of authentic honey are absent in its gc.ca/about-the-cfia/science/our-
imitators. In light of increases in cost research-and-publications/report/
of production, and increases in de- eng/1557531883418/1557531883647
mand for natural foods, it is totally
shocking that honey prices would It is important to note that there are
decline. other advanced scientific tests which
The crisis is not merely that honey were not employed for adulteration
adulteration has led to a collapse in testing in the Canadian study. It is
honey prices, but it has also created our understanding that the NMR
“dead inventory” of authentic honey testing parameters utilized identify
in the hands of beekeepers in North only some forms of adulteration, but
America and the international bee- leave out other forms. Even though
keeping community. Collapsed prices a more thorough investigation of
and dead inventories represent a du- adulteration, as is now possible and
ality of problems caused by adultera- advocated, could have increased by
tion and fraud. It is this duality which two or three multiples the amount of
endangers beekeepers. adulteration found, this report has
982
sent shockwaves which are still re-
verberating.
It is not the only international ex-
ample of NMR exposing adulteration
of honey. The scandal in Australia was
reported in 2018. After the allegations
of adulteration in honey sold by Cap-
ilano, the Australian press reported
that Chinese interests purchased
Capilano for $250M, a part of China’s
direct outside investment (DOI) to
acquire strategic resources and cre-
ate the new Silk Road. As Dr. Gudrun
Beckh commented, the adulteration
found in Australia was not due to the
Australian produced honey but to a
Chinese component blended with the
Australian honey.
NMR is currently being used for
exposure of adulteration found in the
U.K. Samples of major brands were
tested in early 2019 using several
traditional methods and 55% of the
samples contained a marker for bio-
engineered sweeteners. Later, NMR
and HRMS testing at FoodQS labo-
ratory in Germany found adultera-
tion with rice, beet and corn syrup in
about 70% of the samples. The U.K.
government announced their inten-
tion to take action on food fraud in
March 2019. Similar exposes are re-
ported in France, Spain and Hungary.
A recent report showed that 100%
of the samples tested on the Indian
retail market were found to be adul-
terated, and violated Indian govern-
ment standards, even though the test
utilized was the older carbon Sira test
for C4 cane and corn sugars. As the
Chinese media reported several years
ago, 70-100% adulteration was found
in honey samples pulled from retail-
ers in major cities. As with the Indian
study, the Chinese analysis did not
employ advanced test methodology
such as NMR, HRMS or others.
In both China and India, mass pro-
tests have been reported by the media
against threats of food safety, food au-
thenticity and food security. Govern-
ments have hired international experts
to establish regimes to ensure food
safety and security within domestic
markets. Indeed, the concerns within
their domestic markets are even stron-
ger than those in the export markets.
Some major honey exporters have
indicated that 100% of their products
are extracted immaturely. Inspectors
have reported finding resin technol-
ogy and extraneous sweeteners. Wal-
ter Haefecker has aptly called the
Chinese honey factories with their
sophisticated technology “beehive
factories.” Members of the honey in-
American Bee Journal
dustry, including beekeepers, have
witnessed in many countries multiple
modes of honey adulteration which
have been confirmed through mod-
ern testing using technologies which
are relevant rather than obsolete,
comprehensive rather than narrow,
strong rather than weak. The U.S.
Pharmacopeia reported, as the new
Roberts White Paper confirms, that
honey is the third highest category of
food fraud/adulteration.

2) Global Bee Colonies and

Honey Exports
We note that in 1947 the number of
U.S. beehives was around 6 million;
in 1970, 4 million; in 1990, 3 million;
and in 2018, 2.8 million — finally Chart 3
trending upward over the last decade
after falling to a low of 2.3 million in
2008. Wintering losses have steadily
increased in the U.S. A few years ago,
Norberto Garcia and I introduced
what I call the “Four variables” chart.
This chart (chart 3 at right) illustrates
the international anomaly of a huge
increase in world “honey” exports,
relatively stable numbers of bee colo-
nies in the world and a significant de-
cline in productivity per hive.
This synthesis of the facts demon-
strates that “something is rotten in the
state of Denmark.” The phenomenon
of the global adulteration of honey
has taken on increasingly sophisti-
cated modalities. Chart 4 illustrates
the total number of beehives and total Chart 4 Source: FAO Data
honey exports during 2007-2017 from
the countries China, India, Vietnam history. The studies have correlated a fatalities due to pollution. These num-
and Ukraine. The generic anomaly decline in productivity of honey with bers are modest since understanding
pointed out several years ago persists the reduction of forageable land. If the links between environmental tox-
and is poignantly expressed in coun- environmental degradation dramati- icity and diseases is just emerging.
tries that have played a major role in cally affects the health of humans, it is We see a clear crisscross trend as In-
providing imported honey to Europe highly probable that it also affects the dian honey prices dropped by nearly
and the U.S. markets. Concerns of the health and productivity of bees which half in four years. Looking back to
global beekeeping community will be are producing authentic honey. 2003, the average price of imported
addressed by many experts during Declines in productivity often mir- honey from India was $0.91/lb. This
the next Apimondia meetings. ror declines in bee populations as bees was higher than it was in 2018 at
When we consider that the decline are stressed throughout the world. $0.85/lb., despite increased costs of
in honey production in North and And yet the honey exports of these two production and inflation over a pe-
South America and Europe is influ- countries have exploded, to the world riod of 15 years!!!
enced by environmental degrada- from China, and to the U.S. from India, As expressed in the introduction,
tion and the use of industrial forms now the largest exporter to the U.S. these anomalies have their explana-
of agriculture plus the loss of arable Leading medical research institu- tion in adulteration which has been
land, one would expect to see similar tions and health organizations have both witnessed and demonstrated by
trends in India and China. The com- noted the increase of human diseases advanced modes of detection (NMR,
bined populations of those two coun- as a consequence of environmental HRMS, etc.). The decline in productiv-
tries is about 3 billion, if not more, degradation. India tops the world in ity has its obverse effect in the increase
and they are suffering environmen- pollution-related deaths, accounting in the modes of illicit production and
tal degradation, so we would expect for 2.5 million of the total 9 million sophisticated adulteration of products
the bee population declines would deaths attributed to pollution world- fraudulently described as “honey.”
be even greater. Degradation of the wide in 2015, according to a recent re- The creation of pure, high quality,
water, soil and atmosphere in both port by the Lancet Commission on properly produced honey should be
India and China represent the most Pollution and Health. China was sec- expected to conform to rather than
environmentally stressed regions in ond on the list, with 1.8 million total contradict these scientifically estab-

September 2019 983


Chart 5 Data Source: USDA National Honey Report
lished methods of confirming the au- honey. Export honey prices were
thenticity of honey. lower than either expected or needed
in 2018-2019. Although domestic
3) Honey Markets in Several Countries prices have increased slowly, Argen-
This report is not the place for a de- tine beekeepers are discouraged. The
tailed analysis, country by country. cost of production is very high.
Understanding the macro-phenom- This is an election year in Argentina,
enon, and the dynamics underlying and the honey industry hopes are that
that phenomenon, rather than elabo- there will be a reduction in the current
rating its myriad effects, is the focus honey export fee of about 12%. Cur-
of this report. Nonetheless it is impor- rency devaluation and inflation have
tant, especially for the North American been internal factors affecting com-
market, to make a few salient points modity markets in Argentina. The EU
regarding certain countries’ markets. announced a significant honey tariff
We will limit this section to Argentina, reduction in June 2019, which may
Canada, Vietnam, Brazil and the mar- generate a higher demand from Euro-
ket for American local honey. pean buyers for Argentine honey.
The current crop is about 55,000
argenTina metric tons. It is expected that 55%
There is no country which has been will go to the U.S., and most of the
the focus of Masters at Market Manip- balance to Europe. New standards for
ulation more than Argentina. Argen- drums and a traceability system have
tina’s authentic high quality honey been successfully implemented by
has had to compete with adulterated government authorities.
Chart 6
984
The number of beekeepers in Ar-
gentina has declined over the years
from 25,000 to 8,500, and the number
of beehives from 2.5 million to 1.5
million. Hive conditions are good at
present, despite excessive summer
rains. Argentine beekeepers and ex-
porters see the current developments
as consequences of the global battle
against fake honey. It was expressed
that “cheap honey will be much more
expensive than it is today.”
Brazil
Brazil remains the center of pro-
duction and export of organic honey
for the world. Brazil’s exports to the
world of organic and conventional
honey increased from 24,000 metric
tons (52.9 million pounds) in 2016 to
28,500 (58.3 million pounds) in 2018,
with the U.S. taking about 80-90% of
their exports. Brazil organic occupies
90% of the U.S. organic market. Over
the past 2 years, export quantities to
the U.S. declined, and increased to
Canada and Germany.
Prices for Brazilian organic honey
declined 45% between June 2017 and
June 2019, and reached near parity
with Argentine conventional honey in
mid-2019. The trend must be upward
from this point forward if the Brazil-
ian organic project is to continue.
The condition of beehives is healthy
and strong. As of July, the main crops
in Southern Brazil were finished, and
prized light colored honeys were be-
ing sold to Europe. Beekeeper reve-
nues were in some cases below costs,
with fuel costs high. Reports from
the field indicate that some beekeep-
ers are selling beehives, and that will
cause a big drop in future honey pro-
duction. The challenges for Brazil’s
organic projects are increasing, and
the incentives to maintain and de-
velop them are reduced by the current
low price levels. Brazil’s honey indus-
try is asking, “Where are the fair mar-
ket programs and labels, the concern
about the environment, the product,
respect for the social and environ-
mental importance of pollination and
honey production?”
Scientists consider that the health
of the Amazon is directly tied to the
health of the planet. Access to the
European market is conditional on
Brazil’s compliance with the Paris
Climate Agreement.
VieTnam
Reports from exporters in Viet-
nam indicate a loss of 20-40% in the
number of bee colonies last year, and
American Bee Journal
fewer beekeepers. U.S. honey imports
from Vietnam reached a 3-year high
of 86,323,234 pounds in 2018. How-
ever, the low market prices resulted
in losses for beekeepers. Stress on
beekeepers who are unable to repay
loans for equipment and their homes
is immense.
Some Vietnamese beekeepers have
asserted that there is no problem for
them to produce mature honey. How-
ever, it takes longer, reduces quanti-
ties and the costs are higher than the
prices that most importers are willing
to accept.
Canada
Canada is one of the world’s great
breadbaskets, producing some of the
highest quality honey in the world.
The Canadian beekeepers contribute
to the pollination of foods which are
rich in antioxidants and phytochemi-
cals. The Canadian honey crop com-
bines both high quality and special
health benefits. In 2019 U.S. average
import prices rose to U.S. $1.49/lb.
U.S. import prices for all colors of
Canadian honey were up about 15%
in 2018 compared to the preceding
two years. The U.S. import quantity
was 32,421,931 pounds in 2018, the
most in three years, and the average
price paid per pound was higher than
for other imported honey. Canadian
honey is generally white or extra light
amber, properly produced and not
adulterated. The Canadian govern-
ment’s study of honey samples con-
firmed the authenticity of Canadian
honey for sale in the domestic Cana-
dian market.
Canadian exports to all coun-
tries for 11 months of 2018 reached
17,784,871 kilos (39,206,000 pounds).
Since prices remain substantially be-
low the 2014 levels, which for many
beekeepers are below the cost of pro-
duction, the deep anguish of Cana-
dian beekeepers is well known. Some
are facing financial problems, like
those reported in Argentina and Viet-
nam. Vivid and intense frustration at
the current market conditions in the
U.S. has been frequently expressed by
Canada’s beekeepers.
u.S. loCal honey
In the U.S. honey market, the in-
terest in local honey has grown
dramatically. This growth has been
encouraged by a desire to support
local agriculture and also a belief
in the health benefits of locally pro-
duced honey, especially to prevent
allergies by consuming honey with
September 2019
Chart 7
local pollen present in the region of
the consumer.
The intention is good but execut-
ing a genuine and large local honey
program may be demographically
difficult. We note that the vast major-
ity of American honey is produced
in regions with very low population
density. The consumption of honey is
quantitatively higher in those large,
urban and suburban areas in which
honey production is very limited.
Problems have been reported with
the current crop of citrus honey. The
total U.S. honey crop is expected to
reach 175 million pounds in 2019. The
clover honey crops of the Dakotas will
be of excellent quality but only mod-
estly increased quantities.
4) Multiple Modes of Adulteration/Mul-
tiple Modes of Detection
As has become increasingly clear,
there are multiple modes of illicit
honey production and multiple modes
of sophisticated adulteration. These
modes have also been used in combi-
nation, one with another. This means
that the scientific toolbox of detecting
adulteration must include the most
sophisticated and advanced processes
of detection and the most vigorous
and intrusive systems of traceability.
The upcoming Apimondia Congress
will devote more attention to honey
adulteration and food fraud than any
previous meeting of the world honey
congress. The general principle is we
need standards which are 1) relevant
today and not archaic or obsolete, 2)
comprehensive rather than narrow, 3)
strong rather than weak. Those modes
of detection of contemporary adulter-
ation of honey include:
1. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
(NMR), with the Bruker database
of the widest collection of 19,000
global honey samples, which de-
tects illicit modes of production
and sophisticated modes of adul-
teration, country of origin, imma-
ture honey, resin technology
2. High Resolution Mass Spectrom-
etry (HRMS) which can detect
bio-engineered and extraneous
sweeteners, illicit modes of pro-
duction, and resin technology
3. Water Analysis, which can dis-
tinguish moisture content from
nectar that bees gather from
the industrial water used by
resin technology, which literally
“washes” honey
4. Carbon Isotope for C4/C3 sugars
(LC-IRMS)
5. Pollen analysis
The world honey industry owes a
debt to Professor Vaughn Bryant’s
many years of meticulous technical
study of the world’s pollen sources.
Professor Bryant is a hero to all those
interested in the purity and authen-
ticity of honey, both of which he has
championed with dignity and ex-
pertise. It must be noted that pollen
by its removal or addition can serve
as an adulterant. Professor Bryant
helped discover and expose this
when he helped expose the circum-
vention of Chinese honey through
third countries.
International collaboration between
academic scientists, private laborato-
ries, legal authorities, beekeepers, and
international organizations is leading
to a convergence in the definition of
honey and the detection of adulter-
985
ants which is needed to ensure hon-
ey’s authenticity and quality.
Leaders of Apimondia issued a
statement on what constitutes honey
adulteration in December 2018, stat-
ing “The definition of Codex Alimen-
tarius further rules out any additions
to, nor any treatment intended to
change honey’s essential composition
or impair its quality, for example: the
use of ion-exchange resins for remov-
ing residues and lightening the color
of honey, and the active removal of
water from extracted honey with
vacuum chambers or other devices.”
A convergence of efforts by organiza-
tions such as Codex Alimentarius, the
USP, ISO, beekeeping associations,
and various state and federal govern-
ments to create such a definition for
honey that can cover sales between
honey producers and their clients, is
now occurring. Definitions made by
Apimondia we believe will be consis-
tent with Codex, the UNFAO, interna-
tional law, the European Commission
and the U.S. Pharmacopeia.
Since science does not stand still,
new technologies are continually be-
ing developed. The toolbox must
have multiple tools. Those tools must
also be utilized to detect the mul-
tiple modes of adulteration and il-
licit production, not just to focus on
one mode. This is particularly true of
NMR which can analyze 38 variables.
We also note that recent research ef-
forts are rapidly advancing to detect
many forms and combinations of
adulteration.
It is imperative to note several
things including the fact that those
who gain economic advantage from
Economically Motivated Adultera-
tion have consistently tried to deny,
disparage, delay and/or delimit the
use of modern modes of detection.
It is well known that the foxes who
enter the henhouse are not capable
of policing themselves because self-
interest and hypocrisy lie behind
their actions. This is one reason that
Codex, Apimondia, the USP, the UN
FAO and national governments are
all looking at the phenomena of food
fraud and economically motivated
adulteration. In fact, there has never
been such a wide, integrated effort
involving the governmental authori-
ties, academic, private and govern-
ment laboratories, the media, the
judicial systems and the world bee-
keeping community to expose and
fight the plague of adulteration. This
fight demands absolute integrity and
absolute independence.
986
Anyone facing a serious illness will
want to assure that the physicians will
utilize the most advanced set of diag-
nostic tools. If surgery is required,
the patient will want the surgeon to
have the fullest kit of advanced sur-
gical tools and the most advanced
treatment for healing and prevention
of recurrence of the disease. Contem-
porary surgical interventions often
use teams of expertise. In modern
academic research, whether in astro-
physics, high energy particle physics,
or genetics, collaboration is often in-
ternational in its scope. These same
principles which we use in treating
illnesses and making advances in sci-
entific and medical research must be
applied to the battle against economi-
cally motivated adulteration of honey.
Even those economically benefitting
from the adulteration of honey and
food fraud would apply these princi-
ples in dealing with their own health.
Resin technology is particularly
insidious. During a public meeting
of the U.S. honey industry, it was er-
roneously asserted in January 2016
that the U.S. FDA approved the use
of resin technology on honey. In Feb-
ruary 2016, the FDA contradicted the
erroneous statements. This conclusion
was reported in the April 2016, issue
of the American Bee Journal. Indeed,
in 2019, officials from the U.S. govern-
ment indicated that the use of resin
technology is being questioned with
respect to any food. In Europe, food
safety issues have been raised for the
consumption of any food which has
been subjected to resin technology.
Laboratories and inspectors for ac-
creditation are in very sensitive po-
sitions, whether in North America,
Europe or Oceania. Scientists in labo-
ratories which are involved in certi-
fication and independent inspection
have pointed out it will not do if they
incorrectly certify a company and its
products based upon answering only
the questions which the party engag-
ing the certifiers ask them to inves-
tigate. The certifying agencies must
take their own initiative to ensure that
all relevant questions are asked, cor-
rectly answered, and fully and openly
reported. If relevant questions are not
asked, and/or results of inspections
are suppressed, those certifiers are
subject to fines according to the Euro-
pean judicial system.
There are new forms of contracts
being formulated between buyers and
sellers of honey and other products,
at all levels including retailers, manu-
facturers, food service, cosmetic and
pharmaceutical companies, that are
marketing a product or an ingredi-
ent. Blockchain traceability is helpful,
but still more intrusive traceability
regimes are needed and other re-
quirements are imperative since trace-
ability itself is inadequate to insure
the authenticity and purity of honey.
Truly independent inspectors are also
essential to assure authenticity, integ-
rity and compliance.
Foxes are certainly a clever and
cunning species of animal. In recent
months, there have been photos of
foxes brazenly, blithely walking past
10 Downing Street in London, Eng-
land. Nonetheless, foxes are not the
most intelligent species within the
zoological kingdom.
5) The Roberts White Paper
Professor Michael Roberts of the
UCLA Resnick Center for Food Law
and Policy has made a major contri-
bution in his new White Paper enti-
tled “A Food System Thinking Road
Map for Policy Makers and Retailers
to Save the Ecosystem by saving the
endangered honey producers from
the devastating consequences of
honey fraud.”
Professor Roberts, one of the
world’s most eminent experts on
Food Fraud, has pointed out that
beekeepers have become “an endan-
gered species.” According to Profes-
sor Roberts, “The endangered honey
producer is a victim of honey fraud,
a stubborn problem that threatens the
very existence of a commercial supply
of honey in the United States,” con-
tinuing “in other words, cheap honey
being imported into the U.S., which
displaces domestic authentic honey, is
the result of not only cheap labor costs
and low cost of production, but also
and most notably, fraudulent honey.”
Professor Roberts has also pointed
out the vital role of the retailers in ex-
ercising their social responsibility to
prevent honey fraud, food fraud and
adulteration in the sphere of honey:
“In the modern, global food supply
chain, there has in recent years been
a sharp escalation in the social roles
that large food retailers and food
enterprises are expected to play ...
retailers are certainly well situated to
address the honey problems.” Mean-
while, “Consumers are increasingly
demanding methods of production
and processing that are environmen-
tally sustainable, animal friendly, and
compliant with labor practices.”
For example, Professor Roberts
points out that “Whole Foods has en-
American Bee Journal
gaged in some creative presentations
to demonstrate the consequences
of the declining honey bee popula-
tion. … Whole Foods, showcased in
its Lynnfield store in Massachusetts
how many of their dairy department
products would cease to exist with-
out bees. Items that would disappear
included fruit-flavored yogurts, and
chocolate milk, a 50 percent reduction
in milk products, and a reduction in
cheese products, almond milk, fruit
juices. Continuing this theme, Whole
Foods has also developed visuals as
part of a Share the Buzz campaign
to show how empty a grocery store
looks like without bees.”
Whole Foods is by no means alone
among major retailers taking an in-
creasingly interventionist approach.
Costco has waged a high-profile
campaign to protect the role of bees
as pollinators, during which “Costco
sent a letter to suppliers encouraging
them to phase out the use of neonic-
otinoids for the protection of polli-
nators.” Costco’s website features a
section dedicated to their involve-
ment in protecting bees through $3.3
million in charitable donations since
2012 that also involves a traceability
system to ensure the authenticity of
honey. Walmart is also stepping up in
creative and powerful ways to ensure
food authenticity.
6) Geopolitics, Macroeconomics and
Global Climate
Every industry exists and functions
within a broader context, including the
honey industry. The geopolitical con-
text includes a global economic slow-
down which is correlated with a huge
increase in both national and interna-
tional debt levels. It is as if debt has
become irrelevant for governments.
Debt has been and is plaguing coun-
tries like Argentina, the U.S., China
and the international lending organi-
zations like the World Bank, the IMF
and the Chinese Development Bank.
Debt creates chaos in international
currency relations, which in turn cre-
ates volatility and unpredictability in
the prices of honey. A recent article
entitled “The Global Debt Binge Be-
gins Anew” notes, “The world’s debt
rose by $3 trillion in the first quarter of
2019 — an almost unprecedented bor-
rowing binge that brought total global
debt to $246.5 trillion. … Q1’s major
uptick brought it to nearly 320% of the
world’s GDP, also near the all-time
high, according to IIF’s data.” Domes-
tically, “Total U.S. debt rose to a new
all-time high of more than $69 trillion
September 2019
— led by federal government debt,
which is now over 101% of GDP.” - In-
stitute of International Finance.
During the current trade wars we
have seen the disintegration of in-
ternational trade agreements with
the U.S. and the increase of tariff and
non-tariff trade barriers which have
brought unpredictability into many
markets. Increasing and decreas-
ing tariffs are countertrends creating
confusion and chaos in traditional
supply-purchase relations, includ-
ing in agricultural commodities like
soybeans. In June 2019, President
Trump announced increases in tariffs
on Mexican imports of 10-25%. These
tariffs are not being implemented, but
the threat affects many companies
making decisions about purchases.
The laws of chemistry and physics
keep asserting themselves in dramatic
climate changes, many of which are
driven by self-feeding processes. As
glaciers and the permafrost melt and
retreat, and light colors are replaced
by darker colors, vast quantities of so-
lar energy are absorbed by the planet
rather than reflected back into outer
space. The increases in the quantities
of heat-trapping gases such as carbon
dioxide and methane further warm
the planet.
Thus far in 2019, we have witnessed
global weather changes that include:
a) Major weather events, flood-
ing in particular, have hit the
heartland of the United States:
“In the past year, torrential
rains have dumped water on
U.S. farmlands, destroying
acreage and delaying crops
from getting planted on time.
… This year, there are farmers
who are the first in their fam-
ily for three generations to not
grow crops on their fields”
-‘It never stops’: US farmers
now face extreme heat wave after
floods and trade war”-CNBC
b) The world continues to ex-
perience increases in the fre-
quency, severity and volatility
of severe weather events. El
Nino and La Nina are in-
cluded in these. While meteo-
rology lacks the knowledge
for precise predictions of se-
vere events, enough is known
about general trends that we
anticipate that honey produc-
tion will continue to be subject
to unpredictable changes.
c) “The National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) reports the average
global temperature for June
[2019] was 1.71 degrees Fahr-
enheit above the 20th cen-
tury average of 59.9 degrees.
NOAA also reported record-
breaking decreases in sea ice
coverage in the Arctic and
Antarctica.”-Time Magazine
d) France and Anchorage, Alaska,
experienced their highest
temperatures in the historic
records. By the end of July,
the Netherlands, Belgium and
parts of the U.K. joined the
trend toward record breaking
heat waves.
7) Conclusion
The Quest for Justice in the Inter-
national Honey Industry has proved
to be a long and complicated journey.
A book is being prepared to provide
a broader perspective regarding this
Quest.
This Summer Professor Norberto
Garcia and his wife, along with
friends, journeyed by car from Argen-
tina to Chile to speak to the Chilean
Beekeeping Association. The journey
was almost 20 hours each way. It in-
volved traversing passes high in the
spectacular Andes.
I told Norberto that their journey
reminds me of an ancient Chinese
fable from the Tang Dynasty. The
Tang Dynasty was considered the
apex of Chinese culture and a period
in which China was open to absorb-
ing and learning the wisdom of other
nations. A monk and a troupe of in-
teresting characters journey to India
over the great Himalayan Mountains
dividing India and China with its
perilous, sheer peaks and cliffs. The
goal is to bring back to China the
sacred texts of Buddhism with their
respect and advocacy of tenderness
toward all forms of life.
The journey involves two antago-
nists, the White Boned Demon who
can assume all kinds of disguises and
masks and The Monkey King. The
Monkey King is an impish figure from
heaven, sent to accompany the monk
and his troupe. During the journey,
the White Boned Demon assumes the
form of an old beggar begging for alms
or a sweet, beautiful young damsel, in
her silk gown. Whatever the disguise,
the goal is to divert the monk and
troupe and to destroy their quest for
Wisdom. The Monkey King has magi-
987
cal powers to see through the disguises
and therewith protect the monk so that
his sacred journey can be completed.
An ancient Chinese saying goes:
“Though the Monkey King can move
at the speed of light, he can never leave
the palm of Buddha.” That means he
can never leave the palm of truth, wis-
dom, justice, mercy and integrity.
After telling Norberto this ancient
tale, Norberto replied: We need many
new Monkey Kings!
If the international honey industry
is to integrate and balance the incen-
tives to produce with the incentives
to consume honey, product integrity
must be achieved. If the industry is
to enter an Era of Creative Market-
ing, then adulterated honey must be
excluded from the playing field and
only authentic honey allowed to en-
ter and compete in the international
arena where beekeepers, exporters,
importers and packers are on the
same team competing for Honey’s
Golden World Cup.
Ron Phipps is Vice President of the Api-
mondia Scientific Commission on Bee-
keeping Economy and President of CPNA
International, Ltd. He is Co-Chairman of
the International Committee for Honey
and Health. His academic work centers
on “The Process Ontology and Cosmol-
ogy of the Infinite” and he is President of
the Long Island Concert Orchestra.

