From SYSAM@UACSC2.ALBANY.EDUMon May 22 07:17:49 1995 Date: Mon, 22 May 95 08:37:45 EDT From: Aaron Morris To: dicka@cuug.ab.ca ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1992 06:09:47 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Peter Kevan In response to the posting on Bumblebees as pollinators of greenhouse tomatoes, it is worth noting that the success which has been acheived in Europe with Bombus terrestris is being paralleled in Canada with North American native species of Bombus. Work has been completed in Ontario and in British Columbia to demonstrate the efficacy of the use of Bombus in greenhouses. A note was published last year in one of the trade magazines on the subject (I do not have a copy, nor the name of the magazine at hand) and a paper in now in press in the Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Ontario on the results of another set of experiments. Acta Horticulturae (most recent issue) has some papers on the subject, but from Europe and New Zealand. In Canada, we have produced the first issue of a newsletter "Bumblebee- quest" devoted to the use of bumblebees in agriculture/horticulture. I will be happy to arrange for interested people to receive more detailed information on any of the above. Please message me directly. In Europe and New Zealand there is great enthusiasm, and a burgeoning new industry associated with the import/export of bumblebee colonies for greenhouse pollination applications. The claims that the companies involved (Koppert, Brinkman, Bunting and perhaps others) that the bees are native is correct in that even the New Zealand bees are the result of early introduction of bumblebees from Britain to NZ for red clover pollination. Thus, at the species level, nativeness is assured. However, some assertions that the genetic stock is native to the region where the bees are used seem unreliable and some bumblebee scientists in Europe have expressed their concern about the shipping of southern European B. terrestris to northern Europe. In Canada, the authorities will not allow the import of European bumblbees. For the use of bumblebees to become throroughly entrenched into agriculture the matter of continual rearing of reliable stock has yet to be fully mastered. I understand that even in Europe and New Zealand, the cultured stocks of B. terrestris must be infused from time to time with new genes from the wild populations. In Canada, progress seems not to be quite as far along. Certainly, providing bumblebees for pollination of the late winter flowering batch of tomato plants presents a problem which is well recognized by the experts here. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1992 06:50:18 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Peter Kevan Subject: Re: Early pollen sources In-Reply-To: Message of Thu, 27 Feb 1992 10:22:00 EST from Skunk cabbage has nothing to do with skunks, but it is an early pollen source as Doolittle pointed out in the mid and late 1800's. It belongs in the same plant family as Jack-in-the-pulpit (Araceae) and rejoices under the Latin name of Symplocarpus foetidus. Apt. The pollen is pale, creamy yellow and produced in copious amounts. No nectar is produced. If you smell the "flowers", you will find that not all are foetid... some smell of turnip, some of apple, some of fungi, and some of rotting meat, and some not at all. Honeybees forage only on the ones with scent, and after that choose those with spadices (the "Jack" bit) with pale spots on. I wrote a paper on honeybee activity on this plant in southern Ontario. It was published in the journal Apidologie. Anyone want a copy of this may message me and I'll send one along. Cheers for now, Peter. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1992 12:31:00 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: GIVE PEAS A CHANCE Subject: Re: Early pollen sources Peter... I'd love acopy of your skunk cabbage BEE paper. Thanks Lois Brynes snail mail New England Science Center 222 Harrington Way WOrcester, MA 01604 USA ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1992 15:50:24 -0500 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: John Young Subject: Bumblebees? Is anyone out there reading this list raising bumblebees? If so, how is it done? where does one get a bumblebee colony to start with?? Pointers to good books on the subject (in English) that would be understandable by someone without a PhD in entomology would be appreciated. Thanks! JY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ John E. Young Internet: young@fmd01.larc.nasa.gov NASA Langley Research Center SPAN: BART8::YOUNG Hampton, VA AT&Tnet: (804) 864-4480 "I do not speak for anyone but myself...." ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1992 16:03:43 EDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "James D. Thomson" Subject: Re: Bumblebees? In-Reply-To: Message of Tue, 3 Mar 1992 15:50:24 -0500 from A note in response to Peter Kevan's note on commercial rearing of Bombus. It certainly seems as if the technical aspects of providing colonies year-round for glasshouse pollination HAVE been satisfactorily met in North America. I just received a beautiful B. impatiens colony from Chris Plowright's commercial rearing operation (Bees Under Glass), and I understand that he has processed some hundreds of colonies over the last month or two. Although I don't know anything about the "maintenance of genetic quality", my impression is that new queens are collected from the wild each year, so there would be no need to maintain stocks for long periods of time unless one were trying to select for particular characteristics... Although Bombus colonies aren't being produced for this purpose, researchers should be aware of the opportunity for year-round studies that has recently developed. Colonies are not particularly hard to get in summer, but it can be very convenient to simply buy one in the winter. James Thomson ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1992 18:19:00 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: di5 Subject: Re: Re: Bumblebees? In-Reply-To: <9203032216.AA19961@umailsrv0.UMD.EDU> It would be interesting to know, if queens for these commercial colonies of bumblebees are indeed being caught in the wild, what provisions are being made for conservation of native populations. David Inouye Dept. of Zoology University of Maryland ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1992 20:19:36 