========================================================================= Date: Wed, 25 Jun 1997 22:27:28 -0700 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: James R Shaver Subject: Re: honey prices I am a honey consumer, not a seller. In case it is relevant, I have in hand a jar of EL PANAL. The label reads: "MAY CONTAIN HONEY FROM GUATEMALA, CHINA, MEXICO OR USA....Miel de Abeja...U.S.UNCLASSIFIED COMB." It is distributed by Western Commerce Corp., Industry, Ca. 91745. Retails for $359 per pound. Jim Shaver, Los Angeles ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 01:41:35 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Sid Pullinger Subject: History MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 <<<>>>> It depends what you mean by box. If you mean wooden hives made by carpenters and cabinet makers these were in use in England in the seventeenth century. If you mean containers fashioned by man for the use= of bees you must go back some three centuries B.C. to the days of the ancient Egyptians. They fashioned hives in the form of baked mud tubes like drainpipes and such hives are still in use in Egypt today. The Roma= ns had hives made of brick, boards, plaited willow containers coated with cl= ay and cowdung, baked mud and clay, quite a variety. In England straw was plentiful and cheap so the peasants hives were inverted plaited straw baskets (skeps). They are still made today, usually as a hobby. They ar= e very light and ideal for taking swarms. Today in the poorer parts of the= world hives are still made of local materials that cost little. May I recommend two books if you wish to study this subject. = The Archaelogy of Beekeeping by Dr Eva Crane. First published 1983. ISB= N 0 7156 1681 1 Beekeeping in Antiquity by H M Fraser. Published 1931 and out of print b= ut might be found in a good library. If you can find a copy of Roots ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture dated 1954 you= will find a very useful section there on skeps and the development of the= wooden hive from the seventeenth century. Happy searching. = = Sid P. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 05:21:18 +0000 Reply-To: jdalexa@widtech.com Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology Comments: Authenticated sender is From: John Alexander Subject: BeeChat MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT A reminder to all that BeeChat is scheduled for tonight, 1 July 97 at 8:00 PM EST. Tonight BeeChat will host Dr. Pedro Rodriguez, who recently published his findings on research into the use of mineral oil for the control of Varroa mites. BeeChat is a real-time java-based chat program and as such you will need to have a 32 bit operating system (Win 95, OS/2, unix, etc) and a java enabled browser (Netscape, Internet Explorer). Point your browser at: http://www.widtech.com/beechat/ and join the discussion. John Alexander ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 22:03:45 +0900 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: j h & e mcadam Subject: Re: burr comb on queen excluders Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > >I'm wondering about the Australian lid with the underlying mat -- in an >intense honeyflow aren't some colonies apt to cram the lid full of combs >and honey?? (Above the mat, I mean.) > No, the bees will not build comb above the hive mat. Perhaps the depth is insufficient. Without a hive mat though on a strong honey flow, the lid can be full of freshly drawn and sealed honey - makes beautiful cut comb honeycomb but a little hard to transport from the apiary. Betty McAdam HOG BAY APIARY Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island j.h. & e. mcadam Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: j h & e mcadam Subject: Re: Hived swarm Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >I hived my first swarm 10 days ago onto foundation. Found the queen a day >later. Did a quick inspection yesterday, Bees drawing comb nicely, no >eggs or larvae yet, but I was surprised to see two 'play cell' queen >cells. > >Is this normal, or is it that I got a virgin queen and she hasn't mated >yet, but why the started queen cells ? Hived swarms will normally start the queen laying within 3 days if there is a good nectar flow, as is usual during swarming season. If you do not have eggs after 10 days I would suspect the queen needs replacement. Mating flights occur from 3 to 8 days after emerging and if the queen does not start laying shortly thereafter I understand she is unable to lay due to spermal fluid (?) setting hard in the egg laying apparatus. A virgin queen will be short and extremely active on the combs. A laying queen, particularly a mature queen, moves deliberately and may have a tattered appearance. I recommend requeening with a queen of the desired species from a reputable breeder, before the hive loses too much strength. Betty McAdam HOG BAY APIARY Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island j.h. & e. mcadam Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Mary Beth Kerr Subject: Re: Hived swarm MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit "Play cells?" A week ago when we checked a hive we started late this spring, we found a peanut-like protuberance we think was a queen cell. This hive was very active, but still had plenty of frames to draw comb in, so there was no reason for swarming. We couldn't find the queen (maybe she recently died?) but there was a lot of new, well laid brood. So what is a play cell? >---------- >From: j h & e mcadam[SMTP:hogbay@kin.on.net] >Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 1997 8:03 AM >To: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU >Subject: Re: Hived swarm > >>I hived my first swarm 10 days ago onto foundation. Found the queen a day >>later. Did a quick inspection yesterday, Bees drawing comb nicely, no >>eggs or larvae yet, but I was surprised to see two 'play cell' queen >>cells. >> >>Is this normal, or is it that I got a virgin queen and she hasn't mated >>yet, but why the started queen cells ? > >Hived swarms will normally start the queen laying within 3 days if there is >a good nectar flow, as is usual during swarming season. If you do not have >eggs after 10 days I would suspect the queen needs replacement. Mating >flights occur from 3 to 8 days after emerging and if the queen does not >start laying shortly thereafter I understand she is unable to lay due to >spermal fluid (?) setting hard in the egg laying apparatus. A virgin queen >will be short and extremely active on the combs. A laying