988 American Bee Journal

March 2018 989

Q
IT’S ALL
ABOUT TIMING
I am proud to say that I caught a
big swarm and it is doing well! I’m
putting a 2nd super on today. Just
wondered when would be a good
time to treat for varroa with MAQS?
I thought I should let them be well
established before doing that, and
have the 2nd super so they would have
more breathing space … considered
using only one packet instead of 2.
Also purchased a booming nuc to re-
place the hive that was uncovered in
a wind storm. Will give it its 2nd super
today, and again wondered when it
is OK to treat with MAQS. Always
enjoy your column in the ABJ, and
appreciate your help.
Spirit
A You really want the truth, Spirit?
If not, delete this now.
Here we go. Remember that varroa
requires honey bee larvae to repro-
duce and grow. Brood is needed. At
the height of brood rearing approxi-
mately 2/3 of varroa will be hidden
in brood cells protected behind the
cell caps. That is why ALL varro-
acides suggest waiting until brood
rearing slows and more adult varroa
are exposed such as fall, winter, early
spring after sampling. MAQS adver-
tises that the formic acid will pen-
etrate brood cell caps and kill, hurt
September 2019
or damage varroa in the cell. But a
honey bee egg, larva or pupae is not
any more designed to be resistant to
an aggressive caustic acid that is de-
signed to kill varroa so they can be
damaged as well.
The best time to have treated your
swarm was when you collected and
hived it. All varroa that tagged along
with the swarm would have been ex-
posed. Now they aren’t.
The nuc could have been treated
when it was a nuc and had less brood
than now as well.
Water under the bridge. Read and
follow label directions. With my as-
sumption that you have sampled to
get varroa infestation numbers, then
treat, then sample again after two
weeks to see if it worked.
Q
DISEASE, BUT
WHICH ONE?
Thanks for taking the time to share
your wealth of knowledge and expe-
rience. We really appreciate you. To-
day’s question: Two of my bee club
members have called recently to tell
me this same story ... they open their
hive on a routine inspection and find
no capped brood. The first guy who
told me this suspected EFB, he also
saw a few twisted larvae and melted
larvae, but very few. I’ve never seen
EFB take all of the capped brood at
once. I thought maybe he had missed
a swarm, and his new queen was just
getting going. He pulled her into a
nuc, just in case, and shook the rest
of the bees onto the bare foundation.
Both colonies are still struggling due
to low numbers.
The next story came from a very
experienced beekeeper who saw full
sheets of open brood the week be-
fore and expected to find full sheets
of capped brood now, only to find no
capped brood at all. She stirred some
of the open larvae and found no ropi-
ness at all. Any idea what this is?
Thanks,
Tina
A
Hey Tina,
I had another question from an-
other beekeeper about 50 miles from
where I live that was almost exactly
the same as yours. Don’t you love ser-
endipity?
Diagnosing anything in 2019 is a
challenge because of so many mul-
tidimensional challenges with man-
aged honey bee health, let alone from
a distance.
Sounds to me like Parasitic Mite
Syndrome (PMS). Colonies that sur-
vive with higher than suggested
varroa populations have a higher
incidence of viruses, especially De-
formed Wing Virus (DWV) and all
the other viruses associated with var-
roa, and a weakened individual and
colony immune system. When the
horizontal transfer of these viruses
and the continual infection by high
uncontrolled levels of varroa reaches
a point where most if not all bees, lar-
vae and pupa included are infected,
they get sick and ultimately die from
these infections.
Dispersal of adult varroa is hard to
find when there is significant capped
brood, as most are taking advantage
of brood rearing trying to reproduce
themselves and are hidden under
capped brood, so any alcohol washes
or powdered sugar sampling might
show no or few varroa. The beekeep-
er thinks they are amazing beekeep-
ers and all this crazy goofy stuff about
varroa and treating is baloney and I
don’t need varroa control. Remember
that in the best of times 2/3 of varroa
are not exposed but are hiding, if you
will, in cells, using larvae to make
baby varroa.
When there are these high hori-
zontal transfers of the Varroa/Virus
Legacy and most of the larvae are af-
fected, the larvae are sick, not normal
and ultimately die early. These larvae
that die primarily from Varroa/Virus
991
issues also are used as a petri dish for
a whole host of other organisms, pri-
marily bacteria as a food reproductive
source. That is why they kind of look
like EFB and maybe kind of like AFB
and maybe kind of sacbrood but actu-
ally represent a soup or stew of septic
tank organisms eating the dead lar-
vae. If there are enough bees left in the
colony they do what good residents
do, they clean out the dead and dying
in preparation for the queen to give
it another shot. This is why one may
see a whole frame of larvae or pupae
and a week later it’s gone. It’s gone
because they died and were cleaned
out. The problem is that at this stage
the colony can’t build, and with the
extreme nature of general infection
in a colony, even with significant var-
roa control efforts, it may take 6-9-12
months for the colony to flush out the
viruses and rebound.
What do you think?
FROM TINA
I think you are on the right track
with the viral stew, that was what we
suspected, as well. If these were any
other two beekeepers, I’d be agree-
ing about the mite loads and decep-
tive counts. However, these two bee-
keepers are really on it. They do mite
counts correctly every month, and at
least one of them has 0 or 2 counts
(and that is per 300, not percent) ev-
ery single month last year and up
until now. I counted mites there my-
self last week: 2/300. That is why we
are wondering where this is coming
from. is it worth paying for virus de-
tection? What would the treatment
be anyway? I’m thinking we should
feed, and create a brood break. Will
that be enough?
Thanks, T
JERRY
You can have virus identified all
day long. Doesn’t really mean any-
thing. I can take a blood sample from
you and send it to the CDC and they
will identify all sorts of viruses in
you, even scary ones, but you are not
sick because your body’s immune
system is keeping them in check.
There are not treatments for viruses
in honey bees. Kind of like us, we
get a runny nose, coughing and your
head hurts and you go to the Doctor.
He tells you you have a cold and go
home, rest, drink plenty of fluids and
if it isn’t gone in 3 days come back.
Let’s take a chapter out of the Com-
mercial beekeepers’ “how-to” book.
As you said a brood break, re-queen,
992
isolate the colonies, treat for varroa
using softer products so Honey Bees
ae not stressed even more, and feed,
feed, feed to try to have bees out-
reproduce the virus and over X time
(months) wash it out of the commu-
nal honey bee colony system.
Q
SHOULD I STOCK
UP ON HONEY?
My name is Kiran Healey and I’m
conducting something reminiscent of
a personal research project. I found
you from the American Bee Journal but
I’m not sure who to contact on this
matter so if you can’t help, that’s al-
right.
In the case that bees go extinct or
the number of bees decreases, the
price of honey will skyrocket. If I’m
correct, the average cost of a pound
of honey is around $7, but of course,
every seller is different. Additionally,
the typical grocery store honey is sig-
nificantly less, which can skew some
results. What can be an expected price
per pound if honey becomes scarce?
And due to the everlasting nature
of honey, isn’t it logical to buy it in
bulk now and sell for exponentially
higher when the time comes? Imag-
ine it as an investment in honey.
Thanks in advance.
A
Great question.
Honey bees and flowering plants
came to an agreement that they
would help each other. The flower
said I need to move my pollen (male
element) to that flower across the
field so we can make seed and re-
produce. Its called Pollination. So I’ll
make a sweet liquid, nectar, to give to
my friend the honey bee so she will
get paid to come to my flower and
take my pollen to the next flower. The
honey bees learned to take this sweet
watery nectar back to their hive and
evaporate the water, add some en-
zymes and preserve it so they could
have food during a long cold Euro-
pean winter, and voila ... Honey.
Humans’ relationship with honey
bees has until relatively recently
been because they could steal, take,
harvest this “free” food called honey
from this insect’s nest. Our ances-
tors didn’t have to clear any ground
to grow anything, but went hunting
with spears and bow and arrows in
the wild for days, picked lots of fruit
and ate it before it rotted, figured out
how to catch a fish and on and on.
They could take pounds of honey
that were the only high calorie sweet
available and it would not rot, or go
bad or make you sick like other foods
that they had to figure out how to dry,
smoke, cook to preserve. For a few
stings, it was a good deal.
Honey is simply a byproduct of
pollination.
With commercial production of
sugar cane and sugar beets, there is
lots of sugar available as you know
from reading the labels on most of
the foods in the grocery store. We
don’t need honey as the primary
source of sugar anymore. From a
human food standpoint, it is of mi-
nor importance and somewhat of a
unique novelty product that most
people don’t buy or eat.
So, not to be a pain in the neck but if
honey disappeared tomorrow it would
be easily replaced, unfortunately.
Honey bees in 2019 and beyond are
of vital importance in the pollination
and production of about a third of the
food you and I eat every day. Which
just in the U.S. is valued at approxi-
mately 20 BILLION dollars. In other
countries, honey bee pollination is
valued at more than 100 times the val-
ue of honey production. Just about ev-
ery fruit, nut, vegetable, or leafy green
you see in the produce section when
you walk into your grocery store has
had a honey bee intimately involved
in producing it. That is why managed
honey bees and their beekeepers are
so tremendously important. I am go-
ing to get concerned mail (not hate
mail☺) for saying this. The value of
managed honey bees is in food pro-
duction. And as wonderful as honey
is, the kinds of honey, colors, and
tastes, honey is a niche unique prod-
uct that average per capita consump-
tion is around 1.5 lbs. per year. One of
my least favorite foods is broccoli, I
looked it up and per capita consump-
tion is 5.93 lbs. Broccoli is eaten more
than Honey…. really. There you go.
American Bee Journal
Q BEST QUEENS
Enjoy the classroom very much but,
I disagree with your answer to Wayne
in Canada. C. C. Miller in his book
“Fifty Years Among the Bees” states
that, given brood of all ages, bees
will never raise a queen from larvae
that are too old. However, I do agree
that his walk away split will have
very poor queens. One frame and one
shake are not enough bees to raise
quality queens.
Now a question: How many days
for a virgin queen to mate before she
can’t and will become a drone layer?
Allen in Kentucky
A EVERYWHERE
C.C. Miller is one of the icons of
early beekeeping in the U.S. Born in
1831, he died in 1920. He was origi-
nally a medical doctor. He gave that
up to become a beekeeper and write
books. He saw a lot of honey bee
management changes and modifica-
tions in his lifetime. He was known
for his expertise in comb honey pro-
duction. I am sure he did not have
access to the science-based resources
that are at our beckoning in 2019.
The metric for raising honey
bee queens that have enough egg
producing ovarioles and biological
structures to support laying a cou-
ple of thousand fertile eggs per day
(or selecting not to release sperm so
drones can be produced) means se-
lecting less than 3-day-old worker
larvae, whether for grafting or if the
colony decides to select worker larvae
to produce or replace a queen. It is the
same. Anything past 3 days means
that the queen will be more and more
what is called intercaste, i.e., having
worker traits. Colonies many times
do not select the perfect age larvae,
and queens with poorly developed
ovaries and these intercaste worker/
queens can be produced. Not to pick
on C.C., but in 100 years approxi-
mately from his death, we simply
have more information than he did.
And 100 years from now there will be
even more solid science-based infor-
mation to help us beekeepers be more
successful.
It takes about 5-6 days after the
virgin emerges for her to become
sexually mature, chitin hardens and
pheromones are produced which will
September 2019
make her noticeable to drones when
she takes her mating flights. Then
after mating, having all the sperm
in her spermatheca coalesce and be
stored. Figuring in all the time frame
needed, 2 weeks or so from emer-
gence to laying, assuming weather is
great for mating, if she isn’t eaten by
a bird, or drones are not fertile, etc.
You can bank a virgin queen for a
wiggly maximum of approximately 2
weeks before she degrades to the point
she won’t fly and turns into a drone
layer. Probably max is really 10 days
or so. Ultimately the earlier she can
mate when she and weather are over-
lapping is the best, or about 2-3 days.
Q
WATER, WATER
I am a long-time backyard bee-
keeper in a suburb, always aware of
providing a water supply, both for the
bees’ convenience of not having to fly
far for it, and to try to keep them from
the neighbors’ dripping hoses, etc.
But as we know, they go where they
want to go even though I supply wa-
ter fifty feet from the hives, using all
of the recommended methods. Some-
times.the bees avail themselves of it,
sometimes they don’t. Never had a
complaint from a neighbor, though.
One neighbor even commented that
she was delighted to see honey bees
in her birdbath.
But four years ago a rich guy bought
the house two doors down and in-
stalled a large swimming pool. Now
“my” bees are all over the splashes
around his pool, and they continue to
go there no matter what I do. He is
becoming less and less nice about it.
His pool uses a disinfection method
that employs salt as the disinfectant
by electrolyzing it to produce free
chlorine
This website explains it: https://
www.mnn.com/your-home/at-home/
questions/whats-the-difference-
between-saline-and-chlorine-swim-
ming-pools
“Saltwater pools employ a de-
vice called a chlorine generator that,
through electrolysis, breaks down
salt added directly to the pool water
and turns it into chlorine...that’s then
transformed into hypochlorous acid,
the substance that actually sanitizes
the water. So essentially, by adding
a couple hundred pounds of regu-
lar old salt to your pool water and
installing a pricey device, you’ll be
‘naturally’ creating and recycling
chlorine compounds instead of buy-
ing and handling toxic chemicals.”
Is it possible that they are prefer-
ring his water to mine because of the
sodium content? Or are they going
there because they’re bees, and you
can’t tell bees what to do? Any ideas?
Allen Cosnow
A
We all as organisms are very similar
on this earth. We need suggestions,
guidance, and direction from family
and friends and google maps to get to
new places.
Honey bees locate, orally sample
and bring back many liquids and nec-
tar to their colony to share and alert
their foraging sisters where resources
are outside of their colony in the en-
vironment. You know all about how
honey bees direct their sisters to flow-
er nectar resources with sharing, and
flavor profiles and dances, etc. But,
if the nectar has no flavor or odor to
identify it then the foragers have no
idea what they are looking for and
abandon the search as it is incomplete
information for finding the resource.
Same with water. Research was
done using flavorless distilled water
and other water source dishes with
various taste and odor components.
The distilled water was ignored be-
cause it could not be identified by re-
cruited foragers. That is why old sea-
soned water in a bird bath, or the ditch
or the cattle feed lot, is used by bees
as water sources, because they can
be located based on taste and odor.
Same with your neighbor’s pool. It
has an odor and taste profile that can
be used as a resource identified by the
bees. When you as a beekeeper put a
water source out it needs to have you
add something to it that will inform
and encourage the water foragers to
find it in the specific location with an
odor and taste. This needs to be done
early, early in the season so that the
993
colony has this fixed site imprinted.
Now, it is tough for you because the
bees have a strong connection to your
neighbor’s pool.
As a beekeeper, you are also a bee
trainer. :)
they would go for it, but there isn’t. All the Beekeeping Best to you.
As an example, later this summer We are all in this together.
when it generally gets really hot and
really dry many of these spring and
early summer flowers will have been
pollinated and they are done flow-
ering. Not many flowering plants
Q EFB TEST KITS

Q
WHITE DUTCH
CLOVER
I used to think that Dutch white
clover was a good forage crop for
honey bees. However, over the years,
I almost never have seen bees work-
ing on it. Any thoughts on the impor-
tance of this clover as a honey crop?
I know they love yellow and white
sweet clover. I believe alsike and la-
dino are also good honey producers
if I remember correctly from my life
as a kid on the farm when I started
beekeeping over 70 years ago.
Bill Busch
available until it cools off and fall
flowering plants make their appear-
ance. This is where you see honey
bees visiting plants that they have
no relationship with simply to get a
little pollen or nectar, even if it is of
low quality such as “corn.” They are
forced to visit this wind pollinated
plant that has low nutritional value
pollen and -0- nectar because noth-
ing else is available. Honey Bees visit
flowers with the best nutritional re-
sources at the time they are available.
They are flower opportunists, or the
hummingbird feeder or soda pop can
opportunists. :)
APPRECIATION
I received a question through the
Honey Bee Veterinary Consortium
Facebook page about follow-up test-
ing for EFB after treatment. If a col-
ony tested positive for EFB with the
Vita test kit and was then treated with
oxytetracycline is it recommended to
retest that colony post-treatment (and
if yes then when)? I have not seen
mention of this in the literature and
I am inclined to think testing is not
necessary if the colony is doing well
clinically. But I wanted to check in
with an expert as I do not have clini-
cal experience with this — hope it is
ok that I have reached out to you!
Britteny, DVM
A

COMMENT
I wanted to send a short note of
thanks for your contribution to last
weekend’s Illinois State Beekeepers
Association Summer Meeting.
I am shamefully and respectfully
honest when I tell you that I did not
know you from a bar of soap before
the meeting commenced.
I am a second-year beekeeper now
operating 4 backyard hives in Na-
perville, IL. I spent the summer of
Hey Britteny,
An expert is anyone more than 250
miles away from home.
I am in the Denver airport right
now.
I have never heard of “testing”
again if visual signs and symptoms
are not present and the colony ap-
pears vigorous and active after treat-
ment. There would be nothing to test

A
2018 operating 2 hives, attending to if you didn’t have a visual connection
all and sundry first-year beekeep- of discolored, deformed larvae.
ing mysteries under the tutelage of

White Dutch clover is an excellent
forage for honey bees and other pol-
linators. As you have noticed in your
area it sounds as though there may be
some flowers that are offering better,
i.e., higher nectar sugar concentra-
tions than white clover. It is a flower
competition. As we talk about this in
June in the Midwest this is clover sea-
son ... all clovers. White and Yellow
Sweet clovers are blooming along
with White Dutch, Red, and Crim-
son Clover all at the same time and
all trying to get the attention of pol-
linating insects to get pollinated and
Q
Chuck & Karen Lorence. Attendance
at monthly meetings of Fox Valley
Beekeepers was as broad a perspec- WAX MOTH TIME
tive as I took. In this, my second year,
I now feel able to look beyond my
I have some drawn honey and
back yard.
brood supers that are not being used
I appreciate your candor, your
until next year. How can I prevent
knowledge, your humor and see
wax moth infestation and what action
that you are a gift to the American
is required and when do I do it? Note:
beekeeping community. In that I’ve
I do not want to use para moth stuff.
only just met you and your work,
I am delighted to find that many
Tom Kalal
clubs have posted videos of open
Classroom sessions which I will
P.S. You have been very helpful,
consume with an eagerness to learn.
maybe someday I will get to meet you.
Thank you again for your

reproduce by making a seed. And the
“bees” at this same time are trying to
bring in as much high quality, high
sugar content (calories for winter)
nectar as they can. So, they can be
picky and choosey when they have
a buffet of flowers to choose from. If
there was only White Dutch around
contribution to ISBA.
Gena
JERRY
You are very thoughtful Gena.
Thank you.
But, sometimes a bar of soap might
be of more value and help. :)
A
Here are some options and a future
possibility. Wax moth larvae need/
want nutrition to grow and mature
into adults. But, they get -0- nutrition

994 American Bee Journal

from comb that has never had brood
production in it. Wax moth nutrition
comes from the larval skins and other
leftovers found in brood comb which
gives that dark appearance. If your
honey super comb is empty and is
just original pure beeswax and stored
in the open, wax moth adults may lay
eggs and larvae may start but will die
as they eat some comb but it has no
nutrition to keep them alive.
Depending on how many dark
comb frames you have, you might
have a freezer of some size that can be
used as you can place them in it. The
freezing temperatures keep the wax
moth from doing anything.
Wax moth adults select dark, warm,
secure locations. They don’t like lots
of light. You could stack your empty
boxes inside at 90-degree angles to
each other and put lights above and
around 24/7/365 to discourage wax
moth. You could do the same thing
outside in full sunlight. You will get
some damage as sunlight is not 24
hours per day until winter comes, but
not total destruction generally.
There was a product years ago
called Certan, later named B401,
which was a natural product that you
sprayed on open comb with a specific
Bt bacteria that when wax moth lar-
vae appeared the bacteria attacked the
larvae and poof, no problem, in a nat-
ural way. This product had no effect
on honey bees of course. I have heard
that a newly updated product named
B402 may be available next year.
Take care and hope to meet you too
at some beekeeper meeting.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“It’s not about money or con-

nections — it’s the willingness to
outwork and out-learn everyone
… And if it fails, you learn from
what happened and do a better
job next time.”
Mark Cuban

South Florida
Bees-N-Honey
18299 Clearbrook Circle
Boca Raton, FL 33498
Queens and Nucs
available for sale
For information and pricing please
call, text or fax.
Credit cards accepted.
Phone: (561) 715-5715
Fax: (561) 423-0304

September 2019 995

998 American Bee Journal
 Beekeeping Basics

Getting Ready
for Winter
by TINA SEBESTYEN
Bee on Sunflower. Photo by Tina Sebestyen

O
ur main goal as beekeepers is need to produce royal jelly to feed the the open screen, if it has something
to help the bees do what they brood during late winter and early sticky on it to trap the mites that
want to do. This is a much spring. Pollen also contains vitamins, are groomed or fall onto it. Vaseline
more successful paradigm than try- sterols, and other nutrients necessary, works great for this, and won’t attract
ing to make the bees do what we want not only to nurse bees, but also to lar- mice as lard might. If the bees have
them to do. What the bees are doing val bees. Leave frames with bee bread already begun to place honey below
right now is preparing for winter. at the edges of the cluster. brood, September is your chance to
Actually, that is what they have been The next management issue we can rearrange the comb and place the
doing since the end of swarm season, help our bees with is placement of the honey above the brood. The reason
but the closer it gets to winter, the eas- brood chamber as fall progresses. An we do this is because the bees will be-
ier it is for us humans to understand. open screened bottom makes regula- gin winter on the brood chamber, and
Using good colony management to tion of temperature and humidity of then follow the honey upward. If part
help our bees prepare for winter is the brood chamber difficult for the of the honey is above them, and part
pretty important to their survival. bees. They may begin storing honey below, they’ll get into the upper hive
So, what do bees need for winter? below the brood chamber in an ef- body, and not move down when it is
Could we just leave them alone and fort to insulate it from cold, dry air. cold, even if there is plenty of honey
they would get it right? Unfortunate- Putting the sliding solid bottom in right below them.
ly, unless they live in a hollow tree, the place will help them with this. The Horizontal beekeeping in top bar
answer to this question is, probably closed solid bottom is as effective as and long Langstroth hives requires
not. The shape and size of standard
Langstroth bee hives are quite dif-
ferent from hollow trees. In Septem-
ber, our bees need to be storing their
honey and bee bread (pollen) for the
winter. Without encouragement, they
will leave outer frames empty, and
put everything they bring in into su-
pers. This looks great to humans, but
we need to think about the bees first.
In most areas, supers need to come
off of the hive early enough that the
bees will begin back-filling the brood
chamber well before the honey flow is
over. A full-sized colony will need two
deeps or three mediums for brood
and honey. If outer frames are empty,
move them in one space to help the
bees remember to fill them. This is
important because full honey frames
hold heat gained during the day, and
release it at night, helping mimic the
thicker walls of a hollow tree.
Remember that bees need pollen in
the hive over winter, too. This is the Bee bread surrounded by nectar. The bees prepare for winter.
high protein food that the nurse bees Photo by Tina Sebestyen

September 2019 999


Move frames that need filling to the #2 position, with the full one against the wall.
Photo by Tina Sebestyen
the same type of comb management.
In summer, the bees will usually have
one sheet of honey at the door, fol-
lowed by one sheet of bee bread, and
then the brood chamber, with most
of the honey toward the back. As fall
progresses, the bees begin back-filling
the brood chamber, but from the front
to the back, so that their honey stores
are split by the brood chamber. The
same late winter problem will occur.
The bees will follow the honey toward
the back of the hive, and not be able
to return to the honey stored near
the door. The solution is to push the
Beautiful honey! A nice benefit of beekeeping.
Photo credit https://pixabay.com/photos/
1000
brood chamber toward the door, and
move the honey stores to the back,
right behind the brood chamber. Be
sure to close the screened bottom, and
get the entrance reducer in place, to
help with temperature and humid-
ity regulation. Entrance reducers are
also important to help the bees defend
themselves against yellow jackets and
other wasps, which can be a real prob-
lem in fall. I usually wait until mid-
October or so to put mouse guards on,
to make it easier for the house bees to
escort the drones out without having
to deal with the mouse guard. Our fall
days in Colorado are warm enough
that bees can defend themselves and
keep mice from moving in, but when
cooler weather keeps bees clustered,
keeping mice out is vital.
Bees need 2.2 pounds of honey per
week of winter, winter being defined
as the time there is no nectar or pol-
len coming in. Bees think it is winter
while we humans think it is still fall.
In my area of Colorado, a full-sized
colony needs 72 pounds of honey for
winter. Take a bar or frame of capped
honey into your house and weigh it.
This will give you a point of refer-
ence for how many full ones the bees
need. This is also your chance to learn
how heavy the hive should feel. Tip
the hive forward just enough that
you can feel its weight. You will need
this point of reference in early spring
when deciding if emergency feed-
ing is necessary. If the colony is light,
now is the time to feed sugar water to
give them enough honey stores. Feed-
ing two parts of sugar to one part of
water (commonly called 2:1) will help
the bees dehydrate it quickly.
Now we have one last question
about preparing for winter … how to
get the bees out of the honey supers or
harvest from a top bar or long Lang-
stroth hive. There are several meth-
ods for doing this. One of the sim-
plest and most widely used is to set
an empty hive body with a top next
to the hive you are working, take one
frame at a time out of the super, brush
the bees back into the hive, and place
the now bee-free frame into the box.
Be sure to put the lid on in between,
or the bees will find it and you’ll have
a different box full of bees and honey.
This method saves your back, too.
A fume board with a smelly bee
chaser like Honey-Bee-Gone works
great to chase the bees out of a su-
per in just a few minutes. Or, a bee
escape works in a day or two. These
are doorways that bees can only use
in one direction, so they leave the box
as the night cools down, and can’t get
back in. There is a bee escape called
a triangle board that looks like a fun
inner cover with a maze on it. Anoth-
er escape is a little plastic insert that
goes in the hole in your inner cover.
You place the inner cover with the
escape under the supers you want
to be free of bees, and come back in
a day or two. Be aware that not all of
the bees leave, and there will be a few
remaining in the super that need to
be brushed out before they die of heat
and dehydration. Be sure that you
store the honey someplace that is bee
American Bee Journal
tight. If bees can find it, they will, and
try to steal it. Also be aware that leav-
ing honey supers in the bee yard, be-
fore or after extracting, can incite rob-
bing. Fall robbing is very dangerous
to your bees, and not only spreads
disease and mites, but can lead to
starvation. Remember to remove all
queen excluders. If you choose to
leave a full honey super on the hive
(never an empty one), we want to be
sure that the bees don’t go through an
excluder and leave the queen behind
to freeze alone.
Honey harvesting from top bar
hives is not that different. An escape
can be made from a follower board,
or bees can be brushed off, just like
in Langstroth beekeeping, while the
bars are stored upside down in a
large tub with a lid. Comb that is two
September 2019
or three years old is firm enough to
run through an extractor. I have to cut
a bit off the bottoms of mine, because
my hives are very deep, in order to get
them to fit in the extractor. I uncap the
honey and slide them into the extrac-
tor with the bar on the side. I harvest
from frame hives with the honey very
warm, so it throws out faster, and
keep everything cooler for uncapping
and harvesting from top bar hives or
from foundationless frames, which I
also use a lot.
When extracting is finished, it will
be tempting to let the bees clean su-
pers out, and that is fine, just not in
the bee yard. Placing a wet super on
a weak hive can incite robbing. Leav-
ing wet supers out in the yard gets
everyone to robbing. Either freeze
honey combs, and wrap beetle-tight
to give to bees in spring, or let the
bees clean them out away from the
apiary. Set the wet supers out at least
100 feet from the hives. Now the bees
are ready for winter, and so are we,
with pantries full of honey.
reFerences
Robert Brodschneider, Karl Crailsheim,
Nutrition and Health in Honey Bees Apidolo-
gie 41 (3) 278-294 (2010) DOI: 10.1051/
apido/2010012
https://honeybeesuite.com/how-much-hon-
ey-should-i-leave-in-my-hive/
Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping (Caron
and Connor, 2013, Wicwas Press), the ide-
al fall colony
Tina Sebestyen
has been keeping
bees since 2007
in top bar, Lang-
stroth, and more
recently the long
Langstroth hive.
She is founder of the Four Corners Beekeep-
ers Assoc, and is Vice President of the Col-
orado State Beekeepers Association. She
is currently working to produce the Master
Beekeeper Program for the state of Colo-
rado. She helps with large scale queen pro-
duction for commercial operations, raises
locally adapted queens for NW New Mexico
and SW Colorado, helps produce nucs, does
structural removals of bee colonies, and
writes and speaks about bees everywhere
she gets the chance. She can be reached at
bee.seeking@gmail.com
1001
 SCIENCE INSIDER
Wasp Woes
Yellow jacket wasps are more than just picnic crashers – they also raid
beehives, killing off entire colonies. And climate change could be prodding
the nest.
H
“ ow do you tell the differ-
ence between a wasp and a
bee?” The twelve-year-old girl
looked up at me expectantly, proud
to be asking me a question that her
classmates hadn’t thought of. “Well,
the easiest way to tell,” I said, “is that
wasps just look like . . . jerks.” I had
to refrain from using a more profane
word (I’m not used to spending much
time around children). “If you’re hav-
ing a picnic and a yellow stripy thing
is trying to steal the food off your
fork, it’s probably a wasp.”
It’s true: Wasps are jerks. They
aren’t exactly fuzzy. They don’t have
cute faces. Their angular bodies and
colour patterns scream “trouble-
maker.” Their strong, menacing man-
dibles (mouthparts) are capable of
cutting up chunks of meat or latch-
ing on to you as they repeatedly jam
their stinger. If you’re a beekeeper,
you probably have an exceptional
hatred for yellow jacket wasps, par-
ticularly in the late summer and early
A yellow jacket worker captured in Wellington, New Zealand. Photo by Colin McDiarmid.
September 2019
By Alison McAfee
fall when they relentlessly rob your
colonies about as fast as you can feed
them. And unfortunately, your sea-
sonal wasp woes are probably only
going to get worse.
“Yellow jacket” is the common
name for several wasp species in the
Vespula genus (such as V. germanica,
V. vulgaris, V. maculifrons, V. atropi-
losa, V. pensylvanica, and V. squamosa).
Though it varies between the spe-
cies, their colonies are normally com-
posed of a few thousand individuals.
The nest normally dies off in the fall,
leaving only the new, freshly mated
queens to brave the winter, hibernat-
ing in a safe spot until spring (much
like bumble bees do). When the win-
ter ebbs, the foundress queen will
emerge and begin to establish a new
nest, foraging and caring for her first
batch of brood until her daughters
can take over the housekeeping and
let her focus on laying eggs. But in
some regions, a combination of mild
winters and balmy springs are giv-
ing yellow jackets a head start. In the
southern United States, some wasp
colonies are even persisting through
the winter, forming multi-queen
“supercolonies” with tens of thou-
sands of workers. I haven’t been able
to verify this, but one nest in South
Carolina reportedly contained in the
neighbourhood of 250,000 workers.
But these supercolonies, though
terrifying, are not entirely new. As
the Huffington Post reported last July,1
2006 was exceptionally ripe with yel-
low jacket supercolonies, too. How-
ever, Charles Ray, a research fellow
at Auburn University in Alabama,
expects the number of supercolonies
in the region to surpass the 2006 stats
this year. The supernests are starting
to appear earlier in the year (as early
as May), which bodes badly for bee-
keepers in the region as we approach
fall. “So normally,” Ray told The New
York Times,2 “a surviving queen will
have to start a colony from scratch in
the spring. With our climate becom-
1003