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Peter Kevan Subject: Re: Bumblebees? In-Reply-To: Message of Tue, 3 Mar 1992 16:03:43 EDT from In response to the interesting posting by JT, I can only say that if I stand corrected, I congratulate the innovators who have overcome the problem of year-round rearing of Bombus colonies. My impression was that there was great difficulty in this aspect of Bombiculture. I am not aware of any literature which indicates how the problem has been overcome. This is not that surprising, I suppose, given the commercial potential of such a break through. I presume that it will be a matter of time before the technology is published. I understand that Chris Plowright is able to provide bumblebees for research and commerce. My remarks on the need for Bombiculture to be able to provide bumble- bees for pollination services to agriculture/horticulture at pretty well anytime and with consistent reliability seem to be "dated" given this new information. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1992 21:12:26 -0500 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: cp@UPLOW.UUCP Subject: Bombological misapprehensions? From: plowright@csi.uottawa.ca We here at Bees-under-Glass (sorry, the full name is "Bees-under-Glass Pollination Services Inc.", but many of our clients like to refer to us as just plain "BUG") had a merry chuckle over the breakfast table this morning as we read Peter Kevan's pronouncements about bumblebees and greenhouses. Could this be one of those cases, we thought, where one could say: "his enthusiastic pursuit of ignorance is exceeded only by his willingness to share that ignorance with the rest of the world"?. Anyway, it was a relief to read James Thomson's message later in the day, which went a long way to set the record straight. Yes, far from it being the case that "the matter of continual rearing of reliable [bumblebee] stock has yet to be fully mastered", the actual state of affairs, both in Europe, New Zealand, and here in Canada, is that bumblebee colonies are being raised in enormous quantities, entirely in captivity, at all times of the year. Even here, at Bees-under-Glass, we are currently shipping nearly 300 colonies per month (a trivial amount in comparison with the European giants)--so one wonders who exactly ARE the "experts" that Kevan mentions when he says: "Certainly, providing bumblebees for pollination of the late winter flowering batch of tomato plants presents a problem which is well recognized by the experts here"? Sorry, Peter, providing the bumblebees sure ain't too much of a problem for us, however much it may baffle the "experts" at U of Guelph . . . In fact, it is worth noting that our people at Bees-under-Glass find it, if anything, EASIER to rear bumblebee colonies in the dead of winter than later in the year. This, of course, is because as a commercial operation having to make our living entirely from the bees that we sell, we have found it prudent to specialize in the production of colonies for the very beginning of the spring crop. As you might imagine, it is this which gives us our competitive edge. In response to Dave Inouye's righteous concerns about the safety of wild bumblebee populations (again, this is prompted by a serious error in Kevan's message), perhaps I might be allowed to quote from a letter that I recently wrote to a former colleague: "You should include BioBest among your list of European bumblebee producers--after all, they WERE the first and are certainly either the biggest or (after Koppert) the second biggest. BioBest have made some spectacular claims about their success in selective-breeding of bumble- bees. We, also, have had great success in this area--in fact, the word from Leamington is that the bees which we have supplied since last November (which is when the earliest spring-crop growers started their flowering in Leamington this season) have been more vigorous and active than those which were supplied last year. The difference is that the majority of colonies last year were from wild-caught queens, whereas this year all of our colonies headed by queens which are themselves the progeny of our stock colonies. Notwithstanding this, we are of course always on the lookout for "better" genetic material so, like the Euro- peans, we continue to catch a small proportion of our queens in the field. But, both for Bees-under-Glass as well as for the major Europ- ean producers, it would be wrong to give the impression (as seems to be implied by a recent BEE-L message) that genetic problems are hindering the commercial exploitation of bumblebees. This may be true for some of the minor players, but it has certainly not hampered the dominant prod- ucers." So, even it weren't for the fact that the "explosive" demogra- phy of Bombus makes it very resistant to disasters like the onslaught of Koppert's collecting teams, David should be reassured by the fact that (for purely economic reasons if for no other) massive dependance on wild-caught bumblebee queens is a thing of the past for us as well as for the major European producers. Cantley, Quebec. -- Chris Plowright - via the University of Ottawa Return addresses: via INTERNET: plowright@csi.uottawa.ca via UUCP : ...uunet!mitel!cunews!csi2!uplow!chris ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 4 Mar 1992 08:34:35 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Peter Kevan Subject: Re: Bombological misapprehensions? In-Reply-To: Message of Tue, 3 Mar 1992 21:12:26 -0500 from I was most pleased to see Chris Plowright's posting about Bombiculture when I looked into BEE-L this morning, his snarky remarks notwithstanding. I congratulate him openly for having made the important break-through which I have considered a prerequisite to the full entrenchment of the use of bumblebees into agricultural and horticultural pollination. Bumblebees have joined the ranks of such valuable crop pollinators as hive honeybees, alfalfa leafcutting bees, orchard bees as being reliably and consistently available for practical manipulation and management. I apologize for conveying what is now clearly mis-information. However, even a short year to year and a half ago, it seems the break-through wasn't known, even if accomplished. As far as I am aware, the methodology is not described in the scientific literature. Thank you, Chris, for bringing me up to date on the latest in Bombiculture! Cheers, Peter ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 4 Mar 1992 10:26:50 -0500 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Edward E Southwick Great to see the info spreading on non-Apis bees on BEE-L even tho the Canadians are "at" each other... A cal for papers is out for an International Workshop on Non-Apis Bees & their role as crop pollinators August 10-13 1992 at USDA Logan Utah. Contact for more info: USDA ARS, BEE Biology Lab Utah State University, LOGAN, Utah 84322 ================================================================== º Edward E. Southwick Department of Biology º º Phone 716-395-5743 State University of New York º º FAX 716-395-2416 Brockport, New York 14420 º º BITNET SOUTHWIK@BROCK1P U.S.A. º ================================================================== ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 4 Mar 1992 11:58:56 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Erik Jules Subject: endangered pollinators... Does anyone know where I might get some information on the loss or reduction of naitve pollinator populations, especially in the Pacific Northwest region? I am interested in studying the effects of fragmenting old-growth forests, by logging for instance, on plant reproductive success. Possibly, forest fragments support fewer pollinators, and thus plants in those fragments may produce fewer offspring. Who knows the pollination scene in Oregon? Any help would be much appreciated! Erik S. Jules Department of Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109 ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 4 Mar 1992 12:27:00 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: di5 Subject: Re: endangered pollinators... In-Reply-To: <9203041718.AA04101@umailsrv0.UMD.EDU> A recent newsletter from Nature Conservancy had a description of a Hawaiian plant whose pollinators appear to have disappeared. It is now an endangered species, I believe, and there have been efforts to hand-pollinate it as a way of preventing it from going extinct. I suspect it was bird-pollinated. David Inouye University of Maryland ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 4 Mar 1992 15:34:28 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Peter Subject: Re: endangered pollinators... In-Reply-To: Message of Wed, 4 Mar 1992 11:58:56 EST from There is a comprehensive account of some aspects of pollinator conservation in the recent issues of BEE WORLD (Volume 72: 1991), mostly about Europe. Corbet et al. Bee World 72(2):47-59 Osborne et al. Bee World 72(3):99-116 Especially relevant to the NW USA is the paper by Robinson and Johansen (1978) in Melanderia 30:9-57 "Effect of control chemicals for Douglas-fir tussock moth, Orgyia pseudotsugata (McDunnough) on forest pollination (Lepidoptera:Lymantriidae)" Data on the demise of pollinator populations is given in several papers from various parts of the world, most having to do with bees. I will be happy to provide anyone interested with a bibliography (albeit incomplete) by regular mail. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 5 Mar 1992 03:48:38 -0500 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "Geuna Giuseppe " Subject: Where are your bees ? Hello, people ! I have my bees on a hill near Turin (Italy), 11 hives altogether at the moment. Where have you (you people spread around the world) got your bees ? Bye. Giuseppe Geuna (EDGG@EICLUS.CSELT.STET.IT) ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 5 Mar 1992 17:46:00 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: BATSON@FRMNVAX1.BITNET Subject: Re: Breed of bees for a novice I doubt I can add much to the discussion about the "best" bees for a novice but here's my 2 cents worth.... I'm pretty new to the business as well, but in one year established two new hives with 2-lb packages of pure Italians as well as 3 hives of "wild" bees, two of which were transported (hive and all) from local farmers and one of which was a swarm I captured as they were settling into my outbuilding (had to tear down the wall to get them out). After all last summer (with an admittedly poor local flower season in the fall) and winter, I can tell you that the two Italian hives are doing great and all three "native" hives are dead. Can't say if that's due to parasites (possible...I never checked them out), or old queens. But I can say that the "pure" Italians were notably gentler than the 3 'wild' hives. No one in my area (upstate SC) produced honey last fall, so I can't say anything about honey production of Italians. Probably are other relevant factors, but I'm definitely pleased with Italians. ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 6 Mar 1992 10:13:00 EDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Ed Beary Subject: Re: Where are your bees ? Mine were just killed off my mites, if I read the symptoms correctly. Time to clean everything up and start over again. At least they left me 120lbs of honey which I now need to extract before it gets too warm here. I am in upstate New York near Rochester in USA. Ed Beary (BEARY@UNO.BITNET) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 6 Mar 1992 15:41:44 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Richard.Alan.Haver@DARTMOUTH.EDU Subject: Re: Where are your bees ? --- You wrote: Mine were just killed off my mites, if I read the symptoms correctly. --- end of quoted material --- a quick check after work yesterday informed me i have two dead and one live hive. how DO i diagnose mite kill-off? there was some, maybe considerable, capped and uncapped honey left. i have not had a chance to closely inspect the brood chamber for signs of foulbrood. i do not suspect foulbrood, however. the dead hives left most of a Crisco/confectioners sugar/terramycin patty i put on top of the upper frames sometime in october. did they die so soon that they failed to get to it? (or am i such a terrible cook?) does honey plus lack of foulbrood next lead to the likely conclusion of mites?? the past few years i've suffered 50% winter mortality. damned discouraging. ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 8 Mar 1992 10:59:00 EDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Ed Beary Subject: MITE DETECTION To detect Voroa mites, I've been told to ta ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 8 Mar 1992 11:15:00 EDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Ed Beary Subject: MITE DETECTION I've been told that varroa mites can be detected by taking a hand full of bees from the surface of the brrod nest and dropping them in a baggy filled with a mild dish soap and water. Shake the bag and then watch for mites to drop to the bottom. I did not know this until after I lost my hives. I assumed that I had a problem with mites because the hives were almost void of bees. There were no signs of foul brood and I had full supers of honey on each hive. The bees were strong in the fall. Maybe someone else could add more to detecting the mites or give us an alternate to the loss of bees like this. I checked for trachea mites in the summer by collecting 50 bees from the top of each hive and dissecting the thoracic trachea. No mites were found. Ed Beary BEARY@GENESEO.BITNET ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1992 09:57:26 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Richard.Alan.Haver@DARTMOUTH.EDU Subject: Re: MITE DETECTION ed, you message cut off after 7 or 8 words. could you resend? ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1992 14:20:00 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: MENARDAE@SNYPLAVA.BITNET Subject: Bumbus A couple weeks ago there was a running discussion on the cultivation of the bumblebee. I read those filings with interest but did not save them, if I had I'd of not needed the information for years, but since I didn't one of the Biologists here has requested that information espically the location of local breeders. I don't remember if this list is archived, if so it'll make it easy if not could someone please send me the information on the breeder in Quebec, so I can pass it along. Thanks Andy Menard It's still winter! ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1992 14:41:57 CST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Rich Pelikan Subject: Bumbus In-Reply-To: In reply to your message of MON 09 MAR 1992 13:20:00 CST > Andy Menard wrote: > A couple weeks ago there was a running discussion on the cultivation of the > bumblebee. I read those filings with interest but did not save them, if I > had I'd of not needed the information for years, but since I didn't one of > the Biologists here has requested that information espically the location of > local breeders. I don't remember if this list is archived, if so it'll make > it easy if not could someone please send me the information on the breeder in > Quebec, so I can pass it along. > Contact Chris Plowright about Bees-Under-Glass at internet address PLOWRIGHT@CSI.UOTTAWA.CA He is the person you posted the info. Richard A. Pelikan, A275CCR Southeast Missouri State University BITNET: A275CCR@SEMOVM INTERNET: A275CCR@SEMOVM.SEMO.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1992 10:10:35 CST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Bee Surgeon Subject: Bumbus I have under separate cover send to Andy a file containing all the relevant information re bumbiculture. yes, it is snowing here again. >A couple weeks ago there was a running discussion on the cultivation of the >bumblebee. I read those filings with interest but did not save them, if I >had I'd of not needed the information for years, but since I didn't one of >the Biologists here has requested that information espically the location of >local breeders. I don't remember if this list is archived, if so it'll make >it easy if not could someone please send me the information on the breeder in >Quebec, so I can pass it along. > >Thanks >Andy Menard >It's still winter! ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1992 20:05:14 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Rachel Simpson Subject: mailing list Please subscribe me to your mailing list. My address is Dept. of Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1048. My Bitnet address is user69jj@umichum. Thanks. -Rachel Simpson ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 14 Mar 1992 20:01:58 -0500 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: cp@UPLOW.UUCP Subject: More bumble stuff . . . From: plowright@csi.uottawa.ca Dear Bee-Liners: My thanks to the people who have sent in queries about commercial bumblebee production. Please forgive me for not having time to answer all your messages personally--in this posting I will try to provide a global response, and will get back to you individually as soon as time permits. First, the most commonly asked question was: "Why are the darned things so EXPENSIVE"? Part of the answer is that rearing bumblebees, notwithstanding enormous technical advances in efficiency both here and in Europe, is horribly labour-intensive: even under the best of circum- stances, each colony takes many person-hours during the entire course of its life-history. A goodly proportion of these hours is spent on the hive after it leaves our plant--which explains why the markup awarded to our distributors is comparatively high. The North American prices are about 1/3 as much again as those in Europe. Part of the reason for this is, of course, that there is much less competition this side of the Atlantic--doubtless this will change over the next few years. But more intractable causes for our higher prices are to be found in the fact that the distances over which hives must be transported in North America are vastly greater than those in (most of) Europe, while at the same time the tiny size of the North American greenhouse market does not allow us to benefit from the sort of economies of scale which have made the largest of the European producers such admirable models of industrial efficiency. Bees-under-Glass, for example, cannot afford the huge cost of injection-moulding--we are lucky when we can even use vacuum-forming as a fabrication method. Now if only we could just find a market for a few THOUSAND bumblebee colonies per week, instead of (at present) barely a hundred . . . (dream on, Plowright!). Here, because several people have asked about them, are the most recent data (all of them estimates and doubtless subject to error) that I have been able to gather about the major European producers: Name Country No. of hives shipped per week ---------------------------------------------------------------------- KOPPERT The Netherlands 2000 - 2500 BioBest Belgium 1500 - 2000 Brinkman/Bunting The Netherlands/U.K. 200 - 250 Duclos France ca. 200 BioPol The Netherlands 20 - 30 Minor producers Several countries 50 - 75 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- These figures were given to me recently by a friend (an employee in