queen, >particularly a mature queen, moves deliberately and may have a tattered >appearance. I recommend requeening with a queen of the desired species from >a reputable breeder, before the hive loses too much strength. > >Betty McAdam >HOG BAY APIARY >Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island >j.h. & e. mcadamhttp://kigateway.eastend.com.au/hogbay/hogbay1.htm > ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 12:14:42 EDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Leigh Wiley Subject: Maybe someone can help me with a couple of situations I have. 1) I have two hives from a split I made about 4 weeks ago. Both are in single brood chambers and both have 6-7 frames of brood. Each hive has a super on top with a queen excluder between. Each super has 2-3 frames of honey. Here in Maine, the spring was very slow and we're still in the last of the raspberry bloom and 1st crop clover is going crazy. Should I put a second brood chamber on these two? Will it stop them from making surplus honey? The two hives do not have a lot of bees in them yet but should soon as the oldest frames have been capped awhile. 2) I have two supers of capped, crystalized honey from last fall that the bees did not use and I need the supers. Can I safely let the hives rob the supers out by leaving them out or is there a better way to let them clean them up? I don't want them to start robbing the other hives. Thanks for any ideas you might have! Leigh Wiley Sangerville Maine ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 10:12:23 -0600 Reply-To: allend@internode.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology Comments: Authenticated sender is From: Allen Dick Organization: The Beekeepers Subject: Re: MORE on Mutant MITES !!! In-Reply-To: <199706302231.PAA04556@ferrari.sfu.ca> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Adony carefully examines the logic of two theories for the recent appearance of fluvalinate/flumethrin resistant varroa: 1. It existed all along and 2. It arose recently due to mutation In either case, lack of competition and lack of dilution from 'normal' varroa (perhaps due to excessive doses of fluvalinate or constant exposure) would allow them to emerge as a dominant type, even if they are otherwise less fit: > 'Most genetic mutants are thought to be less fit than common genotypes > and should usually be removed from a population by natural selection. > ...Even if a mutant is equal in fitness to common genotypes, it is likely to > be lost from the population due to random mortality... > ...If the mutant is more fit than other individuals, its chance of > surviving is somewhat greater, but it is still likely to be lost from > the population... > ... the only way rare mutants can get going in a population is if the > population is quite small and experiences little gene flow with > surrounding outside populations... > ...Let's say a mutation occurs in an infested colony that confers a > selective advantage to Varroa in the presence of Apistan strips. These > mutations are likely to occur very rarely, as mutations are rare events > to begin with and most of them result in gibbled offspring that don't > survive very long... > ...For the sake of argument lets say the mutant is > 100 % resistant to Apistan, and the Apistan doesn't result in any > sublethal effects to that mutant. Suppose every mite in the colony, the > mutant excluded, dies following application with Apistan... > Once that mutant Varroa's offspring get going and begin recolonizing > the freshly Apistaned colony, the high amount of inbreeding (? - > unresolved, sort of, from an old post) would likely make loss of the > trait though outbreeding with Apistan suseptible stains of mite > unlikely... > I think there may be something to this scenario. Nonetheless Allen, you > must agree, the more established a resistance character in a population > the more likely it is to surface. Yes, you have very clearly outlined my thinking on this. As far as I can see, either mechanism (elimination of virtually all individuals except those with a previously existing trait, or recent mutation) is a reasonable explanation. As far as which is more likely, I really don't know. And of course the question is which actually occured here. In effect, one in a million chance is as good as a 100% chance if the number comes up. I doubt we will ever know which happened. An aside: Of interest is that their host (our honeybee is also -- fairly uniquely among cold blooded critters -- fluvalinate resistant) and I will introduce a third -- and some will say preposterous -- suggestion, and that is that the mite got it's fluvalinate resistance from the bee. I remember reading in Discover magazine some time back that DNA had been proven to have been carried from on host to another by a common parasite and that somehow, a characteristic from the first host had been 'transplanted' by the parasite and subsequently became established in the second host. Anyhow, what we do know is that there are many different subvarieties of varroa, and the varroa one person has may not be the same as the varroa that is found a few states -- or a few miles -- away. This has not been the case with other bee pests that we are used to, like AFB, EFB and chalkbrood as far as we know (excepting of course, the known recent emergence of Tetracycline resistant AFB in South America). With the other diseases, we could assume AFB is AFB, and not worry if we got an exotic variety, because as far as we could tell there weren't any. With varroa, each time we bring in new varroa to an outfit, we are bring in a new population. The results of mixing their population with our own may be unpredictable, since each has a distinct genetic experience to contribute to a new blend. Varroa may be fast 'learners'. > Having said that, I still wonder how resistance gets going in this > strangely unique pest system beekeepers face (a possibly highly inbred > pest which is seemingly adapted to nothing else but living off honey > bees). I suspect some long held truths established by scientists in > other agriculural pest systems would be challenged if someone spent time > on this problem. I hope someone out there is interested in talking > about this problem a little more. I think we are just starting to get an idea of where this can go. Unless we can get a mechanism that they cannot *ever* adapt to (like suscepibility to oil), we are doomed to find that controls expire in effectiveness without warning and often. Although oils are promising, I have some reservations since current application methods require