Wasps overwhelming one of Heather Higo’s colonies in Langley, BC, despite having
a reduced entrance size to help the bees defend themselves. Photo by Heather Higo.
ing warmer, there might be multiple
surviving queens producing more
than 20,000 eggs each.”
It’s unclear exactly how big of a
role the warming climate is play-
ing — it’s possible that mild winters
could actually be bad for wasps, since
it stimulates the queens to emerge
too early in the spring, before there is
sufficient forage. But in the southern
states, winters are becoming so mild
that the queens may not have to hi-
bernate at all, facilitating these super-
colonies to form. We don’t yet fully
The aftermath of wasp robbing is clear, with many dead wasps and bees alike on the
bottom board after the war. Photo by Heather Higo.  and that fat, big queens do seem to
1004
understand the factors involved, but
even in the absence of supercolonies,
yellow jackets are still a formidable
pest to beekeepers.
To yellow jackets, honey bee colo-
nies are like an all-you-can-eat buf-
fet of sugar and protein at a time of
dearth. Late in the season, there is
not much else around for the wasps
to eat, particularly sugars. Unlike
honey bee brood, wasp brood con-
sume pre-chewed insects and subse-
quently secrete sugars that they feed
back to the adult workers. But late
in the year, brood rearing is done, so
the adult wasps have neither nectar
nor brood dew to satisfy their sweet
tooth. Conveniently for them, there
also isn’t much around for the honey
bees to eat, so we diligently fortify
their overwintering stores with deli-
cious syrup. That’s more than enough
motivation your average wasp needs
to take the risk of invading a beehive
to steal their stores.
A strong honey bee colony should
be able to defend itself against invad-
ing wasps, but that isn’t always the
case. “Last fall, I lost 40% of my colo-
nies due to wasp robbing,” Heather
Higo — an experienced and well-re-
spected British Columbia beekeeper
— reports. For her, that was around
25 colonies. “I was killing about 100
wasps every 15 minutes [with an elec-
tric zapper], and I stopped at 800 in
one afternoon in less than 2 hours!”
That’s enough wasps to overwhelm
even a strong honey bee colony, de-
spite having entrance reducers to aid
their defence.
In Canada, our winters are still
too cold to enable wasp colonies to
persist through the winter, and we
don’t have supercolonies, but even
the normal yellow jacket colonies are
ferocious enough to decimate the bee-
hives. Anecdotally, I’ve heard some
BC beekeepers (including Higo) re-
port that these have been some of the
worst years for wasp colony losses
that they’ve seen, but we still don’t
know very much about why it has
been so bad.
But Dr. Phil Lester and his col-
leagues at Victoria University, New
Zealand, are starting to figure out
some of the fundamentals of wasp
population fluxes (specifically, V. vul-
garis). In 2017, the researchers pub-
lished a paper in The Journal of Animal
Ecology describing how annual varia-
tion in yellow jacket population size
depends on multiple factors, and it
isn’t always predictable.3 They used
archived population data from New
Zealand and England spanning de-
cades, along with weather records
and other historic data, to try to figure
out what makes the wasps tick.
It turns out, the single best pre-
dictor of yellow jacket population
size in a given year is actually the
population size in the previous year:
If there is a strong population one
year, it’s weaker the next. At this
stage, we can only speculate on why
this relationship exists, says Lester.
“We do know that wasps compete,
American Bee Journal
survive and reproduce better. So it
is possible that competition plays a
role. We also know that wasps carry
diseases — many that are similar to
those in honey bees (wasps carry
Kashmir bee virus, deformed wing
virus, etc.). Higher host densities of-
ten mean higher disease levels.”
But this “one-year-high, next-year-
low” relationship (also known as
“delayed density dependence” to
ecologists) didn’t fully explain the
wasp population fluxes in the records
— even with this knowledge, the re-
searchers still couldn’t predict what
the wasp population would be just
a few years in the future. There was
something else going on.
That “something else” turned out
to mainly be the weather — spring
weather, in particular. Cool, wet
springs might drown new colonies or
prevent the vulnerable wasp queens
from venturing on foraging flights,
increasing their risk of starvation. Ev-
ery wasp queen that starves to death
in the spring equates to thousands
fewer workers in the fall, because
she never gets a chance to establish
a colony. In England, winter rainfall
was also a significant factor — pre-
sumably because heavy winter rains
could drown out queens in their hi-
bernation holes — but the effect was
not as strong in New Zealand.
In a now-too-familiar warning,4
Lester tells the British Ecological So-
ciety that “the average global tem-
perature is rising each year. We are
therefore likely to see more wasp
abundance in the future as our
weather gets warmer.” And this is
more than a prediction — Lester and
his colleagues actually observed this
trend in their data. “We saw this at
Rothamsted in the United Kingdom,”
he goes on to explain. “The area ex-
perienced a change in climate in the
1990s, and its warmer spring weather
has resulted in considerably higher
numbers of wasps.”
Unfortunately, V. vulgaris is not the
same yellow jacket species commonly
found in North America, and it’s not
totally clear if the same factors dictate
September 2019
Vespula populations in Canada and
the U.S. But Lester thinks the same
population drivers could hold true
in these locations. “I think the spring
weather, and especially rainfall, and
densities in the previous year are like-
ly to be key factors predicting popu-
lation densities wherever these wasps
occur,” Lester speculates. “They are
ground nesting, so I think are espe-
cially susceptible to heavy rainfall
and low temperatures. There are pa-
pers from North America that sug-
gest these sorts of weather events are
important in social wasp dynamics —
but there is other work that suggests
weather isn’t so important, too.”
Higo, the beekeeper who lost 40% of
her colonies to wasp attacks, confirms
that the bad wasp year coincided with
an “extremely dry spring,” which
agrees with Lester’s predictions.
You might be tempted to take mat-
ters into your own hands by deploy-
ing wasp traps when the yellow jack-
ets invade, but this isn’t necessarily
an effective strategy. First, late in the
season (which is when most people
start noticing the wasps), their popu-
lation has already exponentially ris-
en, so you would have to trap a lot of
wasps (probably thousands, or tens of
thousands) to make a noticeable dent.
Still, if you place your wasp traps
close to the ground and far enough
away from your apiary perimeter
that the wasps don’t discover your
honeycomb buffet while they’re on
their way to your trap, and you dili-
gently replenish the traps’ bait every
one to two weeks, and you bait the
traps with something that won’t also
attract your own bees (like cat food),
you might distract them enough to
spare your colonies.
If you have the foresight, it might
be better to start trapping early in the
spring, when the new queens are out
and trying to establish their nests.
Yellow jacket queens are most easily
distinguished from workers based
on their size — they are about 1.5-
2 times the size. Some researchers,
Michael Rust, Donald Reierson, and
Rick Vetter, have worked on devel-
oping queen-specific traps to deploy.
But as they report in 2010,5 “no trap
selectively captured large numbers of
queens,” and “a queen-trapping strat-
egy remains elusive.”
In any case, killing as many wasps
as we can might not be the best idea
anyway. Jerky as they are, yellow
jackets aren’t all bad. In fact, they are
widely considered to be beneficial
insects by farmers and gardeners be-
cause they prey on agricultural pests,
like caterpillars and aphids, remov-
ing an enormous cumulative bio-
mass of problem-insects without the
use of pesticides. Gardeners (but not
beekeepers) might actually consider
deploying wasp attractants to recruit
them to their plots and help control
unwanted leaf-munchers.
Somewhere, there is a balance to
strike between controlling wasps and
controlling other pests. But woe is the
wasp who wanders uninvited into
my colonies. It will still be squished.
reFerences
1. Mazza, E. (2019). Now wasps are forming
massive ‘super nests’ because life just isn’t
scary enough. Huffington Post.
2. Padilla, M. (2019). Officials warn of wasp
‘super nests’ in Alabama. The New York
Times.
3. Lester, P et al. (2017). The long―term popu-
lation dynamics of common wasps in their
native and invaded range. Journal of Ani-
mal Ecology. 86(2): 337-47.
4. Hoggart, S. (2017). What will the wasp
plague be like this year? British Ecological
Society.
5. Rust, MK et al. (2010). Developing baits
for the control of yellowjackets in Califor-
nia. Structural pest control board grant
No. 041-04.
Alison McAfee has a
PhD in genome science
and technology from
the University of Brit-
ish Columbia, where
she studied mecha-
nisms of hygienic be-
haviour in honey bees.
She is now a post-doc
at North Carolina State University in David
Tarpy’s lab, and studies what keeps honey
bee sperm alive.
Email her at alison.n.mcafee@gmail.com.
1005
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1006 American Bee Journal

1008 American Bee Journal
 Notes
The Latest Bee Science Distilled
If you don’t control varroa, you’re probably making wild bees sick and reducing overall
pollinator health in your community
D
o you know the Varroa levels
in your colonies right now? If
you’re like many beekeepers
who I interact with, you don’t.
And that’s surprising since varroa
and its associated viruses are the ma-
jor driver of honey bee colony losses
throughout the world. This is espe-
cially important in September (i.e.,
right now), since we’re entering peak
varroa season in many parts of the
United States.
Because varroa only parasitizes one
bee species in the U.S. — the west-
Authors Alex Burnham and Samantha Alger collect bumble bees from flowers near
an apiary. The authors screened the bumble bees, flowers, and honey bees from the
apiary for several viruses.
September 2019
from the Lab:
ern honey bee, Apis mellifera — you
might think that any varroa problems
in your colonies will be restricted to
your bees. But is that the case? This
is the topic for our twenty-second
“Notes from the Lab,” where we
highlight “RNA virus spillover from
managed honeybees (Apis mellifera)
to wild bumblebees (Bombus spp.),”
written by Samantha Alger and col-
leagues and published in the journal
PLoS One [14(6):e0217822 (2019)].
As I write this, I’m on the plane home
from the International Conference for
by Scott McArt
Pollinator Biology, Health and Policy,
which was held at the University of
California at Davis Honey and Polli-
nation Center (https://honey.ucdavis.
edu/pollinatorconference2019). Dur-
ing the conference, I counted eight
(8!) talks with data linking varroa,
RNA viruses, and honey bee colony
losses. Many of you know about the
virus-mediated link between varroa
and colony losses, but for those who
don’t, here’s an analogy:
Do you know someone who’s had
Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spot-
ted Fever, or malaria? Each of those
diseases are transmitted by a rela-
tively benign pest — a tick or mos-
quito that bites you and collects a tiny
fraction of your blood. But, in doing
so, that tick or mosquito transfers
a harmful microbe into your body
— the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi or
Rickettsia rickettsii in the case of Lyme
disease or Rocky Mountain Spotted
Fever, or the protozoan Plasmodium
spp. in the case of malaria. It’s these
microbes that do the real harm to
your health, not the tiny bit of blood
taken by the tick or mosquito.
Similarly, it’s not varroa that kills
your bees, it’s the highly virulent vi-
ruses it transmits that kill your bees.
Several RNA viruses are known to be
vectored by varroa, and researchers
have found links between many of
them and honey bee survival. From
these studies, three viruses stand
out. Black Queen Cell Virus (BQCV),
Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV)
1009

and Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) are
commonly associated with varroa,
and DWV especially has been linked
to colony losses.
Because a growing number of re-
cent studies have found these viruses
and other pathogens in wild bees, Al-
ger and colleagues decided to set out
and test whether honey bees could
potentially be an important source
of RNA viruses in wild bees. In other
words, if the colony in your apiary
gets sick, could your bees spread vi-
ruses to wild bees?
For their study, the authors sam-
pled honey bees, bumble bees (Bom-
bus vagans and B. bimaculatus) and
flowers from sixteen sites, seven of
which were within 300 m of a com-
mercial apiary, and twelve of which
were at least 1 km from any apiary.
Bees were collected while they for-
aged at flowers across a large area at
each site. At sites with apiaries, honey
bee foragers were also collected di-
Did you know biologists typically use their own vehicles when they conduct field ex-
periments? Thankfully, American made vehicles are apparently quite adept at facilitat-
ing bee science.
1010
Lead author
Samantha Alger
holds a common
eastern bumble
bee (Bombus
impatiens) in a
collecting vial.
rectly from hive entrances. Four of the
seven sites without an apiary nearby
did not have honey bees present, so
only bumble bees and flowers were
collected at those sites.
With nearly 400 bee and flower
samples in hand, Alger and col-
leagues then went back to the lab and
tested each sample for levels of BQCV,
IAPV and DWV. In addition, they se-
quenced the positive detections and
tested for the negative strand of viral
RNA, which is a good indicator that a
virus is replicating in a host (i.e., caus-
ing an active infection).
So, what did they find? Did hon-
ey bees share viruses with bumble
bees? Yes. Alger and colleagues found
BQCV and DWV in both bumble bees
and honey bees. The prevalence of
BQCV and DWV in bumble bees was
greater at sites with an apiary nearby
compared to sites that didn’t have an
apiary nearby. Furthermore, the prev-
alence of DWV in bumble bees was
greater at sites where honey bees had
higher DWV loads, and bumble bees
didn’t have viruses at any of the sites
that didn’t have honey bees. In other
words, when the honey bees were re-
ally sick with DWV, nearby bumble
bees were more likely to have DWV,
and when honey bees weren’t around,
none of the bumble bees had viruses.
Were any of the viruses caus-
ing active infections in the bumble
bees? Unfortunately, yes. The authors
found that viral replication was oc-
curring in over a quarter of the B.
bimaculatus samples and nearly 10%
of the B. vagans samples. The nega-
tive viral strand was found for both
BQCV (17%) and DWV (6%), indicat-
ing both viruses could cause active in-
fections in the bumble bees. Further-
more, replicating DWV was found
more often in bumble bees near api-
aries compared to bumble bees that
weren’t near apiaries. Thus, bumble
bees were more likely to have active
DWV infections when near apiaries
that had DWV.
What about the flowers? Is that
where the viruses are transmitted?
Nearly 20% of the flowers contained
BQCV and/or DWV, and only flow-
ers collected at sites near apiaries
contained viruses. In addition, honey
bee abundance was the best predictor
of viruses on flowers. In other words,
honey bees appear to be transmitting
viruses to bumble bees at flowers,
especially when an apiary contains
colonies with lots of sick honey bees.
So, I want to “save the bees” and
improve pollinator health. What
does this all mean about my bees,
varroa, and how I manage my api-
ary? The bottom line is that varroa
isn’t only a problem for your bees,
it’s also a problem for the wild bees
surrounding your apiary because
colonies with high varroa levels are
very likely to have high virus levels.
Thus, if you’re not controlling var-
roa in your colonies, you’re probably
making wild bees sick and decreas-
ing overall pollinator health in your
neighborhood.
Some beekeepers currently practice
“Darwinian beekeeping,” allowing
their weak colonies to fail from varroa
so “only the strong survive.” While
the goals of this practice are admira-
ble, in light of Alger and colleagues’
study, the methods are not. Typically,
colonies that become overrun with
varroa are simply left to die a slow
death while virus-laden bees forage at
wildflowers and likely transmit their
pathogens to wild bees. If Darwinian
American Bee Journal
beekeepers truly care about pollina- bee health are linked through the dis- Scott McArt, an As-
tor health (which is a major goal of eases they can pass between each oth- sistant Professor of
that practice!), they should continu- er. Thus, if we want to improve pol- Pollinator Health,
ally monitor their colonies for varroa helps run the Dyce
linator health, there’s no better place Lab for Honey Bee
and cull any colonies that reach a pre- to start than the bees in your apiary. Studies at Cornell
determined threshold. Until next time, bee well and do University in Ithaca,
Culling varroa-susceptible colonies good work, New York. He is par-
before varroa gets out of control isn’t Scott McArt ticularly interested
only going to benefit wild bee health. in scientific research
It’s also going to limit any pain or that can inform management decisions by
reFerence: beekeepers, growers and the public.
suffering that may be experienced by Alger, S. A., P. A. Burnham, H. F. Boncris-
those varroa-infested colonies. For ex- tiani and A. K. Brody. 2019. RNA virus Email: shm33@cornell.edu
ample, I recently had an excellent dis- spillover from managed honeybees (Apis Lab website: blogs.cornell.edu/mcartlab
cussion with a veterinarian who was mellifera) to wild bumblebees (Bombus spp.). Pollinator Network: pollinator.cals.cornell.edu
flabbergasted that beekeepers would 2019. PLoS One 14(6):e0217822. https:// Facebook: facebook.com/dycelab
allow their colonies to fail from var- doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0217822
roa. In veterinary medicine, it’s the
veterinarian’s job to end pain and
suffering by euthanizing the animal if
that animal is in a hopeless situation.
From his perspective, it wasn’t just a
management or conservation concern
to have varroa-infested colonies in an
apiary, it was an ethical concern about
animal welfare.
We’re all busy. I get it. But if you
don’t know the varroa levels in your
colonies, now is the time to check.
Checking for varroa is easy (it takes
less than 15 minutes!) and you can
find detailed step-by-step monitor-
ing methods and treatment options
here: https://pollinator.cals.cornell.
edu/resources/managing-pests-dis-
ease/. The Dyce Lab recommends
checking your colonies’ varroa levels
once per month. That may sound like
a lot, but it’s really not. Think about
it. If your family dog could die from
a virus that took less than an hour of
your time each month to check for,
you’d do it, right? Why not do the
same for your bees?
And if you find high varroa levels,
please consider treating or culling
your colony, depending on your man-
agement style and goals. Alger and
colleagues have shown that pollina-
tor health is not comprised separately
of “honey bee health” or “wild bee
health.” Instead, honey bee and wild

September 2019 1011

1012 American Bee Journal
 Shelter Science
Overwintering Bees
in Extreme Northern
Conditions
by R. micheal magnini
I
n two decades of beekeeping in
the harsh winters of Nova Scotia,
my apiaries have expanded and
receded in colony numbers each sea-
son, sometimes modestly and some-
times drastically. Gains are always
welcome, but the losses are particu-
larly irksome and costly. Of all the
adversaries and predators that assail
bee colonies the winterkill is a most
serious concern. The triad of cold,
wet, and wind is the challenge.
Honey bees, Apis mellifera spp., are
a marvellously adapted, intricately
specialized species of insect. The pri-
mary adaptation of the honey bee is
the collectivization of its colony struc-
ture with the specialization of labour,
the intricate workings of its commu-
nication network, and its selfless de-
fensive measures. The evolutionary
schema of the honey bee expresses
itself in the perpetual colony, continu-
ously summer and winter, due to the
longevity of the honey bee queen.
Related species (Vespa, Bombus)
maintain seasonal colonies of lesser
size that are discarded and aban-
doned before winter and therefore
require nothing of stores or structure.
By the necessity of winter survival
(increasingly severe as one moves
north) honey bees adapted to, and
survived, their new environment.
Over an extended period of time,
two primary adaptations occurred
within the migrating honey bee colo-
nies. The tropical biome of the ances-
tral Apis species consisted of persis-
tent flora for food, and tree limbs for
shelter. Seasonally migrating colonies
encountering dearth and dry spells
found survival by the construction of
large honeycomb during nectar flow.
September 2019
With the ability to hoard honey and
pollen, the migrating colonies of hon-
ey bees encountered longer and cold-
er winters. In the forests of the north-
ern hemisphere honey bees found the
interiors of trees through cracks and
fissures, and moved into deep cavities
that provided greater protection from
wind, rain and low temperatures than
did the exposed branches of the for-
mer biome.
If we examine the natural hive
inside a tree bole for conditions of
shelter and position, the elements
of colony survival become evident.
Elevation, protection from wind and
rain, its thermal density or insulating
factor, and ventilation space all func-
tion to maintain a viable colony.
some biophysics
The physiological response of ani-
mals, such as honey bees, is to gen-
erate metabolic body heat to replace
thermal energy lost due to heat trans-
fer to their surrounding environment.
Heat regulation is critical to the sur-
vival of the honey bee cluster in win-
ter. The heat that is primarily generat-
ed in the core of the cluster maintains
the colony between an upper and
lower limit. The mantle (outer layer
of bees) of the cluster sustains a lower
temperature as it acts as an insulating
barrier. The lower limit of the bees
is 41 F (5 C). At this temperature the
bees are unable to produce metabolic
heat and stop moving.1
From general physics we know that
a "hot-body," i.e. a star, a meteorite, or
a cat, radiates thermal energy — heat.
If we consider the bee cluster as a ‘hot-
body’, with a core temperature of ap-
proximately 78 F (25 C) and a surface
(mantle) temperature of 41–50 F (5–10
C) a condition of heat loss (radiation)
is present. Infrared Thermography
has confirmed this energy state.
For a "hot-body" to maintain its
temperature, heat loss cannot be
greater than the thermal energy pro-
duced within the body. A star burns
in equilibrium for billions of years
on its fuel of hydrogen atoms. The
meteorite flares quickly from friction
with the atmosphere, and the little
cluster of honey bees generates its
heat from the chemical metabolism of
honey (sugars).
Attaining a “star-like” equilibrium
within the bee cluster should be the
goal of beekeepers.
The bee cluster is essentially re-
stricted in two functions of winter
survival, that is: rate of heat genera-
tion, and total heat production. The
rate of heat generation is fixed per
bee, and is changed only by the size
of the cluster. The beekeeper general-
ly has little control over this function.
The total heat produced (through
winter) is a direct consequence of the
quantity of honey stores. This would
be measured in BTUs or Calories. The
beekeeper has a strong influence on
this function.
Climate and environmental con-
ditions influence the rate of heat
loss significantly, and are essential-
ly the cause of winter-kill (all pests
and pathogens notwithstanding).
Although heat loss involves temper-
atures, it is actually the levels of hu-
midity and moisture that are the most
conducive to thermal exhaustion in
the bee cluster. The heat loss, or heat
transfer, is facilitated by radiation,
conduction, and convection within
1013

A "quad" of hives, under a protective blanket
the hive. The Infrared (IR) radiation
of a bee cluster is measurably low,
manageable by the bees and little
worry for the beekeeper. Convection
of heat — that is, heat that is carried
on the air (wind) — is a greater prob-
lem for the colony. Inside the hive the
bees control air flow to maintain tem-
perature and humidity. The outside
wind produces the wind-chill effect,
and if it penetrates the hive through
vent holes the cluster is forced to pro-
duce more heat to offset the heat loss.
Conduction of heat occurs when
thermal energy moves by contact —
molecule by molecule. Water is well
known as an efficient conductor of
heat, and a heat sink, or reservoir. Any
bee cluster surrounded by high-mois-
ture air at low temperatures experien-
ces severe heat loss as the water con-
ducts the heat away from the cluster’s
mantle.
This Beehut is covered with outdoor bubble wrap.
1014
Honey bees are quite capable of
managing low external temperatures,
if the hive is kept dry and properly
ventilated.2 The exposure to drafty,
windy, damp, stale air reduces the
colony’s ability to thermoregulate its
cluster, allows disease organisms to
prevail, and causes a decline in the
colony’s vigor.
Cold spots, primarily in the cor-
ners of the box-style hive, accumulate
metabolic moisture that condenses,
resulting in chilling and the growth
of moulds and other pathogens.
The primary condition required for
a healthy winter colony is therefore
proper ventilation.
Exposure to strong winds adverse-
ly affects the colony through the effect
of wind chill, especially if the wind
enters the hive through the ventila-
tion holes and impacts the cluster.
Minimization of severe winds, win-
Spruce branches provide a windbreak
ter and summer, is a critical factor in
maintaining healthy colonies.
Ways and means
Now, having examined the condi-
tions that honey bee colonies are ex-
posed to in northern winters, we will
consider the various methods of win-
ter management. Winterizing can be
divided into two main schemes. That
is, a general organization of indoor
placement of hives, or an outdoor ar-
rangement of hives.
Of the two general methods for
winterizing, I prefer the outdoor, on-
site structure and system. A compari-
son of the two methods should dem-
onstrate my reasoning. The indoor,
or cellaring, method requires in the
first place a dedicated space within a
building that can be environmentally
controlled. Temperature, humidity
and ventilation need to be kept within
healthy parameters. Protection from
harsh weather and predators can be
advantageous, although the costs of
maintaining a building, the fuel and
labor to move the hives add consider-
able expense. It should be noted too
that winter ready beehives that are
packed full of bees, pollen and honey
weigh in the 100+ pound range and
are a considerable challenge for a
single person to move and transport.
Another drawback to the cellaring
method is the lack of a diurnal cycle
that may help regulate brood prepa-
ration. And, winter cleansing flights
are inhibited or restricted within the
confines of the cellar.
The space required to house one
hundred hives can be computed sim-
ply by the cubic feet per hive times the
number of hives. The double Lang-
stroth hive is approximately four cu-
bic feet. Therefore, four hundred cubic
feet of space is required. And, with-
American Bee Journal
This Beehut is constructed with steel mesh and spruce
branches.
out stacking of heavy hive boxes, the
"footprint" is 2.5 square feet per hive,
or 2,500 square feet of floor space.
For these reasons I opt to winterize
all my hives on-site, in a location with
NE wind protection and southerly ex-
posure to the sun.
Honey bee colonies that survive
winters on-site are better conditioned
for their existent environment. How-
ever, from our calculations above it is
evident that an unprepared box-style
beehive should not be left standing
alone in a windswept field.
Preparations begin with adequate
fall feeding (medicated when appro-
priate) to ensure full and heavy dou-
ble deep supers. Once the colony has
settled into its winter cluster, usually
late November here in Cape Breton,
Nova Scotia, walls, covers and struc-
tures are assembled to provide ad-
equate protection for the season.
In order to increase the R-value
of the wooden hives, and reduce
Infrared photography shows heat radiation from the cluster during cold weather.
September 2019
The open ends can be adjusted to control wind and ventilation.
the chill effect of strong winds, the
hives are aligned and pressed firmly
together. Depending on the type of
snow shelter that is erected, the hives
can be aligned shoulder to shoulder
in a straight line, or they can be ar-
ranged as a square “quad.” All bot-
tom entrances must be fenced against
entry by field mice and/or shrews
(shrews are notorious eaters of bees).
All hives must be positioned above
the ground on pallets or similar bases.
A waterproof barrier under the hive
protects it from ground moisture.
Each hive also requires an insulated
lid. Pink Styrofoam has excellent in-
sulating value.
If you are stuck with one strong
outdoor hive, it is best to wrap it with
a dark colored polyethylene tarp. Tar
paper is a no-no.
The next best arrangement is the
quad of hives. This configuration has
two sides of each hive protected by
the walls of the other hives. A "ther-
mal blanket" that repels snow, rain
and wind, as well as allowing proper
ventilation, should then cover these.
an unexpected discovery
During one severe winter storm,
an apiary of sixteen hives became
completely buried in a snowdrift.
Because it was a remote apiary it
remained buried in snow for some
weeks. When I did manage to visit
the apiary and begin excavating the
site, I discovered that between the
snowdrift and the hives a large air
pocket surrounded the hives. The ac-
tion of my digging alerted some bees
to investigate the disturbance. Under
the snow, surrounded by still air the
hives were dry and alive. The conclu-
sion I reached and put to the test is
that dry air is the best insulator.
Needing to deal with harsh winter
conditions on Cape Breton Island, es-
pecially the extremely wet weather
with rain, melting snow and severe
winds, I designed and assembled the
Beehut.
The winter ready hives are aligned
in a straight line like row housing,
on adjoining pallets. The Beehut is
modular and can be erected in 8-foot
lengths. Five beehives fit neatly within
each 8-foot section. Using steel mesh
(6” x 6”), a hoop is made covering the
hives with a sturdy and light frame.
The thermal blanket (durable outdoor
bubble wrap) is wrapped tightly over
the hoop. At this point only the ends
of the hut are open. By adjusting the
closure of the ends the wind and ven-
tilation can be well controlled. Pallets,
boards and tree branches all are effec-
tive closures for the Beehut ends.
In an apiary that requires low vis-
ibility, the Beehut cover was con-
structed entirely of spruce branches
1015
with excellent wind and snow pro-
tection. This Beehut was assembled
in one afternoon.
Monitoring the Beehuts through-
out the winter has confirmed that
the wood of the beehives and pallets
remains dry. I have great confidence
that the honey bee colonies wintered
in the Beehuts will emerge in the
spring in excellent condition.
Alternative sheltering options still
remain for on-site apiaries. With
knowledge of local climatic condi-
tions, and the honey bee colony’s
winter requirements, shelters of vari-
ous types and styles are possible.
1016
For myself, in Cape Breton, Nova R. Micheal Magnini lives
Scotia, the Beehut works extraordi- on a small farm in the
Acadian Forest of Cape
narily well. Breton* island manag-
ing honey bee colonies
reFerences around the pastures of
1. Journal of Comparative and Environmental old-time farmsteads. He
Physiology B Thermal Investigations of a instructs neophyte bee-
Honey Bee Colony: L. Fahrenholz, I. Lam- keepers each summer at
precht, and B. Schricker Universitait Ber- the Scotch Lake Apiaries
and survives months of winter winds by writ-
lin, K6nigin-Luise-Strasse 1-3, D-1000
Berlin 33, Institut fiir Biophysik der Freien ing articles and handbooks on the pains and
Universit/it Berlin, Thielallee 63, D-1000 pleasures of keeping bees. He has operated
Berlin 33 Accepted July 11, 1989 honey bee colonies for profit for eighteen
2. ABC and XYZ of BEE CULTURE, 1975, years. Micheal also demonstrates aspects
page 681 A. I. Root, et al The A. I. Root Com- of beekeeping on his YouTube channel: The
pany, Medina, Ohio Scruffy Beeman.
* Nova Scotia, Canada
American Bee Journal
I
awoke to wind. In the faint moon search of a bee I’ve never seen and a trip. Camped on a desolate wild-
glow, I could see a chain of poplars story I’ve never told. life preserve in Oklahoma, the night
silhouetted against the sky, the up- Of course, the obvious place for bee wind arrived like a freight train, deaf-
per branches tossing and thrashing. hunting is the desert. Bees evolved in ening and powerful. My daughter
Individual trees synchronized into a arid climates, and deserts are hot spots tied our tent to the bumper of her car
chorus line, bending with the rhythm of bee biodiversity. The biggest and the and hoped the fabric wouldn’t tear it-
of each successive gust. The musky smallest, the prettiest and the weirdest self apart. We ate a quick meal of stale
essence of sagebrush reminded me I all live in the desert, waiting for the granola bars and cold hot chocolate,
wasn’t home. ephemeral bloom that will keep them then unrolled our bags, shouting to
Each time I visit the desert, I won- barely alive for another year. be heard though we were just inches
der about the night winds. Why does apart.
a barren landscape, still as death dur- encircled in the Wind As twilight fell, a battered pick-
ing the day, come alive at night? Why The lonely howl of wind and coy- up appeared in the lonely outpost.
do undulating rows of windmills that otes reminded me of a previous bee Through the dim light and the crash
turn lazily by day, spin like crazed
pinwheels under darkened skies?
As I watched the trees, I heard a
short yip, a single chirp from a lone
coyote. Moments later, a second bark
was followed by a protracted howl.
The plaintive cry was soon answered
by another. And another. Within mo-
ments, a frenzy of disparate screams,
sounding both cunning and vicious,
reverberated from the sage. Feeling
like a piece of meat, I shivered and
cuddled deeper into my sleeping
bag.

