From MAILER-DAEMON Sat Feb 28 11:04:14 2009 Return-Path: <> X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.1.8 (2007-02-13) on industrial X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-82.0 required=2.4 tests=ADVANCE_FEE_1,ADVANCE_FEE_2, ADVANCE_FEE_3,AWL,MAILTO_TO_SPAM_ADDR,MILLION_USD,NO_OBLIGATION,SPF_HELO_PASS, USER_IN_WHITELIST autolearn=disabled version=3.1.8 X-Original-To: adamf@IBIBLIO.ORG Delivered-To: adamf@IBIBLIO.ORG Received: from listserv.albany.edu (unknown [169.226.1.24]) by metalab.unc.edu (Postfix) with ESMTP id CF286483B4 for ; Sat, 28 Feb 2009 11:03:36 -0500 (EST) Received: from listserv.albany.edu (listserv.albany.edu [169.226.1.24]) by listserv.albany.edu (8.13.8/8.13.8) with ESMTP id n1SG3YWL017258 for ; Sat, 28 Feb 2009 11:03:36 -0500 (EST) Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2009 11:03:35 -0500 From: "University at Albany LISTSERV Server (14.5)" Subject: File: "BEE-L LOG0808C" To: adamf@IBIBLIO.ORG Message-ID: Content-Length: 106837 Lines: 2322 ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:37:10 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: DAVID ADAMS Subject: Re: 10 or 8 frames boxes? Comments: To: james fischer In-Reply-To: <001f01c8fd7b$df006950$0201000a@j> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I have never ran 8 frame equipment but anyone I know that has always claims the bees build faster and do better.And I must say I know 2 different guys running it. When honey crops are not that good, they always have better ones than the rest of us around the same area. Maybe there just better beekeepers ,or maybe it's the 8 frame equipment.One is about 1200 hives the other about 1500. Just food for thought. **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:48:19 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: "=?windows-1252?Q?J._Waggle?=" Subject: Italian honey smuggled across the border into Switzerland Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Hello, I am seeking a story 'in its entirety' printed previously including credits, about the Swiss beekeeper who smuggled 200 pounds of Italian honey across the border into Switzerland. As the story goes, he had an Italian beekeeper place his honey near the border. The Swiss beekeeper took his own beehives and set them about 1,000 yards away. The bees went straight for the available honey and took it back across the border to their hive. The story appears in these publications: 1919 - Bee World page 44 1924 - Scottish Beekeeper Page 12 1924 - Science Digest Page 10 A Scan, PDF, or typed. ======== Also seeking: According to the book by Zakaria Erzinclioglu, ’Maggots, Murder, and Men; Memories and Reflections of a Forensic Entomologist. The North Vietnamese used bees as weapons, calculating that it would take 100 bee stings to kill an American soldier. I am seeking any written records related to the above. Thanks in advance! naturebee@yahoo.com Joe http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/HistoricalHoneybeeArticles/ **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2008 02:42:10 GMT Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: "deknow@netzero.net" Subject: Asian Longhorn Beetle experience? Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Disposition: inline Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit hi everyone, i haven't looked closely at this issue before, but we are told that the asian longhorn beetle is in our area...at least a small part of our area. the local paper has reported a plan to spray with merit (imidacloprid) with no specific details. there is a meeting with the city to discuss this, and there is great concern among the beekeepers i have spoken to who have bees in the area. i don't have the time to do the research i'd like to do, as i will be out of town for a few days without net access, but thought there might be some experience here. 1. has anyone had experience (good or bad) with this, or any other control/abatement efforts for this particular pest? 2. does anyone have any specific suggestions? 3. i'm curious as to what the treatment plan/methodology is for citrus greening...as my recolection is that this was the only situation where the penn state team had found neonics in the hives....i'd like to be prepared if a similar scheme is proposed in our area. please note that i don't believe that such a program would necessarily put bees in harms way, but want to make sure that the panic over this pest doesn't result in overzealous/offlabel/dangerous uses. thanks for the help! deknow **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2008 09:56:35 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Bob Darrell Subject: Re: Asian Longhorn Beetle experience? In-Reply-To: <20080815.224210.27566.0@webmail12.dca.untd.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v753) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed On 16-Aug-08, at 2:42 AM, deknow@netzero.net wrote: > > > i haven't looked closely at this issue before, but we are told that > the asian longhorn beetle is in our area...at least a small part of > our area. > > Hi Deknow and all Asian Longhorn Beetles were found several years ago in the northwest corner of Toronto Ontario. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has been dealing with the problem. I am not aware of any spraying but they have been removing trees near infected trees. www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/pestrava/anogla/situatione.shtml Bob Darrell Caledon Ontario Canada 44N80W **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 17 Aug 2008 10:19:18 -0700 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: C Hooper Subject: Honey Has =?UTF-8?Q?=E2=80=98Protective_Role=E2=80=99?= Against Posto perative Adhesions Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Honey Has ‘Protective Role’ Against Postoperative Adhesions Effect of Honey on Intestinal Morphology, Intraabdominal Adhesions and Anastomotic Healing Phytotherapy Research, Published Online: 11 Aug 2008 http://apitherapy.blogspot.com/2008/08/honey-has-protective-role-against.html Abstract: In the present study, attempts have been made to determine the effects of honey on intestinal morphology, postoperative adhesions, and the healing of colonic anastomoses in the rats after colonic resection and anastomosis… **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 17 Aug 2008 10:21:28 -0700 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: C Hooper Subject: Propolis Protects Against Early Phase of Colon Cancer Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Propolis Protects Against Early Phase of Colon Cancer Aqueous and Ethanolic Extract Fractions from the Brazilian Propolis Suppress Azoxymethane-Induced Aberrant Crypt Foci in Rats Oncol Rep, 2008 Sep;20(3):493-9. http://apitherapy.blogspot.com/2008/08/propolis-protects-against-early-phase.html Abstract: We investigated the effects of the two fractions, aqueous (AEP) and ethanolic extracts of propolis (EEP) of the Brazilian propolis on azoxymethane (AOM)-induced aberrant crypt foci (ACF)… **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 17 Aug 2008 16:51:15 -0500 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: John & Christy Horton Subject: Jenter cap Help MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit If anybody out there uses a jenter, and you lose the liittle round cap that goes on the queen cage, I found a gallon water jug(like a milk jug-brand name "Crystal Spring'") that has a top that fits perfectly in the hole-if you cut off the outer ring. I seem to misplace mine easily, so it is nice to have backups available John Horton **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:43:10 +0800 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Peter Detchon Subject: Re: 10 or 8 frames boxes? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; reply-type=response Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit OK as the 3rd of the "musketeers", I should also respond. Geoff"s comments are right on the mark Yes both 8's and 10's are used in Western Australia by both commercials and hobbyists, more 10's than 8's. Reasons? Some just kept expanding what they started with, some made the choice. Those that chose weight as the reason for using 8's were misguided in my view. They are still bloody heavy when full...~34/35kg as opposed to ~39/40kg for a 10 framer! But as Jim will endorse, they are easier to carry because the centre of gravity is closer to your body. However as our Occupational Health and Safety people will say, noone should be carrying them (its actually illegal, 16kg is the limit I'm told). So for newbees following this debate, get wise early...do as Bob recommends and fit hand hold cleats to all your boxes, AND invest in lifting equipment that will enable you to mechanically super up and take honey from your hives. Then it won't matter how big and heavy they are. Your hands and back will not be damaged as a consequence of doing the work. As regards wild hives having only 8 combs....I have certainly seen some very large colonies with very long combs in the open (up to 6ft long!) which had only 8 combs, the outer combs being much shorter in width and length than the centre combs. But I have also seen some other wild colonies built into confined spaces with combs going in all directions, certainly not parallel, and certainly not 8 in number! So although I too have heard this given as a reason for 8 frame boxes, I think its by no means a truism. Again, as Geoff has pointed out, most migratory commercial outfits here use single brood boxes, 8's with 8 frames and 10's with 9 frames. Number of frames in the supers is more variable, but generally the important factor is keeping all hives at the same height to facilitate migration, which often occurs at short notice. If the flow cuts out suddenly, you can't open up hives to take off honey or level up because of intense robbing. So you have to be able to shift them full, although you can level up by adding empty boxes (no combs) on top of the lids. As a consequence, all the hives in most migratory apiaries here are a single brood box, excluder and 1super, or 2 supers if they have been undersupered in preparation for honey removal. Undersupering usually is done when the first super is half to two thirds full, and that super will normally then be removed