one of the abovementioned companies) who was visiting from Europe. I do not doubt the accuracy of his information--but I may have taken the figures down wrong, so as I said earlier, they may not all be correct. I also asked him for an estimate of the areas of greenhouse crops in Europe. Here are the figures that he gave: ---------------------------------------------- Tomatoes 4,500 hectares Peppers 300 ha Eggplant (aubergines) 40 ha ---------------------------------------------- Of these, my friend said that the eggplant fraction will probably incr- ease greatly in the future--this crop is just beginning to take off. Good news for those who like ratatouille . . . Hoping that this information is useful to you . . . Best regards, Chris Plowright. -- Chris Plowright - via the University of Ottawa Return addresses: via INTERNET: plowright@csi.uottawa.ca via UUCP : ...uunet!mitel!cunews!csi2!uplow!chris ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1992 09:29:31 CET Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "Willem N. Ellis" Subject: fossil Anthophora(?) nests On the Canary Islands Lanzarote and Fuerteventura I several times found large numbers of some fossil or subfossil insect nest, that might well have been made by one or more Anthophora species. The nests are about oval, 2-3 cm long and 1.5-2 cm wide; almost always they are single. No interior lining is recognizable, but the interior is very smooth. The cells are made of sandy loam or (more rarely) pure loam, that has been hardened by the fossilization process to a variable degree. The wall thickness is approx. 3 mm. The opening, at one of the poles, mostly has a narrow rim, has been closed but is, probably subsequently, perforated by a hole of about 7 mm. In perhaps 50% of the nests there is one, sometimes more, opening in the side as well. That they are fossil is certain. I found in Fuerteventura a intertidal rock formation of a few square meters that was entirely composed of these nests. In Lanzarote I once found a small erosion gulllly that had nicely made a steep cut of several meters in the soil, disclosing that the soil contained thousands of these nests, down to the very bottom of the cut. But usually they are found, together with huge numbers of shells of landsnails strewn over the surface of flats of moving sand, where they evidently have been blown bare by the wind. As far as I know, the nests are not found, at least not in these numbers, on the other, i.e. western islands of the Canarias. Except for Gran Canararia, these islands have no dunes, which might be part of the explanation. In the entomological literature pertaining to the Canary Islands (there is a good checklist by A. Machado) I could not find a reference to the these nests. In the geological literature (Rothe) they are mentioned indeed, and called RAntophoraS. This spelling error is signficant, because it is typically a Spanish error, and suggests to me that all identifications go back to one single man, a Spanish geologist called Bravo. The book in which he refers to the nests seems not to be available in The Netherlands, however. Secondary sources tell that Bravo had seen an Anthophora making this type of nest in the Orotava region (Tenerife) - which is a very different habitat indeed. I should add, finally, that closely similar nests are sometimes offered for sale in fossils shop, with "Australia" as origin, but I cannot testify that this is genuine. Does this long (apologies) description rings a bell to some of you on the list? The apidological literature has brought me nowhere, so far. Thanks in advance for any help! Willem Ellis (Inst. of Taxonomic Zoology, dept. Entomology, Univ. of Amsterdam). ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1992 13:05:38 +0100 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Stig Omholt Subject: request for Cordovan Hello, We need Cordovan queens and semen to establish a homozygous strain of Cordovan for use as a genetic marker in bee research at the Agricultural University of Norway. If anyone can sell us material, or provide information as to where to get it, we will be grateful. Since we have very strict import restrictions in Norway we will need a health certificate too. The bee season has not started here yet, but we will place the Cordovan queens in a flight room anyway (due to the import restrictions) so we need them reight away. We need 5-10 queens quaranteed homozygous for Cordovan, and preferably inseminated with Cordovan drones only. With regards, prof. Stig W. Omholt Agricultural University of Norway Department of Animal Science P.O. Box 25 N-1430 AAS NORWAY Email: stig.w.omholt@husdyrf.nlh.no ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 19 Mar 1992 12:46:30 -0500 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: John Young Subject: Address of Entomology Center in the Netherlands? Greetings, Would any of the recipients of this list (perhaps someone in Europe?) have the address of the Ambrosiushoeve Center for Entomology and Apiculture in the Netherlands? Thanks, JY -------------------------------------------------------------------------- John E. Young Internet: young@fmd01.larc.nasa.gov NASA Langley Research Center SPAN: BART8::YOUNG Hampton, VA AT&Tnet: (804) 864-4480 "I do not speak for anyone but myself...." ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 19 Mar 1992 15:31:00 EDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "Malcolm (Tom) Sanford, Florida Extension Apiculturist" Subject: MARCH ISSUE OF APIS--DELAYED FILENAME: MARAPIS.92 Florida Extension Beekeeping Newsletter Apis--Apicultural Information and Issues (ISSN 0889-3764) Volume 10, Number 3, February 1992 ASSIGNMENT EGYPT Perhaps the first thing one reads when studying the history of apiculture is that a very early seat of beekeeping was ancient Egypt. In fact, the honey bee was named after the god Apis which in that era took the shape of a bull. So it was with great expectation that I accepted an assignment offered by Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance to provide some consultation to Egyptian beekeepers. As a consequence, I am writing this issue of APIS from my hotel room in Alexandria, Egypt on the traditional day of rest here, the Islamic sabbath, Friday. Through the miracle of electronic mail, I hope to send it early next week to the Entomology/Nematology Department in Gainesville for printing and mailing. If all goes well, it should be in your mailbox