departing on a bee saFari

Summer bee safaris are a highlight
of my year. All winter long, holed
up in the sodden darkness of the 47th
parallel, I think about where I will go
and what bees I will see. Once Earth
warms in spring, I leave home — my
pickup laden with nets and tripods, Windmills: Windmills that barely move during the day come alive with the evening
cameras and peanut butter — in desert winds.

September 2019 1017

(L) Chironomus: Lake Flies are aquatic invertebrates, spending part of their life on land and part in water. (R) Dialictus: This
dainty Dialictus foraged on roadside weeds in the mustard family.
of wind we could see three men in
the front seat and twice as many ri-
fles mounted across the rear window.
A perimeter road circled the camp-
ground, but we were the only tenants.
After the truck slowly passed our site
and disappeared behind a pile of
boulders, we breathed a sigh of relief.
But five minutes later, the menace
returned, having circled the entire
camping area. Because of the wind,
we couldn’t hear the truck approach,
so it was only yards from us when
its high beams penetrated our nylon
walls. This time the truck crept by
even more slowly, but all we could
hear was our own pumping hearts
against the scream of the wind. Ker-
thump. Ker-thump.
We took stock of our situation and
decided it was bad. With no one else
around for miles, we were at their
mercy, and because we couldn’t tell
if we were being taunted or stalked,
Geese: Many types of wildlife are attracted to the reservoir behind O’Sullivan Dam.
Like this gosling, I hate being last in line.
1018
we decided to flee. Regardless of their
agenda, we decided our campsite
wasn’t worth fighting for.
As soon as the truck dipped be-
hind the boulders a second time, we
frantically cut the ties to the tent,
stuffed everything into the backseat,
and hightailed out of there. As we
bumped down the gravel road, we
could see the lights of the pickup as it
slowly began its third circuit.
Although neither of us likes to fold
in the face of danger, it seemed like an
excellent opportunity to cut bait and
run. My daughter, a combat veteran
who had just returned from Iraq, said
it was one of the scariest moments of
her life.
potholes state park
Potholes State Park in eastern Wash-
ington is not named for an unkempt
road but for giant potholes that were
formed from flooding during the
Pleistocene. The sunken saucers vary
from 30 to 70 yards across, and from
10 to 60 feet deep. Until the 1950s they
remained dry and dusty, but after the
completion of the O’Sullivan Dam in
1949, things began to change. As the
water table rose, the potholes began
to fill from the bottom, eventually be-
coming little lakes.
The state park is at the southern end
of the reservoir and is a popular spot
for year-round fishing. Sure enough,
as I got close, the scent of aquatic
life overwhelmed me. The brackish
odor was an odd counterpoint to the
aroma of sage — like fish with stuff-
ing. It brought back memories of the
crunchy baguettes and cheese we ate
when I worked on Cape Cod and
thrived on the tang of the sea.
insects, not mosquitoes
When I first arrived at my camp-
site I was greeted by great clouds of
insects. They hovered around me like
mosquitoes, quivered in the air, and
whispered in whiny high-pitched
frequencies. A couple of times I
breathed them in like black flies and
swallowed some that wedged in my
throat. No amount of water dislodged
their creepy skeletons, and I imag-
ined wet insect wings — body still
attached and legs kicking — stuck
to the back of my tongue. I was cha-
grined. How could I photograph bees
while breathing in mosquitoes, prob-
ably blood-laden ones, at that?
Thing is, they didn’t seem to bite.
Even after hours in their disconcert-
ing presence, I hadn’t a single welt.
It was then I began to take pictures
of them. Up close and personal, they
didn’t look anything like skeeters, but
I had no idea what they were.
I have since learned that the insects
were non-biting midges, also called
American Bee Journal
(L) Lasioglossum: Many small bees, like this Lasioglossum, take advantage of early desert blooms such as wild blue flax.
(R) Nomada: Cuckoo bees, like this Nomada, wait for an opportunity to lay eggs in the nests of other bees. Nomada can be seen
wherever Andrena are plentiful.

lake flies, in the genus Chironomus. with most addictions, you can never settled into the trees directly over-
The larvae live in lake sediments and get enough, and finding the next bee head. I asked if they heard the high-
thousands of species inhabit diverse is paramount. pitched whine, and the middle one
parts of the globe. The cloud-like I haven’t encountered a rattlesnake explained that what I heard was the
masses of Chironomus I encountered in many years, although I have viv- hum of high-tension wires. “Oh,” I
were mating swarms, which provide id memories of them coiled beneath said, perplexed. “Good to know.”
great feasts for swallows, bats, and cattle guards as I bicycled on Ameri- For the next three days, I craned my
other terrestrial beings. Personally, I ca’s byways. Now I remain wary, but neck, scanning the firmament for any
thought they were a bit too tickly for a undeterred. I have no illusions about such wires, anywhere, but the sky
snack item, but maybe that’s just me. shooting one with a .38 revolver, al- was blank. Then too, once the eve-
though I manage to convince myself ning winds appeared, the bugs and
ticks and snakes that at least the holster makes one the sound both vanished. Although
Like all my recent excursions, the ankle harder to bite. I didn’t say so, I remained uncon-
trip to the central Washington desert vinced. Call me a skeptic, but I really
was all about the bees. I was alone the hum oF Wires Without Wires need to see to believe it.
this time, and the first night, as I That evening, I made the acquain-
listened to an assortment of desert tance of the campers next door, a fa- the one that got aWay
sounds, I begin to itch. The sensation ther, son, and grandson who seemed The next morning I broke camp
was psychological, occasioned by the enchanted by a woman camping early to follow the trail along French-
two dog ticks I’d pried from my neck alone and chasing bugs. As we chat- man’s Creek. I meandered through
just before dinner. Neither had em- ted about fish and bees, the insects- dusty sagebrush and brilliant bal-
bedded, so I was lucky. Nevertheless, not-mosquitoes got louder and more samroot the color of caution tape. The
I was unnerved by their presence and persistent, and they seemed to have trail itself went from gravel to sand
kept scratching and peering inside
my clothes with a flashlight.
Teardrop shaped, flat as a leaf, and
equipped with more legs than neces-
sary, ticks are nasty creatures. Like
mites, ticks have a predilection for
biting, sucking, and spreading dis-
ease. They remind me of varroa mites
and I began to wonder if honey bees
itch when mites latch on. I imagine
they do, since they try so hard to dis-
lodge them.
All day long I had knowingly
traipsed through tick territory. Sage
brush is full of ticks and rattlers, but
when I’m on a bee hunt, I forget all
that. My eyes stray to the next flower;
my ears concentrate on the hum of
wings. Chasing the bee that momen-
tarily alights on a spiny desert plant
is so much more compelling than a
chance encounter with the evil em- Agapostemon: Metallic green sweat bees enjoy flowers in the Asteraceae family, no
pire — at least until it finds you. As matter where they are found.

September 2019 1019

(L) Andrena on rose: Andrena mining bees are very common in spring. Wide hair bands along the compound eyes make the
genus easy to identify. (R) Andrena with red abdomen: Dozens of Andrena bees with red abdomens plied the willows for pollen.

to missing, and I ended up thrash-
ing through prickly things I couldn’t
identify and thinking about those
snakes. The crash of water through its
channel quashed any hope of hearing
a rattle in advance, so I just concen-
trated on looking for bees, which I
also couldn’t hear.
The balsamroot had passed its
prime, but dainty wild blue flax blos-
soms provided a feast for tiny sweat
bees. For twenty minutes I chased
a frenetic digger bee from plant to
plant. She wore a boldly-striped,
skin-tight outfit, but I never got a
photo. Bee stories are like fish stories:
The biggest, most colorful, most per-
fectly proportioned creatures are the
ones you never capture, a situation
which only enhances their mystique.
anatomy oF an obsession
As a child, I thought bird watchers
were strange folks. I couldn’t imag-
ine driving for hours, then hiking in
the hot sun laden with binoculars
and cameras and notebooks, just for
a glimpse of something soon to fly
away. So you saw it. So what? I was
confused by those who treasured
ragged field guides, annotated and
bookmarked, tattered and dirty.
But did I turn out any differently?
My bee identification guides are los-
ing their pages. In my tent, I hastily
riffled through one until pictures of
Halictidae unbound themselves and
fluttered through the air like the bees
themselves. My cameras and note-
books are accompanied by catch cups
and vials, magnifiers and nets. Truly,
I make some of those bird watchers
introduced me to other equally ob-
sessed people, which is one of the
greatest pleasures of life. So join me in
your own obsession and learn what
unbridled curiosity can teach.
Rusty Burlew has stud-
ied agriculture, honey
bees, and environmen-
tal science for over 30
years. She is a passion-
ate advocate of native
bee conservation and
founded the Native Bee
Conservancy in Wash-
ington State. https://honeybeesuite.com
or email her at rusty@honeybeesuite.com.
Sanders Honey
Queens

parking lot trees
On the way back to camp, I stopped
at an empty parking lot that featured
a gigantic trash compactor. The area
was fringed on two sides by banks of
willows in full bloom. Each bloom was
laden with honey bees and several
types of Andrena mining bees. One An-
drena I had never seen before sported a
strawberry-red abdomen that glinted
in the sunshine. Behind the compactor
was a stand of wild roses that hosted a
frenzy of bumbles, honey bees, mining
bees, and sweat bees.
I could have stayed in the parking
lot for hours, but the scent of charcoal
lighter and fried onions summoned
me back to the camping area. Hav-
ing forgotten to pack a bottle opener
and something to drink from, I exca-
vated the cork from a bottle of Pinot
Grigio with a screwdriver and tipped
up, further amusing my new friends.
Camping is so much more fun when
you forget things — at least some of
the time.
For Sale
look like dilettantes.
I was taught that obsession was a
bad thing — a life misdirected. Cer-
tainly, there are types of obsession
that are best left to the books that
Josh Sanders
name them. But now I see that obses- 7288 Perdie Lee Rd
sion can be a gift, one that provides
direction and purpose. It can give you Nicholls GA 31554
joy at each success and motivation at
every failure. It can open your mind
912-399-8480
to learning and your heart to teaching.
So whether it’s golf or beekeep-
ing, car racing or fishing, go ahead
and cultivate your obsession. Feed it.
Pamper it. It’s okay to be a little bit
crazy, possessed by a desire to turn
over every figurative rock. Chas-
ing bees has changed my life, and I
get untold joy from finding a bee in
a keyhole, a light socket, or a wheel
well. I will never tire of catching a
swarm or, failing that, watching a
swarm take off to unknown places
and untold adventure.
My obsession has taken me to new
places, taught me new skills, and

1020 American Bee Journal

September 2019 1021
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“ITALIAN” “RUSSIAN HYBRID”

QUEENS QUEENS
1-9 $20.50 1-9 $23.00
10-24 $19.00 10-24 $21.25 Marking
25-UP $18.75 25-UP $21.00 $2.50
Clipping
WE WILL START TAKING ORDERS IN DECEMBER
$2.50
PICK-UPS ARE WELCOME. YEARLY INSPECTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
PACKAGE AND QUEEN PRICES DO NOT INCLUDE POSTAGE. ALL SHIPMENTS MUST BE PAID IN
FULL BEFORE WE SHIP. NO PAYMENT MAY CAUSE DELAYS IN YOUR SHIPPING.
ALL POSTAL CLAIMS ARE TO BE MADE BY CUSTOMER. HARDEMAN APIARIES
ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE. WE ACCEPT ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS.
WE WILL NOT SHIP PACKAGES TO ZONE 5 AND UP, NO EXCEPTIONS. POSTAL SERVICE WILL NOT
INSURE PACKAGES PAST ZONE 4. ZONE 5 AND UP PACKAGE CUSTOMERS SHOULD TRY YOUR
LOCAL BEE CLUBS TO SEE IF THEY MAY BE PICKING UP PACKAGES. QUEENS CAN BE SHIPPED
TO MOST UNITED STATES CUSTOMERS. THESE CAN’T BE INSURED BY THE POST OFFICE OR UPS.

1022 American Bee Journal

I
n this article, we examine the in-
triguing details of two homemade
bee smokers.
In recent years, bee supply catalogs
have grown thicker and heavier, from
companies offering more equipment
and specialty items. Catalog pages
were once folded over, producing a
thick (calendar) style fold as the spine
of the catalog. Now bee suppliers
publish catalogs by binding the pages
together like a book. Also like a book,
the bee supplier’s contact information
September 2019
appears on the binding. Remarkably,
the bee supply catalog is evolving to
become more like a beekeeping book.
In our time of ready-made, factory-
produced equipment, easily ordered,
shipped and received by a few mouse
clicks, homemade beehives, smokers,
and yes, even honey extractors seem
remote and distant.
In times past, particularly during
difficult economic hardships, unem-
ployed beekeepers had more time
than money. Clever beekeepers be-
Fig. 1
The smoker
page from the
A. I. Root catalog
for 1942
came innovative with the materials
they had on hand. Or being inde-
pendent, maybe beekeepers wanted
a piece of equipment made a certain
way to fit their working style.
Let’s launch our exploration into
homemade bee smokers, from seem-
ingly the wrong historical location,
namely in a bee supply catalog of a
major manufacturer, the A. I. Root
Company right in its smoker section.
Currently, the A. I. Root Company
specializes in publishing and candle
production. Years ago, the firm manu-
factured a complete line of bee sup-
plies: hives and supers, honey extrac-
tors and storage tanks, etc., and of
course –– bee smokers.
From the 1942 catalog, Figure 1
shows the smoker page. Their “Im-
proved Root Smoker” resembles
quite closely a modern smoker of to-
day. The Root Company offered their
smoker in four sizes, specified by the
barrel sizes. (The barrel is the cylin-
drical part of the smoker holding the
fire and fuel. Smokers with larger bar-
rels generally need fewer refuelings.)
The Root Company even named their
different sized smokers. From the
smallest up, they were the Junior,
Standard, Jumbo, and Big Jumbo.
Figures 2 and 3 show Root’s Junior
smoker with its barrel size of 3¼ by 5
inches (8.26 by 12.7 cm, diameter by
height). “Good for a few colonies,”
said the caption under the picture
in the 1942 Root catalog. This little
smoker sold for 85 cents. What if you
enlarged your operation? That is, in-
creased the number of hives. The little
Junior smoker would quickly become
too small, overwhelmed with the lon-
ger times spent inspecting colonies.
What to do? Buy a larger smoker ––
of course. Ascend up the smoker page
1023

from the humble corner, advancing to,
say, the Standard smoker, sporting a
larger fuel capacity. The cost was ex-
pensive. A Standard smoker cost $1.05
in 1942. Changing from the Junior
smoker to the Standard smoker in-
creased the volume by a factor of 1.4.
Here is an alternate solution –– why
not enlarge the smoker? How? Replace
only the barrel of the Junior smoker
with another “can” holding more fuel,
providing a longer burn time. Keep
Junior’s original funnel. The funnel
worked fine and would be difficult to
reproduce. Likewise keep the bellows
too and the brackets attaching the bel-
lows to the barrel.
A long time ago, before plastic con-
tainers became common, an unknown
but innovative beekeeper searched
for a metal can, needing one to rebuild
a smoker. Figure 4 reveals the clever
result. As best as I can tell from the
scorched advertising paint surviving
Fig. 3 The Junior smoker. The smoker
must have been popular in its day. Even
now they are fairly easy to find.
1024
Fig. 2
The Junior
smoker in
A. I. Root catalog
for 1942 (arrow).
This picture is
down in the right
lower corner of
the smoker page.
on the can, it originally contained
four pounds of vegetable shortening
for cooking.
To refuel the smoker, the beekeeper
removed the top of the can. (Yes, that
is obvious, but my historical studies
in apiculture, also in railroad history,
have taught me not to take the obvi-
ous for granted. See the next smoker
example.) The top fits tightly which is
good for being a smoker. However as
a smoker lid, the can top lacks a hinge
or a wire-loop for a cool handle. I can
tell the smoker was used, but it would
have required patience to use it.
Whether from a lack of cash or
because of metal restrictions during
World War II, expanding the Junior
smoker seemed to have been a viable
solution in this case. Figuring the fi-
nal cost might not be relevant since
the can might have cost nothing.
Changing from the Junior smoker to
the Enlarged Junior (5½ by 7 ins, 14.0
Fig. 4 The Enlarged Junior smoker. The
volume is four times larger than the fac-
tory Junior smoker.
by 17.8 cm), increased the volume
by a factor of 4. That is much greater
than the volume factor increase to the
Standard smoker (1.4), where the in-
crease did not even double. Figure 5
shows the Junior smokers together,
quite an unusual sight.
Some homemade smokers hide sur-
prising secrets. I had the good fortune
to find the unusual smoker shown in
Figure 6. See how the front board of
the bellows seems to surround and
even diminish the already-small size
of the barrel. The funnel seems quite
big compared to the barrel. Indeed,
the funnel’s length is half the length
of the barrel. Even more odd is the
funnel’s rare horizontal projection,
pointing straight-ahead, when the
smoker is held upright to smoke the
bees.
Similar to the previous example,
the beekeeper here used a can for the
smoker’s barrel, reaping the benefits
of the precision metalworking like
before. This beekeeper was not out to
build a huge smoker, rather the oppo-
site. Build a very small smoker, and
a smoker with a fundamental differ-
ence compared to the previous one.
Figure 7 shows a close up view of
the top of the smoker, which is also
the bottom of the original can. Unlike
the first smoker, this smoker cannot
be opened from the top and refueled
in the typical way because the bottom
of the can was permanently attached.
The top of the original can and its re-
movable cap are at the bottom of the
smoker. Originally, the little can con-
tained baking powder. The baking-
Fig. 5 Both “Juniors” together. On the
Enlarged Junior smoker, note the place-
ment of the scorch mark (the burnt away
lettering). It is low on the front (not high
up), opposite the incoming air blast from
behind. That extra hot location is exactly
where I expect it from studying the heat
pattern of smokers — with thermal cam-
eras. The scorch pattern indicates usage.
American Bee Journal
powder words, as advertising, were
pressed into the original tin top (see
Figure 8).
Bottom-opening smokers are rare.
Nevertheless, I have found a few of
them over the decades, both factory
made and handmade. Each one is in-
triguing. I’ll explain this one, begin-
ning with the three mysterious holes
seen in Figure 8. Those holes would
have let in moisture, a detrimental
storage condition for baking pow-
der. Therefore, the holes must have
come later when the can was part of
a smoker.
On the lower side of the smoker
barrel, the holes would best let in air
to keep the fire burning while the bee-
keeper set down the smoker during a
colony inspection. The holes and their
placement function essentially like
Bingham’s direct draft principle.
Briefly, here is some history on the
direct draft principle. Moses Quinby
invented the bee smoker in 1873,
which was a huge advance to effi-
ciently work with bees. Soon beekeep-
ers found a problem with the design.
Fig. 6 A curious-looking bee smoker. It is even different in how it sits. It cannot stand
The solid pipe connection between upright. Some old smokers sit on their bellows as seen here. For this one, the bee-
the bellows and the barrel extin- keeper would hold it upright to smoke the bees in the usual way. The bellows boards
guished the fire prematurely. Unfor- are about the standard size, only not as far apart at the wide end. The barrel is only
tunately Quinby passed away in May 5 inches long (12.7 cm) with a diameter of 2½ inches (6.4 cm), smaller than a regular
of 1875, halting further work on his size soda can.
bee smokers. In 1878, T. F. Bingham
patented his “Direct Draft” smoker. gained considerable popularity in the the existing air draws out smoke, a
At the bottom of the smoker, Bing- 1880s, and finally fizzled in the 1920s. cooler smoke, which had accumu-
ham essentially left a gap between the This historical design deals with how lated in the funnel from a very small
bellows and barrel. The gap allowed the smoke moves through the bee fire given the limited capacity of the
a passive flow of air (his direct draft) smoker. For comparison, here is the powder can.
when the smoker was not in use dur- air path through the modern stan- Here we have two smokers both
ing colony inspections. Thus the air- dard smoker. made from cans, which could have
flow maintained the embers until the In a standard smoker, the air leaves been found on grocers’ shelves, but
beekeeper needed the smoker again. the bellows from a hole near its bot- used in starkly different ways. The
Look on your smoker today, where tom and enters a matching hole in the Enlarged Junior Smoker, with its con-
the air leaves the bellows and enters barrel. The air passes up through the coction of parts and the eye-catching,
the barrel. Bingham’s Direct Draft air fire and exits via the funnel. Since the over-sized barrel, lets you know, right
gap is still there. air passes directly through the fire, up front, this smoker is a one-of-a-
Compare that place on your smoker a smoker with this design is called a kind creation. Yet it’s a traditional
(which is standard) to the same place “hot-blast smoker.” Some beekeepers hot-blast smoker.
on the Baking-Powder Smoker (BP- thought the hot smoke was detrimen- The little Baking Powder smoker is
smoker) shown in Figure 9. Strangely tal to the bees. Another (competing) unusual in its own shape and style,
at the bottom of the BP-smoker, be- design had the air from the bellows
tween the bellows and barrel, where “routed” around the fire, not through
Bingham’s gap should be is –– noth- the fire. Upon leaving the funnel, the
ing, literally nothing. Not even a hole air drew out a cooler blast of smoke
in the bellows. No matching hole in by a partial vacuum. A smoker with
the barrel either. No way to transfer this design is called a “cold-blast
the air at all. smoker.”
How then, can the air move from In Figure 11, I have removed the
the bellows into the barrel to smoke bottom of the BP-smoker, revealing its
the bees? There is a pipe, but the pipe internal cold-blast pipe in the top of
is not at the bottom of the smoker. The its barrel. The entire cold-blast pipe
pipe is at the top of the smoker as extends straight across from the bel-
shown in Figure 10. The placement of lows through the barrel, and into the Fig. 7 The top of the smoker. The smoker
this pipe reveals another bee-smoker funnel. When the bellows pushes air cannot be opened from this end. Now
design, which began in the late 1870s, out of the end of the cold-blast pipe, that is surprising.

September 2019 1025

Fig. 8 The bottom of the smoker. The tight-fitting can top is the bottom, which is re- Fig. 10 The air pipe at top of the BP-
movable for refueling. The can top has raised letters that say: “THE MOST PERFECT smoker (arrow). The pipe goes from the
MADE D PRICE’S CREAM BAKING POWDER FULL WEIGHT.” Note the three holes. I bellows through the barrel and about
have the bottom of the smoker oriented so the holes are next to the bellows. When halfway into the funnel. If the air pipe
the smoker is set down, the holes would be on the lower side of the barrel. So when went too far into the funnel, mostly air
closing the smoker, there is a correct orientation to its bottom. Why such a strange and not enough smoke would leave the
rule? Read on. smoker. By shining an intensely bright
flashlight into the bottom of the smoker
and into the end of the funnel, it appears
more subtle, yet it holds striking se- Dr. Wyatt Mangum, that the air pipe only opens at its end.
crets. Besides resting on its bellows, author of Top-Bar Hive At first I wondered if the air pipe let the
this small smoker opens from the Beekeeping: Wisdom incoming air mix with the smoke some-
and Pleasure Com-
bottom, a design opposite most all where else along the air pipe.
bined, is an internation-
smokers. It is a cold-blast smoker, an ally known top-bar hive
old extinct design, yet it includes the beekeeper, who started
direct draft of a modern smoker, in all keeping bees at age 10.
very rare in a homemade smoker. He switched all his colonies to top-bar hives
Old homemade smokers: You back in 1986, long before it became popular.
never know what exotic secrets they He is also an apicultural historian, who blends
his knowledge of beekeeping history with his
keep. And one wonders about the study of honey bee behavior. email: wmangum
beekeepers who made them. @umw.edu. www.TBHSbyWAM.com

Fig. 11 Seeing inside the BP-smoker. Up

in the top the cold blast pipe crosses the
barrel (arrows). This smoker is a home-
Fig. 9 The BP-smoker where the air would move from the bellows to the barrel on a made cold-blast smoker with a direct
standard smoker (oval). This smoker does not work that way. draft, very remarkable.