using a clearer board a week later, by which time it should be full. This process keeps the bees working evenly without stop/start triggers and maximises the production on the flow. The hives are normally shifted as doubles if possible, but your trucking situation must be able to cope with triples plus honey if thats what circumstances dictate. My own management is however slightly different. I can only do this because I have loose bottoms or pollen traps underneath. In late winter/early spring, I lift the hive and place a box of good combs/stickies under the brood box thereby increasing the broodnest to 2 boxes, and allowing the queen room to increase her laying area.At this stage the previously single brood box is usually half full of stores, mostly sealed honey but in some cases up to 2 frames of pollen. As spring progresses and population expands the remaining brood area in that box becomes filled with honey, and the bottom box is filled with brood. The excluder is then pushed down again and the old brood box is extracted in what we call the "clean out round". This procedure takes us through the period of greatest swarming desire and minimises the influence of overcrowded brood nest on swarming. Every little helps. We usually combine dequeening and requeening with these procedures which then sets the hives up for the season in their production configuration of 1 brood box. All well known to established beekeepers, but perhaps useful info to newcomers. Peter Detchon On a beautiful sunny spring day in Western Australia **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:23:18 +0800 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Peter Detchon Subject: Re: Winter Report from Chile MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; reply-type=original Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Juanse, thanks for sharing this interesting info with us. I found it particularly interesting, since although Fumidil proved very effective against your Nosema ceranae infection, and when used as part of your overwintering management strategy reduced winter losses substantially (group C), we here in Western Australia would not be able to do the same. Antibiotic use on bees and hives, including Fumidil, is illegal here, and that is unlikely to change ever, my guess. So we have no means of treating Nosema infections. However the chlorine/acetic acid feeding is quite legal, a) if can be shown to be effective and b) if it proved necessary. Fortunately Nosema ceranae has not arrived here (yet), so it probably isn't necessary, and as you have shown, it still isn't proven to be completely effective. I am curious as to whether or not it may have some value in treating Nosema apis which we certainly do have. Your results indicate some combination of supplemental nutrition and chlorine/acetic acid may have value here, when comparing results from groups A and B, although differences in varroa treatments do complicate the interpretation and may have influenced the outcome. Are you aware of any other chlorine feeding trials? Is anyone else on the list using chlorine or acetic acid internally in bees for nosema treatment. Acetic acid fumigation for controlling Nosema apis spores in stored combs is proven very effective, although how widely used I am not aware. Its certainly not common practice here in Western Australia. Peter Detchon **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:31:58 GMT Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: "waldig@netzero.net" Subject: Just one more thing that honey is good for! Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Disposition: inline Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/The-mystery-of-the-honey-toting-gymnasts?urn=oly,101238 **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:39:56 -0700 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: C Hooper Subject: Video: Indonesian Royal Jelly Production Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Video: Indonesian Royal Jelly Production http://apitherapy.blogspot.com/2008/08/video-indonesian-royal-jelly-production.html **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:04:01 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Bill Lord Subject: refractometer problems MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I was in the field in Malawi two weeks ago and had a beekeeper show me = his refractometer. We could never get a clear reading on the scale in = the device and I was unable to clear up the problem with cleaning and an = attempted calibration. We could read the numbers but could not get a = good color contrast line to make a reading on the moisture content. = Does anyone have any advice on fixing this refractometer? thanks, Bill Lord Louisburg, NC **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:31:36 -0700 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: randy oliver Subject: Re: Winter Report from Chile In-Reply-To: <8EB7EBD0BC774D009997AB72DB8F5E45@peter007> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline > > Are you aware of any other chlorine feeding trials? Hi Peter, Fries found acetic acid in syrup to be ineffective against Nosema apis. I have recently finished a feeding trial with chlorine, and am trying to publish results next month. Randy Oliver **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:44:04 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Aaron Morris Subject: Re: refractometer problems MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit This message was originally submitted by labeeman@RUSSIANBREEDER.COM; it was edited to remove quotes of previously posted material. -----Original Message----- From: Charles Harper [mailto:labeeman@russianbreeder.com] Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 2:36 PM Make sure the honey sample is not partly crystallized as this will cause fuzzy lines. Harper's Honey Farm Charles Harper charlie@russianbreeder.org labeeman@russianbreeder.com (337) 298 6261 **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:05:13 -0500 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: John & Christy Horton Subject: ] refractometer problems MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit This is a no brainer (but I at least ned help w/those from time to time)///but ensure that the screen is complete;y covered. John **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:24:25 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Aaron Morris Subject: FW: CATCH THE BUZZ NRDC SUES EPA MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable NRDC Sues to Get Public Records on Pesticides =09 WASHINGTON - August 18 - The Natural Resources Defense Council filed a = lawsuit today to uncover critical information that the US government is = withholding about the risks posed by pesticides to honey bees. NRDC = legal experts and a leading bee researcher are convinced that the US = Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has evidence of connections = between pesticides and the mysterious honey bee die-offs reported across = the country. The phenomenon has come to be called "colony collapse = disorder," or CCD, and it is already proving to have disastrous = consequences for American agriculture and the $15 billion worth of crops = pollinated by bees every year.=20 EPA has failed to respond to NRDC's Freedom of Information Act request = for agency records concerning the toxicity of pesticides to bees, = forcing the legal action.=20 "Recently approved pesticides have been implicated in massive bee = die-offs and are the focus of increasing scientific scrutiny," said NRDC = Senior Attorney Aaron Colangelo. "EPA should be evaluating the risks to = bees before approving new pesticides, but now refuses to tell the public = what it knows. Pesticide restrictions might be at the heart of the = solution to this growing crisis, so why hide the information they should = be using to make those decisions?"=20 In 2003, EPA granted a registration to a new pesticide manufactured by = Bayer CropScience under the condition that Bayer submit studies about = its product's impact on bees. EPA has refused to disclose the results of = these studies, or if the studies have even been submitted. The pesticide = in question, clothianidin, recently was banned in Germany due to = concerns about its impact on bees. A similar insecticide was banned in = France for the same reason a couple of years before. In the United = States, these chemicals still are in use despite a growing consensus = among bee specialists that pesticides, including clothianidin and its = chemical cousins, may contribute to CCD.=20 In the past two years, some American beekeepers have reported = unexplained losses of 30-90% of the bees in their hives. According to = the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), bees pollinate $15 billion = worth of crops grown in America. USDA also claims that one out of every = three mouthfuls of food in the typical American diet has a connection to = bee pollination. As the die-offs worsen, Americans will see their food = costs increase.=20 Despite bees' critical role for farmers, consumers, and the environment, = the federal government has been slow to address the die-off since the = alarm bells started in 2006. In recent Congressional hearings, USDA was = unable to account for the $20 million that Congress has allocated to the = department for fighting CCD in the last two years.=20 "This is a real mystery right now," said Dr. Gabriela Chavarria, = director of NRDC's Science Center. "EPA needs to help shed some light so = that researchers can get to work on this problem. This isn't just an = issue for farmers -- this is an issue that concerns us all. Just try to = imagine a pizza without the contribution of bees! No tomatoes. No = cheese. No peppers. If you eat apples, cucumbers, broccoli, onions, = squash, carrots, avocados, or cherries, you need to be concerned."=20 Chavarria has spent more than 20 years studying bees, and has published = a number of academic papers on the taxonomy, behavior and distribution = of native bees.