The Buzz Newsletter

May 2008

 

 

Page 8

Hello From Your Apiarist

The sun is shining through my small window on what is proving to be a really nice day.  We’re having more and more of these as spring is finally beginning to show itself.  I hope that your surviving bees are coming into spring with strength.  I hope that your new colonies are accepting their new queens and getting off to a good start. 

It has been a really good, really busy month around here.  The inspectors and I have been getting a start on the season’s work.  I’ve had the opportunity to get around and meet a lot of you at a number of local meetings. The apiary registrations continue to flow in.  I’m excited to get the numbers and stats for this year.  The Central Iowa Honey Producers held their beekeeping auction and brought a good crowd on a chilly morning. Here at the lab, we are starting up a number of hives for use in hands-on beekeeping schools.    

And recently, Dr. Diana Cox-Foster came to ISU to present current work and progress being accomplished on Colony Collapse Disorder.  Dr. Cox-Foster came to us from Penn State University.  She has been a central figure since the very beginning in the network of effort towards finding answers related to CCD.  Dr. Cox-Foster gave two talks in which she outlined what CCD is, what has been done, and what still is to be resolved.  Without going into much detail here, she reported that CCD is the bees’ response to what most-likely is a combination of triggers.  What causes CCD is still to be determined.  Researchers have pinned down a combination of four bee viruses that together can be considered a “marker” of CCD.  Interestingly, a colony can withstand the presence of any of the individual viruses without collapsing, but if the combination of these viruses exists the colony will certainly collapse.  Researchers believe that CCD is related to this viral presence along with the addition of some undetermined “something”.  This “something” seems to stress the colony in such a way that it becomes susceptible to the viruses and ultimately collapses.

See www.ento.psu.edu/MAAREC/ColonyCollapseDisorder.html for more detailed information from the CCD working group.

Her “practical” recommendations to beekeepers were somewhat vague – which, of course, is understandable because we still don’t know exactly what is the cause of CCD.  For now, she is encouraging beekeepers to avoid making splits into “dead-out” equipment.  She discourages the re-use of equipment which previously contained a suspected CCD event – she encourages the storage of post-CCD equipment until more is understood.  She discouraged beekeepers from moving frames of bees from one hive to another to supplement weak colonies She recommends use of Fumagillin and Terramycin to keep colonies stronger and healthier (even though Nosema and Foul Brood aren’t thought to be causes of CCD).  She also recommends the use of “softer” chemical treatments for Varroa and the avoidance of Oxalic Acid.  

Currently, I’m in the process of “closing” the Apiary Registry for this season.  Each year, there must be a date set as a cut-off for registration.  This is done in order to provide a concrete list of apiary locations across the state to pesticide applicators in order to minimize bee losses due to the chemicals.  Typically, the registry deadline is April 1st.  This year I extended the deadline to April 30th in order to include as many beekeepers’ entries as possible.  Now it’s time for me to provide the registry list to the applicators.  In addition to this “hard copy”, applicators have access to the online registry.  I’d like to continue to encourage Apiary Registration even now, post-deadline.  Your beeyard locations will continue to be added to the online registry and may still be protected.

Finally, enjoy your bees as you perform your spring maintenance and feeding.

Andy

Featured Beekeeper of the Month

Our featured beekeeper this month is Noah Taylor. He and his parents, Dan and Ila Jean Taylor, as well as his sister live on a farm north of Minburn. Their address is 17024 N Ave., Bouton, Iowa. The Taylor family raises livestock and grain and use many conservation practices on their farm. Noah says they work and play hard together. Noah attends Adel-DeSotto-Minburn Community School and is in the 7th grade in Adel. His activities include band, jazz band, baseball, football, G.A.T.E., Knowledge Bowl, and Tech Fair. His hobbies include baseball and beekeeping. Noah is a member of the Beaver Jr. Farmers 4-H Club in Dallas County. His projects include beef, swine, conservation, woodworking, welding, home improvement, home grounds and beekeeping. He says, “I have my sights on attending Iowa State University majoring in agriculture!”

His answer to the question about any interesting beekeeping experiences is, “It is hard to show cattle at the fair when you get stung on your hand and it swells up!”

Curt Bronnenberg is Noah’s mentor. This is what Noah says about his experience with this project. “I’ve learned so much I don’t know where to begin. Before I received my training and hive I knew very little about bees. I did know that farmers needed bees. Seeing the exhibits at the State Fair and Clay County Fair inspired me to learn and have a hive to care for. I took my training at Winterset with Pat Randol. I have found beekeeping fun and interesting.” Noah was also able to help the Iowa Honey Producers at the State Fair. He plans to manage hi s hive and increase his numbers slowly. He would also like to bring an exhibit to the Iowa State Fair. That sounds like an excellent idea.

In closing Noah writes, “I would like to thank the Iowa Honey Producers Association, Curt Bronnenberg, Pat Randol, and Lee Heine for offering this scholarship, education, mentoring and the bees. Myself, family and many friends have enjoyed the bees and all we have learned!”

Thank you for your story Noah.
Submitted by Ron Wehr