1026 American Bee Journal

 Nosemosis
Part 4 of a series

by RANDY OLIVER
ScientificBeekeeping.com

Nosema is a common parasite of honey bees, and does not cause any obvious signs of
disease. But should the prevalence of infection in the hive get out of hand, then the
disease “nosemosis” may become apparent at the colony level, resulting in poor perfor-
mance, or even depopulation.
Since the invasion of N. ceranae tion, resulting in drifting and/ gevity due to their premature tran-
worldwide, we’ve learned a lot more or failure to return. sition to foraging, and then less effi-
about this parasite and its effects cient and curtailed foraging abilities,2
upon individual bees, but are still not eFFects oF nosema upon the colony result in the inability of a colony to
completely clear as to its effects upon Nosema, due to its impairment of build up its population to its full po-
the colony as a whole. digestion, and the increase in the pro- tential. And if the majority of bees in
tein and energy demands of infected a colony become infected, the colony
eFFects oF nosema upon an bees, means that those bees may be may start to spiral downhill (Fig. 1).
individual bee poorer performers overall, especially
Although infected bees typically do with regard to their production of the colonies can Fight back
not exhibit overt signs of disease, they critical jelly when they are fulfilling My own observations of the impact
may be negatively affected in a num- their role as nurses. In addition, the of N. ceranae upon colony perfor-
ber of ways: infected bees’ reduced overall lon- mance agree with those of Dr. White

1. By damage to the cells lining

the bee’s midgut, resulting in
impaired digestion.
2. By poorer development of the
hypopharyngeal glands and
fat bodies, and reduced ability
to produce jelly as a nurse bee,
which may affect protein dy-
namics for the entire colony.
3. By general stress due to infec-
tion, and immune suppression
by the parasite, which may
make the infected bee more
susceptible to other stressors or
pathogens such as viruses.1
4. Infected bees may also exhibit
an accelerated transition to
foraging behavior, leading to
reduced overall longevity. And
infected foragers, due to energy
issues, may not be able to forage Fig. 1 One of my colonies, photographed as it was rapidly dwindling in early springtime
as well. due to a high prevalence of nosema-infected bees. Note the healthy-looking queen
5. The bee’s navigational abilities top center, but also a supersedure cell, often found in a heavily nosema-infected hive.
may also be impaired by infec- Image courtesy Kodua Galieti

September 2019 1027

for N. apis — it’s all about the percent-
age of bees in the hive infected (the
“prevalence” of infection).3 If fewer
than 20% of the workers are infect-
ed, I observe little effect. By 40%, I
see signs of colony buildup slowing
down and decreased honey produc-
tion.4 At 60% infected, the poorer per-
formance is obvious, and when 80%
or more of the bees are infected, the
colony can suddenly collapse when
it can no longer care for its brood (as
in Colony Collapse Disorder). Those
percentages are of course approxima-
tions, since other colony health fac-
tors are often involved.
The critical issue for the colony is
then to minimize the transmission of
nosema to newly-emerged bees. And
this is where it gets complicated — a
colony can rear a lot of new workers
when pollen is abundant, and pull
ahead of nosema if it has a vigorous
queen. But if that pollen is contami-
nated by nosema spores, or if there is
defecation occurring in the hive due
to poor flight weather, the rate of in-
fection can increase.
Clearly, the vigor of the queen is
critical; but she can also become in-
fected herself (more on this later in
this article). Colonies that somehow
“sense” that their queen is failing
(or that the colony is suffering from
a high parasite load or some other
issue) will summarily replace their
Fig. 2 Should the queen become infected by nosema, the workers may attempt to
replace her by rearing supersedure cells. Supersedure is a generic response exhibited
by colonies struggling with any number of issues. With a new queen, and better flight
weather, the colony may be able to break the infection cycle, and purge nosema from
the hive.
1028
dear mother without hesitation, via
the rearing of supersedure cells (Fig.
2). Furgala5 showed that this is the
case when the queen becomes infect-
ed by nosema.
Practical application: Despite the
fact that nosema proliferates during
times of pollen abundance (more
on this later), a colony with a large
enough population and a vigor-
ous queen6 with plenty of room for
egg laying, may be able to rear new
workers fast enough to stay ahead of
the accelerated attrition of infected
workers — provided that the fecal-
oral route of spore transmission is
reduced due to there being adequate
opportunity for defecation flights.
nosema and almond pollination
Early this winter some beekeepers
paid me to test a substance to control
nosema. I began the trial at the end of
January (after the colonies had been
rearing brood for nearly three weeks),
by taking samples of bees from an
outer comb from 25 hives — I inten-
tionally chose medium-strength hives
for the trial, since I assumed that they
would be more likely to exhibit some
degree of nosema infection. To my
great surprise, we only spotted a few
(sometimes questionable) spores in
only a few of the bee samples — no-
sema appeared to have disappeared
during our brief winter brood break
in the California foothills.
We then gave all the hives pollen
sub and moved them to the almonds,
where they then suffered through the
rainiest bloom in memory, but were
able to fly for a short period of time
most days. This combination of pol-
len income coupled with cool weath-
er and greatly reduced flight hours
was not favorable for colony buildup,
but certainly conducive to nosema
buildup. So it wasn’t unexpected that
when we tested the same hives 34
days later in early March, the median
nosema prevalence had risen consid-
erably (ranging from 0-9 bees/10)
(Table 1 & Fig. 3).
We initially scored colonies as 0.5
if we saw the rare spore in a com-
posite sample of 10 bees; if we saw
more than a single spore, we then
individually crushed 10 new bees
from the same sample. The trial was
to determine whether the test sub-
stance reduced nosema prevalence
(unfortunately, there was no appar-
ent effect from treatment); measuring
colony strength was not part of the
protocol. But at final grading, there
was so much difference in colony per-
formance, that I noted whether each
colony at that time was of strong,
medium, or weak strength by a quick
eyeball grading.
Note that even some of the stron-
gest colonies coming out of almonds
American Bee Journal
had reached a prevalence of half the
bees being infected by end of bloom,
yet both the strong and medium
groups largely purged their infections
by the end of March. I’ve graphed the
results below.
We took around 1000 hives to al-
monds. Since I had intentionally
chosen weaker hives for the nosema
trial, the hives above were fairly
representative of the poorer hives
that we took. The cool, wet weather
definitely set our colonies back dur-
ing almond bloom, and it continued
through March, with the bees con-
fined to the hive for days or weeks
at a time — meaning that conditions
were favorable for nosema to go wild
in the hives. And although our hives
returned from almonds weaker than
normal, only a handful had died
(although a fair number had barely
grown). Yet when the weather broke
in the second week of April, our
main problem was that nearly all of
our colonies had built up to swarm-
ing strength and were ready to hit
the trees, indicating that nosema just
didn’t seem to be that big an issue in
the long run.
Practical application: Go figure
— under the cold, rainy conditions
this late winter and spring, with ad-
equate pollen and little opportunity
for defecation flights — a situation
certainly conducive to nosema re-
production — our colonies did not
suffer notable mortality, nor even a
major setback in their buildup once
good weather returned.
I’ve also in recent years been check-
ing my cell builder colonies when we
have trouble rearing queen cells —
again, I do not see nosema as being
prevalent. And this brings us to the
queens themselves.
nosema and the queen
What’s difficult to make sense of is
the history of nosema. Back in 1947,
Farrar7 presented compelling data
that N. apis was infecting most pack-
age bees, that the queens were eas-
ily infected, and that infected queens
would soon fail:
The first queens examined for Nosema
infection were removed from their colo-
nies in June 1941. They had laid normally
for about 2 months, but suddenly stopped
laying, became sluggish, and most of their
last eggs shriveled and failed to hatch. All
were found to be heavily infected with
Nosema. Previously, many queens had
been observed to manifest similar symp-
September 2019
Fig. 3 Nosema prevalence rose during the almond bloom, and then tended to decline
toward the end of bloom (the bloom extended well into March). The chart does not
make clear that a number of colony plots overlap. Note how the weak colonies (gray
lines) and dead colony (black line) tended not to get nosema under control.
toms, but the superseded queens either
were not found or they were not examined
for Nosema.
Something that is seldom discussed
is that the problem with a queen be-
coming infected may not only be a
decrease in her ability to produce
eggs, but that she’s the only bee that
routinely defecates within the hive.
Practical application: Since the
queen’s feces are consumed by the
attendants around her, an infect-
ed queen can become a “Typhoid
Mary” — a source of inoculum to her
daughters, for as long as that queen
continues to survive. This has been
studied to some extent with N. apis,
but more research regarding the ex-
tent that this occurs with N. ceranae
would be informative.
One would think that nosema
would have continued to be wide-
spread through the U.S. But compare
Farrar’s observations to the USDA
Diagnostic Lab data that I showed in
Part 2 of this series (July 2019 ABJ),
which indicated that during the peri-
od from 1984 clear until 2002, nosema
was rarely detected in samples of sick
bees sent to the lab for analysis. Had
our bees developed some degree of
resistance to nosema?
It appears to me that if our bee
stocks had indeed developed some
resistance to N. apis, that such resis-
tance did not appear to apply to N.
ceranae, as the invasive wave of this
version clobbered our industry from
2004 through around 2009 (during the
CCD epizootic). A number of studies
have demonstrated that N. ceranae is
indeed able to infect queens.8,9,10 So
why don’t we see the queens rapidly
dying in colonies infected with N. cer-
anae, as did Farrar with N. apis? I can’t
cite definitive data, but personal ob-
servations and some published stud-
ies11 suggest that while N. ceranae may
infect queens, that it may not do so as
readily as did its cousin (again, we
need more research along this line).
Practical application: My sons and
I rear thousands of queens each sea-
son, and N. ceranae can generally be
found in our colonies in spring. Yet
we don’t notice any great degree of
queen failure, and our nucs typical-
ly grow rapidly (although we often
see successful early supersedure in
some groups). This spring I couldn’t
make any connection between lag-
gard nucs and nosema prevalence.
Even in their second season, our
queens tend to be productive and
healthy, until they apparently start
running out of stored sperm late in
their second summer, as would be
expected.
When we have trouble with rear-
ing queen cells, I check my cell
builders for nosema — I rarely see
more than minor infection preva-
lence in the house bees. And when I
check what appear to be poorly-per-
forming queens under the ‘scope, I
1029
don’t find any infected by nosema.
I occasionally hear reports of com-
mercial queens failing at a young
age, but have yet to see evidence
that N. ceranae is causing the sort of
queen and package failure that was
previously associated with N. apis.
hoW concerned should you be about
nosema?
In his review on N. apis in 1993,12
Dr. Ingemar Fries concluded that:
N. apis infections are frequently pres-
ent in most apiaries without causing sig-
nificant damage. Except for the infective
agent, contributing factors in the envi-
ronment decide if the infection develops
into an epizootic disease. Thus, nosema
disease can be regarded as a factorial dis-
ease.
It appears to be the same for N. cera-
nae, although ceranae may pop up in
warm weather. The factors that Fries
listed were:
• Colony crowding and stress.
• Disturbance of the hive during
winter, or the moving of hives
early in the season.
• Lack of flight opportunities
leading to defecation within the
hive (Fig. 4).
And similarly to others, he noted
that the availability of good pollen
Fig. 4 A friend sent me a sample of dead bees swept from the floor of his large winter
storage shed. This diluted composite sample was loaded with spores (enlarged from
400x, with a pollen grain for reference). Storing hives indoors at a controlled tempera-
ture of around 41°F (5°C) allows infected workers to leave the colonies for defecation
flights, although they don’t make it back to the hive. This would prevent them from def-
ecating spores within the hive, and could be one of the major benefits of controlled-
temperature indoor wintering.
1030
sources, or supplementary feeding of
protein, “reduces the infection level
in infected colonies, probably due to
a larger number of bees being pro-
duced.”
Practical application: I’ve re-
viewed studies from all over the
world,13 and my impression is that
nosema is an opportunistic parasite
that thrives when colonies are bring-
ing in lots of pollen, and that tends
to disappear when they are not, and
is not normally the cause of colony
mortality. Perhaps surprisingly, the
above appears to apply even in cold-
winter climates, as evidenced in
both Germany and Canada:
The results of our study failed to reveal
a relation between N. ceranae infection
of colonies and colony mortality, even in
seasons with unusually high colony loss
rates. Likewise, monitoring of the fate of
individual N. ceranae-infected colonies
over several years did not show a manda-
tory link between this infection and fail-
ure of the colony.14
No differences in Nosema infection
levels were found between colonies that
died and those that survived [the winter
in Ontario, Canada].15
The above findings do not let no-
sema completely off the hook, as
it may get out of hand in colonies
stressed by lack of flight weather,
cold (especially if the colony is
weak), poor nutrition, brood dis-
ease, or varroa. Other contributing
stressors can be a co-infection by
viruses or other pathogens,16 treat-
ment with an antibiotic,17 or perhaps
certain pesticides. The major factor
appears to be whether for one reason
or another, much defecation is tak-
ing place in the hive.
the take-home message
At least in California, once the ini-
tial invasive wave of Nosema ceranae
passed through, nosema no longer ap-
pears to be something for me to par-
ticularly worry about. When I tracked
its prevalence and spore counts in
36 hives over the course of the year,
I found only a slight negative cor-
relation with colony performance.18
But as in my experiment in almonds
detailed above, I do see that weak
colonies can indeed get hammered by
nosema during cold or rainy weather.
Researchers around the world have
now confirmed that infection by N.
ceranae, similar to that of N. apis, typi-
cally peaks during cool weather19 or
early spring, and tends to disappear
in summer. Nor is it necessarily cor-
related with winter loss — even in
northern climes. However, infection
may reduce colony productivity.
Keep this in mind when you think
of nosema: Unlike American and Eu-
ropean Foulbroods, which need to
kill their host in order to gain trans-
mission of their offspring to new
hosts, there is no benefit to nosema to kill
or harm its host bee, nor the colony. N.
apis appeared to be a relatively benign
parasite (unless it infected the queen),
rarely killing infected colonies unless
they were confined in early spring
for long periods by cold or inclement
weather (Fig. 5). N. ceranae appears to
me to be much the same, other than
perhaps being more prevalent during
summer (not surprising, since it ap-
pears to be adapted to tropical envi-
ronments).
Nosema, in and of itself, may not
normally cause serious disease, but
rather it is about external nutritional
and weather factors that can tip the
scale toward it going epizootic in
the hive. For example, in the eastern
U.S., a bout of early warm weather
along with tree pollens can cause
the diutinus “winter bees” to start
consuming pollen and shift to nurse
physiology. This would tend to kick-
start nosema reproduction in those
American Bee Journal

Fig. 5 A rapidly-growing colony with plenty of pollen can shrug off having a small per-
centage of its workers infected by nosema. However, if the beekeeper were to sample
foragers at the entrance, they might freak out at the spore count. I’ll elaborate in my
next article.
unfortunate geriatric bees. But if that
burst of broodrearing was then cur-
tailed by the return of cold weather
(which might also prevent defeca-
tion flights), then the colony would
be unable to continue to replace the
infected bees with fresh workers, and
nosema could then be problematic.
Practical application: Since no-
semosis exhibits no obvious signs
of the disease, it behooves the bee-
keeper to better understand this
parasite, its seasonality, and the fac-
tors that contribute to it going epizo-
otic in a hive. I’ve seen far too many
beekeepers dosing their hives with
unnecessary (and possibly harm-
ful) treatments, without having ever
spent a few minutes to confirm that
nosema was actually prevalent in
their hives.
coming
In my next articles I’ll cover moni-
toring for nosema, dealing with dead-
out equipment, treatments, and the
causes of dysentery.
endnotes
1. Robinson, C & J Pfeiffer (2014). Viruses
and the microbiota. Annual Review of Vi-
rology 1: 55 — 69.
2. Dussaubat , C, et al (2013). Flight behav-
ior and pheromone changes associated
to Nosema ceranae infection of honey bee
workers (Apis mellifera) in field condi-
tions. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 113:
42 — 51.
September 2019
3. White, GF (1919). Nosema disease. U.S.
Dept Agric Bulletin 780, 59 pp. Available
in Google Books.
4. http://scientificbeekeeping.com/nose-
ma-ceranae-and-honey-production-in-
healthy-colonies/
5. Furgala, B (1962). The effect of the inten-
sity of nosema inoculum on queen su-
persedure in the honey bee, Apis mellifera
Linnaeus. Journal of Insect Pathology 4(4):
429-432.
6. Botías, C, et al (2011). The effect of in-
duced queen replacement on Nosema
spp. infection in honey bee (Apis mellifera
iberiensis) colonies. Environmental Micro-
biology 14(4):845-5.
7. Farrar, C (1947). Nosema losses in pack-
age bees as related to queen supersedure
and honey yields. J Economic Entomol 40:
333 — 338.
8. Higes M, et al (2009). Horizontal trans-
mission of Nosema ceranae (Microspo-
ridia) from worker honeybees to queens
(Apis mellifera). Environ Microbiol Rep.
1(6): 495 — 498.
9. Simeunovic, P, et al (2014). Nosema cera-
nae and queen age influence the repro-
duction and productivity of the honey
bee colony. Journal of Apicultural Research,
53(5): 545-554.
10. Alaux, C, et al (2011). Pathological effects
of the microsporidium Nosema ceranae on
honey bee queen physiology (Apis mel-
lifera). Journal of Invertebrate Pathology
106(3): DOI : 10.1016/j.jip.2010.12.005
11. Botías, C, et al (2011). The effect of in-
duced queen replacement on Nosema
spp. infection in honey bee (Apis mellifera
iberiensis) colonies. Environmental Micro-
biology 14(4): 845-59.
12. Fries, I (1993). Nosema apis — A parasite
in the honey bee colony. Bee World 74(1):
5-19.
13. Genersch, E, et al (2010). The German
bee monitoring project: a long term study
to understand periodically high winter
losses of honey bee colonies. Apidologie
DOI: 10.1051/apido/2010014
Traver, B & R Fell (2011). Prevalence and
infection intensity of Nosema in honey bee
(Apis mellifera L.) colonies in Virginia. Jour-
nal of Invertebrate Pathology 107(1): 43-49.
Traver, B & R Fell (2012). Comparison
of within hive sampling and seasonal
activity of Nosema ceranae in honey bee
colonies. Journal of invertebrate pathology
109(2): 187-193
Invernizzi, C, et al (2009). Presencia de
Nosema ceranae en abejas melíferas (Apis
mellifera) en Uruguay. J. Invertebr. Pathol.,
101: 150-153.
Williams, G, et al (2010). Effects at Ne-
arctic north-temperate latitudes of in-
door versus outdoor overwintering on
the microsporidium Nosema ceranae and
western honey bees (Apis mellifera). Jour-
nal of Invertebrate Pathology 104: 4 — 7.
Williams, G (2013). Nosema ceranae in
western honey bees (Apis mellifera): biol-
ogy and management. PhD Thesis, Dal-
housie University.
Gina Retschnig, et al (2015). Effects,
but no interactions, of ubiquitous pesti-
cide and parasite stressors on honey bee
(Apis mellifera) lifespan and behaviour in
a colony environment. Environmental Mi-
crobiology doi:10.1111/1462-2920.12825
Compare the above to the publications of
Mariano Higes et al., 2007-2009.
14. Gisder, S, et al (2010). Five-year cohort
study of Nosema spp. in Germany: does
climate shape virulence and assertive-
ness of Nosema ceranae? Applied and Envi-
ronmental Microbiology, 76: 3032 — 3038.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/AEM.03097-09
15. Guzmán-Novoa, E, et al (2010). Varroa
destructor is the main culprit for the death
and reduced populations of overwin-
tered honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies
in Ontario, Canada. Apidologie 41: 443 —
450.
16. Cornman, RS, et al. (2012). Pathogen
webs in collapsing honey bee colonies.
PLoS ONE 7(8): e43562. doi:10.1371/
journal.pone.0043562
17. Li, JH, et al (2017). New evidence show-
ing that the destruction of gut bacteria by
antibiotic treatment could increase the
honey bee’s vulnerability to Nosema infec-
tion. PLoS ONE 12(11): e0187505. https://
doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0187505
18. http://scientificbeekeeping.com/the-
seasonality-of-nosema-ceranae/
19. Chen, Y, et al (2012). Nosema ceranae in-
fection intensity highly correlates with
temperature. J. Invertebr. Pathol. 111: 264
— 267.
Randy sees beekeeping
through the eyes of a biol-
ogist. He’s kept bees for
over 50 years, and with
his sons runs around 1500
hives in the California foot-
hills. He closely follows bee
research, engages in some
himself, and enjoys sharing
what he’s learned with others.
1031
1032 American Bee Journal
September 2019 1033
1034 American Bee Journal
Development Project: Nicaragua
I
n the back of the pick-up, I keep
nervously glancing between the
billowing plume of smoke rising
from the volcano behind us, and the
traffic in front of us. The line of cars
and trucks grinds to a halt. The only
vehicles coming the opposite direction
on this two lane highway, it becomes
evident, are ones from our lane that
have given up and turned around.
On either side, the road is hemmed
in by the leafy verdant outer sprawl
of the Nicaraguan capital; bougain-
villea blending with colorful laundry
waving on lines, cinderblock houses
almost hidden by the irrepressible
branches that tumble around and
over them. People get out of their cars
and chat with one another. I don’t
know what everyone is saying, I don’t
speak Spanish, but I gather no one is
actually concerned about the volcano;
Volcano plume visible from the Managua airport
September 2019
the volcano is normal, the traffic is
not. We’re a bit panicked because Dr.
Johan van Veen, head of the Entomol-
ogy and Apiology Department of the
National University of Costa Rica,
has a plane to catch and time is tick-
ing away.
In the back of the truck with me
is Vincent Cosgrove, a cheerful and
energetic American who runs an or-
ganization in Nicaragua called Sweet
Progress. Vincent had first come to
Nicaragua in 2013 as an entrepreneur
in the healthcare industry. He found
himself in Tipitapa, a satellite town of
Managua, and there was a problem:
62% unemployment, 82% among the
women, meant that no one had mon-
ey for even much-needed healthcare
services. Where others might have
moved on to somewhere with more
money, he instead started thinking
by Kris Fricke
about how he could improve the lot
of locals.
One day while Vincent was on his
way to visit a USAID water project in
Tipitapa, at an intersection a little girl
approached his beat-up Ford Ranger
to sell him a bottle of native (melipo-
na) bee honey. He suddenly remem-
bered working with the beekeepers of
the Middlesex Beekeeping Group in
Boston twenty years earlier. He had
been a chef, they’d regularly come
into his restaurant and ultimately
taught him beekeeping. Beekeeping
was the answer! He bought the bottle
of honey.
He started helping locals form co-
ops, especially of women’s groups.
They needed equipment and train-
ing, he set about tackling both these
issues. For equipment he realized just
giving people things would be un-
sustainable and not create a sense of
ownership, so Sweet Progress orga-
nizes micro-loans for equipment that
are paid back in the form of honey
over four years, with no interest. In
this manner the groups are able to get
necessary resources without becom-
ing trapped on a repayment treadmill.
Vincent came originally as an entre-
preneur, but he doesn’t make a profit
out of this, he has found the greater
satisfaction of helping others.
As to training, Vincent has worked
tirelessly to bring in volunteers for
training, and organizations as part-
ners — among them non-governmen-
tal organizations (NGOs) and uni-
versities in the region and in the U.S.
Volunteer teams have taught seminars
(342 of them apparently) on not only
directly beekeeping-related activities
but also business management and
1035
leadership, and some activities not re-
lated to beekeeping at all. In 2018 for
example, Sweet Progress delivered 27
classes per month, reaching a total of
344 women, 83 teenage girls, and 143
teenage boys.
As of this writing (March 2019),
Sweet Progress, working with the
American Nicaragua Foundation
and Professor Van Veen, has started
construction on an FDA registered
honey processing plant expected to
triple the annual earnings of the co-
ops. He anticipates within five years
the co-ops will be producing 3,800
tons of organic honey per year, infus-
ing $9,500,000 into local communities.
They are also finalizing the export of
54 tons of raw honey, which he notes,
“marks the first time a charity organi-
zation has connected a honey project
to the global market in the Western
Hemisphere.” I am impressed, export
is always a goal to strive for in under-
developed communities. Merely sell-
ing honey to neighbors doesn’t actu-
ally bring wealth into the community,
but exporting does.
I first came into contact with Vin-
cent in 2014, when I was answering
the phone for the Orange County
(California) Beekeeping Association,
and he called asking if we would be
interested in organizing a team of vol-
unteers to come down. I was quickly
able to assemble a “dream team” of
five experienced beekeepers enthusi-
astic to go. Sadly, international events
intervened and the planned trip dis-
solved amid clouds of tear gas and the
clatter of stones against riot shields
— the Nicaraguan government had
nationalized a vast swath of land as
part of an ill-conceived China-funded
scheme to build their own “Panama
Canal” across the country. The result:
thousands of farmers kicked off their
land, marching the streets, clashing
with government forces. This was
2015 and 2016. Cows now graze in the
recovering scar where the canal was
barely begun. In 2017 I finally found
myself in Nicaragua … for reasons
entirely unrelated to Sweet Progress.
I was able to spend my first day in
the country with Vincent and Dr. Van
Veen though. On this occasion Dr. Van
Veen was giving a presentation at the
National Agricultural College near
Tipitapa. As other students herded
cattle past outside, some thirty stu-
dents sat in a classroom while Dr. Van
Veen made a PowerPoint presenta-
tion about beekeeping. It was almost
unbearably hot, the numerous ceiling
mounted fans only granting a little
1036
relief if one was directly below one.
The beekeeping presentation seemed
very interesting, with a lot of specific
information about different types of
flora in the area, and I wished I could
understand it, but it was of course in
Spanish. After the general beekeep-
ing presentation, by popular demand
he made a presentation about na-
tive stingless bees, which I was even
more regretful I couldn’t understand
because I find stingless bees fascinat-
ing. Stingless bees are kept in artificial
hives in Nicaragua, as I would see lat-
er, and their honey harvested.
After the presentations, we had to
hurry to make the airport, and got
mired in traffic. Eventually, desper-
ate, we followed other cars into a
side street and navigated the laby-
rinthine city sprawl, sometimes hav-
ing to go around pigs sleeping in the
street, or reverse around corners with
barely centimeters to spare on either
side after coming to an impassable
chokepoint in the narrow streets. Mi-
raculously we made it to the airport
in time for Dr. Van Veen to catch his
flight.
My presence in Nicaragua felt
uniquely peculiar in some ways. So
close to home and yet so far: I lived
thirty years of my life two hours from
the Mexican border in California, and
yet to make this first visit of mine to
Mesoamerica I traveled two thirds of
the way backwards around the world,
from Kyrgyzstan (see June American
Bee Journal) to Australia, where I now
reside, only to immediately depart for
Nicaragua. It would have been less
than half the distance to simply travel
west from Kyrgyzstan but the whole
thing had become entangled in bu-
Municipal building overlooking Somoto’s central square, built as a functional
fortification
reaucratic complexities between two
organizations and changing plans.
Partners for the Americas is a U.S.
based non-profit NGO founded in
1964, dedicated to development and
aid in the Americas. Among other
things, they administer USAID fund-
ed Farmer-to-Farmer programs. After
a day off to “adjust” during which I
had joined Vincent and Dr. Van Veen,
I was off to the north of the country!
It was a four-hour drive from Ma-
nagua. Halfway, we stopped for lunch
in the town of Esteli, where a wall
covered with a mural depicting the
civil war (1978-1990) was also pock-
marked with bullet-holes from that
same war. An air raid siren began its
banshee wail and I quickly scanned
the horizon, thinking one of the nu-
merous smoldering volcanoes had fi-
nally erupted, but no one around me
seemed phased.
“They just do that to mark noon,”
my driver said after it ended and
conversation could resume. Then the
bells of the nearby cathedral began to
toll. “They do that too,” he added. I
rather preferred the bells.
To get to where the project would be
based, we continued up into forested
mountains in which pink-tiled adobes
peeked out from among the trees, un-
til we came to the town of Somoto. It
had quiet cobbled streets with more
pedestrians than cars, in which shop-
keepers and residents often could be
found sitting on their streetside steps
in the evening.
The local host organization was
Fabretto — named after Padre Fab-
retto, a much beloved priest who had
worked tirelessly and selflessly to im-
prove conditions for the children and
American Bee Journal
youth of Nicaragua. When he died
suddenly in 1990, the Fabretto organi-
zation continued to operate the many
schools and projects he had run. Padre
Fabretto himself is currently winding
his way through the slow process of
being sainted.
Marcus, my Fabretto liaison, gave
me a tour of their Somoto headquar-
ters, which was also a primary school,
and then we headed out to visit some
beehives! A few kilometers out of
town, by a mud adobe house, we
pulled on yellow bee suits as chick-
ens pecked around us. And then …
we pulled on second bee suits over
the first. Yes. Africanized bees.
From my personal experience,
purebred African bees in Africa are
not as bad as the hybridized African-
ized bees I became extremely familiar
with in California. The bees in Africa
are certainly more aggressive than
good gentle European stock, and I al-
ways approach them fully suited, but
I can usually take off my gloves if not
the veil, while around me beekeepers
are usually wearing all kinds of hap-
hazard homemade suits. Approach-
ing an Africanized hive in California
on the other hand, I always wear a
full suit with duct tape over the zip-
pers and ankles and wrists, and of-
ten that is not sufficient as the angry
whirlwind of bees pelts my veil like
thrown gravel, and by sheer force of
will bees end up in my suit anyway.
No one has ever proposed wearing
two layers of suit in Africa, but here
we are, in Nicaragua.
A whimsically
decorated stingless
(melipona) bee hive
produced by the
Comjeruma RL co-op
September 2019
It was difficult
to get photos of
beekeeping on this
project because it
was not possible
to not be wearing
thick gloves near
the bees.
In California we still fight it. We
religiously requeen any swarm we
catch in Southern California, we make
sure we have the marked queen we
know isn’t Africanized, and if we find
they’ve requeened themselves, we
re-requeen with a marked European
queen. Not here in Nicaragua; they’ve
accepted that Africanized bees are
what they have, and so, double suits.
On the plus side, Africanized bees
are much more resilient against pests
and they don’t seem to have to worry
about varroa.
This first apiary we visited, I could
tell the hives were very badly looked
after. The dark burr-comb connect-
ing frames was so thick and solid it
was clear these hives hadn’t been in-
spected in months. One was lying on
its side nearly submerged in tall grass;
another leaned precariously on a fail-
ing stand. Several didn’t have enough
El Gato’s family
house
frames in them, the extra space filled
with robust buttresses of burr comb.
“Let’s fix this toppled hive,” I say.
“They say they will do it later,” says
Marcus.
“You see a problem like this, you
should fix it immediately,” I say.
“They call him ‘El Gato,’” Marcus
tells me the next day as we’re headed
to another bee site.
“The cat?” I ask.
“Yes, the cat,” he says, chuckling.
“Why?” I ask.
“His eyes.”
We meet El Gato by his family
home, another adobe farm-house in
the quiet shade of large trees. Un-
usual for the area, his eyes are green,
and they gleam intently. Cat-like. He
is very young, maybe 18. We look at
the fifteen hives he runs. They’re per-
fectly maintained, standing straight
and clean, everything in order inside
and out. His enthusiasm is apparent
in his gleaming eyes as he answers
my questions through Marcus’ trans-
lation, and talks about his bees. We
grin at each other; the mutual love of
a craft transcends language.
In these training projects I some-
times talk about “aptitude” for
keeping bees. You can train some-
one without the aptitude until the
drones come home, but someone
who isn’t enthusiastic, or can’t over-
come their apprehension of working
with bees, will never become a bee-
keeper. Someone like El Gato is a real
resource. He’ll do great, he’ll inspire,
encourage, and ultimately train oth-
ers around him. Later Fabretto trans-
ferred the hives from the first family
to El Gato’s care. I never did learn his
real name, no one calls him anything
other than El Gato. At least he still
has a name other than “the bee guy,”
as so many of the rest of us are known
in our local communities.
1037