just before I return from my visit to Egypt. The Egyptians are well aware of their contributions to beekeeping. The Nile river is considered the mother of Egypt. The country is composed of a narrow valley which widens into a large delta before emptying in the Mediterranean Sea. These are fragile, fertile intrusions into the inhospitable sands of one of the largest deserts in the world. Egypt also considers itself the mother of beekeeping. The honey bee was kept during the time of the pharaohs, at least 5,000 years ago. Honey was considered a delicacy by the nobles and kings, and beeswax was used in the embalming process for which the era is so famous. Migratory beekeeping began during this period as hives (in mud pots) were put on boats or rafts which sailed up and down the Nile following the honey flows, much as beekeepers in the U.S. do with 18-wheelers today. According to information provided me, the modern beekeeping era in Egypt began in the 1880s, when the first moveable-frame hives appeared. In 1912, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) established an apiary near Cairo with modern equipment, trained extension agents and provided hives and bees free of charge to the population. Several European races of bees (principally Italian and Carniolan) were imported to improve the characteristics of the native honey bee (Apis mellifera lamarckii) which has a reputation for defensiveness. By 1923, two beekeeping associations were formed and a journal called "The Bee Kingdom" was published. In the 1960s, importation of queens was prohibited to prevent introduction of bee disease. To date, Egypt does not have American foulbrood. As modern beekeeping increased, so there was a decline in traditional fixed comb beekeeping. From the 1940s to the 1980s, honey and wax production dropped in mud hives from 2100 and 246 tons respectively to 1200 and 129 tons. In the same period, modern hive production increased from 4500 to 6400 tons of honey and 18 to 26 tons of wax. The number of fixed comb hives was 511,000 in 1952, dropping to 180,000 in 1989. During that time managed colonies went from 1600 to 1,200,000! That year also marked the official introduction of the Varroa bee mite, responsible for a significant reduction in managed colonies since that time. In order to understand Egypt's beekeeping problems, one must first know about its characteristics. It is the most populous country in the Arab world and takes second place on the African in that category. Although larger than Texas and New Mexico combined, 99 percent of Egypt's 45 million persons are crowded in the Nile valley and the delta. These regions are some of most densely populated in the world, averaging 3,600 per square mile. Urbanization has taken some pressure off agricultural land, but caused other problems, especially urban blight and unemployment. Some sixteen million souls (an exact count in impossible) are found in the capital, Cairo, and Alexandria, the principle port, has almost three million. The press of humanity in this country is at once apparent to even the most casual visitor. More disturbing than constant jostling to a visitor, however, may be the knowledge that Egypt continues to grow at a 2.6 percent growth rate (doubling in 27 years) and 65 percent of its population is under 20 years of age. Egypt's population is supported by agriculture on some 6 million acres of arable land, the legacy of thousands of years of flooding by the Nile. Sometimes disastrous floods came to an end with construction of the Aswan dam in upper Egypt, near the Sudanese border. In addition, the reservoir created (Lake Nasser) allows water to be fed to the valley and delta agricultural lands during drought. However, this also means that replenishing of the soil by the river has been reduced to nil. Egypt has long been known for its high quality long-fibered cotton, which continues to be the number one agricultural product. Rice, onions, beans, citrus, wheat, corn, barely and sugar are runners also major crops, as are various forms of livestock, including cattle, sheep, goats, horses, donkeys and two local staples, water buffalo and camels. Noticeably missing are numbers of pigs. Islamic law prohibits eating pork. There is great commerce in agriculture and the local markets are filled with all manner of meats, fish, seeds, fruits and vegetables. Land reform in the 1950s has returned much of Egypt's land to small-scale owners which means many now own their own land and agriculture is in the hands of many adept entrepreneurs. However, these small-sized holdings often sacrifice efficiency although labor is cheap. The Gross National Product (GNP) is only $33,583, ten times less than Brazil's, although far greater than that of many other African countries. That brings us to beekeeping which produces good cash crops with strong demand locally at fairly high prices by Egyptian standards. Honey sells for US $1.30/lb and royal jelly for US $200.00/lb. This means that keeping bees can be very attractive; as a consequence, there are a lot of beekeepers. One glance at the intensive agriculture in Egypt reveals that there isn't much that bees can forage on. In contrast to North America, there are no wild nectar producing plants of any consequence. The two major bee plants on the Nile delta, where most of the agriculture takes place, are clover (berseem) and cotton. Citrus is a third plant of some importance. Like the human population, there is a greater Egyptian bee population than the land can handle. Apiaries of 100 to 200 colonies are common, many only a few miles apart. The Egyptian beekeeper is also managing marginal colonies. Labor is cheap and not as important an issue as it is in the U.S., but no amount of labor can make up for the intense competition among a large number of weak colonies. On top of this pesticides routinely devastate the foraging population. Arrival of Varroa in 1989 dealt a great blow to Egyptian beekeepers. Like so many other areas in the world, beekeepers here were unable to react quickly enough to prevent large colony loss. Now information is beginning to trickle down that technologies are available to control Varroa populations. Apistan (R) was first discouraged by extension agents here, but is now becoming more acceptable. It was at first thought that the product was radioactive and a carcinogen. Some persons also recommended natural products such as herbs or ground up eucalyptus leaves in smokers or