=20 NRDC filed the lawsuit today in federal court in Washington DC. In = documents to be filed next month, NRDC will ask for a court order = directing EPA to disclose its information about pesticides and bee = toxicity. **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:13:41 +0100 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Peter Edwards Subject: Re: refractometer problems MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; reply-type=original Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Bill Lord wrote: > We could read the numbers but could not get a good color contrast line to > make a reading on the moisture content. Does anyone have any advice on > fixing this > refractometer? Usual reasons for unclear lines are granulation (seems unlikely in Malawi!) or bubbles in the sample; you need some clear honey and then close the refractometer slowly. Leave for several minutes before reading. Best wishes Peter Edwards beekeepers at stratford-upon-avon.freeserve.co.uk www.stratford-upon-avon.freeserve.co.uk/ **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:46:40 -0600 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Donald Aitken Subject: Re: refractometer problems MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; reply-type=original Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi Bill: I find that my refractometer gives a fuzzy line if the honey layer is too thick. If you just put barely enough on the glass to cover it and then hold down the cover you usually get a nice clear line. Best regards Donald Aitken **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 03:44:10 -0700 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: C Hooper Subject: Irradiation Recommended to Reduce Beeswax Contamination Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Irradiation Recommended to Reduce Beeswax Contamination Pesticide Build-Up Could Lead to Poor Honey Bee Health Penn State, 8/18/2008 http://apitherapy.blogspot.com/2008/08/irradiation-recommended-to-reduce.html Philadelphia, Pa. -- Honey bees industriously bring pollen and nectar to the hive, but along with the bounty comes a wide variety of pesticides, according to Penn State researchers. Add the outside assault to the pesticides already in the waxy structure of the hive, and bee researchers see a problem difficult to evaluate and correct. However, an innovative approach may mitigate at least some beeswax contamination... **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:00:02 EDT Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Chris Slade Subject: Re: Irradiation Recommended to Reduce Beeswax Contamination MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit "They used radiation levels at the high end of that used to irradiate foods. Irradiation broke down about 50 percent of the acaricides in the wax." Into what?? Chris **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:32:29 -0400 Reply-To: james.fischer@gmail.com Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: James Fischer Subject: Re: FW: CATCH THE BUZZ NRDC SUES EPA MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Time to boot up the trusty old fact-check-o-matic and debunk-a-tron... > "NRDC legal experts and a leading bee researcher..." A lady named Gabriela Chavarria, who got her PhD punched down in Mexico, and has apparently never published anything on honey bees or CCD, but suddenly declares herself a "leading" bee researcher. One is forced to guess that this must be due to her work on non-apis bees, but wouldn't Bee-L subscribers tend to know the "leading bee researchers", be they interested in apis or non-apis bees? Anyone even heard of her before now? > "...are convinced that the US Environmental Protection Agency > (EPA) has evidence of connections between pesticides and > the mysterious honey bee die-offs reported across the > country. The phenomenon has come to be called "colony > collapse disorder," or CCD..." I sent and e-mail to, and got a call back from the NRDC spokesman, Josh Mogerman this evening (08/18/08). I asked him repeatedly and in increasingly pointed ways to substantiate any one of the claims made by the NRDC about a claimed link between pesticides and CCD, and he had nothing to offer except lame attempts to back-pedal on all the specific statements regarding CCD. The poor kid had that deer-in-the-headlights voice when he tried to answer my questions. He did not understand that a press release about a lawsuit is not a great place to make claims that are factually wrong when describing the motivation for the lawsuit. He honestly thinks that the false statements about pesticides and CCD are "not the story", but at the same time, he wants everyone to assume that the lack of prompt response by EPA under the Bush Administration is cause to assume that there is some sort of cover-up of smoking-gun-quality data that would tie pesticides to CCD. Sadly, the NRDC has no new data to link pesticides to CCD themselves, nor is there any data anywhere that even hints that there might be such a link. The NRDC claim is pure hot air - nothing but the attempt by yet another self-serving group to try and leverage the problems of beekeepers for their own agenda. Note that the NRDC has done nothing to assist the CCD research effort, and has offered no support of any type to the CCD effort. > "The pesticide in question, clothianidin, recently was banned > in Germany..." Nope, we covered that here on Bee-L. It was a very temporary suspension, one that was lifted in short order. > "...due to concerns about its impact on bees. A similar insecticide > was banned in France for the same reason a couple of years before." Not for the same reason at all, again, for reasons clearly outlined here on Bee-L. More bull. More spin. More agenda that can only result in hard feelings and less cooperation. > "In the United States, these chemicals still are in use despite a > growing consensus among bee specialists that pesticides, including > clothianidin and its chemical cousins, may contribute to CCD..." Sadly, the NRDC spokesman could not list a single "bee expert" by name who was part of this "growing consensus". Yes, there are many good reasons to keep looking at pesticide residues, and no one has ever suggested that anyone stop looking at pesticide residues, but a "consensus" among "experts" would be based upon something I like to call "data", and so far, all the data has done nothing but show a lack of any link between any specific pesticide or class of pesticides and CCD. What the data does show is that we have a "pathogen problem", rather than a "pesticide problem". > "Despite bees' critical role for farmers, consumers, and the > environment, the federal government has been slow to address > the die-off since the alarm bells started in 2006." Yes, they have, but will suing the EPA speed up the government's response, or slow it down? > "In recent Congressional hearings, USDA was unable to account > for the $20 million that Congress has allocated to the > department for fighting CCD in the last two years." Yes, this is true. At a House Ag subcommittee hearing on June 26, the head of USDA ARS was unable to explain how money spent to date was spent (inexcusable!), and declined to speculate as to how much more money might be required to solve the problem (reasonable). But I'm not sure that congress allocated $20 million over the past two years to CCD work. If they did, where and when did they order this? How did we all miss this? > "This is a real mystery right now," said Dr. Gabriela Chavarria, > director of NRDC's Science Center.... Just try to imagine a pizza > without the contribution of bees! No tomatoes. No cheese. No peppers. > If you eat apples, cucumbers, broccoli, onions, squash, carrots, > avocados, or cherries, you need to be concerned." *Snort* what a lame list - she forgot alfalfa and clover for beef cattle for the pepperoni, but he also forgot almonds, apricots, artichoke, asparagus, avocados, beans, beets, blackberries, blueberries, brussel sprouts, cashews, cauliflower, celery, chives, citrus, coconuts, coriander, cranberries, cucumbers, currants, dates, eggplant, endive, figs, gherkins, gooseberries, grapefruit, green peppers, guava, kiwi fruit, leeks, lettuce, macadamia nuts, mangoes, muskmelon, nectarines, okra, olives, oranges, papaya, parsnips, passion fruit, peaches, peanuts, pears, persimmons, plums, pomegranates, prunes, pumpkin, quinces, radishes, raspberries, rutabaga, soybean-based Soylent-Green extruded food-like products, strawberries, turnips, watermelon, every spice you can name, and eleventy-seven other things I can't think of right now. These NRDC guys seem to be cut from the same cloth as the Xerces Society "Pollinator Week" gang who couldn't even be bothered to include a honey bee in their silly postage stamp set last year, then hijacked HR 1709, jammed Senate Bill 1694 (the "Pollinator Protection Act of 2007") down everyone's throats, adding all the non-CCD-related funding for native pollinator research, and thereby caused both the House and Senate bills to languish and die in committee. Remember how everyone said "Oh, Jim, you are being too hard on those good-hearted people - they aren't as self-serving as you want to claim"? Well, the Xerces folks haven't done anything to contribute to the CCD effort either, have they? Any money they raised (and they raised millions on their fear-mongering end-of-the-world scare tactic claims) they kept for their own agenda. After more than a year, I think I can safely say "I told you so", but here I am calling the shot yet again, so ignore these words at your own peril: These NRDC people are no different from the Xerces gang, and they will be happy to use you and your problems for their own ends, while doing nothing to help you or the people who are actually working on your problems. These people are NOT our allies. It is yet ANOTHER "Pollinator Protection Racket"!!! **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:15:59 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Bill Truesdell Subject: Re: FW: CATCH THE BUZZ NRDC SUES EPA In-Reply-To: <6999718ED3E19D4AA061F73254EEA3414B9EB9@UAEXCH.univ.albany.