complete disassembly of hives more often than I even drive by some of my yards. At present, the cure costs more than any commercial outfit can pay in labour and disruption. As I mentioned before, I heard of an oil fogging machine being used to introduce an aerosol of an oil into beehives back when the tracheal mites were first becoming a problem in North America. I don't know what happened to the idea. I have been unable to obtain details. Allen ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 18:29:54 GMT+0200 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Garth Organization: Rhodes University South Africa Subject: Re: Swarm returning to hive?????? In-Reply-To: Re: Swarm returning to hive?????? My suggestion would be as follows: When I capture a swarm I put an excluder over the hive entrance to stop them getting away. I have seen such bees leave a hive cluster on a tree give up as the queen does not join them and go back to the hive as sunset comes around. Now, I gather that in many parts of the world people clip the wings of queens. If you split a hive with queen cells it is possible that the hive which swarmed and returned may have had the old queen who would have swarmed if she had full wings to excape the new queen about to hatch. My theory. Keep well Garth --- Garth Cambray "Opinions expressed in this post may be those 15 Park Road of Pritz, my cat, who knows a lot about Grahamstown catfood." 6140 *garth@rucus.ru.ac.za* South Africa Phone 27-0461-311663 In general, generalisations are bad. But don't worry BEEEEEE happy. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 18:31:30 +0200 Reply-To: jtemp@xs4all.nl Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Jan Tempelman Organization: Home Subject: enjoy your dinner!!!!! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-2 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit To day I uncapt the last droneframe in the method see http://www.xs4all.nl/~jtemp/dronemethod.html and eat them!!! see the great pictures on http://www.xs4all.nl/~jtemp/maaltijd.html (it takes some time with all that great pictures) shocking for some beekeepers. Bookmark it for the moment they come by !!!!!!! -- Jan Tempelman / Ineke Drabbe | EMAIL:jtemp@xs4all.nl Sterremos 16 3069 AS Rotterdam, The Netherlands Tel/Fax (SOMETIMES) XX 31 (0)10-4569412 http://www.xs4all.nl/~jtemp/index3.html ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 12:58:31 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Robin Wells Subject: Re: Mutations? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > Pesticide resistance of a specie is the result of a more or less small > proportion of the population: Of the billions of individuals that form a > specie there are always some that are slightly different as a result of > errors in the replication of their genetic code. As a result there is > always a small proportion of the bugs that will survive to the pesticide > and since they are the only survivors able to reproduce they will transmit > this resistance to their descendants and soon populations of the pest will > be back to normal or even cause problems worse than before. The major problems exist when you have irresponsible individuals either placing too low a treatment level, reusing treatments after expiration, or leaving treatment on after the specified time length. The reduction in pesticide levels allows mites that would likely be killed by a correct level to survive the lower levels of medication. If the medication is used properly the likelihood of this happening is reduced although not eliminated. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 08:13:36 CST6CDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: BLANE WHITE Organization: Minnesota Dept of Agriculture Subject: Re: MORE on Mutant MITES !!! In-Reply-To: <199706302231.PAA04556@ferrari.sfu.ca> Adony Melathopoulos wrote: > Having said that, I still wonder how resitance gets going in >this strangely unique pest system beekeepers face (a possibly highly >inbred pest which is seemingly adapted to nothing else but living >off honey bees). One thing to think about is that fluvalnate is a pyrethroid and as such is similar to compounds produced by some plants. Honey bees feeding on pollen from such plants may well absorb some of these compounds which the mites would be exposed to in feeding on the bees. As an example there was an article this winter in American Bee Journal reported that menthol ingested by honey bees was found in the haemolymph fairly quickly. Since many plants produce compounds to reduce feeding by insects, varroa mites may be exposed to more "unfriendly " compounds that we usually think and therefore need enzymes to detoxify such materials. Resistance to pesticides therefore could arise by both mutation and selection for traits already present in the population and the inbred nature of many varroa populations may actually greatly speed up this process. FWIW blane ****************************************** Blane White State Apiary Inspector Minnesota Department of Agriculture 90 W Plato Blvd St Paul, MN 55107 http://www.mda.state.mn.us phone 612-296-0591 fax 612-296-7386 bwhite@mda-is.mda.state.mn.us ******************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 13:41:38 -0400 Reply-To: dronebee@norfolk.infi.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "\\Dr. Pedro P. Rodrifuez" Organization: Independent non-profit research Subject: Re: Mutations? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 P. Aras et M. Boily wrote: Excellent explanation. Humanity is very much in need of putting a halt to toxic substances in our food chain for the sake of future generations. Thanks for your kind words. Best regards. Dr. Rodriguez ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 14:27:10 -0400 Reply-To: dronebee@norfolk.infi.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "\\Dr. Pedro P. Rodrifuez" Organization: Independent non-profit research Subject: Re: MORE on Mutant MITES !!! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 adony melathopoulos wrote: Dear Friends: I would like to add a couple of sentences to this subject from my personal observations of our "bee public enemy," (my characterization). The more that I study the behavior of bee mites the more amazed I become at their ability to utilize the bee colony environemnt to their advantage. In assaying the potential threat that Varroa offers to honey bees, we have to take into consideration several factors. For instance, bee mites have a very short life cycle, 12 days for tracheal bee mites and 18 days for Varroa mites. It takes any given bee mite a maximum of 28 days to enter a drone cell and its offspring to return to the surface to begin its ectoparasitic form (to me the most damaging stage). Supposing that nothing impedes their return to the larvae to renew their reproductive cycle, they will accomplish their "mission" playing havoc on their host and are promising to do it time and again in greater numbers until the colony perishes. My 13 + years working with Varroa mites have taught me one thing for sure. And that is that bee mites have a tremendous capacity to adapt to their environment and to their hosts. IMO, we have a lot to learn about bee mites. Best regards. Dr. Rodriguez ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 11:27:17 -0700 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: adony melathopoulos Subject: Re: DNA sucking mites.. a reply. Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Allen and the rest of the list : Allen. I am continually impressed by the way you think. I think your ideas are interesting and concisely expressed. I look forward to sitting down and talking with you again. But back to these ideas on Varroa resistance : At 10:12 AM 7/1/97 -0600, you wrote: >Yes, you have very clearly outlined my thinking on this. As far as I can >see, either mechanism (elimination of virtually all individuals except >those with a previously existing trait, or recent mutation) is a >reasonable explanation. As far as which is more likely, I really don't >know. And of course the question is which actually occured here. >In effect, one in a million chance is as good as a 100% chance if the >number comes up. I doubt we will ever know which happened. I think there are several areas of investigation which would help us understand how Varroa adapts to selective pressures imposed on their populations [be the pressures a pesticide like apistan, mineral oil, or wintergreen oil, or resistant characters (e.g. quicker larval development, worker hygenic behavior, smaller cell sizes) among their hosts]. Studies of Varroa mating systems and population gentics and the way Varroa populations respond to intense selective pressures would help resolve matters. Also, it would be useful to know how fast Varroa populations not exposed to intense selection will respond to intense selective pressures by evolving resistance. I don't think this is a necessarily safe experiment to conduct, but it would be interesting to see how fast resistance to Apistan occurs under different levels of treatment, at different levels of infestation, etc.. (perhaps the risks of conducting such an experiment would be smaller in areas where fluvalenate resistance is already endemic (e.g. Northern Italy) although I would not bet the house on that). Alternatively it might be interesting to see how costly resistance is to mites, and see how quickly a resistant mite population reverts to being suseptible after treatments are relaxed. >An aside: Of interest is that their host (our honeybee is also -- fairly >uniquely among cold blooded critters -- fluvalinate resistant) and I will >introduce a third -- and some will say preposterous -- suggestion, and >that is that the mite got it's fluvalinate resistance from the bee. I >remember reading in Discover magazine some time back that DNA had been >proven to have been carried from on host to another by a common parasite >and that somehow, a characteristic from the first host had been >'transplanted' by the parasite and subsequently became established in the >second host. Oh yah, good idea. Somebody in the states conducted an experiment that demonstrated that mites of fruit flies are either able to vector genes between fly populations or incorporate genes from the flies into their own genomes (I can't remember which). I think in honeybees such a pheomonon may be difficult to demonstrate since we know very little about the honey bee genome compared to fruit flies (this is a wild guess. Maybe it would be easy to design an experiment to demonstrate this.. I do not know). >Anyhow, what we do know is that there are many different subvarieties of >varroa, and the varroa one person has may not be the same as the varroa >that is found a few states -- or a few miles -- away. This has not been >the case with other bee pests that we are used to, like AFB, EFB and >chalkbrood as far as we know (excepting of course, the known >recent emergence of Tetracycline resistant AFB in South America). > >With the other diseases, we could assume AFB is AFB, and not worry if we >got an exotic variety, because as far as we could tell there weren't any. Does anyone know, apart from resistance to antibiotics which does not seem to vary, do any of the brood diseases vary in virulence (or other characters that might indicate the evolution of disease subpopulations or demes) ? >With varroa, each time we bring in new varroa to an outfit, we are bring >in a new population. The results of mixing their population with our >own may be unpredictable, since each has a distinct genetic experience to >contribute to a new blend. Varroa may be fast 'learners'. I am not sure that Varroa populations show that much variation between outfits. There was some DNA work that looked for Varroa race differences among large geographic areas (i.e. among continents), but nothing that indicates apiary to apiary differences. I think the kind of population fragmentation Allen is proposing would only be posssible if mites in one apiary could not breed with mites in another apiary very well (i.e. gene flow between apiaries was very very small). When gene flow stops between local populations, population differentiation (and even speciation) can occur because there isn't the interbreeding to keep evening things out every generation. Again this boils down to the question of how inbred are Varroa populations (a question that seems more and more relevant the longer this thread runs on). >I think we are just starting to get an idea of where this can go. Unless >we can get a mechanism that they cannot *ever* adapt to (like >suscepibility to oil), we are doomed to find that controls expire in >effectiveness without warning and often. Will someone explain to me why resistance to oils cannot develop ? If I understand the mechinism by which mineral oil is hypothesised to work (and excuse me if I miss important details), mites die because their spiricles get clogged up with oil. I would not be so certain to say mites cannot evolve resistance to mineral oil. Resistance may not evolve as fast as does for apistan (maybe it will - I do not think anyone