organic (both formic and lactic) acid fumigation. None of these is either as effective or benign to bees and humans as is fluvalinate formulated in Apistan (R) plastic strips. The product is now becoming a routine control measure. Apistan (R) is very expensive in Egypt; at times twice to three times what it costs in the U.S. As a consequence there is much experimentation with various other chemicals and Apistan (R) strips are often seen cut into pieces to treat colonies. Unfortunately, this probably will hasten resistance by Varroa. It was also erroneously thought that Varroa could be eradicated using chemicals. Similar to all other parts of the world where the mite has been introduced, however, there is little doubt that Egyptian beekeepers are going to have to live with this mite as a permanent part of their beekeeping. Ironically, at least in the short term, reduction of colony numbers by Varroa increases the potential honey-producing capacity of the hives that remain. Unfortunately, the strong interest in finding a control for Varroa (the topic has taken precedence in most seminars or village meetings I have attended) detracts from beekeepers putting energy into solving other fundamental problems of Egyptian beekeeping. They can be easily listed and are not really much different than those found in the rest of the world: 1. There are too many colonies for the available vegetation to support. A recommendation made by most familiar with Egyptian beekeeping is to reduce the number of colonies in apiaries to no more than 50 colonies. Average yield has continually fallen from 35 pounds per colony in 1973 to 9 pounds in 1988. Concurrent with increase in colony numbers has been a reduction in nectar plants (weeds like vetch and wild mustard) on marginal lands. Many think the general erosion of environmental quality (land and water pollution are great stresses on the system here) also contributes to a reduction in nectar secreting potential by all plants. 2. Beekeepers are preoccupied with managing numbers of colonies. Many hives are weak in population, producing less than 10 lbs per year. It is usually recommended that beekeepers begin managing fewer stronger colonies which are more efficient in honey yield per bee. In addition, populations appear to be marginal for successful wintering. Although queens seem to be "honeybound" (honey has been put in the brood nest reducing the number of cells for brood rearing), it is not clear that populations do not winter well. Carniolan bees can adjust egg laying very quickly to environmental conditions. 3. Requeening methods need to be reexamined. Egyptian beekeepers do not systematically requeen. Almost all queens are reared under the "emergency" impulse; colonies are simply given a frame of brood to rear replacement queens. Adhering to this practice rather than purchasing queens from qualified producers, who rear them under the "swarming impulse," usually results substandard queens. 4. Beekeepers should orient towards managing colonies by adding supers to provide stimulus for colonies to increase both brood and honey production. The current Egyptian beekeeping practice is to manage colonies comb by comb. This involves removing honey-filled combs from the brood nest and replacing them with empties. It is known that frequent disruption of brood nest activities causes stress and reduces overall honey yields. Judicious use of queen excluders (they are expensive and no one uses them) must also become a part of this management system. Extracting honey from the brood nest is usually not good beekeeping practice. This may be a practice left over from fixed comb traditional apiculture. 5. Combs are often in marginal condition. Beekeeping in Egypt suffers from the presence of excessive drone comb and broken or damaged frames. The proper construction and wiring of frames along with a replacement policy of 15 percent of combs annually would materially contribute to colony efficiency. Many persons here manufacture their own woodenware which can contribute to comb edges being chewed away, reducing brood rearing space. An advantage of modern Egyptian beekeeping is that the country has standardized to Langstroth dimensions. 6. Feeders are too small to deliver sufficient volume of syrup. Most feeders are of the half-frame Boardman type. They should be replaced by larger containers which will increase labor efficiency and decrease disturbance of colonies. There are some additional factors affecting Egyptian beekeeping beyond the basics of strong populations, young and vigorous queens and proper nutrition. Perhaps most problematic is pesticide use, especially in cotton, which is also a major nectar plant. It is difficult for beekeepers to protect colonies from widespread application. This must be a regional effort characterized by close communication between beekeeper and applicator. The Agricultural Extension Service can often help bridge this communication gap. Egypt has a large extension service with a cadre of trained extension apiculturists. Unfortunately, although the personnel are available, there are few resources at the disposal of agents. Of particular significance is lack of transportation. Extension employees in Egypt willing to go out in the field often have to pay these costs out of their own pocket. In most of my travels around Egypt, we provided transport to various agents. Another problem with the Extension Service is that it is not formally linked to researchers at universities. As an example, the faculty of the extremely large University of Alexandria (in excess of 100,000 students!) has good information on toxicology, entomology and other disciplines, but the extension service is not presently an integral part of this network. Thus, there is often a breakdown in communication between those developing knowledge and those responsible for distributing it. This is also true to varying degrees in many other countries, including the U.S. Extension-research links, therefore, must constantly be reforged in creative ways. Beekeeping in Egypt is in need of a great deal of research. Of particular importance is the possibility of planting nectar- producing crops in marginal lands or breeding vegetables and/or fruits that will secrete more nectar. Another fruitful area is genetic research into mite resistance; it would be interesting to explore the possibility that the original Egyptian bee, Apis mellifera lamarckii, is more able to resist depredations