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > NRDC Sues to Get Public Records on Pesticides The NRDC was the same group that promoted the Alar scare and hurt the apple industry. Since then laws are in place to see that does not happen again, but it looks like they have found another way to indict pesticides without doing it directly but still with no evidence. The technique is actually very good, especially if you are into conspiracies. Cite a cover-up and when the agency does not provide the data to show there was one, say they are continuing the cover-up. My guess is that data is in area 51, especially since that is where they are holding the alien bees that returned after Dr. Who got rid of the the Dalaks. I have sent an email demanding the government prove to me that this is not true. Bill Truesdell Bath, Maine **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:48:47 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: "Peter L. Borst" Subject: Re: Bee collecting corn pollen MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline The total volume of pollen available to a colony may well be the most limiting factor in the development and expansion of the hive population. Even if a colony has access to a mixture of pollens or a single high quality pollen, if there is not sufficient quantity then this will have a major impact on the available food for developing larvae and young adult bees. In this context, it is arguable that beekeepers should be first concerned about the volume of pollen the colony is collecting and storing before turning their attention to the quality, although decision making processes should consider pollen sources that provide both quantity and quality. As the strength of a colony and the demands of a colony vary significantly according to the time of year and even between colonies on the one location, it is difficult to conclusively state what species consistently produce significant quantities of pollen. The climatic conditions prevailing at the time of collection will also impact on the amount of pollen produced and released by the target plants. Even so, in this trial, significant plant species that demonstrated their importance as a source of pollen due to volumes collected by bees were Paterson's curse, Canola, Turnip weed, Apple box, Spotted gum and Sunflower. >From these six species, Sunflower pollen is of significant concern as its crude protein levels are very poor, thus bees may breed well on the volume of pollen supplied but the adult bees are likely to be short lived. If a colony of bees working a Sunflower crop, from which bees obtain most of their pollen requirements, is moved onto a heavy honey flow the colony would be expected to collapse or seriously diminish in population due to the low body protein levels of the adult bees. We can divide the plant species into three general categories: Pollens that will not sustain the growth and development of a colony; pollens that will sustain a colony but only under light honey flow conditions; and average colony replacements and pollens that should be sought after if colonies are to be working a heavy honey flow following the breeding of a few generations of brood. Species with mean crude protein levels below 20% include: Black she oak, Black thistle, Blueberry, Buckwheat, Capeweed, Citrus, Eggs and bacon, Flat weed, Lavender, Maize, Nodding thistle, Saffron thistle, Silky hakea, Sunflower and Willow. If these pollens are the dominant or only species being collected, then it can be assumed that the colonies will decline in populations, particularly if they are made to work a medium to heavy honey flow following the feeding of this pollen to developing larvae and young adult bees. -- Nutritional Value of Bee Collected Pollens Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/HBE/01-047.pdf **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:13:48 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: =?windows-1252?Q?Steve_Noble?= Subject: Re: FW: CATCH THE BUZZ NRDC SUES EPA Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Can anyone one on the list think of any reason why anything that any employee of the EPA does in their official capacity should not be readily accessible to anyone who wants to examine it? I can’t. For that matter I can’t think of any reason why research done by private companies which is used to get approval from government agencies for a chemical which could be or is known to be a potential health hazard should not be public information? Call me paranoid but lately I just don’t seem to have a lot of trust in the federal government. Maybe it’s because everywhere I look I see a neoconservative agenda. Steve Noble **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:29:57 -0500 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Nick Behrens Subject: Promed email on Honey Bees in the UK MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline FYI. Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 22:26:25 -0400 (EDT) From: ProMED-mail Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Honeybee die-off - UK HONEYBEE DIE-OFF - UK ********************** A ProMED-mail post ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases Date: Tue 12 Aug 2008 Source: The Guardian [edited] Britain's honeybees have suffered catastrophic losses this year [2008], according to a survey of the nation's beekeepers, contributing to a shortage of honey and putting at risk the pollination of fruits and vegetables. The survey by the British Beekeepers' Association (BBKA) revealed that nearly one in 3 of the UK's 240 000 honeybee hives did not survive this winter and spring [2008]. The losses are higher than the one in 5 colonies reported dead earlier this year by the government after 10 percent of hives had been inspected. The BBKA president, Tim Lovett, said he was very concerned about the findings: "Average winter bee losses due to poor weather and disease vary from between 5 and 10 percent, so a 30 percent loss is deeply worrying. This spells serious trouble for pollination services and honey producers." The National Bee Unit [NBU] has attributed high bee mortality to the wet summer in 2007 and in the early part of this spring, which confined bees to their hives. This meant they were unable to forage for nectar and pollen, and this stress provided the opportunity for pathogens to build up and spread. But the BBKA says the causes are unclear. Its initial survey of 600 members revealed a marked north-south divide, with 37 percent bee losses in the north, compared to 26 percent in the south. "We don't know why there is a difference and what is behind the high mortality," said Lovett. The government recognises that the UK's honeybee hives -- run by 44 000 mostly amateur beekeepers -- contribute around UKL 165 million [USD 308 million] a year to the economy by pollinating many fruits and vegetables. "30 percent fewer honeybee colonies could therefore cost the economy some UKL 50 million [USD 93 million] and put at risk the government's crusade for the public to eat 5 portions of fresh fruit and vegetables a day," Lovett warned. The Honey Association warned last month [July 2008] that English honey will run out by Christmas [2008], and no more will be available until summer 2009. It blames the shortage on fewer honeybees and on farmers devoting more fields to wheat, which has soared in price but does not produce nectar. Although British honey only accounts for 10 percent of the 30 000 tons of honey consumed in the UK, other major honey producing countries have also been severely hit by poor weather and bee diseases. Argentina is the world's honey pot, producing up to 75 000 tons a year, 3 times that of its nearest rival, Mexico. But Argentina has suffered a 27 percent drop in yield due to droughts and the planting of huge swathes of land with soya beans for biofuel. As a result, there has been a 60 percent rise in the price of raw honey. DEFRA said a further UKL 90 000 [USD 167 800] had been allocated to the NBU this year [2008] to expand investigations into colony losses. It is currently consulting on a honeybee health strategy, with responses required by the end of this month [August 2008]. In the US, honey yields have been decimated by honeybee loses of 36 percent, many due to colony collapse disorder (CCD), a mysterious disappearance linked to the blood-sucking varroa mite, lethal viruses, malnutrition, pesticides, and a lack of genetic diversity. CCD has spread to Canada, France, Germany and Italy but has not yet been confirmed by the government in the UK [see ProMED ref. below]. [Byline: Alison Benjamin] - -- Communicated by: Susan Baekeland La Meute du Ruisseau, Le Ruisseau, 50240 Carnet, Lower Normandy, France [Note the knock-on effects on bees, fruit, vegetables and honey of planting more wheat in the UK and more soya in Argentina. UK Farming minister Lord Rigg has stated that if no solution is found, UK honeybees will become extinct in a decade. - Mod.JW] [It is likely the decrease in bees is some form of colony collapse disorder. As this article notes, there may be multiple causes, or the causes may be cumulative. Scientists, perhaps with government funding, would do well to look seriously into this disease and possible solutions, as pollination for food crops is also at stake here. - Mod.TG] [A map of the United Kingdom (UK) may be seen at: . - CopyEd.EJP] [see also: Colony collapse disorder, apis - Germany: chemical ban 20080613.1868 2003 - ---- Varroa mite, bees - Canada 20030508.1148 1998 - ---- Varroa mite, bees - UK 19980803.1481] ...............................arn/ejp/jw/msp/dk **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:42:31 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Brian Ames Subject: Re: FW: CATCH THE BUZZ NRDC SUES EPA Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit While its hard to argue with Jim FIsher as he points out they have nothing new to bring to the game. If the allegations are true that the EPA should or does have data confirming the safety of the neonictinoids then it would seem like their lawsuit is a good idea. If there is nothing to hide then why not release the data? Several bee researchers we HAVE heard of have called form more data or investigation. **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:50:43 EDT Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Robert Brenchley Subject: Re: Bee collecting corn pollen MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 19/08/2008 13:58:46 GMT Daylight Time, peterlborst@GMAIL.COM writes: <> Does that apply to all willow species? I regard it as a vital component for colony buildup; I've always noticed that colonies only really build up after the willow becomes available. A cold spring like the last, when the bees were unable to work the willow, always leads to a