El Gato also showed us two sting-
less bee hives, they were small and ob-
long, like a large shoebox, and whim-
sically decorated to look like a house.
He had gotten them pre-made from
another local beekeeping co-op (Com-
jeruma RL). The bees (a melipona spe-
cies) were small and skittish like fruit
flies, and only occupied a third of the
box, seeming uninterested in the rest.
I was able to transfer some knowledge
I myself had only picked up the other
day — in Dr. Van Veen’s stingless bee
presentation the hives had all been
longer vertically than horizontally;
I suggested that maybe these hives
were made for a different species and
the local stingless bees would prefer a
more vertical arrangement.
We were able to try some of the
stingless bee honey (they produce
only a few cups of honey each per
year), which was very tart. I’ve al-
ways found it very interesting how
different stingless bee honey can taste
from honeybee honey from presum-
ably the same plants.
A street in the quiet mountain village of San Jose de Cusmapa
1038
The stingless hives
examined were
divided into three
sections but the
bees seemed to
prefer to occupy
just one.
On the weekend we drove an hour
deeper into the mountains to the tiny
mountain town of San Jose de Cusma-
pa, draped over some ridges high in
the mountains. In this very quiet town
there seemed to be fewer than half a
dozen vehicles, and the clip-clop of
horses or donkeys down the cobbled
streets was very common. While Fab-
retto’s headquarters is in the national
capital, this small town, founded by
Padre Fabretto himself, I gather is
kind of its heart and soul. I stayed
in a guest house with several Euro-
pean volunteers working for Fabretto
as teachers at the local school. One
day while exploring the outskirts on
horseback with a French volunteer,
our local guide said, “It’s two more
hours this way to Honduras.”
“By car?” I asked naively.
The French girl laughed. “No one
drives here. By horse.”
We did drive on one of the days,
up and down some absolutely hair-
raising narrow dirt roads on the
mountain slopes to a very remote
Transportation parked at the “end of the road,” community of
La Naranja
community called La Naranja. There,
at the end of the road, we found three
adobes with the cracked plaster of a
Zorro film, under a lush tropical can-
opy and surrounded by banana trees
(but no oranges that I recall, despite
the name). Several young men came
to receive bags of flour and supplies
that Marcus was unloading from the
back of the Land Cruiser for them.
Then he looked at me with surprise.
“This boy says he knows you.”
It turns out he had been at the
Sweet Progress training I had gone to.
Small world.
As Vincent later explained to me,
Sweet Progress actually partners with
Fabretto, inviting Fabretto beekeepers
to come down to training seminars
and including Fabretto honey in their
packaging since they are able to lever-
age a better price for the beekeepers.
The hives in La Naranja were pretty
good, though with a bit more small
hive beetles than I’d quite like to see. I
prescribed rotating out the dark comb
a bit more. Small hive beetles really
love dark comb.
Back in San Jose de Cusmapa, we
later visited the Fabretto hive-mak-
ing carpenters in their workshop.
Sometimes there is a big disconnect
between people making hives and
the beekeepers, but it was nice to see
they had already tweaked the design
and were very willing to discuss po-
tential improvements. Returning to
Somoto we visited some other bee-
keepers, and another nearby organi-
zation that made and sold beehives.
Both the technicians this organiza-
tion sent to the field with us were
women, and we worked for the lon-
gest sustained time of this trip going
through hives. I had been concerned
that in the tropical heat it might be
impractical to spend hours working
American Bee Journal
 Rural Nicaraguan traffic jam
bees wearing two layers of suits, but
it proved doable.
I made a presentation at the Fab-
retto headquarters. It was supposed
to be for the students but apparently
there was a miscommunication and
no students were informed. Instead
all of Fabretto’s teachers came. My
computer, which had worked an hour
earlier, of course chose the moment
we started to fail. Par for the course in
aid work. Presentation goes on with-
out PowerPoint. The fallback plan for
a fallback audience. This is aid work.
After two short weeks I was watch-
ing the ominous volcanic plumes
receding from the window of an air-
craft. Simmering instability looms
unmistakably over the landscape
and is written with bullet-holes in
the plaster walls, and yet there is
such hope and selflessness here too.
Despite the threat of eruptions of vio-
lence, people like Padre Fabretto and
Vincent Cosgrove, their organiza-
tions and volunteers, continue unde-
terred. Regimes come and go, man-
made plumes of smoke will again
reach up into the sky, but as long
as there is a need for education and
hope among the people, the organi-
zations and volunteers dedicated to
providing it will remain.

Kris Fricke is the

“beekeeper-in-chief ”
of Bee Aid Internation-
al, www.beedev.org,
and also runs Great
Ocean Road Honey
Company in Victoria,
Australia. He would
also like to thank Vincent Cosgrove for pa-
tiently answering inane questions such
as what kind of car he was driving when
he thought up Sweet Progress, and rec-
ommends you check out https://sweet
progressvirtue.org/ which has a very good
introductory video.

September 2019 1039

1040 American Bee Journal
A CLOSE LOOK @ THE HIVE

Hive Sounds
The Signal in the Noise

by PETER L BORST

D
o you want to help keep bees ated calls have remained unan- deliberately, that other bees can detect
healthy? Keeping bees healthy swered, does she feel herself safe, them, and respond to them. The idea
is hard work for the beekeeper. and release herself by severing that we could detect and study other
What if you could just put your gloves on the cap of the cell. sounds emitted by honey bee colonies
and put your smart phone into the hive got off to an enthusiastic start, begin-
to listen to your bees? (Bee Health Guru In a nutshell, the author clearly be- ning with Eddie Woods, writing in
Promo Video) lieves that the sounds are produced the prestigious journal Nature:
Say what? What sort of sounds does
a hive make, anyway? Not willing to
rest until I found out, I hit the books.
Soon, I found the following surpris-
ing statement:

Many beekeepers listen to their

hives to ascertain the state of their
honey bee colonies because bee
buzzing carries information on
colony behavior and phenology
(Kulyukin 2018)

I asked prominent bee biologist Dr.

Tom Seeley what he thought of this.
He said, I don’t know of any beekeeper
who does that. That’s what I thought;
aside from the occasional report of a
novice venturing out into the snow
with a stethoscope, I never heard of
beekeepers listening to their hives.
Certainly bees make sounds we can
hear, and some of these sounds have
been given names such as piping,
quahking, etc. In the first edition of the
American Bee Journal (1861) we read:
“I heard a teeting in one of my colo-
nies which had not yet swarmed, and
also heard several quahking respons-
es.” Continuing, the author writes:

From observations, it is evi-

dent that young queens teet and
quahk from sheer jealousy; and
that every queen, before emerg-
ing, quahks for a time, to assure
herself that no rival is at large in
the hive. Not till after her reiter- A. Wenner, Piping Sounds, Sonograms

September 2019 1041


E. Woods, Acoustic Signals – Graph from Journal Nature, 1959
My work on the analysis of the
sounds of activity in the hive in-
dicated that small variants of the
normal sound could be identi-
fied which were indicative of ab-
normality. Certain characteristic
sounds in particular were found
to be adequate criteria for, among
E. Woods, Acoustic Signals – Graph from Journal Nature, 1959
1042
other possibilities, the prediction
of swarming. A technique was
therefore developed, and an in-
strument designed and produced
for monitoring the condition and
behaviour of a colony with no
disturbance to the bees whatso-
ever (Woods 1959).
There is definite human interest
in the sounds of honey bee colonies,
but many questions still arise. What
sounds, other than the general busy
bee hum, do hives make? Intrepid re-
searchers evidently have uncovered a
whole world of buzzes:
Recent studies have suggested
sound analysis to be a promising
method for monitoring the be-
havior of bees and colony health
(Robles-Guerrero et al. 2017; Ce-
jrowski et al. 2018; Henry et al.
2019). The sounds emitted by
bees have been shown to encode
a rich variety of individual and
social information (reviewed by
Hrncir et al. 2006).
a rich variety
What sorts of information has Pro-
fessor Hrncir found encoded into the
sounds of the hive? He says:
A variety of different “sounds”
have been described in bees
(Armbruster, 1922; Hansson,
1945; Kirchner, 1993a, 1997).
Most of them are characterised
by a low fundamental frequency
(300 to 600 Hz) and its harmonics
(Hrncir 2005).
For the sake of comparison, 300 to
600 Hz are “the lower harmonics of
voice frequencies, formed by reso-
nances in the mouth” according to
Jay Rose, a professional sound de-
signer (www.jayrose.com). This is not
high pitched buzzing or squeaking,
but deeper and somewhat muffled,
presumably due to the sound absorb-
ing qualities of the combs and cluster.
Imagine listening to a conversation
wearing earmuffs.
Dr. Hrncir describes sounds that are
in the higher frequency range, which
many beekeepers have heard. The
most famous is the piping (teet and
quahk). Apparently queens issue this
sound to alert rivals of their presence,
and use the response of other queens
to determine their location so they
can attack them. Hrncir states: “The
piping dialogue may also inform both
workers and emerged queens that
other queens are present.” Workers
also emit piping sounds. These are as-
sociated with a number of situations.
Worker piping is observed during the
waggle dance, presumably to recruit
other bees to forage.
According to Lindauer and others,
worker bees emit a high-pitched pip-
ing (up to 2000 Hz) prior to the coor-
American Bee Journal
dinated takeoff of a clustered swarm.
The scouts physically contact the oth-
er bees of the cluster, so it isn’t clear
whether the piping is the chief signal
or a by-product of the physical buzz-
ing. In any case, it appears that the
scouts are trying to arouse the swarm,
since they begin up to an hour prior
to the actual take-off.
One problem that Hrncir acknowl-
edges is that honey bees do not appear
to have the ability to make complex
sounds. In his words, “bees are not
equipped with structures especially
designed for the effective production
of acoustic signals.” Other insects,
such as cicadas and crickets, clearly
possess physical means to transmit
and receive sounds. This description
makes it clear:

Among crickets and katydids,

the base of the forewings are
specially modified for sound
production. A sharp edge or
“scraper” is located on the upper
surface of the lower wing and is
rubbed against a row of bumps
known as the “file” on the under-
side of the upper wing. Sounds
produced in this fashion range
from melodic trills or chirps of
crickets to the high-pitched raspy
squawks, buzzes, and shuffles
of katydids and grasshoppers
(songsofinsects.com).
Honey bees have no such special
features. If they are making sounds,
they must be doing it with what they
have — namely their wings and their
breathing spiracles. It is thought that
the piping sound is produced by these.
the signal in the noise
While several recognizable sounds
have been identified and correlated
with specific behaviors, research-
ers have turned their attention to
what appears to the untrained ob-
server as “noise” emanating from the
honey bee cluster. One of these is E.
K. Eskov, who in 1975 published an
article on the “Phonoreceptors of
honey bees” in the Russian journal
Biofizika. His wry comment in a re-
cent work: “The phonoreceptor of the
honeybee was revealed by the author
of this review, after which the inter-
est in studying the bee bioacoustics
among American and West European
researchers dropped sharply. The in-
terest in studying the mechanisms
of sound generation by bees was ini-
tially connected mainly with the so-
called queen’s songs.”
J. Bromenshenk, Patent Drawing from US Patent, 2009
Dr. Eskov continued to publish
on this topic, writing in Biology Bul-
letin Reviews as recently as 2018. He
has written extensively on the back-
ground sounds of the honey bee colo-
ny, and listed these examples:
When a colony lost its queen,
intensity increased by 10 decibels
in the 330-390 Hz range. At 20-30
days before swarming, the inten-
sity increased in the 240-265 Hz
range by 3-5 decibels; 3-5 days
before swarming the increase was
8-12 decibels. When the swarm
was emerging intensity increased
at the high frequency end of the
stable region of the spectrum. A
similar increase was recorded at
450 plus or minus 50 Hz when
bees left the hive for orientation
flights. The sound background
reached its maximal intensity
in summer and its minimum in
winter. Removal of field bees
J. Bromenshenk,
Microphone use
from the colony had no effect
on background intensity, though
spectra changed. Young bees
made sounds with peak intensity
at 210-240 Hz (Eskov 1970).
He acknowledges in recent work
that “the acoustic noise produced by
a bee colony is a largely random pro-
cess” but he proposes that “its time-
frequency structure has a certain de-
gree of orderliness depending on the
physiological state of the bees and the
ecological situation.” This leads us
back to the quest to determine how
to translate the acoustic noise into
meaning.
Noise is a human created idea,
which refers to unstructured sound,
but clearly there are many categories
of noise: the sound of rain, applause,
the crackling of static on a radio. They
may all be noisy, but each is distinct.
Even these can be broken down such
as a weak applause, a heavy down-

September 2019 1043


M. Bensik, Acoustics, visualizations
pour, etc. Is it possible to record the
busy humming of bees in a hive and
tease out an interpretation of what is
going on in there?
Researchers in the West were in fact
at work on this question, among them
David Dietlein at Guelph, Ontario,
and Ward Spangler at the USDA Lab in
Tucson, Arizona. In 1985, Dietlein pro-
posed an automated system for con-
tinuous recording of sound emission
by honey bee colonies as a measure of
activity. In 1986, Spangler described
high-frequency sounds produced by
bees outside the hive entrance at night,
which he called a “hiss.”
Whooping and Warbling
The average beekeeper may not lis-
ten for particular hive sounds, other
than the distinctive roar of a colony
which has lost its queen. Or they
may put a stethoscope to the hive in
winter. Researchers, however, have
been trying to analyze internal colo-
ny acoustics for decades. Among the
many sounds people claim to have
heard are whooping and warbling.
Eddie Woods was the first to describe
the warble. In his 1957 patent appli-
cation he wrote: “Warble — This is a
fairly pure tone, wavering in pitch. It
is about 255 C.P.S. plus or minus 35
C.P.S.”
Woods claimed that the warble is
an indication that the egg laying rate
of the queen has diminished. Why
this would cause bees to “warble” is
never explained. However, he cor-
rectly identifies three main reasons
why the queen might be slacking off.
First, the colony may be gearing up
to swarm. Usually prior to that, the
queen’s ovaries are shrunk, possibly
by the workers putting her on a diet,
so that she will be light enough to
fly. Woods claimed that intensity of
the warble was a reliable indicator of
when the swarm would be departing.
The second reason: The queen’s
ability to lay many eggs is diminish-
ing due to old age or some other in-
firmity. Woods notes that this would
lead to supersedure and the creation
of a new queen, a desirable outcome
as opposed to swarming which the
beekeeper seeks to avoid, or prevent.
The third possibility, of course, is that
there is no queen. He further states
that the warble of queenless bees can
be used to determine whether the col-
ony will accept a new queen.
The whooping sound was first
described by Ramsey, Bencsik and
Newton, in 2016. They were study-
ing signals previously described as
“stop signals” which, according to
them, are variations on the piping
signal. They acknowledge that “there
is some controversy in the literature”
as to the purpose of these types of sig-
nals. It is called a stop signal because
it is thought to be a way that bees try
to stop other bees from dancing. It has
also been associated with danger, ba-
sically an alert signal.
They described a hypothetical new
signal, which they named “whoop-
ing.” They recorded a hive in England
and one in France to determine under
what circumstances the whooping
arises and with what it might be cor-
related. A massive amount of data
was gathered and processed with
computer software. They found this
sound was detected most often at
night, so it has nothing to do with
stopping bees from dancing, like
the “stop signal.” Further, the signal
greatly increased during heavy rain
and very cold weather. Ramsey, et al.,
state:

Whooping signals increase at

times when honeybee density
increases within the hive when
members of the foraging caste
would be considered to be in a
state of rest, i.e. at night, in winter
and at times of heavy rain.

These sounds, warbling and

whooping, do not appear in main-
stream beekeeping literature. The
work of Eddie Woods in the 1950s did
Ramsey, A brood frame equipped with accelerometers not lead to any practical results. Oc-

1044 American Bee Journal

casionally, researchers or inventors
will pick up where he left off, claim-
ing that breakthroughs in computer
technology will resolve the problem
of interpretation of these odd noises.
The “whooping signal” was di-
rectly challenged by Bell, Kietzman,
and Nieh. They ask whether this is a
new and different sound at all. Fur-
ther, they questioned the recording
technique, raising the issue of noise,
“which can be substantial inside
honey bee colonies.” In fact, Bell et al.
challenge the very nature of the work:
The authors state that they
have distinguished between dif-
ferent types of worker piping,
queen piping, rain drops, and
whooping signals, but provide
no evidence of how this was
done.
Finally, Bell et al. suggest an al-
ternative hypothesis: The signals
that Ramsey et al. recorded are the
sounds of the bees generating heat,
which would correlate directly to
the increase at night and during cold
weather. The point is that much of
the work on acoustic analysis is not
being properly challenged by other
researchers, and prior work is simply
echoed as if it were proven fact. Prop-
er peer review is supposed to call into
question every assertion and demand
proof and verification.
In the end, it is certainly of inter-
est that internal hive sounds correlate
with the external weather conditions,
but there are far simpler ways to mea-
sure the temperature and the time of
day.
artiFicial intelligence arrives at
the hives
Meanwhile, University of Mon-
tana Professor Jerry Bromenshenk
had been developing the idea of us-
ing honey bees as bio-monitors. From
1975 to 1977, he collected bee samples
in the vicinity of a coal-fired power
plant to determine its impact on the
environment. He described his work
in an article titled “Yet Another Job
for Busy Bees” in The Sciences (1978).
He said, “If we use honeybees cor-
rectly, we are practically assured of
an early warning of pollutant levels,
perhaps in time to avoid harm.” This
work led to the use of honey bees
trained to detect landmines: “By lac-
ing sugar with a target chemical and
placing the sugar in the bees’ natural
foraging area, bees can be trained to
associate the chemical odor with food
September 2019
S. Ferrari, Swarming sounds, visualization over time
and to swarm over any location con-
taining the target odorant” (2003).
Bromenshenk, Henderson, and
Seccomb elaborated on their previ-
ous findings and claimed that “hon-
ey bee colonies produce unique and
characteristic sound profiles when
exposed to different toxicants.” Go-
ing forward, in 2004 they obtained
the first of a series of grants to de-
velop a “marketable, fully integrated,
hive-mounted, multi-sensor system
integrated with our existing (patent
pending) electronic hives,” and ulti-
mately developed a device integrat-
ing these ideas. In their own words:
It takes a skilled beekeeper
about 10 minutes to inspect a col-
ony; the Colony Health Scanner
performs the same function in
about 2 minutes, and can be oper-
ated by relatively unskilled labor.
In 2013, this was reported in the
Proceedings of the American Bee Re-
search Conference:
We collected recordings of
samples from free-flying colonies
having verified conditions that
included queenless and African-
ized colonies as well as CCD, foul
brood, small hive beetle, Nosema,
and Varroa infections. Each of
these conditions produced simi-
lar, unique sonographic profiles.
We have developed an artificial
neural network algorithm that
uses these sonographic profiles
to quickly assess the presence of
these conditions. Using a micro-
phone probe to make a 30 second
recording, our instrument cor-
rectly identifies the presence of
these conditions and the intensity
of the infection with better than
85% reliability (Seccomb 2013).
Early this summer, the team
brought out an “early release” ver-
sion of the product via a Kickstarter
campaign. The promo read in part:
The Bee Health Guru: Helping
Beekeepers Keep Healthy Bees. A
smartphone app that listens to
bees to tell you what is wrong
with them! After listening to your
bees, the Bee Health Guru will
tell you within seconds what,
if anything, is wrong with your
bees. This hive has foul brood,
which is particularly difficult for
new beekeepers to identify.
Via email, Dr. Bromenshenk ex-
plained it to me:
As per AFB, I’ve no idea how
or why the sounds change, but
they do. Although probably the
most unlikely variable that can
be discriminated by sound, it
surprisingly is one of the easiest
to detect. And the signs are clear,
plus it’s easy to visibly check for
AFB to see if we have a false neg-
ative. Please note, we have our
testers take a recording BEFORE
opening to check a hive visibly
for AFB. We don’t want record-
ings from disturbed (opened
hive) colonies.
They are certainly not the only
ones to attempt to translate sounds
into some sort of electronic readout.
1045
Mea McNeil wrote in “Sounds of the
Hive,” in the October 2015 issue of
the American Bee Journal:
A brilliantly colored, vibrat-
ing graph of the sounds inside
had popped up on an iPad in the
hands of Rob Rowlands, an elec-
trical engineer. He had lowered a
$5 mic into the hive and hooked
it up, using a free app. The group
was transfixed by the image.
“What does it mean? Beats me,”
said Rowlands.
Whenever I hear how an inven-
tion is going to make it easier to keep
bees, I bristle. Beekeeping is a com-
plex craft and can’t be turned into
a simple, set ‘em up and let ‘em alone
project. If a beekeeper is unwilling
to open a hive, take out a frame and
analyze it, they should find another
line of work. Alexis, order me a shot
of espresso from the nearest coffee shop.
Oh, and, Alexis, see how my bees are do-
ing today while you’re at it!
Thanks to Kara Bielik and Mea Mc-
Neil for help improving this article.
References are available by writing
to the author at peterlborst1@icloud.
com
For more on Bee Health Guru, see “If
Bees Could Talk” by Malcolm T. Sanford
in the May 2019 ABJ.
1046
Peter L Borst has
worked in the bee-
keeping industry since
his first job working as
beekeeper’s helper in
Wolcott NY, in 1974.
In the late 1970s he
helped run a beekeep-
ing supply store in the
San Diego area, where he served beekeepers
of all levels of expertise.
Peter managed 500 colonies of his own in
the 1980s. From 1999 to 2006, he was Senior
Apiarist at Cornell's Dyce Lab for Honey Bee
Studies. and worked as an apiary inspector
for New York State from 2006 to 2008. He is
retired from Cornell University, and is a past
President of the Finger Lakes Bee Club.
Peter has published over 50 articles on top-
ics as diverse as beekeeping technique, the
composition and value of pollen for bees, and
the history of bee breeding. He has done pre-
sentations on these topics for venues rang-
ing from local elementary schools to bee-
keeping organizations in many states.
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American Bee Journal
 The
Importance
of Mentor
Programs
by Darryl Gabritsch
M
entor programs are an im-
portant element in building
a solid foundation for new
beekeepers. Many new beekeepers
acquire early instruction by way of a
bee school taught by local beekeeping
chapters, and by attending monthly
chapter meetings. A typical bee school
provides around eight hours of class-
room instruction, and perhaps a few
hours in an apiary, where students
are shown how to light a smoker, don
the protective equipment, and how
to inspect a colony. Monthly chapter
meetings typically provide half-hour
to one-hour presentations on various
topics that may or may not be geared
toward the new beekeeper.
September 2019
In all, even in taking advantage
of chapter beekeeping schools and
monthly meetings, the new beekeeper
may only receive less than 20 hours of
structured learning during the critical
first year. Attending your state bee-
keepers association annual conferenc-
es will add to the learning experience,
but the time and expense associated
with the conferences is often prohibi-
tive. Outside of these opportunities,
the new beekeeper is sometimes left
to learn beekeeping on his or her own,
unless a local chapter has a good men-
tor program.
A main purpose of a mentor pro-
gram is to match experienced bee-
keepers with less-experienced bee-
Darryl Gabritsch
oversees inspection
of Thong Nguyen’s
hives. Darryl
has been
mentoring Thong
for two years.
Photo by
Dr. Barbara Siegel
keepers, such that two-way learning
may occur. Mentor programs help
fill the educational gap by providing
tailor-made, one-on-one learning op-
portunities for both the mentee (stu-
dent) and the mentor (experienced
beekeeper). Mentees receive the
confidence-building support and ex-
pertise necessary for success in the
early years of beekeeping; the mentor
gets refresher training on topics they
present to the mentee as the mentor
prepares for the mentoring session by
researching and answering questions
presented by the mentee.
A good mentor-mentee match is
critical to the success of the pro-
gram. Good matching of mentors
with mentees is the first step toward
a successful mentor program. A good
pairing is one in which the mentors
and mentees are in close geographi-
cal proximity to each other, and
where the mentor is readily available
and receptive to the specific needs
of the mentee. The closer they are
located to each other the more likely
they will meet for mentoring sessions
and apiary experience. Mentors and
mentees coordinate individual ses-
sions on topics both parties agree to,
so a good rapport between the two is
advantageous.
Traits of a good mentor. Becoming
a mentor comes with a few expecta-
tions to which the mentor must be
willing and able to commit. Anyone
volunteering to be a mentor should
periodically call or email the assigned
mentee multiple times per year. Ide-
ally, the mentor will check in at least
a couple times a month during criti-
cal periods such as spring buildup,
1047
swarm season, spring nectar flow, fall
nectar flow, and winter hive prepara-
tion period. The mentor should be re-
ceptive to any emails and phone calls
seeking advice.
In addition, a good mentor should
exhibit the following traits:
• Desire to teach. Be an enthusi-
astic, encouraging teacher, and
be willing to research topics the
mentor is not familiar with if
asked an unknown question.
• Reachable. Be receptive to being
called at reasonable hours and
during perceived emergencies.
Exchange phone numbers and
encourage the mentee to call if
problems arise.
• Patience. Remember that we
were all inexperienced at one
point. New beekeepers will
make mistakes, sometimes mak-
ing the mistake multiple times
before they understand the task.
• Friendly. Remain friendly and
encouraging. A condescending
teacher can quickly cause the
student to lose interest in bee-
keeping by constantly telling
them they are “doing it wrong.”
Point out the positive things
the mentee is doing and make
friendly suggestions/corrections
to bad technique.
• Knowledgeable. The level of
experience of the mentor need
not be extensive. You should
have a well-rounded knowledge
of beekeeping but need not to
be a participating member of
a Master Beekeeper Program,
or have decades of experience,
1048
though these would obviously
be beneficial. A vast amount of
knowledge may be acquired in
just a couple of seasons, particu-
larly by ambitious beekeepers
who jump in full-force, attend
beekeeping schools and chapter
field sessions, chapter and state
meetings or outreach programs,
and/or participate in a Master
Beekeeper Program. Even a one-
or two-year beekeeper has much
to share with the new beekeeper,
and often even with seasoned
beekeepers because of their fresh
perspective. Don’t allow the mis-
belief that one must have years
of experience in order to serve as
a mentor to limit participation.
Beekeepers of all levels should
be encouraged to seek mentor-
ing, or be a mentor, when they
feel comfortable doing so.
• Professional. Remember that
you represent the local chapter,
the state beekeeper association,
and self-respecting beekeepers
worldwide. Treat the mentee as
you would want to be treated.
• Open-minded. Be willing to
teach different methods and top-
ics whether you use a particular
method or not. From wire embed-
ding to varroa mite treatment op-
tions, you should be open to ex-
plaining a variety of approaches
to beekeeping even if they choose
to go a different route.
Traits of a good mentee. A good
mentee basically has the same traits
as a good mentor, but from the per-
spective of being willing to learn. Be
Darryl works
with Thong to
wire frames.
Photo by
Dr. Barbara Siegel
reachable, patient, friendly, profes-
sional, and open-minded. Be com-
mitted to the process and contact the
mentor frequently to ask for mentor-
ing sessions. The mentor can’t read
your mind or know your schedule
without asking. You should be open
minded to the fact there are many
different methods and techniques
involved in beekeeping. Most impor-
tantly, you should set aside any ego or
feelings of embarrassment and ask for
help when you need it!
Mentoring methods. Each men-
tor will have his/her own mentor-
ing styles and methods. For new
mentors that need a suggested start-
ing style I recommend the military
method of teaching consisting of the
“Crawl, Walk, Run” or “See One, Do
One, Teach One” method. The men-
tor would then ask the mentee ques-
tions on previously taught material
to see if previous lesson information
was retained. The mentor should also
send follow-up emails and text mes-
sages after each mentoring session
explaining what events occurred dur-
ing the mentoring sessions. The men-
tor should capture what training was
conducted and WHY each method or
event occurred during the session.
Component parts of the crawl, walk,
run teaching method are:
1. See one (crawl). The mentor ex-
plains and demonstrates the task. An
example might be to assemble a frame
and install foundation. The mentor
explains how to assemble the frame
and explains why they do or do not
use glue in the frame and if they use
a side bar nail. The mentor explains
the pros and cons of using glue. (Pros:
Stronger joints with both glue and
nails versus sufficiently strong joints
with nails and without glue. Cons:
Glue potentially introduces into the
hive unwanted chemicals that may be
part of the glue since some glues con-
tain formaldehyde.) The mentor must
fully explain WHY they are doing a
particular step of the task, so that the
mentee can get a better understand-
ing of the various techniques and
eventually make an informed deci-
sion on what they will do when they
assemble their own frames.
2. Do one (walk). The mentee then
performs the task that the mentor just
demonstrated, while explaining WHY
and how each step is performed. The
mentor observes and makes encour-
aging corrections to mistakes the
mentee makes. At no point should
the mentor use derogatory verbiage
with the mentee. The mentor should
American Bee Journal