of Varroa as some think. One must be careful when giving counsel in agricultural pursuits to be sure a full picture of any situation is gained. Because there are many marginal beekeepers in Egypt, it cannot be assumed that people do not exist who know what they are doing, or that some of the practices are without rationale. I have, in fact, met some excellent beekeepers, given the limited resources available in this country. One, a retired teacher (history and geography), got his training by reading Dadant's "First Lessons in Beekeeping." This classic beginning book continues to used by many in the U.S. who are just beginning the craft. Another larger- scale beekeeper also impressed me with his knowledge of queen rearing practices. Many universities exist in Egypt. Often, however, they turn out academically oriented students, some of whom have as one U.S. veterinarian I met here said, "never fed a pill to a cow." The many graduates coming out of universities at one time were guaranteed governmental positions during Egypt's era of socialist experimentation. It has now been recognized that such a policy is impractical and instead new, reclaimed land is being given to this young, educated population. Developmental and agricultural agencies are looking at beekeeping as one of the enterprises that will make the new lands policy more profitable. This new generation of beekeepers would be an eminently teachable audience in modern beekeeping technology. There are exceptions to the idea that university graduates have little practical knowledge. Perhaps the most successful beekeeper I met was managing 1500 colonies while employing a crew of 4 and producing package queens and bees for shipment to Saudi Arabia. This appeared to be a very lucrative business in spite of the fact that almost half the purchase price of a 3 lb package (US $60.00) was eaten up in air freight. This beekeeper appeared to be using most of the methods employed by commercial package and queen producers in the U.S. He was trained in the mid 1960s by the Chair of the Entomology Department at Alexandria University, Dr. Abdel-Latif El-Deib, who received his apicultural education at the Universities of California and Illinois. And although the Egyptian extension efforts have their problems, excellent beekeeping information is available, but one has to look for it. I have encountered a beautiful pamphlet (published in 1992) on Varroa mites, complete with color pictures of mites and how to tell them from bee lice, which are also present here. In addition, in 1991, Extension published a 71-page booklet, authored by the Head of the Bee Research Institute in Cairo, Dr. Mahmoud Mazeid, called "Raising Bees." It contains color pictures of modern beekeeping and honey processing equipment, in addition to descriptions of the life cycles of both tracheal and Varroa mites. Of special interest to me in the above publication was an account of traditional hives (mud pots about 9 inches in diameter and 5 feet long, stacked together like logs) used in Egyptian beekeeping. The description of Apis mellifera lamarckii in the book is a small, yellow bee, resistant to diseases, but only yielding some 10 lbs of honey per year. Some modern hives in Egypt don't produce that much honey today! There is also described limited experimentation to raise the traditional bee in moveable- frame equipment. Cooperatives provide support to beekeepers here in a number of ways; some have formed bee associations, but there are no published bee journals to my knowledge. I have also been told there is a lack of governmental credit. This is a significant problem. As one beekeeper said to me when I suggested that younger people might enter beekeeping, "What can one do without access to credit?" I certainly intend to stress this as a need in my final report. I still have a couple of weeks left to ride around the Nile delta in search of information that will allow Egyptian beekeepers to improve their apicultural practices. I'm sure to learn a lot more about this fascinating country in the days to come, but in my short time here do not expect I will know it all. Nevertheless, I took on this assignment in the fervent hope that what I learn here will not only help Egyptians, but also provide Floridians more comprehensive knowledge concerning apiculture as practiced in today's "global village." 1992 BEEKEEPERS INSTITUTE Now is the time to begin thinking about the annual Beekeepers Institute to be held at 4-H Camp Ocala. This year's event is scheduled for August 21 through 23. As always, I plan to include up-to-date information on the large changes occurring in the beekeeping craft. Of special concern continues to be the march of the African honey bee out of south Texas. Stay tuned to APIS for details on the Institute as the time draws near. Sincerely, Malcolm T. Sanford Entomology-Nematology, Bldg 970 University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611-06200 Phone (904) 392-1801, Ext. 143 FAX: 904-392-0190 BITNET Address: MTS@IFASGNV INTERNET Address: MTS@GNV.IFAS.UFL.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1992 09:05:00 +0100 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology Comments: This message was sent with PMDF 4.0 From: PVE@KUB.NL Subject: Re: Address of Entomology Center in the Netherlands? John, / Would any of the recipients of this list (perhaps someone in /Europe?) have the address of the Ambrosiushoeve Center for Entomology /and Apiculture in the Netherlands? The address is: De Ambrosiushoeve Ambrosiusweg 1 5081 NV HILVARENBEEK Telephone : 013 - 42 58 88 Greetings, Peter van Empel (Holland) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1992 10:20:26 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Stephen Bambara Subject: no subject (file transmission) The California Department of Food and Agriculture is requesting proposals from qualified public and private research entities to do specific research on Africanized Honey Bee topics. Up to $100,000 renewable dollars are available. Since I can't type that well, I'll summarize the objectives: Develop commercial bee stocks free of Africanization Develop selective breeding, instrumental insemination, methods for analyzing mitDNA and nucDNA, new agric. techniques, etc. Proposals due by April 28, 1992! Call Robert Roberson at (916) 654-1391 for the complete information. This might be an opportunity for Deborah or Susan or some of you other high powered scientists.