delayed buildup. Once they can work it, it's covered in bees, and I see little else coming in until dandelion becomes available in turn. So I'm surprised to see that it's being suggested that a diet of willow could lead to colony decline! Regards, Robert Brenchley Birmingham UK **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:12:29 EDT Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Jerry Bromenshenk Subject: EPA Buzz Kill - Not MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I talked to Josh at NRDC today. >From my perspective, the press release was unfortunate. Their push is to get EPA to release chem testing for product label purposes. I've no problem with that. I've been very vocal about stating the privatizing pesticide testing, taking it away from universities has left us with the problem that the results for products that eventually come on the market are not longer available to the bee industry. In the past, people like Larry Atkins, Carl Johansen, Dan Meyer - tested pesticides, evaluated hazard to bees, and published the results in brochures, pamphlets, and the open literature - so everyone had access. Both assembled tables that compared the various products in terms of toxicity to bees and residual times. The private test labs has no requirement nor interest in publishing results, and their clients have no obligation to do so, other than file with EPA. Now, here's the rub. Even EPA scientists have difficulties retrieving the results - if you want the test results, you need to know the exact formulation tested. Freedom of Information doesn't do much good, unless you can specify the exact product that you want to review. Remember also, EPA used to have a test lab that routinely ran bee samples, when a beekeeper suspected a pesticide kill. That was part of the beekeeper indemnity program that the Reagen administration eliminated. That wasn't EPA's decision, it was a political decision. Now, as far as I can determine, Josh did not have any information about CCD that we haven't seen on this list. He based his claims about CCD and pesticides on the PSU report (which he can get from them or read in ABJ without going through Freedom of Information or EPA). That report simply says what has been seen in every decade back through the 1930's - pesticide residues show up in bees, wax, etc. Bees are sometimes killed by pesticides. Nothing has changed, other than some new formulations - and that's what's happened every decade or so as we went from inorganic pesticides (Arsenic, lead, copper, sulfur) to synthetic organic pesticides (DDT in the 40s) to the encapsulated chemicals, carbamates, and organo-phosphates that followed the chlorinated hydrocarbons, and now the neonicotinics. Pesticides do kill bees. Label testing needs revision. Information needs to be made more accessible, and in a timely manner. But, the evidence is not there to say pesticides cause CCD. And, to the best of my knowledge, EPA hasn't made any significant investment in studying CCD. You can't hide data that you don't have. Jerry **************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. (http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047) **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:15:43 -0700 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: randy oliver Subject: California almonds MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Hi All, I recently had the pleasure of driving through California's South Valley on Interstate 5. The almond crop was staggering! Some varieties were so heavily loaded with nuts, that the growers had propped the laden branches up with sticks. Harvested nuts were being stockpiled in huge piles. On the other hand, there were a few large orchards that were dead or dying due to lack of water. Shocking to see an investment of this scale left to die! Water has become an issue, as it has become in other almond growing areas of the world. BTW, the South Valley looks like bee desert this time of year--if irrigation is not being supplied, there is scant forage for bees. Water issues are likely to pull the reins in on South Valley plantings (the bulk of almond plantings). With the worldwide strong demand for healthy almond nutmeats, the price for almonds looks to hold strong. This augers well for the ability of almond growers to pay for bee rental for pollination. The potential restriction in new plantings, due to scarcity of water, may decrease demand for additional colonies. Price will reflect the supply of strong colonies. It will be very interesting to see how this combination of demand, high fuel costs, strong honey prices, and colony health issues will play out in the upcoming season. Randy Oliver **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:51:16 +1000 Reply-To: Trevor Weatherhead Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Trevor Weatherhead Subject: Re: Irradiation Recommended to Reduce Beeswax Contamination MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="utf-8"; reply-type=original Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > Irradiation Recommended to Reduce Beeswax Contamination I read the article with interest. Several questions were raised in my mind. What dose rate was used? I know it says food grade dose but what was that in say KGY's? I remember that in the early stages of CCD, some hives (Dave Hackenberg's?) were irradiated and it was found that the bees came away better than those on non irradiated combs. Could this have been the reason? If a food grade dosage reduced the levels of contamination by half, would a higher dosage break down the residue level more than 50%? Trevor Weatherhead AUSTRALIA **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:30:16 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: "Peter L. Borst" Subject: Redefining =?WINDOWS-1252?Q?=93Natural=94?= in Agriculture MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Redefining "Natural" in Agriculture The place of genetically modified crops in sustainable agriculture has been the subject of heated debate for decades. A new book takes an innovative approach to this debate by presenting the perspectives of an unlikely pair of co-authors. Pam Ronald is a plant molecular biologist, genetic engineer, and supporter of genetically engineering crops for the benefit of humanity. Raoul Adamchak is an organic farmer. Given the known antagonism of many organic advocates to genetically engineered (GE) crops, one would not have thought these two authors would be able to provide an agreed text. But Adamchak is married to Ronald and, to judge from the text, happily so. >From a review of: Ronald PC, Adamchak RW (2008) Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics and the Future of Food. New York: Oxford University Press. http://tinyurl.com/5avbuv **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:11:52 -0300 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Stan Sandler Subject: Re: FW: CATCH THE BUZZ NRDC SUES EPA In-Reply-To: <6999718ED3E19D4AA061F73254EEA3414B9EB9@UAEXCH.univ.albany.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; reply-type=original Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit While I would agree that the evidence to date does not link any direct association between neonicotinoids and CCD, I am rather baffled by any beekeeper showing opposition to this lawsuit. This is what is available in the EPA factsheet on clothianidin: "Clothianidin is highly toxic to honey bees on an acute contact basis (LD50> 0.0439 µg/bee). It has the potential for toxic chronic exposure to honey bees, as well as other nontarget pollinators, through the translocation of clothianidin residues in nectar and pollen. In honey bees, the effects of this toxic chronic exposure may include lethal and/or sub-lethal effects in the larvae and reproductive effects in the queen" Since Poncho is used on canola, and increasingly I have more bees in canola fields, I would like to know more about the studies that EPA received that led them to make the above statement in their factsheet. If the studies are not in the public domain, which obviously they are not, then I welcome any organization's lawsuit to get them public. And since a lawsuit is not cheap, I do not really see much of a problem if some money comes from "CCD" even if this isn't necessarily related. It seems to me that we are profitting from an increased public awareness of the importance of pollinators. I would also note that in the EPA factsheet the soil half life of clothianidin is given as "aerobic Soil Metabolism: 148 to 1,155 days" also: Mobility-Leaching: Mobile to highly mobile Terrestrial Field Dissipation: 277 days to 1,386 days in the 0-15 cm soil depth; Potential to Contaminate Groundwater: Based on laboratory and field studies, the available data on clothianidin show that the compound is persistent and mobile, stable to hydrolysis, and has potential to leach to ground water and be transported via runoff to surface water bodies. The persistence of imidacloprid has always been a main concern of mine, and it appears clothianidin might be just as bad. If Bayer would just make public the studies that it provides to EPA to get registration then a lawsuit would be unnecessary. What would be the motivation to withold this information? Why can I not access the study done on PEI to determine the half life of imidacloprid in the soil here? Regards Stan **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:41:43 -0300 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Stan Sandler Subject: Re: FW: CATCH THE BUZZ NRDC SUES EPA In-Reply-To: <6999718ED3E19D4AA061F73254EEA3414B9EB9@UAEXCH.univ.albany.