Thong extracts his first honey crop.
Photo by Dr. Barbara Siegel
make necessary corrections and ex-
plain the reasons for the corrections,
so the mentee knows what the proper
technique is and why it is done in a
particular manner.
3. Teach one (run). The mentor has
the mentee demonstrate a previously
learned task that was taught in a pre-
vious mentoring session. If available,
the mentee teaches another person the
task in front of the mentor. The men-
tor again makes necessary corrections
in a positive, encouraging manner
while explaining why the task needs
to be done in a particular manner.
4. Follow-up correspondence. It is
important for the mentor to follow
up mentoring sessions with an email
or text message. The correspondence
should list all tasks and reasons why
each item was covered during the
mentoring session. The follow-up
correspondence serves as a replay
mechanism and historical record for
the mentee to review at their leisure.
The correspondence reinforces what
was covered during the session and
allows the mentee to review the les-
sons at will without the need to call
the mentor to talk about the lesson.
The mentor should include links to
useful websites, articles, or YouTube
videos that reinforce the topics cov-
ered during the mentoring session.
Mentoring topics and session
length. Mentoring can begin at any
September 2019
time during the calendar year. The
mentoring session length and fre-
quency are as much as both parties
agree to. They can last as long as both
participants can afford to spend time
together. Typical sessions last from
one to two hours and one to two times
a month, depending on weather and
daily life schedules. Mentoring can
begin without the mentee having bees
if the sessions take place in the men-
tor’s apiary. In a perfect world, the
mentor anticipates upcoming events
and structures sessions to correspond
with the beekeeping calendar.
mentoring session ideas include:
• Equipment assembly. Assemble
a hive body, assemble a frame,
install a full sheet of wax foun-
dation, cut and install a starter
foundation strip, cross-wire a
frame with wire or fishing line,
and embed crimp wire into foun-
dation.
• Colony inspection and manage-
ment. The mentor frequently in-
vites the mentee to the mentor’s
apiary when conducting routine
management inspections, which
may include testing and treating
for pests and diseases.
• Making Splits. The mentor
could teach the mentee how to
make a split and the reasons one
might employ the split method.
• Honey extraction. The mentor
may demonstrate a method of
honey extraction while explain-
ing why the mentor chooses to
use the demonstrated method.
• Winter hive preparations. The
mentor may demonstrate how to
make a candy-board or discuss
how much food stores the honey
bees need.
• Visit the mentee’s planned api-
ary site. The two could meet at
the mentee’s planned apiary site
and recommend where to locate
hives and explain the reason for
the recommendation.
Visit NCbeekeepers.org under the
Master Beekeeper Program section
for more suggestions on mentoring
session topics.
A good mentor program serves as
the foundational building blocks for a
new beekeeper. A structured, encour-
aging program arms new beekeepers
with the knowledge and confidence
they need to succeed in their beekeep-
ing journey. It provides a pool of future
knowledgeable mentor beekeepers to
pay forward the skills they learn in the
program. It also helps fill membership
ranks when word gets out that the
chapter has a good mentorship pro-
gram. Remember the adages: “Build it
and they will come,” and “Knowledge
is Power – SHARE IT!”
Darryl Gabritsch is a
North Carolina Bee-
keepers Association
Master Beekeeper and
lives in NC with his
family.
1049
1050 American Bee Journal
September 2019 1051
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1052 American Bee Journal

 Cool Chicory
By Charlotte Ekker Wiggins

I
was reviewing a list of beekeeping flowers are roughly 1.5” across with The entire chicory plant is edible.
benchmark plants with one of my up to 20 petals per flower. They open The domesticated varieties have a
students when she noted, quite in the morning and close by early af- thicker, more substantial root similar
wistfully, wouldn’t it be nice if we had ternoon. Each petal has a tiny fringe to a sugar beet. The Witloof chicories
a fall dandelion. like a scarf. are grown in the dark to produce Bel-
Actually we do. When the weather cooperates and gian or French Endive.
Common chicory, Cichorium intybus, the temperature is between 74F and Young plant leaves harvested in
is a perennial herb much like its cous- 86F, the sweet spot for nectar and pol- spring can be cooked like spinach.
in, the beekeeper’s darling dandelion, len production, pollinators including Early chicory roots can be boiled and
Taraxacum, both part of the Asteraceae honey bees and bumble bees will be all eaten with butter, but their most well-
plant family. Chicory is sometimes re- over the plants. As summer tempera- known use is as a coffee additive, or
ferred to as the “blue dandelion.” tures inch past the 86F mark, chicory, coffee substitute.
Now well established throughout like many other plants, stops enticing Although it does not contain caf-
North America, chicory was cultivat- pollinators with nectar production feine, chicory adds a chocolate-flavor
ed as early as 5,000 years ago by Egyp- and focuses energy on survival. to the bitterness of coffee beans.
tians as a medicinal plant. Northern
Europeans used it for animal forage
in the 17th century and there are refer-
ences to its use as a coffee additive in
colonial America.
It was also used as a coffee substi-
tute in France after Napoleon initiated
the “Continental Blockade” in 1808,
which deprived the French of most of
their coffee. I couldn’t help but think:
And the European colonists in 1767
thought they had it bad when the Brit-
ish were taxing their tea.
According to the U.S. Department
of Agriculture Research Service, chico-
ry reproduces by both seed and roots.
The plants have a long taproot similar
to dandelions that can punch through
clay and other tough soils. It can be
found along roadsides, grasslands,
fence rows and waste ground, prefer-
ring neutral or limestone soils, which
means it should be quite happy in my
Missouri limestone hillside garden.
It does not survive in cultivated
land.
Chicory starts blooming in May A honey bee visits a chicory flower in a Missouri field on a sunny day with tempera-
and continues until October. Chicory tures in low 80s. Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins

September 2019 1053

Roasted chicory root makes the coffee additive and substitute,
and can also be boiled. Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins
I had my first taste of chicory coffee when I was in New
Orleans where I was told beignets go hand in hand with a
cup of chicory coffee. Who was I to argue?
Young domesticated chicory leaves are offered in artisan lettuce
mixtures for salads, this one ready to eat with my favorite straw-
berry honey vinaigrette. Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins
Charlotte Ekker Wiggins is an advanced
master gardener and Missouri beekeeper.
She shares her gardening adventures at
gardeningcharlotte.com and beekeeping
stories at homesweetbees.com. Contact
Charlotte at chargardens@gmail.com.

CHICORY COFFEE
Courtesy of Lee Allen Peterson’s
Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants
and Jan Phillips Wild Edibles of Missouri
Collect midsummer; scrub and dry roots. Cut roots into
small pieces .
Roast in oven at 250F-300F for 4 or more hours until
dark brown and brittle. Grind as you would coffee beans.
Use roughly 1½ tsp ground chicory root for every cup
of water, or use equal parts chicory and coffee until you
find the blend to your liking.

Dadant & Sons, Inc., Hamilton, IL

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1054 American Bee Journal

 Hobby Gone Huge

by Sylvia Dekker
Dirk Schaap does a thorough assessment at a zucchini farm. The plants are covered with a plastic tunnel cover that is used for early
frost-free start in spring (first crop). It was removed soon after the photo was taken.

I
“ t was never the idea to grow to the vice, unless my dad doesn’t answer “One grower I got by accident. He
size I am now.” When he started his WhatsApp messages fast enough bought my old cube van and saw that
beekeeping with four nucs in because he’s got sticky fingers, of I was a beekeeper. They had their own
2000, Dirk Schaap wasn’t planning on course. hives at that time but had not much
growing to over 500 hives today. When I asked him how he got his success in keeping them alive. So he
According to him, it all happened pollination contracts in the first place, asked if I was interested in pollinating
by itself. My dad’s actual occupation he said he doesn’t really have polli- for them.”
is growing 7.5 acres of cut flowers in nation contracts. “Not written ones
South Western Ontario, Canada. anyways.” groW into it
So technically beekeeping is still his “I got into pollination by helping That year he supplied the grower
“hobby.” an older beekeeper out with hives he with four hives. Now they need over
Originally the focus was honey was short. He was starting to keep 250. “Farmers are expanding their
production. Now pollination is what less hives and I more.” acres and I grew along with them.
keeps him up at night and gets him up Ah, so it’s all in who you know. And This is how I got the amount of hives
early in the morning. With almost all sometimes, in who you don’t know. I have now.”
of Bear’s Treasure’s hives going out to
pollinate Norfolk County’s cherries,
apples, zucchini, strawberries, melons
and other horticultural crops, honey
has become a side product.
A bigger fan of honey than of get-
ting stung, my mother, Erika, has
become known in small town gro-
cery stores and bakeries as “the hon-
ey lady” when she delivers Bear’s
Treasure’s local liquid gold for their
shelves. She’s the bookkeeper for both
businesses and a very tolerant house-
keeper during extraction time when
the whole family is trooping — sticky,
sweaty and carrying the occasional
bee — through her spotless kitchen
and bathrooms.
Since I moved across the country
to British Columbia and started bee-
keeping myself, phone conversations
with my parents often turn to bees.
When I have a question, Google (sur- Children Marsha (left), Tim and Sylvia assist Dirk in making and nailing frames to-
prise!) is not my first source of ad- gether in their basement during one of the first years.

September 2019 1055


A more updated way of doing frames
with Ian (left), Tim and the youngest,
Cindy, on right. This was probably about
7 or 8 years ago.
But not everyone is chummy with
an aging beekeeper or has an old cube
van to sell. Way back before my par-
ents had Internet, my dad tried finding
pollination customers by drafting a let-
ter explaining who and what, finding
addresses of local farmers who might
need pollination services and drop-
ping them off in their mail boxes. He
gained one customer with this method.
“We only did that once and I think
it could be done more if you want
more customers.”
1056
Since this was before Google, “it
was harder to find the addresses. [It]
should be easier now. You could also
send emails to them now instead of a
letter.”
In my case, instead of trolling peo-
ple’s mailboxes, I found the only ci-
der orchard near to us and sent off an
email in the spring. They replied say-
ing they had their own hive. A week
later they emailed again: Their hive
had died so were we still interested in
supplying a hive ASAP? Yes!
I asked them to let me know when
and if they were going to spray their
trees so that we could get our bees out
beforehand. They weren’t planning
on spraying at all since they only had
one acre. However, most large fruit
and vegetable growers must use in-
secticides and fungicides to protect
the plants and fruits.
As a grower himself, my dad un-
derstands the necessity of plant pro-
tection and treatment and works with
the farmers as much as he can. With-
out contracts, he relies on a trust re-
lationship with them, and he believes
that “growers don’t want to spray the
bees because they do the work for
them.” He does keep an eye on the
number of dead bees in front of the
hives and will talk to the growers if
there are more dead than usual.
A more grown-up
Tim and his sister
Leah roll another
coat of paint on
fresh boxes in the
greenhouse barn.
This spring he noticed higher num-
bers of dead bees at a strawberry farm
but was put at ease upon talking to
the grower. The farmer had only ap-
plied one insecticide and, familiar
with horticultural pesticides, my dad
knew that it was not toxic to honey
bees. “There [was] an apple grower
close by and I think he was the cul-
prit.” Besides occasional similar situ-
ations, so far he has had no problems.
As he grew along with his trusted
growers, he started spending less and
less time inspecting each individual
hive. Unlike me with our actual hob-
by sized business, he never bothers
looking for the queen anymore: If
there are properly placed eggs he is a
happy keeper.
Swarm management has also be-
come a systematic process. Instead
of going through the entire hive
each time, he simply tips up the
brood boxes and checks the bottoms
for queen cells or cups. If there are
capped swarm cells he splits the hive
in two. If there are only swarm cups
he steals two to six frames of brood
out depending on bee populations.
From those he will make nucs and
either drop in a queen cell or let the
bees raise their own. Later he will ei-
ther combine nucs to make full hives
ready for pollination, or use them to
re-queen problem hives.
“Just basic beekeeping,” he says,
forever matter-of-fact. “[I] play a lot of
Robin Hood. Steal from the rich and
give to the poor hives.”
He feeds sugar syrup by the drum
in the fall and pollen patties in spring
by the pound. My family does one
big yearly honey harvest during the
first week of August each year and it
usually takes a week and a few days
from start to finish. My dad removes
the supers with my brother, delivers
them into the extraction room with a
tractor on pallets, and two of my sis-
ters extract all day to keep up.
Although hive management is more
of a systematic operation than when it
was still an actual hobby, he still loves
working with the bees; being out in
nature, constantly learning and, best
of all, bees don’t talk back.
Apparently his bees don’t mind a
little less babying: survival rates have
stayed the same on average.
There have been a few years with
massive losses, but he has always
bounced back in some way or anoth-
er. He believes varroa mites and pes-
ticide exposure in the environment
were to blame for the losses. He takes
varroa seriously and has tried sev-
American Bee Journal
eral treatment options to combat the
suckers. He has had good results with
Mite Away Quick Strips — and more
recently with Formic Pro — and cur-
rently applies them during the sum-
mer honey flow and uses Apivar in
the fall.
His advice for both recovering
losses and expanding: “Buy queens if
you are not completely wiped out.”
He splits aggressively to build up
numbers again, using mated queens
to speed up the process. Queen rear-
ing for his own use after the spring
buildup is a fairly new endeavor for
him as well. During rare years with
really bad losses when it was impos-
sible to recover numbers with what
was left, he purchased package bees,
nucs or full hives if he could find
them for sale.
Keeping records of all this activity
has become a simple system that does
not require the use of the notebook my
mom bought him, which now lives
under his truck seat. With all the mov-
ing, splitting and Robin Hooding, re-
membering it all and remembering to
write it all down between yards never
happened. Instead, he keeps a 6B pen-
cil in his bee suit and writes notes on
the hive lid metal. The soft graphite is
easy to write with and doesn’t wash
off with the rain. Throughout the sea-
son, he keeps a running list of dates
and notes on the lid, with everything
from “drone layer” to “took 5 frames”
to “2 honey supers.”
Besides the notes, he uses coloured
thumb tacks in the hive boxes as a
quick and visual yard assessment
aid. White and yellow tacks denote
the number of honey supers that
were taken from that particular hive;
red means the hive is “no good” —
a drone layer or it might have some
other issue; green means it’s a good
hive and more than one green means
excellent; and blue might mean he re-
cently put a new queen in. Hives may
have a combination of a red and blue
tack, or might have two yellow and a
green. When a red tack hive improves
with the addition of a new queen, for
example, the red and blue pins are re-
moved and replaced.
The coloured tacks make it easy to
see which hives in a yard need spe-
cial attention by checking which have
red pins, or hives with multiple green
tacks might be good candidates to
rear queens from. Combined with
the short, abbreviated lid notes it is a
quick simple system that works well
for my dad as on-the-go records, since
he is always running.
September 2019
Work smarter
For someone who does all the bee
work himself and has another busi-
ness besides, my dad says there are
not enough hours in a day.
“The only thing we can do is keep
plugging away at it.”
These are the last words a sore back
wants to hear. When asked, he said:
“Would I do things differently? Buy
the loader earlier to do the lifting.”
Purchasing the Ezyloader in 2015 was
the biggest and best upgrade since the
28 frame extractor in 2004, saving him
both hours and his back.
After the loader purchase he
adapted his setup and moving strat-
egy. Previously the hives were set up
four to a pallet with a stone or brick
weight. When it came time to move
them, he had to make an extra trip My mother, Erika, and Cindy work in the
prior to the night or morning of the yard.
move to secure the hive parts togeth-
er with ratchet straps and take off the over to this method he likes it a lot
weights. better than if he had to always tote
The hives are now grouped in pairs around stones. With this setup it is
on half pallets, strung up snug — pal- easy to move hives. No more dolly
let and all — with lengths of para-cord work, no more pre-move hive strap-
secured with slipknots, always ready ping, no more pallet hauling and no
to go. The slipknots are easy to loosen more stone weights.
and easy to retie, it doesn’t take extra The Ezyloader is mounted on a flat-
time at all. The knots are on the side bed 5500 diesel Ram, which can move
of the hive always facing outward. To 64 hives (without honey supers) in
open the hive he pulls one end which two hours, dramatically cutting down
loosens the knot ... he does his thing the time and effort that it used to take.
and then he restrings and ties. It’s not When I helped move hives by hand
a perfect system, he says — migra- via trailer it often took up to two
tory lids would be better but he has all hours and effort to load, move and
his lids already so right now it’s not unload 28 hives.
worth it for him to change. The Ezyloader, on the other hand,
Of course, everyone does things is self-levelling and can pick up a pair
their own way but since he’s switched of hives with very little effort. Plus, it
Dirk unloads hives at a strawberry farm. It’s much easier with the Ezyloader!
1057

Dirk grafts some queens for his own use.
handles hives with two or three honey
supers without complaint. There was
no way that was possible back when
he moved hives by hand with either
me or my brother because it was sim-
ply “way too heavy.”
Since his apiaries are spread across
multiple counties and cannot be visit-
ed often, good yards are essential. Ac-
cording to Pa, finding good bee yards
is as easy as searching for unused,
protected areas of farmland. “Ask the
farmer if you can put bees on his land.
I give them honey for it every year.”
He may leave his hives in the fields
if they aren’t in the way for the farmer
and if it is a good spot as well.
In my case, the brave rancher at the
cider orchard took the initiative. He
walked up through a cloud of bees
one day and, after I showed him the
queen, he offered his junkyard at the
back of the ranch for a bee yard if
we needed it. After we doubled our
hive count we took him up on the
offer and now have our second api-
ary there, surrounded by rusty farm
equipment and an extensive family of
unimpressed marmots.
In Southern Ontario, beeyard visi-
tors are limited to the occasional hun-
gry skunk and generally my dad
doesn’t worry about them. In BC’s
interior, black bears could become an
issue and we may have to put up a
double electric fence to keep the furry
marauders out. So far, both our back-
yard apiary and the junkyard yard
haven’t been sniffed out.
Theft is also rare but “there are
[bad] beekeepers too”: Twice my dad
has lost hives to thieves in years when
beehive losses were very high for ev-
eryone. They always seemed very
aware of which hives were good pick-
ings. One day, long before I moved, I
visited an apiary with my dad and he
told me the story of one of the stron-
gest hives there, which he recognized
by its strange lid. This hive was three
boxes high when thieves came to in-
vestigate.
“They dumped the top box, took
my lid (and left theirs) and the two
bottom boxes. I went to clean up the
mess they left and there was a cluster
of bees with the QUEEN! So I fixed it
up and now it’s still one of my stron-
gest colonies, gives me lots of honey
and look! Still alive!”
and find better ways to do things. The
bookshelves of my parents’ home
house titles from Langstroth, Doolit-
tle, Brother Adam and other old and
experienced beekeepers, plus there
are many great resources easily acces-
sible online to keep learning from.
For my dad, learning happened
as he grew, and as he grew he kept
learning. Some big takeaways from
nearly 20 years of growing from hob-
by to huge: “Don’t keep more hives
[than] you can handle. Don’t keep
more hives if there are no customers
to pollinate [for]. Grow into it. Work
smarter.”
And then, almost as an after-
thought: “Get the equipment to do
the lifting.”
Sylvia Dekker — De-
pending on the sea-
son, I am an alpine
smells and mountain
mornings lover, a bee-
keeper, a hunter that
shoots with a Canon,
and a woodburning
artist. Independent
of the season I write
about all that and beyond! You can find me
on Instagram @syl.dekker

Another sibling, Carla, poses at one of
the old shelves we used to stock product
at some grocery stores.
keep learning
Every winter, as the temperatures
drop and the wind howls, the green-
house barns are filled with the smell
of pine wood and paint. Freshly made
boxes, lids, inner covers and bottom
boards stand in tall stacks. During the
growing season, my dad is constantly
swapping out old hive ware with new
and because he seems to be growing
constantly, he often makes 100 of ev-
erything.
Frame assembly is and always has
been a family affair but our methods
and tools grew up with us and now
slapping together 1000 frames is no
big deal.
Winter is also a good time for re-
search. Ideas tend to hatch by the
dozen when work in the greenhouse
slows down. Like many other bee-
keepers, my dad likes to try new ideas

1058 American Bee Journal

 LOHMAN APIARIES
since 1946
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for Over-wintering and Honey Production
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6437 Wagner Road
ARBUCKLE, CALIFORNIA 95912
530-476-2322
Member of California Bee Breeders Association

September 2019 1059

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For information, pricing or ordering

call Eric (530) 228-3197

1060 American Bee Journal

Bumble bee on Callicarpa (beautyberry). Photo by Vincent Rash
Bee Underground
I
have always considered myself an
outdoors person, lover of all things
nature, with a curiosity in a variety
of disciplines including agriculture.
These were some of the many reasons
I was drawn to beekeeping. I have
been teaching children and adults
about pollination and bees. When
I walk into my children’s school, a
student invariably points to me and
says, “Hey, you’re the bee lady!” At
my job as an environmental educator,
my coworkers consider me the “bug”
lady. Little do all of these folks know,
I actually thought very little of “bugs”
until becoming a beekeeper.
At a state beekeepers meeting sev-
eral years ago, one of the guest speak-
ers was Phyllis Stiles, Bee City found-
er and pollinator champion. She made
the comment that honey bees were a
gateway insect, similar to the mon-
arch butterfly. I wholeheartedly agree
with her. After becoming a beekeeper
September 2019
myself, I began noticing all those in-
sects buzzing about my yard, on a
hike, near the creek bank, in high alti-
tude wilderness areas, on a sidewalk,
in town, in Central Park, New York
City. I gained a deeper understanding
of the food chain after learning more
about the world’s insect biomass. I be-
gan relating to these not-so-cuddly in-
vertebrates in a way I previously had
to mammals.
If you’re reading this article in the
American Bee Journal, chances are
you already have an interest and at
least some basic knowledge of honey
bees. They are an amazing creature.
Their sociality, superorganism status,
ability to be “managed” and, if we’re
lucky, provide some sweet returns,
make them a hot topic at dinner par-
ties. Although not a North American
native bee, I have known them to be
termed “naturalized” due to their
long duration and success here. What
Perdita minima
on female
carpenter bee.
Photo by
Stephen
Buchmann
by Laura G. ShieLdS
surprised me is that there are an es-
timated 20,000 species of bees world-
wide, with around 3,500 in the United
States alone.1 How did I never notice
this underground world of life that
can be found easily in a small space,
urban or wilderness?
Bees are classified as either gener-
alist or specialist depending on their
foraging behavior. Honey bees fall
into the generalist category because
they rely on a variety of floral sources
for nectar and pollen. Another really
amazing generalist bee is the Bombus
(bumble bee).
So overlooked, this lumbering,
buzzing bee is truly a wonder. There
are an estimated 263 species of bumble
bees worldwide.1 Bumble bees per-
form buzz pollination. This is a pro-
cess of getting the pollen of some hard
to reach floral sources by shaking it
out. I highly recommend that you go
to Google and search buzz pollination
pbs. A 3:32 minute long video dated
May 27, 2018, brilliantly displays the
bumble bee and buzz pollination. This
type of pollination is used for pota-
toes, tomatoes, blueberries and more.
As big and lumbering as the bumble
bee is, Perdita minima is the opposite.
The photo at left is of a Perdita minima
on the head of a carpenter bee. It can be
compared in size to Roosevelt’s nose
on a dime.2 This tiny creature is found
in the southwestern United States.
In my second year of beekeeping,
my husband and I put together a
homemade mason bee house based
on specs found in the North Carolina
State University Cooperative Exten-
sion publication “How To Raise And
1061

