The Buzz Newsletter

July 2006

 

 

AHB in Kansas
By Bob Harrison

I was asked to make a few comments on the recent announcement of AHB expected to arrive in Kansas before long.

The first point I would like to make is the news media will not be our friend if a stinging incident happens.

A couple weeks ago beekeepers in the Kansas City area saw first hand the channel five media response to a bee incident. I had returned from the bee yards for supper and turned on the news on channel five. Thousands of stinging bees was the announcement. The channel five helicopter was hovering above a high school soccer field with camera on the swarm. The field day had been cancelled and the students sent home.

The above was the entire story presented in the half-hour segment.

I returned to the bee yards but called home later to get the rest of the story. My wife said the news media had got the story wrong. Not a single person was stung and was only a common swarm. A lady beekeeper had arrived and hived the swarm. The field day had been needlessly canceled.

Beekeepers are always called to solve the problem. Beekeepers will be called to solve an AHB problem also.

Which brings me to a CNN segment from Miami, Florida last month. The segment said three million bees in a house wall. The segment showed the bees. I have removed plenty of bees from buildings and I doubt over 30,000. The segment showed a beekeeper removing the swarm easily without protection in an area of AHB infestation. Although the bees were obviously not AHB you can see the problem with letting the public think the average person can remove bees from building in an area of AHB without protection.

The state of Florida is passing a law to prevent the removal of feral swarms without AHB training.

In short we have tried for years to put forth the image of the honeybee as easy to handle and getting a bad rap from other stinging insects such as hornets and yellow jackets. True in many cases but the AHB is causing some serious problems in populated areas. I believe AHB incidents in Kansas will be rare but will happen from time to time.

The solution in my opinion is to try and control the media as much as possible with correct information and to inform the public to always use caution with feral swarms.

AHB is low on my list of beekeeping problems. If I get a “hot” hive I will simply kill the hive and toss on the truck. A simple method is a handful of paradichlorobenzene and plugging the entrance. You can pick up the hive next trip if you like, as you will not have to worry about wax moths getting the dead out.

Requeening AHB is not cost effective in my opinion. If you should want to try requeeening the Texas Beekeepers suggest you kill the queen (or queens) and split the hive into three nucs.

The question in my opinion is not “if” AHB will come to Kansas, but when.
—-
Reprinted from the June 2006 issue of ‘Cappings’, the Kansas Honey Producers Association newsletter.

 

BANANA SMOOTHIE

2 bananas
1 c. plain yogurt
1 c. orange juice
4 tsp. honey

Put all ingredients together in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses (pour over ice or refrigerate for 1/2 hour for a cold smoothie). Makes 2 glasses. A delicious, easy summer cooler for children to make and enjoy.

Recipe from cooks.com

 

ORANGE INN SMOOTHIE

1 ripe banana
1/2 c. strawberries, hulled
1/4 c. dates, pitted
1 tbsp. bee pollen (optional)
2 tbsp. honey
1 c. orange juice, chilled
1 c. crushed ice

Blend bananas, strawberries, and dates in blender until smooth. Mix bee pollen and honey, then orange juice and crushed ice, mixing until well blended. Serve at once. Makes 1 jumbo serving.

Recipe from cooks.com