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; reply-type=original Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Canada's PMRA (Pest Management Regulatory Agency) cooperated with EPA in the registration of clothianidin. Free trade agreements make both countries agree on pesticide registrations. This is from the PMRA's factsheet on it: Clothianidin was determined to be highly toxic to the honey bee, Apis mellifera, on an acute oral basis with a LD 50 of 0.00368 µg/bee. The transformation products TMG, MNG, and TZMU were determined to be of relatively lower toxicity to the bee, with an acute oral LD 50 of > 152 µg/bee, > 153 µg/bee, > 113 µg/bee, respectively. The transformation product TZNG was determined to be of moderate toxicity to the bee, with a LD50 of 3.95 µg/bee. Field or semi-field studies conducted in Sweden, the United Kingdom, France and Germany as well as in Ontario (Canada) and Minnesota (United States) indicated that there were no significant impacts on honey bees compared with the controls. All of the field/semi-field studies, however, were found to be deficient in design and conduct of the studies and were, therefore, considered as supplemental information only. Furthermore, the results of most of these studies indicated that residues of clothianidin, when used as a canola (rapeseed) seed treatment insecticide, were expressed in pollen and nectar of the crop plants (or collected from foraging bees). While these residues are not likely to cause acute mortality or other short-term effects, questions remain about the possibility of long-term effects on honey bee colonies. A chronic, multigeneration field study has been requested to clarify this risk. This factsheet was from 2004. Perhaps Dave Fischer could direct us to the field study. Regards Stan **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:39:07 -0700 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: C Hooper Subject: Group Files Suit for EPA Data on Honey Bees, Pesticide Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Group Files Suit for EPA Data on Honey Bees, Pesticide Mysterious Honey Bee Disorder Buzzes into Court http://apitherapy.blogspot.com/2008/08/group-files-suit-for-epa-data-on-honey.html …An NRDC bee researcher and the organization's attorneys believe that the EPA has evidence of connections between pesticides and the mysterious honey bee die-offs reported across the country called "colony collapse disorder," or CCD, that it has not made public… **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:00:16 -0700 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: C Hooper Subject: Review: Honey Effective in Treating Diabetic Foot Ulcers Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Review: Honey Effective in Treating Diabetic Foot Ulcers Practical Considerations of Using Topical Honey for Neuropathic Diabetic Foot Ulcers: A Review Wisconsin Medical Journal, 2008 Jul;107(4):187-90 http://apitherapy.blogspot.com/2008/08/review-honey-effective-in-treating.html It is increasingly important to identify and use low-cost effective dressings for treating diabetic foot ulcers as medical costs and rates of diabetes continue to rise. Honey is an inexpensive moist dressing with antibacterial and tissue-healing properties that has shown promise in the medical literature. Many clinicians are unfamiliar with its use, but patients with diabetic foot ulcers may wish to try honey therapy or discuss it with their physicians. The purpose of this review is to familiarize physicians with practical aspects of using honey to treat diabetic foot ulcers. **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:22:35 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: "Peter L. Borst" Subject: Re: FW: CATCH THE BUZZ NRDC SUES EPA MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline > There is conflicting information about the affects of neonicotinoids on honey bees, and different chemicals in this class are known to vary in their toxicity to bees. ... We are asking growers who are using these materials and who are dependent on honey bees for pollination, to use caution when selecting and applying these materials. SEE: "Protecting Honey Bees from Chemical Pesticides" by Maryann Frazier Senior Extension Associate Penn State honeybee.tamu.edu/media/pdf/01RecGrowersUsingNeonics.pdf **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:27:59 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Brian Ames Subject: Re: Irradiation Recommended to Reduce Beeswax Contamination Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit A more complete version of the news article http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1524991/honey_bees_suffer_from_pesticide_buildup/ Honey Bees Suffer From Pesticide Buildup Posted on: Monday, 18 August 2008, 17:20 CDT Honey bees industriously bring pollen and nectar to the hive, but along with the bounty comes a wide variety of pesticides, according to Penn State researchers. Add the outside assault to the pesticides already in the waxy structure of the hive, and bee researchers see a problem difficult to evaluate and correct. However, an innovative approach may mitigate at least some beeswax contamination. The researchers presented their analysis of pollen, brood, adult bees and wax samples today (Aug. 18) at the 236th national American Chemical Society meeting in Philadelphia. Those results show unprecedented levels of fluvalinate and coumaphos -- pesticides used in the hives to combat varroa mites -- in all comb and foundation wax samples. They also found lower levels of 70 other pesticides and metabolites of those pesticides in pollen and bees. "Everyone figured that the acaricides (anti-varroa mite chemicals) would be present in the wax because the wax is reprocessed to form the structure of the hives," says Maryann Frazier, senior extension associate. "It was a bit of a shock to see the levels and the widespread presence of these pesticides." While the researchers expected the presence of the chemicals available to treat varroa mites in the hives, the other pesticides' levels were also surprising. All of the bees tested showed at least one pesticide and pollen averaged six pesticides with as many as 31 in a sample. "We already had in place ways to test for viruses, bacteria and fungi, but it was difficult to find an analytical laboratory that could analyze for unknown pesticides," says Christopher A. Mullin, professor of entomology. "We needed them to take a comprehensive look at all pesticides, not just those associated with beekeeping." They eventually turned to the National Science Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Agricultural Marketing Service that already tests commodities such as milk and fruits and vegetables to allow them to meet national and international standards. "When we began doing this work, honey was not regularly analyzed, and bee pollen was not a commodity and so was not analyzed," says Mullin. "We decided to go with the types of screening the lab does for milk and apples which look at over 170 pesticides. Now, honey is included in the commodities to be analyzed." The researchers, including Roger Simonds, a chemist at the National Science Laboratory decided on a modified QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) method because it uses smaller samples. They coupled this with gas and liquid chromatography to develop methods of analyzing pollen, bees and wax. "Simplicity was important because there were many people across the country sampling for us," says Maryann Frazier. "Now rather than having them collect 15 grams of pollen they need only collect 3 grams." The researchers note that this method also uses less solvent and generates data in the parts per billion range. While beekeepers will have a difficult time controlling pesticide exposure outside the hive, the researchers tested a method for reducing the acaricide load in beeswax. Using gamma radiation from a cobalt 60 source housed at Penn State's Breazeale Reactor, they irradiated the sheets of beeswax that beekeepers use as the structural foundation for the bees to build their combs. They used radiation levels at the high end of that used to irradiate foods. Irradiation broke down about 50 percent of the acaricides in the wax. "Gamma radiation is often used to kill viruses and other disease causing agents," says James L. Frazier, professor of entomology, Penn State. "Commercial irradiation firms usually decontaminate medical instruments or foods." The researchers tried irradiation at a commercial plant and though some modifications were necessary to irradiate the wax sheets, it is possible. Some beekeepers already irradiate their equipment to get rid of any disease causing agents. However, it might be more efficient if the wax sheet supplier irradiated their product before sale to the beekeepers. Beekeepers cannot manage the environmental pesticide contamination as easily as the wax contamination. The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency does regulate and monitor pesticides, but they do not have the ability to monitor the interaction of these chemicals. With the large number of pesticides found in bees and pollen, interactions are likely. "We are finding fungicides that function by inhibiting the steroid metabolism in the fungal diseases they target, but these chemicals also affect similar enzymes in other organisms," says James Frazier. "These fungicides, in combination with pyrethroids and/or neonicotinoids can sometimes have a synergistic effect 100s of times more toxic than any of the pesticides individually." For CCD, bees are not dying in their hives, but are not returning to their hives. James Frazier notes it is difficult to observe bees outside the hive. The U.S. EPA only looks at acute exposure to individual pesticides, but chronic exposure may cause behavioral changes that are unmonitored. "We do not know that these chemicals have anything to do with Colony Collapse Disorder, but they are definitely stressors in the home and in the food sources," says Dr. Frazier. "Pesticides alone have not shown they are the cause of CCD. We believe that it is a combination of a variety of factors, possibly including mites, viruses and pesticides." The researchers, who also include Sara Ashcraft, research assistant, have a team uniquely suited to looking at the honey bee pesticide problem because they combine a toxicologist in Mullin, a physiologist in James Frazier and someone with connections to beekeepers across the country in Maryann Frazier. "We now want to look at small versus large operations and organic versus nonorganic operations to see if there are differences," says Maryann Frazier. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Honey Board, beekeeper organizations and concerned individuals supported this work. --- **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:18:23 -0400 Reply-To: bee-quick@bee-quick.com Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: James Fischer Subject: Re: FW: CATCH THE BUZZ NRDC SUES EPA MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Slam dunk. Game over. The title of the article is "Credibility Collapse Disorder", where it is revealed that what the NRDC was suing to obtain has been available at most of the larger public libraries for more than a year. http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/blogs/bees/honey-bee-pestici des-55082002 Or, in a line-wrap-proof URL: http://tinyurl.com/595ktz If the NRDC persists in forcing the EPA to waste taxpayer dollars on this silly exercise, I will file an Amicus curiae brief with the court. **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 05:07:23 -0300 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Stan Sandler Subject: Re: FW: CATCH THE BUZZ NRDC SUES EPA Comments: To: bee-quick@bee-quick.com In-Reply-To: <000701c90323$6cd4e4c0$6f01a8c0@j> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; reply-type=original Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Thanks, James Fischer, for pointing out the link to the abstract "Exposure to clothianidin seed-treated canola has no long-term impact on honey bees." What struck me immediately was: "Colonies were placed in the middle of 1-ha clothianidin seed-treated or control canola fields for 3 wk during bloom, and thereafter they were moved to a fall apiary. There were four treated and four control fields, and four colonies per field, giving 32 colonies total." Why would the experimenters set up the experiment like this when there would be little or no extra cost to have the real life situation where hives are in the middle of hundreds of ha of canola? 1 ha is only a tiny fraction of the foraging area of the hives. I have emailed one of the authors to ask this question and to request a reprint of the paper. As far as the rant and hyperbole part of your article I would like to say that I agree wholeheartedly with all your comments about the effects of lack of controls on movement of foodstuffs around the world. But as you yourself pointed out, the information submitted to EPA, or in Canada the PMRA to support a pesticide registration is considered *proprietary information* because the company has paid for it. Now in this case, the paper was published. But in the case of for example the study on soil persistence of imidacloprid on PEI, the study was commissioned by Bayer through a third party company and submitted to PMRA, but it was never published. So unless David Fischer gets permission to release it, and I hope he will, it has never faced "peer scrutiny". Nor, can I access the data on my hives that crashed in canola fields. It is not a matter of "asking politely" as you put it, because not only have I asked nicely for over four years, but I freely made my beehives available to the researchers for several years. When the data was positive (from a company point of view) they were quick to take the data to the PMRA and the Canadian Honey Council and CAPA. Why isn't the data available from the last study (where I know that residues were showing up in New Brunswick under similar conditions)? The development of a product involves proprietary information, and a product itself can be patented. But the information supplied to support registration is given to our government representatives (therefore theoretically to us) and should be accessible. I find it interesting that you keep saying how you prefer the systemic neonicotinoid insecticides over the old foliar sprays. Although I agree that the chances of operator misuse are higher with foliar sprays, the chances of beekeeper farmer cooperation are also higher. If I know when and what someone is spraying I might be able to deal with it. The systemics have such a long persistence that is no option. And it is the persistence that is so worrying to the people at EPA and PMRA. You can see that in their fact sheets and I have been told that in personal communication. I have never had any dealings with the EPA, but if they are anything like the PMRA then I think they are public servants trying to do their job and they are really hampered by present system of "proprietary information" and company funded research in support of product registration. Maybe they would welcome a lawsuit that might change that. Regards Stan **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:27:46 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Aaron Morris Subject: Honey Bee Could Hold Key to Parkinsons, Alzheimers MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit http://www.smh.com.au/news/health/bees-spark-brain-research-buzz/2008/08 /21/1219262372787.html Or http://tinyurl.com/6b5hb4 Aaron Morris - I think, therefore I bee! **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:54:14 +0000 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Gavin Ramsay Subject: Re: FW: CATCH THE BUZZ NRDC SUES EPA MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Hi Stan and Jim I too wondered about this apparently water-tight all-clear for clothianidin. If you go to the journal's web pages you see not just the abstract: http://tinyurl.com/5ffqfa but a link to a free PDF of the full paper at the bottom of the page. This is a better quality risk assessment than many, but still falls short of 'proof' that this seed dressing is safe for bees on canola/oilseed rape in the way Jim presented it. One ha plots in their square form are 100m x 100m. Even here in rural Scotland, where our agriculture is small scale, we wouldn't consider 1 ha to be a typical 'field', perhaps just a tenth of one. Siting pairs of colonies, one with seed dressing one with a blank, separated by 300m and in an area that may have other oilseed rape does not convince me that the case is made. Bees are essentially landscape-scale foragers. In some environments they will preferentially forage very locally, but in others they will gather their resources with almost equal effectiveness over a radius of a few km. I've personally watched them fly about 9 km to oilseed rape. Unless they were foraging very locally (for example due to poor weather, or perhaps overabundant resources in their local patch), the colonies in the treated plots and the ones in the control plots could both have similar proportions of treated and control forage. If they are flying to additional untreated fields in the area any clothianidin would be further diluted. You have to regard the small but not insignificant loss of colonies from both treated and control plots in that light. I just don't know what it means. all the best Gavin **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:35:13 -0400 Reply-To: lloyd@rossrounds.com Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Lloyd Spear Subject: Foraging flights MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Gavin said "I've personally watched them fly about 9 km to oilseed rape." I am astounded at 9 km! That is almost 5.5 miles. Were you watching marked bees? If not, we really have to question the observation. Studies in the US have found that bees forage very effectively within a mile, and when desperate will go out 3 miles. I recall Seeley questioned whether bees could return to hives with loads of pollen/nectar/water from much beyond 3 miles. -- Lloyd Spear Owner Ross Rounds, Inc. Manufacture of equipment for round comb honey sections, Sundance Pollen Traps, and producer of Sundance custom labels. Contact your dealer or www.RossRounds.com **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:22:57 -0400 Reply-To: bee-quick@bee-quick.com Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: James Fischer Subject: Re: FW: CATCH THE BUZZ NRDC SUES EPA MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > This is a better quality risk assessment than many, but > still falls short of 'proof' that this seed dressing is > safe for bees on canola/oilseed rape in the way Jim presented it. But that's not what I presented at all! I have no idea if clothianidin is "safe" for bees as applied on canola, and I made no claims about the level of "proof" at all. The only point I made was that the study certainly was NOT anything like what the NRDC claimed it would be in their lawsuit press release. The NRDC said it would be "evidence of connections between pesticides and... colony collapse disorder..." As I keep saying, "pesticide kills" and "CCD" are two very different issues for beekeepers. My goal was to stop the NRDC from making fools of themselves, and by implication, making fools of us beekeepers too. I hope that I have halted the lawsuit with extreme prejudice. I do not want anyone to think that I am arguing that clothianidin is "safe" for bees. It is a insecticide, and bees are insects. Somehow, I don't think it takes too much imagination to connect the dots on the potential for pesticide kills. While I am not qualified to judge, the cited study certainly may not be sufficent proof for beekeepers of the "safety" of the pesticide. One would certaintly expect beekeepers to have more stringent data needs than the EPA as run by the current administration. I do like systemics and seed treatments MUCH better than spraying, but again, I am simply stating the obvious here - who wouldn't like using LESS insecticide? Seed treatments use far far less than any other application technique. **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:02:43 EDT Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Chris Slade Subject: Re: Foraging flights MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 21/08/2008 18:15:28 GMT Standard Time, beegood@GMAIL.COM writes: "I've personally watched them fly about 9 km to oilseed rape." I am astounded at 9 km! Professor Francis Ratnieks, when at Sheffield University, had his students observing marked bees working heather (which blooms at a season when there is little else giving a reasonable amount of nectar) 12 km from the hive. I am told that marked bees based in Poole, Dorset (UK) were once seen foraging on heather on the Isle of Purbeck, the far side of Poole Harbour (second in size only to Sydney Harbour) about 10 km from the apiary, despite Canford Heath, which usually has abundant heather, being closer. Chris **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:27:58 +0000 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Gavin Ramsay Subject: Re: Foraging flights MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Hi Lloyd The bees I was watching were not marked, but we had carefully logged the apiaries in the area and bees leaving oilseed rape fields flew towards all of them, including the apiary at 9 km. Other long distance reports include those of Eckert in Wyoming (from memory as my reprints are elsewhere at the moment, up to 8.5 miles (13.6 km) in one year but not in a second?): Eckert, J.E. 1933. The flight range of the honey bee. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH. 47:257-285. Also African honeybees dancing indicating 13.7 km: http://listserv.albany.edu:8080/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind9403&L=BEE-L&P=R7806&I=-3 I seem to recall Andy Nachbaur on here talking about his bees flying 8 miles (about 13 km) to an isolated orange grove. And finally, pasted below, some research from the UK. Remember that the Cutler study which Jim referred to placed bees in 100 x 100 m plots, presumably 50 m from the edge. Control plots would be 50 + 300 = 350 m away. In the study below (granted, this could be a special circumstance) 'only 10% foraged within 500m of the hive'. Of course, beekeepers are usually more interested in productive foraging distances, which are usually rather less. all the best Gavin M. Beekman and F. L. W. Ratnieks (2000) Long-range foraging by the honey-bee, Apis mellifera L. Functional Ecology 14: 490 - 496. Abstract: 1. Waggle dances of honey-bees (Apis mellifera L.) were decoded to determine where and how far the bees foraged during the blooming of heather (Calluna vulgaris L.) in August 1996 using a hive located in Sheffield, UK, east of the heather moors. The median distance foraged was 6·1 km, and the mean 5·5 km. Only 10% of the bees foraged within 0·5 km of the hive whereas 50% went more than 6 km, 25% more than 7·5 km and 10% more than 9·5 km from the hive. 2. These results are in sharp contrast with previous studies in which foraging distances were much closer to the hive. In May 1997 the mean foraging distance was 1 km, showing that long-range dancing is not the rule in Sheffield. 3. The observed foraging distances described in this study may not be exceptional in a patchy environment where differences in patch size and patch quality are large. When travel distances to patches are large, distant patches can probably be utilized only by individuals that live in groups and recruit foragers to the patches found. Only then are the benefits of scouting for distant patches high enough to enable the exploitation of these patches. **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:46:09 +0000 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Gavin Ramsay Subject: Re: FW: CATCH THE BUZZ NRDC SUES EPA MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit > But that's not what I presented at all! Sorry if I misrepresented you Jim. I'm entirely with you that there is no evidence that farm pesticides and CCD are linked, and that lax quarantine is to blame for many of our beekeeping problems. The debate on Bee-L has helped shift me from a position of suspicion of pesticides as a cause of CCD to a belief that they are not. Clothianidin has a somewhat tarnished reputation this side of the pond now, and I think that beekeepers here will need some convincing that it is harmless as a seed dressing on one of our main bee forage crops. all the best Gavin **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:59:32 EDT Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Jerry Bromenshenk Subject: Re: Foraging flights MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Gavin is correct - one bee was reported to fly over 13 km under drought conditions in Wyoming. From a practical perspective, we've lured conditioned (marked) bees out to 2 miles with no problem, but past 2 miles the numbers started falling off dramatically. Jerry **************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. (http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047) **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:06:59 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: joe bossom Subject: Wavelength and infection MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Mark Lee, a retired marine who specializes in material physics and = supplements his pension by making bagpipe drone reeds, asks" Has anyone tried radiating hive infestation of chemicals or parasites = with different wavelengths of sound or light"? He argues that most = every organism or molecule has a wavelength which will destroy it. What do you knowledgeable beeks and/or researchers know about this = technology? **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:41:15 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: =?windows-1252?Q?Yoon_Sik_Kim?= Subject: Re: Foraging flights Comments: To: Jerry Bromenshenk Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Despite their “areal fidelity” (“a strong tendency to forage at the nearest source for each floral species in the area”), “Eckert (1933) observed that bees from hives placed in a desert will fly as much as 13.7 kilometers to a food source if no other sources are closer to the hive” and that they “have a tendency to fly in only one or two major lines of flight [like Interstate Highways], neglecting similar forage plants in other directions” (The Hive and the Honey Bee 318). Yoon **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:20:38 -0400 Reply-To: lloyd@rossrounds.com Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Lloyd Spear Subject: Foraging Distance MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Wow, I stand corrected. Thanks to all of you that took the time to so gently correct me. Have to find that Seeley reference... Lloyd -- Lloyd Spear Owner Ross Rounds, Inc. Manufacture of equipment for round comb honey sections, Sundance Pollen Traps, and producer of Sundance custom labels. Contact your dealer or www.RossRounds.com **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:32:13 +0000 Reply-To: hpwilmerding@earthlink.net Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Harold P Wilmerding Subject: Re: One in Three UK Beehives Wiped Out In-Reply-To: <52F43EE78A264FCEBAF3F30A93F5D31E@bobPC> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T -----Original Message----- From: Bob Harrison Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:31:35 To: Subject: Re: [BEE-L] One in Three UK Beehives Wiped Out Hello Peter & All, I might add a few comments although Peter's hypothesis sounds OK. > In fact, the situation is worse than the 30% quoted, because many colonies > collapsed before winter arrived; I would put the annual figure at around > 50%. Besides varroa issues collapsing in late summer and early fall can also be nosema ceranae. Has the U.K. checked for nosema ceranae? > No, the weather was the real culprit. I am not saying the weather was not a factor but bees can survive many weather issues. 50% losses indicates to me another issue and I would take samples and look deeper. A good spring would have helped, but > instead we had a cold NE winds throughout May when the oilseed rape was in > flower; this major source yielded virtually nothing and the colonies > failed to recover. In the U.S. most commercial beeks have went to pollen patties under poor weather conditions. I have seen patties which bring hives to life and many recipes are around but basically alike. In > addition, we have had to split colonies to fill all those empty boxes - > and this has reduced the meager crop even further. In our last drought if not for pollen patties and feeding we would have lost most hives. A pollen pattie can produce two frames of brood and a light syrup can make better queen acceptance. > Some of us are hoping for something from the heather, but so far the > August weather has been appalling; it seems that the UK now has a summer > monsoon If the weather is poor in my area I take the controls from "mother nature" and keep the bees in shape. In my opinion good nutrition makes for strong hives. Sorry for the losses in the U.K.. All areas of the world are reporting bee loses including China. bob **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:48:43 +1000 Reply-To: Trevor Weatherhead Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: Trevor Weatherhead Subject: Re: Honey Bee Could Hold Key to Parkinsons, Alzheimers MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; reply-type=original Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Aaron wrote > http://tinyurl.com/6b5hb4 Great facility. Marion and I were invited to the official opening on Wednesday as we have been supplying the Queensland Brain Institute with hives for their work. The bee house is on top of a building in the middle of the University of Queensland campus. The work that Srini does is very interesting. Srini was one of the keynote speakers at the Asian Apicultural Association conference in Perth Australia in 2006. The USA defense dept. are putting money into the research as they want to use the results for unmanned plane flights. Trevor Weatherhead AUSTRALIA **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * **************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:05:18 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: BEE-L@listserv.albany.edu From: =?windows-1252?Q?Steve_Noble?= Subject: Re: Foraging flights Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit “Eckert (1933) observed that bees from hives placed in a desert will fly as much as 13.7 kilometers to a food source if no other sources are closer to the hive” From Yoon's last post on this thread I am wondering how this might relate to bee's need to reorient themselves after having been moved from one location to another. I have always understood that you should move a hive at least 3 miles to keep them from returning to the old location. I have moved them between three and five miles without any problem. I wonder if this would work for a hive that is used to going farther than three miles for their forage. In other words is the distance at which reorientation becomes necessary after a hive s mpoved dependent on how far they have been foraging prior to the move? Also I assume a hive that has to go farther than three to five miles for forage is probably either not going to make it or is not going to stay put in the long run. Steve Noble **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * ****************************************************