This Vibrating Bumblebee Unlocks a Flower’s Hidden Treasure
https://www.pbs.org/video/deep-look-bumblebee/
Manage Orchard Mason Bees For The
Home Garden,” by Stephan Bambara.
By having the nesting block, I was able
to observe the mason bee provisioning
the next generation, overwintering,
emerging, and repopulating the next
season. It was a wonderful tool for ob-
serving a different species of bee.
Articles, conferences and informal
conversations all have it — an under-
lying rift between the honey bee keep-
er and the native bee conservationists.
Whether you are in the “honey bee”
camp or the “native bee” camp, it
seems there is a constant battle. I am
neither an expert on honey bees, nor
an expert on native bees, but I over-
heard a comment in a hallway at a
beekeeping meeting. The unknown
speaker stated, “What’s good for the
honey bee is good for the native bee
and vice versa.” All bees are facing
pressures related to pesticide use,
1062
habitat loss and disease. It is my belief
that except in circumstances of food
scarcity along with high-density api-
aries, most of the bee species can live
harmoniously.
I am listing several resources that
have been a great help to me as I wade
through this magnificent and won-
derful world of bees. I am also listing
a few organizations that would wel-
come your help as a citizen scientist.
Who better than a beekeeper to be in
the right place, at the right time, to
help increase the data points available
for research on bees!
native bee resources and citizen
scientist Websites
(not an exhaustive list)
• “Our Native Bees” by Paige
Embry
• “BEES: An Identification and
Native Plant Forage Guide” by
Heather Holm
• Bee ID Guide: https://education.
eol.org/observer_cards/bee_
cards_print.pdf
• Xerces Society (xerces.org)
• The Great Sunflower Project
(greatsunflower.org)
• Bumble Bee Watch (bumble
beewatch.org)
I know there is more to learn about
just the honey bee and their manage-
ment than is possible in one lifetime.
However, I hope this short article
gives you a glimpse into the wider
world of bees and inspires you to an
awareness of the bee underground.
If you do keep your eyes and ears
open, you will be witnessing some-
thing most people in the world are too
busy to notice, admire and appreciate.
When you are away from your own
bees, just look around, you will find a
bee of some species, and you will feel
a warm connection to home.
1. Holm, Heather, BEES: An Identification
and Native Plant Forage Guide, Pollina-
tion Press LLC, Minnetonka, pg. 12, 78,
2017
2. Embry Paige, Our Native Bees, Timber
Press, Inc. Portland, pg. 14, 2018
Laura works part time as
an environmental educa-
tor at a local state park,
and also speaks to adult
and youth non-beekeeping
groups about pollination,
bees and beekeeping. She
is currently a NCSBA certi-
fied level beekeeper. She can be reached at
lauragshields@gmail.com.
American Bee Journal

MarketPlace
FOR SALE
1000 hives 10-frame two-story on 4-way pallets,
new outfit & queens, excellent condition, available
in May in California. (530) 671-6188.
Singles and Doubles in 8 frame equip. 50 hive
minimum purchase. Call for quantity and pric-
ing Jon (208)412-1092 or Sheila (208)863-0855
www.tvbees.com
Five frame NUCS for sale mid-April through Fall.
Price dependent on season and quantity of order.
Minimum order of 24 NUCS. No frame trade,
only return of our boxes. Call early to secure your
order. FOB Lewistown PA or Dade City, FL.
Please call W. Fisher Bee Farm for more infor-
mation. 1-800-736-6205. Ask for Aaron.
Cowen Heated top and bottom bar cleaner with
extra SS tub and hot water supply unit purchased
in 2009 less than 40 hours, asking $6000.00.
Item available for pickup in Lewistown, PA or
Dade City, Florida. For more information call
800-736-6205.
Singles for sale, delivery possible on orders over
200. For pricing and availability call: 800-736-6205.
2000 10-frame hives, new queens, on 4-way pal-
lets, very good equipment in FL. Now or after al-
monds in CA. Limited numbers of 4 and 5-frame
deep nucs. Also available in FL starting in March.
Call NOW!! (262) 689-1000.
Make your own Honey Sticks. Complete sys-
tem to start putting your honey in your own
sticks for pennies per stick. Keep the profits
for yourself. www.honeystickmachine.com
Strong, healthy 5 frame Nucs (deep or medium)
available in South Florida starting in April of
2018. Limited quantities of mated queens are also
available. Call Joseph at (561) 715-5715 to place
your order.
HONEY PRICE UPDATES. Call Honey Hot
Line. (763) 658-4193.
PACKAGED BEES AND 5-FRAME NUCS.
TAKING ORDERS NOW FOR 2018. CALL
(231) 735-1203.
For Sale: 200 5-frame nucs and 400 single hives
in Florida. (772) 633-1134.
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING-Net price $1.00 per word per insertion. Initials, letters as in street address, counted as individual words. No advertisement accepted for less than 10
words. Payable cash in advance. Blind Classified 10% additional. (A blind ad is one in which responses are addressed to the ABJ and then forwarded to the advertiser.) Extreme care
always is exercised in establishing the reliability of all advertisers, but the publishers do not guarantee advertisements. Orders close the 20th of the second month preceding cover
date. Send typed copy to : Advertising Dept., American Bee Journal, 51 S. 2nd St., Hamilton, IL 62341 or FAX to 217-847-3660 or e-mail to: abjads@dadant.com.
September 2019
American Bee Journal
PARSONS’ GOLD SOLUTION - The Only
Solution For Keeping Your Honey Bees
Healthy! Herbal Treatment Oil & Jelly
- Bee Grooming Stimulant - Train The
Bees To Do The Work - Healthy Bees
Year Round. No Negative Effects On
Bees, Queen, Wax or Honey. Business
(419) 273-3066; Cell (419) 235-7037.
www.parsonsgoldhoneybees.com #33
Treatment Loaded Syringe - $20.00
plus $8.00 S/H. Checks, Money Orders,
Credit Cards. Parsons’ Gold Apiaries,
c/o Robert B. Parsons, 2092 Twp. Rd.,
195, Forest, OH 45843.
For Sale – 3000 10-frame singles. 2015
queens, new equipment. Also, 5-frame
nucs available. Call Chris (941) 720-
6025.
Bobcat, Hummerbee and Superbee Trailers cus-
tom built. New S450 Bobcat’s, set up with masts
and fifth wheels complete. Fifth Wheels sold
separately. Used Bobcat’s bought, sold and trade-
ins welcome. Custom truck bodies and Custom
smoker boxes, all built by a beekeeper FOR bee-
keepers. www.tropictrailer.com - Eli Mendes
239-340-0484, eli@tropictrailer.com
5 frame Nucs, 10 frame single hives on four-way
pallets, doubles, and story and a half hives, avail-
able year round in large and small quantities. Lo-
cated in the Florida Panhandle. Call for pricing,
Ryan Faircloth 850-510-4627.
FOR SALE: Deep extracting supers, 9-frames per
super. (308) 470-0177.
5 Frame nucs in NorthEast Oklahoma. Available
Late April through Fall. No minimums. Taking
orders now for Spring 2019. www.RoarkAcres.
com Michael Roark (918)578-9201 nucs@
roarkacres.com
New Beekeepers Forklift Trailers: 8000 lb. torflex
axle, 17.5/16 ply tires, electric brakes, tilt bed, ex-
panded metal treads. $6,500.00 For photos E-mail:
gcamfab@yahoo.com 269-685-1000 (cell/text).
Top quality cut comb honey. Comb in the jar,
and extracted star thistle, basswood, Florida or-
ange and melaleuca free pepper honey. 10 frame
singles and 5 frame nuc’s available for almonds.
Call Larry at 231-735-1203 or email debbie@
hilbertshoney.com
New 700 --6 5/8 supers w/foundation, painted,
ready for bees. $30 each. (360) 263-2425.
West central North Dakota beekeeping opera-
tion. Currently running 4000 plus story and
a half colonies. All 6 5/8” honey supers. 9000
square foot warehouse with employee living
quarters. Cowen 120 system, Cook and Beals
spin float and heat exchanger. 120 plus regis-
tered North Dakota locations and California
almond contracts. Complete turn key opera-
tion with trucks, trailers, bobcats or partial
sale. All past production records available.
Contact phones: 701-938-4647 or 701-290-
0175. Email contact: bon@ndsupernet.com
2007 Freightliner truck, M2 Series, fully cus-
tomized with 25 ft bed, 4 mounted tool boxes,
two 80 gallon fuel tanks, good rubber, 480K
road miles. Price: $19,500. Photos available.
Downsizing. Call Ed 231-408-7485 or email:
edeisele@gmail.com
Commercial winter beehive storage $6/hive.
Located in central Utah. Close to interstate
freeways. 10 hours from Southern California.
Taking reservations 435-469-1673.
For Sale: Cook & Beals spin-float and heat ex-
changer. 2 – 80-frame extractors, 1- uncapper
– extended tank. 1 Myno pump. 2 – stainless
steel tanks and stands – 12 drums each. Call:
(308) 470-0177.
Partial ND honey company for sale. Contact:
BumblebeePalace76@outlook.com
For Sale: 165 6-5/8 supers with drawn comb,
in good condition. Also a Mann Lake steam
generator, like new! (701) 391-4703. Elgin, ND.
2000 medium depth supers, 1000 feeders with
wooden tops, 1000 cedar lids. 909-286-8288.
300 Winter cartons. Corrugated black plastic,
oversized for insulation. Will fit over 2 standard
hives sitting side by side. Will last for many years.
Located in Huron SD. 605-354-1664.
VARROA MITE THERMAL TREATMENT
kills phoretic mites AND those capped with the
brood, with 106F air and NO chemicals. The
Victor is a telescoping top with heater, thermo-
stat and fans to circulate the warm air through
out the brood super. The bees can tolerate the
heat, but the mites die in a three hour treatment.
The Victor is powered by your deep cycle 12v
battery so it can go anywhere, and be moved from
hive to hive. The Victor is $195 plus shipping,
and uses just $.08 of electricity per treatment.
WWW.GREENBEEHIVES.COM
The IPK SMALL HIVE BEETLE TRAP is a
bottom board with a special #6 screen that lets the
beetles fall through into a built-in tray of cooking
oil under the hive, but not the bees. Regular #8
screen bottoms do not have large enough openings
for SHB. Works in just a few days, not weeks.
WWW.GREENBEEHIVES.COM.
500 colonies in Northeast Georgia. Double deeps
on 4-way pallets in good condition. Bob Binnie
(706) 782-6722.
Bee forms (molding casts) for high density
polystyrene bee box. Forms include top, body,
and base. Formerly Bee Villa. Call Carsten
763-242-9928.
Profitable retail and wholesale honey
business for sale. Southeastern
US. Great family business. Over $1
million revenue. Extremely strong
demographics around retail store.
Over 16,700 average daily car count.
Over 63,000 households with over
$130,000 average income. Several
new wholesale accounts in queue.
Owner ill, must sell. Contact Joe
470-413-7628 or HoneyBizForSale@
gmail.com
1063
Due to owner’s health it is necessary to sell bee
equipment and supply store business. Located in
east-central WI. More info upon request. Write:
ABJ, Box 153, Hamilton, IL 62341.
For Sale: 800-gallon Mueller bulk tank with
3-year-old compressor. $1500.00. (269) 793-3306
or karenfifelski2016@gmail.com
For sale: 700 rim covers $4 each - some new
painted, some used dipped, also 110 new Shastina
assembled and painted 4 frame nuc boxes, $10
each in Michigan. Call Jim 616-550-8412.
100 double deeps on 4-way pallets (or bottoms)
good bees, $300 each. 208-756-2863.
HONEY FOR SALE
Excellent clover honey in drums and light beeswax
available. Mark Gilberts Apiaries, (608) 482-1988.
U.S. sweet clover, alfalfa, thistle mix, (9 drums of
black locust-limited supply), white honey, melter
honey, filtered, new drums, excellent honey- f.o.b.
several loads available. Produced by Baldwin
Apiaries, Darlington, WI (608) 776-3700.
Very nice looking & good tasting Nebraska
bottling honey. (402) 319-5125.
CLOVER – Buckwheat, Orange, Tupelo, and
Wildflower – pails or drums. PURE SWEET
HONEY FARM, 514 Commerce Parkway,
Verona, Wisconsin 53593. (608) 845-9601.
Clover, Basswood, Wildflower honey available in
pails and drums in WI. Great tasting! Light bees-
wax available. Call (262) 689-1000.
Honey and beeswax for sale. Clover, Orange
Blossom, Wildflower. Many varietals available.
Smitty Bee Honey (712) 748-4292.
QUALITY HONEY, barrels, your buckets.
Hollenbeck, Kirksville, Missouri. (660) 665-2542
evenings.
Premium Florida honeys for all your pack-
ing needs: gallberry, mangrove, pepper,
orange blossom, call Ed 231-408-7485 or Steve
239-896-0777, email: edeisele@gmail.com or
seisele007@gmail.com.
Premium Oregon meadowfoam, blackberry,
clover, alfalfa honey in drums. Prescott Honey
Farms. 541-977-8848.
Pure Hawaiian Wild Flower Honey from Ha-
makua Apiaries on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Minimum order is twelve 60# buckets. Addi-
tional Information at Hamakuabees.com or
808-982-7649.
17 Drums of 2019 Premium Orange Honey. F.O.B
Felda, FL 33930. Sold on first come basis, sam-
ples mailed at your request. Call or text 231-408-
7485 or email: edeisele@gmail.com.
55 Gallon Drums & Bulk Honey For Sale - NY/
PA Light Summer Honey & Fall Honey - FL
Orange Blossom & Saw Palmetto. Call The Bee-
keeper’s Daughter Plains, PA 386-383-4051 or
email bkdhoney@gmail.com
HONEY AND
BEESWAX WANTED
HONEY WANTED—Extracted or comb.
LEIGHTON’S HONEY, INC., 1203 Commerce
Ave. Haines City, Florida 33844. (863) 422-1773.
FAX (863) 421-2299
HONEY WANTED– all grades. Also, honey barrels
for sale. Contact Pure Sweet Honey Farm Inc., 514
Commerce Parkway, Verona, WI. (608) 845-9601.
HONEY PRICE UPDATES. Call Honey
Hot Line. (763) 658-4193.
ROYAL JELLY
BEST 100% PURE FRESH ROYAL JELLY.
$65.00 per kilo + shipping. HIGHEST PO-
TENCY. LOWEST PRICES guaranteed on large
orders. TOP QUALITY. Stakich, Inc. 248-642-
7023 X 301
1064
POLLEN
QUALITY, CLEAN, LOW MOISTURE POL-
LEN $5.90/lb. Min. 10 lbs. + shipping. LOW-
EST PRICES guaranteed for large orders.
Stakich, Inc. Phone 248-642-7023 X 301
Irradiated fresh pollen guaranteed from Cali-
fornia. We have irradiated fresh bee pollen for
sale. For inquiries or to place an order, please
email us at: backroadbeekeeping@gmail.com,
or call 916-716-0302. You can also visit us at
our website at backroadbeekeeping.com
Fresh California pollen. Spring blend of wild-
flowers. Selling in bulk and shipping available
to 50 states. Cleaned, dried and frozen or raw.
Call for pricing (916) 956-8869.
PROBIOTICS
ApiBiotics - Probiotics for Bees with Prebiot-
ics -Promotes healthy immune system -Increase
beneficial bacteria in bees -Strengthens intestinal
microflora Aztalia Apiary, W5884 Church Road,
Johnson Creek, WI. 53038-9736 (920) 204-3102
info@aztalia.com
POLLINATION
Bees wanted for the Almonds. Art Harris, 6301
Victor St. #63, Bakersfield, CA 93308 (661) 444-
1470.
Almond Pollination 2020. Wintering yards with
full service maintenance, feeding and medication.
Self-service bee yards available. We have trucks,
forklifts and crew to place hives in orchard. You
are paid 50% on February 25th and 50% April
20th. Visit: www.almondbeepollination.com
for more details. California Almond
Pollination Service, Inc. (209) 202-8915 E Mail:
steve@almondbee.buzz
Need help unloading/loading beehives during
Almond Pollination 2020 in the Central Valley?
We have yards to store your honeybees. 10 yrs
exp. Miguel 559-313-6038.
BEES AND QUEENS
JERRY FOSTER QUEENS quality Carniolan and
hybrid Italian queens at competitive prices. Nucs
and packages also. Jerry Foster Apiaries, 937 9th
St., Colusa, CA 95932. Phone (530) 458-4234.
Pacific Northwest mated queens. Orders of 50
or more only. Availability May through July.
Call for pricing Jon (208)412-1092 or Sheila
(208)863-0855 www.tvbees.com
QUALITY QUEENS from HAWAII, available
year round. Call KARRUS QUEENS (808)
854-5308.
3 lb Packages Bees for sale, for pick up in
Wisconsin. Contact: Mark Gilberts Apiaries 608-
482-1988.
Doubles, singles, brood for sale
year round. FOB Jan-April, Oak-
dale, CA. April-Dec., Milton Freewa-
ter, OR. Queens less than 6 months,
great equipment. Ryan@sweetbee
honeyco.com (360) 907-0842. $5k min.
purchase.
2019 Early-bird pricing–School House Bees.
Italian & Russian-hybrid pkg bees & queens:
P/U–KY ship-midwest. 5-Frame Nucs, Single &
Double Hives P/U–KY. Pails of Spille’s honey all
year. www.schoolhousebees.com (859) 356-1350.
WILD SURVIVOR BREEDER QUEENS
NW Feral Stock - Hardy - Hygienic
Mite Tolerant - Disease Resistant.
– OLYMPIC WILDERNESS APIARY
Isolated Yards – (360) 928-3125. www.
wildernessbees.com
NUCS & QUEENS – shipping available.
NorthFloridaBees@mail.com (850) 661-
8077
A & W Enterprises, Northern California Queen’s.
Now taking orders for Queens, competitive pric-
ing, Mated Italians and Carniolan Queens. Order
100 Queens or more and get special pricing. All
orders shipped next day UPS, pick-ups are wel-
come. Call for pricing - Dave @208-861-8303 All
orders email to BeesAWenterprise@gmail.com
for confirmation.
Northern California Queens – Good Quality
Bred Italians. Call Jake: (530) 517-0359.
WANTED
Honey and Beeswax wanted. All colors and
varietals. Send samples or call Smitty Bee Honey
(712) 748-4292.
Beekeeper w/bees needed for 2019 North
Dakota Honey Season. Serious inquiries only.
Contact: BumblebeePalace76@outlook.com
(701) 928-1420
HELP WANTED
Full time position available in Oregon. Bee-
keeping experience and CDL required. Contact
Ryan@sweetbeehoneyco.com PO Box 558,
Milton Freewater, OR 97862 (360)907-0842.
Seasonal and full-time help needed at our migratory
bee operation. We are located in FL and WI. We
do pollination, queen rearing and honey production.
Some experience preferred, team environment,
wages dependent on experience, good opportunity
or advancement. Prior work history and references
required. Contact Gary at (262) 689-1000.
Olivarez Honey Bees/Big Island Queens is seek-
ing motivated beekeepers to join our Hawaii
team! Experience preferred. Self-motivator and
ability to work in a team environment a plus. Po-
sitions are full time, salary based on experience.
Great Benefits Package. Prior work history and
references required. Advancement opportunities
available. Submit resume to info@ohbees.com
or Olivarez Honey Bees Inc/Big Island Queens,
P O Box 847 Orland Ca 95963, Fax: 530-865-
5570, Phone 530-865-0298
Full time and seasonal positions available in Or-
egon. Beekeeping experience preferred. Contact:
prescotthoneyfarms@live.com (541)977-8848.
EXPERT QUEEN RAISER/BREEDER
NEEDED! SHORT TERM/LONG TERM
OPTIONS. Flowing Gold Apiaries -
Jeff: 916-586-0880.
BOOKS
Anthony Udchitz. A Synopsis of the
Pathology of the European Honey Bee (Apis
mellifera L.) in Canada and the United States of
America ISBN: 9780463757185. Available from
www.Smashwords.com U.S.D.$34.99.
MISCELLANEOUS
The AMERICAN BEEKEEPING FEDERA-
TION has many benefits to offer its mem-
bers. Send for a membership packet of
information today! We also offer a free Beginning
Beekeeping Packet. Contact the AMERICAN
BEEKEEPING FEDERATION, 3525 Piedmont
Rd. NE, Bld. 5. Suite 300, Atlanta, GA 30305-
1509, Phone (404) 760-2875, Fax 404-240-0998, or
email info@abfnet.org.
PERIODICALS
L’ABEILLE DE FRANCE—The most impor-
tant of the monthly publications in France - for all
beekeepers, from the amateurs to the professional.
Each month: an article for beginners, reports from
specialists, a review of the latest information all
over the world. Ask for a sample Annual subscrip-
tion: 40$ US. ABEILLE DE FRANCE- 5, rue du
Copenhague-F 75008 PARIS.
American Bee Journal
THE AUSTRALASIAN BEEKEEPER— SOUTH AFRICAN BEE JOURNAL – The
Senior Beekeeping Journal of the South- official magazine of the South African Bee
ern Hemisphere. Complete coverage of all Industry Organization (SABIO). Published
beekeeping topics in one of the world’s largest quarterly in English, with Afrikaans articles, on
beekeeping countries. Published by Pender the South African Honeybee sub-species of Cape
Beekeeping Supplies Pty. Ltd., “Bilga” 79 Bees and African bees. For enquiries send to
Naylor Road, Urila, N.S.W. 2620, Australia. info@sabio.org.za or refer www.sabio.org.za
Annual subscription paid in advance $160 AUD.
ULADAG BEE JOURNAL - Publication of
THE AUSTRALIAN BEE JOURNAL— Uludag Beekeeping Association, published
Caters to both amateur and commercial quarterly in Turkish (with English titles
apiarists. Subscription $120.00 Australian and summaries of all articles) and Eng-
currently for all overseas subscribers per annum. lish in all aspects of beekeeping; beekeep-
Published monthly. Victorian Apiarists’ ing news, practical beekeeping, and research
Association, Inc., P.O. Box 40, California Gully,Vic. articles, and considered a link between Turkish
Australia 3556 Ph: 03 5446 1543, Email:
beekeeping and the world. Gazcilar Cad. No. 9/2
vaa@vicbeekeepers.com.au.
16220 Bursa-TURKEY Fax:+90 224 224 3964
BEECRAFT The UK’s leading monthly beekeep- http://www.uludagaricilik.org.tr
ing magazine. View a digital copy and subscribe on
line at www.bee-craft.com.
DIE BIENE – ALLGEMEINE DEUTSCHE
IMKERZEITUNG (ADIZ) – IMKERFREUND
The Bee magazines with special publications in bee
science and management for the hobbyist as well
as for the sideliner and professional beekeeper.
Three regional titles but same content today for
Germany except partly Imkerfreund for Bavaria.
Monthly publications with 64 pages. Subscription
Euro 44.50 per year – Deutscher Landwirtschafts-
verlag GmbH, Postfach 870324, 13162 Berlin, Tel.
+49(0)30/293974-87, Fax +49(0) 30/293974-59,
www.diebiene.de
HIVELIGHTS, National magazine of
the Canadian Honey Council. Published
quarterly. Free sample on request, write to
Canadian Honey Council, Suite 236, 234-5149
Country Hills Blvd. NW, Calgary AB T3A 5K8,
CANADA. Subscription information available at
www.honeycouncil.ca.
HONEYBEE NEWS, The Journal of the New
South Wales Apiarists’ Association, Inc., Inter-
national Subscription AUS$50.00 (Airmail) Bank
Draft, Visa or MasterCard payable to NSW AA.
Published bi-monthly—For more information
contact: The Editor, PO Box 352, Leichhardt
NSW 2040 Australia. E-mail: honeybee@
accsoft.com.au
IBRA (the International Bee Research
Association) is a unique organization established
in 1949 for the advancement of bee science and
beekeeping. It publishes two magazines: JAR – the
Journal of Apiculture Research, for scientists, and
BW - Bee World, for beekeepers who want broaden
their horizons by learning about other beekeeping
traditions, other bees, other ideas. Members chose
which magazine(s) to include in their membership.
IBRA is a vital bridge between the local (hive)
and global concerns. IBRA is registered under UK
charity law (Office: 91 Brinsea Road, Congresbury,
Bristol, BS49 5JJ, UK) www.ibrabee.org.uk
IRISH BEEKEEPING—Read An Beachaire
(The Irish Beekeeper). Published monthly. Sub-
scription $50.00 per annum post free. Dermot
O’Flaherty, Journal Manager, Rosbeg, Westport,
Co. Mayo, Ireland
ATTENTION LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS—
Ranch Magazine is your monthly information
guide for Angora, Cashmere and meat goats, as
well as sheep and cattle. Comprehensive Breeder
Directory. 1-Yr $27, 2-Yrs $54. Foreign &
Canada add $36 per yr. postage. Subscribe today!
Box 2678-ABJ, San Angelo, TX 76902. Call for
free sample. (325) 655-4434
THE SCOTTISH BEEKEEPER—Monthly Maga-
zine of the Scottish Beekeeper’s Association. Inter-
national in appeal, Scottish in character. View back
numbers and Subscription rates at: http://scottish
beekeepers.org.uk

September 2019 1065


A.N. Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1059
A & G Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1020
A & O Forklift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 956
Acorn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 979
Almond Bee Pollination. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1060
American Bee Journal . . . . . . . . . . . 974, 1051
American Honey Producers . . . . . . . . . . . 1040
Andy Miksa Honey Farm. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1060
Arizona State University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 974
Ashbots.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1066
Balbach - Bees for Sale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 995
Barkman’s Honey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1001
Bastin Honey Bee Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1049
BeeCulture.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 989
Bee Excellent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 962
BeeInformed.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1059
Beekeepingins.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1066
Beeline Apiaries & Woodenware . . . . . . 1032
Beelite Wax Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1062
Bee Smart Designs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1066
Betterbee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1002
Blue Ridge Honey Company . . . . . . . . . . . 995
Blue Sky Bee Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 960
Bordelon Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1062
Brand New Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . 1065
Brown Honey Co. Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1060
Browning Cut Stock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1060
Brumley Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1059
Bucko Glove’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1046
Buzz’s Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1021
California Almond Pollination. . . . . . . . . 1016
CC Pollen Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1060
Complete Bee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1051
Contract Pros Mfg.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1050
Cook & Beals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 962
Cowen Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1040
Dadant & Sons, Inc. . . . . . . . . 957, 1054, 1065,
& Back Cover
Dakota Gunness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1011
1066
Advertising Index
Easy-On Hive Covers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1033
Ernst Seeds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1054
Gardner’s Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1052
Globalpatties.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 998
Glorybee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1008
Groteguth Queens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1051
Hardeman Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1022
Hawaiian Queen Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1060
Heilyser Technology Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1006
Heitkams Honey Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1050
Hilbert’s Honey Bees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 988
Hogg Halfcomb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1006
Honey B Healthy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1006
Honeyflow.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1039
Horace Bell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1006, 1052
JJ’s Honey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 988
Kelley Beekeeping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 997
Koehnen, C.F. & Sons, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . 1034
Kona Queen Hawaii. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 963
Lamb’s Honey Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1050
Lassen Queen Bee Company, The . . . . . . 1059
Lohman Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1059
M & N Apiary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1046
Mann Lake Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 958, 1007
Maxant Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1059
Meyers, A.H. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1021
Miller Bee Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1008
Misco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 974
Mother Lode Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1034
Nod Apiary Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 990
Old Sol Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1006
Olivarez Honey Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 988
OxaVap.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1040
Park-Burris Queens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 995
Pendell’s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1065
Pierco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 980
Plastic Packaging Concept. . . . . . . . . . . . 1006
Powell Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1006
Princeton University Press. . . . . . . . . . . . 1051
Queen Right Colonies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1001
QSI Honey and Food Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . 1052
R.M. Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1046
Roberts Bee Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 964
Rockbridgetrees.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1065
Ross Rounds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1012
Rossman Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1022
Sanders Honey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1020
Selby Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1016
Shastina Millwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 996
Sherriff, B.J. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1058
Simpson’s Bee Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1001
South Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 995
South Georgia Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1006
Spell Bee Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1052
Stan’s Pure Honey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1052
Strachan Apiaries Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1050
Stong Microbials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1005
Suhre, Adam Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1033
Suhre, E. Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1060
Superior Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1046
Swienty Beekeeping Equipment . . . . . . . 1059
Taber’s Honey Bee Genetics . . . . . . . . . . 1046
Texas Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1059
TheBApp.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 976
T.R.S. Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1039
Vidalia Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1040
VP Queen Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1011
Weaver, R. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1058
Western Bee Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 954
Wicwas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 975
Wilbanks Apiaries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1032
Wintersun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1006
Wooten’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1012
Z’s Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1011
American Bee Journal
March 2018 1067
1068 American Bee Journal