knows), but I believe as long as any treatment imposes such a heavy selective pressure on the mites, resistance is a strong possibility (especially if the population needn't have any previous variability for the resistant character - see Allen Dick's mutation hypothesis). The same goes for characters that confer Varroa resistance in honey bee populations, if these character's significantly reduce the fitness of Varroa, Varroa likely will evolve counterresistance. I am afraid there are no silver bullets in Varroa management if the strategy involves dusting mites off (more stable strategies would give Varroa a way to reproduce without causing damage to the workforce - the apparent case with A. cerana where Varroa spends its energy only on drone brood). This thread has been very interesting to me. I hope more people will join in and expand these ideas further. Adony >As I mentioned before, I heard of an oil fogging machine being used to >introduce an aerosol of an oil into beehives back when the tracheal mites >were first becoming a problem in North America. I don't know what >happened to the idea. I have been unable to obtain details. > >Allen > > *********************************** ** Adony P. Melathopoulos ********* *** Center for Pest Management **** **** Simon Fraser University ****** ***** Burnaby, British Columbia *** ****** Canada, V5A-1S6 ************ *********************************** Tel : (604) 291-4163 Fax : (604) 291-3496 e-mail : melathop@sfu.ca "The pursuit of agriculture promotes the strength of the mind as well as the body" - Rev. John L. Blake, 1853 ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 11:33:58 -0700 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "Kriston M. Bruland" Subject: Need AFB information Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Hi Everyone, This week I found American foulbrood for the first time ever in one of my hives. I hived a small swarm of unknown origin on foundation in new woodenware, a single deep box. The classic symptoms where all there when the bees drew out the comb: bad smell, shotgun brood with honey mixed in between brood, dark colored brood, scale along the bottom cell wall the entire length, brood strings out when pierced with a toothpick. I burned the hive completely, including the bottom board, bees, frames, wax, hive body, and covers. None of the other hives in the same yard showed any sign of infection. They had terra patties all winter long and through the spring. The new swarm was not medicated and it was about 200 feet from the rest of the hives in the yard. For some reason, I did not put it right next to the others. I looked in the Hive and the Honey Bee and also in the ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture and neither answers several questions I have about AFB, so I'm asking you. 1) How easily is this disease spread? Do I need to discard the hive tool I used to inspect the infected hive or sterilize it somehow, wash or replace my bee suit, etc? Can propolis contain the spores too? 2) At what temperature does AFB or its spores die? Would melting in a solar wax melter kill it, or is this not hot enough? (I haven't done this nor would I intentionally do it, I just want to know.) 3) Should I pull the supers from all the hives in the yard and medicate now even though they don't appear sick, or is this overkill because they had terra patties this past winter and spring and will get them again in the fall? 4) How long is TM-25 effective when fed as a patty after it is removed for supering? Will a colony with AFB spores develop AFB during the summer when supers are on with no medication if it has a terra patty throughout the rest of the year? 5) I have seen no signs at all of AFB in any of my other 17 hives, but am paranoid now. Should I attempt to sterilize my extractor between supers from different hives somehow? I don't share equipment among hives, but some bees from the sick hive could have drifted into the others, even though it was 200 feet away. Could AFB be present in supers too, or just in brood chambers (I use two)? 6) If I had medicated the infected swarm from the time I hived it, would it be healthy now, or would the spores always be waiting to cause disease? Is there anything I haven't mentioned here that should be done at this point or as part of a general treatment plan? The books and web sites I visited while trying to sort this out had lots of good information for identifying the disease, but were lacking severly in the area of what to do for control aside from buring infected hives, not sharing equipment among hives, and medicating regularly. Maybe this is all there is to do. Thank you very much in advance for any help you can offer. I feel really bad that this happened and it was hard to burn the hive, but I knew it had to be done. I have always been on top of the medication, but didn't treat the one hive I really should have. I keep bees primarily for enjoyment although I do sell the honey and I really want healthy hives. Kris Bruland Member of Mt. Baker Beekeepers Association Bellingham, WA U.S.A. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 14:34:24 -0400 Reply-To: dronebee@norfolk.infi.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "\\Dr. Pedro P. Rodrifuez" Organization: Independent non-profit research Subject: Re: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Leigh Wiley wrote: Dear Leigh: The best guaranteed way to start "robbing" is by setting out honey, cps, etc around your hives. There will be thousands of bees coming in to nourish on the "freebies" and maybe from your own hives. You might even lose your own. There are many ways to harvest that crystallized honey without inviting disaster. Best regards. Dr. Rodriguez ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 14:50:59 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Ian Watson Subject: Re: enjoy your dinner!!!!! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-2 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit EEEEEuuuuuuuuwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.....................;) Just because you can eat something, doesn't mean you HAVE to.....;) Also, are you sure they are absolutely safe for human consumption?...including the mites that are likely on them, and who knows what other parasites that you can't see, plus the potential for residues of Apistan and other medicines you may have used? food for thought...hehe Ian Watson ian@gardener.com St. Catharines, Canada (near Niagara Falls) real estate agent gardener homebrewer baritone beekeeper---> 7 colonies, 3 nucs on order > To day I uncapt the last droneframe in the method > see > http://www.xs4all.nl/~jtemp/dronemethod.html > and eat them!!! > see the great pictures on > http://www.xs4all.nl/~jtemp/maaltijd.html > (it takes some time with all that great pictures) > > shocking for some beekeepers. > Bookmark it for the moment they come by !!!!!!! > -- ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 12:02:45 -0700 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: adony melathopoulos Subject: Re: Need AFB information Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Kris : Sorry to hear about the AFB. I have only dealt with four infected hives in the past two years, so you'd be wise to validate my advice with other more experienced beekeepers. At 11:33 AM 7/1/97 -0700, you wrote: >1) How easily is this disease spread? Do I need to discard the hive tool I >used to inspect the infected hive or sterilize it somehow, wash or replace my >bee suit, etc? Can propolis contain the spores too? I do not think the disease is spread very readily unless infected equipment and tools are passed from diseased to healthy colonies. I do not think the disease spreads by stray drifting bees, but I think weak AFB colonies that are being robbed out by neighbouring heathy colonies will result in some degree of disease spread. If your other colonies look heathy, do not assume they do not have the disease. The local bee inspector told me that you are not out of the woods until you can confirm neighbouring heathy colonies show no sign of the diseases up to a year down the road. Torch the hive tool to disinfect it. Use dispoable gloves when handling diseased frames. Bleach your suit. I think propolis contains spores. Although propolis contains antibiotic substances, they likely not able to either destroy or reduce the later germination of spores (I am guessing). Torch all the wax and propolis off your supers, inner cover, outer cover, and bottom boards. Burn the frames. >3) Should I pull the supers from all the hives in the yard and medicate now >even though they don't appear sick, or is this overkill because they had terra >patties this past winter and spring and will get them again in the fall? I am a bit of a gambler. Don't use TM right away on your 'heathy' colonies, because subsequent honey will be contaminated. Keep a close eye on your colonies to see if the disease appears. As soon as the honey is off, treat them with TM syrup, and continue watching them through the fall and gain next spring. If you want to be more cautious, take all your honey off and extract it, then dust your colonies with @ tablespoon of 1:5 TM in icing sugar over the next couple of months. >4) How long is TM-25 effective when fed as a patty after it is removed for >supering? I am guessing that as long as the TM is not exposed to sunlight, it lasts a long time in grease (not the case in water-based carriers). Please not that TM patties have been implicated as potentially inducing resistnace in B. larvae populations. I'd use pulses of syrup and icing sugar rather than a continuous release via patties. >Will a colony with AFB spores develop AFB during the summer when >supers are on with no medication if it has a terra patty throughout the rest of >the year? I do not think so. TM is bacterialstatic. It stops the growth of B. larva in bee blood. Larvae need to eat the stuff for it to work. Following feeding with TM in syrup I think most of it is gone for nurse bees in about 3 weeks. Syrup is stored. Grease is not. I think grease patties have very short residual action, although I do not think anyone has ever looked at this. >5) I have seen no signs at all of AFB in any of my other 17 hives, but am >paranoid now. Should I attempt to sterilize my extractor between supers from >different hives somehow? I don't share equipment among hives, but some bees >from the sick hive could have drifted into the others, even though it was 200 >feet away. Could AFB be present in supers too, or just in brood chambers (I >use two)? From my experience being paranoid is good. My worst fears have not come true when I am paranoid and being extremely careful. >6) If I had medicated the infected swarm from the time I hived it, would it be >healthy now, or would the spores always be waiting to cause disease? Maybe. I have heard if you absolutely drench an infected swarm with syrup that the spores somehow get diluted and taken out of circulation. I have no experience with this technique tho. >Is there anything I haven't mentioned here that should be done at this point or >as part of a general treatment plan? The books and web sites I visited while >trying to sort this out had lots of good information for identifying the >disease, but were lacking severly in the area of what to do for control aside >from buring infected hives, not sharing equipment among hives, and medicating >regularly. Maybe this is all there is to do. If you can, check Balley and Ball's 'Honey Bee Pathology' for a rigorous treatment of AFB. Please treat my suggestions with some skeptisim. Most of them are based on guesses, not fact. Adony *********************************** ** Adony P. Melathopoulos ********* *** Center for Pest Management **** **** Simon Fraser University ****** ***** Burnaby, British Columbia *** ****** Canada, V5A-1S6 ************ *********************************** Tel : (604) 291-4163 Fax : (604) 291-3496 e-mail : melathop@sfu.ca "The pursuit of agriculture promotes the strength of the mind as well as the body" - Rev. John L. Blake, 1853 ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 21:08:37 +0200 Reply-To: jtemp@xs4all.nl Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Jan Tempelman Organization: Home Subject: Re: enjoy your dinner!!!!! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-2 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Ian Watson wrote: > > EEEEEuuuuuuuuwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.....................;) > > Just because you can eat something, doesn't mean you HAVE to.....;) > Also, are you sure they are absolutely safe for human > consumption?...including the mites that are likely on them, and who knows > what other parasites that you can't see, plus the potential for residues of > Apistan and other medicines you may have used? > > food for thought...hehe > > Ian Watson ian@gardener.com > St. Catharines, Canada (near Niagara Falls) > real estate agent gardener homebrewer baritone > beekeeper---> 7 colonies, 3 nucs on order > I'am still alive!!!!!! and it was the third time. On the univerity in Wageningen the had a week on eating insect with cooks from over the world. Many people in the wold eat insects as there only protein source. -- Jan Tempelman / Ineke Drabbe | EMAIL:jtemp@xs4all.nl Sterremos 16 3069 AS Rotterdam, The Netherlands Tel/Fax (SOMETIMES) XX 31 (0)10-4569412 http://www.xs4all.nl/~jtemp/index3.html ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 22:08:12 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: John Wolford Subject: Feeding package bees MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Could someone tell me how often or how much sugar syrup should be fed to a new colony of packaged bees. The bees were installed during the second week of June and so far I have been feeding them syrup every 3 or 4 days to stimulate comb building. When should I stop. John M. Wolford jmwolford@kih.net ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 23:01:55 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Robert Watson Subject: Re: enjoy your dinner!!!!! Comments: To: Jan Tempelman In-Reply-To: <33B955A6.6431@xs4all.nl> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Tue, 1 Jul 1997, Jan Tempelman wrote: > Ian Watson wrote: > > EEEEEuuuuuuuuwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.....................;) > > Just because you can eat something, doesn't mean you HAVE to.....;) > > Also, are you sure they are absolutely safe for human > > consumption?...including the mites that are likely on them, and who knows > > what other parasites that you can't see, plus the potential for residues of > > Apistan and other medicines you may have used? > > > > I'am still alive!!!!!! and it was the third time. > On the univerity in Wageningen the had a week on eating insect > with cooks from over the world. > Many people in the wold eat insects as there only protein source. ?????you don't have to eat animal products to get protein!!!!! what about legumes??? etc etc etc???? ///sorry I know this is getting off topic... ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 20:20:54 -0700 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Bill Fernihough Subject: Re: Feeding package bees Comments: cc: jmwolford@kih.net Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Stop when they stop. When the nectar flow in your area is adequate, they will likely stop taking the artificial feed. I find mine won't take it at all. When the honey flow stops, they are right back on the bottle. Suggest you medicate each feed. Make sure you do not let sunlight get to a medicated bottle even for a second, it destroys the terramycin instantly. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 22:30:06 +0000 Reply-To: cspacek@flash.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Curtis Spacek Subject: Re: Friends MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit John M Thorp wrote: > > ~~^v^~~ FRIENDS ~~^v^~~ > > What is a friend? > One soul dwelling in two bodies. > --Aristotle > > There are not many things in life so beautiful as true > friendship, and not many things more uncommon. > --Unknown > > Sometimes you have to grow farther apart to keep growing together. > --Unknown > > A friend is a gift you give yourself. > --Robert Louis Stevenson > > To have a friend, be a friend. > --Old saying > > We have been friends together in sunshine and in shade. > --Caroline Norton > > Things are never quite as scary when you have a best friend. > --Bill Watterson > > I'd like to be the sort of friend that you have been to me, I'd > like to be the help that you've been always glad to be; I'd > like to mean as much to you each minute of the day, as you have > meant old friend of mine, to me along the way. > --Edgar A. Guest > > When we are grown we'll smile and say we had no cares in > childhoood's day- But we'll be wrong... 'Twill not be true. > I've this much care... I care for you. > --Unknown > > Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is before you > can meet again. And meeting again after a > moment or lifetime is certain for those who are friends. > --Richard Bach > > Cherish friendship in your breast. New is good but old is best. > Make new friends but keep the old, new is silver, the other is gold. > --Anonymous > > Yesterday brought the beginning, tomorrow brings the > end but somewhere in the middle we've become the best of > friends. > --Unknown > > Ah! How good it feels the hand of an old friend. > --Longfellow > > A friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out. > --Anonymous > > Happiness isn't the easiest thing to find, but one place you're > guaranteed to find it is in a friend's smile. > --Allison Poler > > A friend is someone who truly cares, > A friend is someone who's always there, > A friend will be there in times of woe, > Talking, laughing, and sometime letting go, > Times alone we sometimes need, > But coming back we will do indeed, > There may be times we may not agree, > For you are you and I am me, > We may argue because of that fact, > But our power of friendship will bring us back, > Cause the love in our hearts we feel inside, > Is not something we would ever hide, > So come to me in times of need, > Cause you my dear always have a friend in me. > --Smiles > > @}--}---}--- HAPPY ONLINE ---{---{--{@ > FRIENDSHIP WEEK! > @->->>- ^v^ -<<-<-@ > > To a friend, from a friend > Pass it on to those who deem worthy of your time and friendship. > *And remember never to forget who your friends are. > @->->>- ^v^ -<<-<-@ this seems a terrible waste of the bandwidth.sustem administrator asleep again?where's the bees? ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 23:52:30 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Robert Watson Subject: Re: Friends Comments: To: Curtis Spacek In-Reply-To: <33B984EE.3A6A@Pop.Flash.Net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Tue, 1 Jul 1997, Curtis Spacek wrote: > John M Thorp wrote: > > > > ~~^v^~~ FRIENDS ~~^v^~~ > >[major snipppage]............................ ............... ........ and you quoted the whole thing again, and added the following brief comment: > this seems a terrible waste of the bandwidth.sustem administrator asleep > again?where's the bees? welll! so you wasted even more of this so-called "bandwidth", by including the entire post and then making a comment. I thought it was an interesting, poetical sort of post, and I saved it... but I didn't need it twice!...with a small comment appended... No offence, fellow beekeeper, but if yer gonna complain about a post, or even remark on it , why include the entire post that you are commenting on???? learn yer netiquette.. it's not difficult... .....bye, Rob....... ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 00:12:23 -0700 Reply-To: dougm@west-teq.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Doug McCulloch Subject: Re: bits and pieces MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Garth wrote: > > Hi all > > Just thought I would share some interesting things that I have seen > to do with bees lately: > > I removed a beehive a few days ago from a three storey building. I > put up scaffolding below the entrance. The bees in my area are > usually docile and safe, but these seemed to have more of their true > african bee haemolymph than the rest and they flattened me. It is > much more difficult putting scaffolding up with a bee suit on! > > Anyhow, I drilled out four bricks to a happy cloud of bees. Got into > the hive and found that the other side of the wall was actually below > the bath in the flat. This is in a school so the bath is well used > and a pipe runs from the geyser through the hive. This goes to a > hostle kitchen where cooking happens all day. Anyhow, I removed about > sixty kilograms of comb, capped, from the hive. The brood nest would > equate to about seven or eight frames. For the middle of winter this > hive was cooking! Anyhow, I removed the bees and came back the next > day to patch the hole. The bees were really lucky with this spot! I > felt inside and it was about luke warm in there, heated by the pipe! > So that's how they got away with such a big winter nest! Most of my > hives have only two or three frames now for winter, and the weakest > have less than one. > > Secondly, a few months back one of my hives swarmed. I had it near a > train line, and just as the bees were moving the train went by and > they all settled on the branch again? Is this a confirmation of the > thunder and lightening/bangin pots theory? > > Then there are the things that crawl into the hives: So far I have > found: Slugs-more and more of the slime balls > Snails-on the top board > Earthworms: I found three earthworms in the middle of the > broodnest, curled up in cells. It appears they like the moisture. > A legless skink: gave me the fright of my life as it is > like a small snake. > > Anyhow, those are my strange sightings and interesting things (well > at least they seem to be interesting to me) > > Keep well > > Garth > > --- > Garth Cambray "Opinions expressed in this post may be those > 15 Park Road of Pritz, my cat, who knows a lot about > Grahamstown catfood." > 6140 *garth@rucus.ru.ac.za* > South Africa Phone 27-0461-311663 > > In general, generalisations are bad. > But don't worry BEEEEEE happy. Great story Garth, interesting to hear what is happening with bees on the other side of the world. Best wishes, Doug McCulloch ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 23:38:42 -0700 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "Paul Cronshaw, D.C." Subject: AHB Bee Movie on Fox Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Did anyone catch the movie: "Deadly Invasion: The Killer Bee Nightmare" on Fox channel tonight? The ending text mentioned something about the invasion has already begun and would reach LA some time later this year, and there was nothing that would stop the AHB migration. The movie was produced in1995. Looks like the prediction has not come true. Lets hope the networks do not play this movie again. I am pleased to see that Ullie's Gold has a more positive spin on beekeeping. Paul Cronshaw, D.C. Cyberchiro and Hobbyist Beekeeper Santa Barbara, CA USA ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 03:10:25 -0500 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Midnite Bee Subject: Bee I.D. MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit www.cybertours.com/~midnitebee Question:Please I.D. Some bees, or WASPs, or Hornets have set up camp in our lawn. Their heads are green, yet their bodies have faint yellow and black stripes. They live underground and cover up the hole to their nest come ~sundown. Have you ever seen something like this? There seems to be a gate-keeper guardian. One green head pops up and looks around, like it's watching its hole. These bees are digging up our lawn, but so far no stings. Thanks,Midnitebee(Herb) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 21:45:40 +0000 Reply-To: jdalexa@widtech.com Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology Comments: Authenticated sender is From: John Alexander Subject: BeeChat MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT All, The first forum of BeeChat, featuring Dr. Pedro Rodriguez went tolerably well considering the problems with the chat server. I appologize for these difficulties and hope to have them resolved for the next BeeChat session. A transcript of the session (edited for readibility and pertinance) will be availablein a day or so from the BeeChat homepage at: http://www.widtech.com/beechat/ Thank you, Dr. Rodriguez for your time and everyone for bearing with the difficulties. John Alexander WIDTECH ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 10:22:03 -0500 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "P. Aras et M. Boily" Subject: Re: BEE-L Digest - 30 Jun 1997 to 1 Jul 1997 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit adony melathopoulos wrote > Will someone explain to me why resistance to oils cannot develop ? If I > understand the mechinism by which mineral oil is hypothesised to work (and > excuse me if I miss important details), mites die because their spiricles > get clogged up with oil. Theoretically mites could develop resistance to oil if they could evolve spiracles wich do not clog with oil. Why not considering the vastness of the universe and it's diversity. But it would be like humans tryng to acquire the capability to breathe underwater by drowning people. The suceptibility to oil is not comparable to the suceptibility to physiologically active substances. In the case of the oil, the principle involved depends on two factors: small spiracle size and the high surface tension of oil which permits it to spread and form uninterrupted airtight film. Also, insect spiracle are generally bordered with hydrophobe hair that protect against foreign particules and water but that are oleophilac (not sure of the english term but it means "oil compatible"). In the case of physiologicaly active substances the principle of resistance is based on the capacity to neutralize nocives or deadly molecules by degradation or elimination. This capacity vary from one individual to another and involves substances such as Mixed Function Oxidase (MFO), cytochrome P-450 and others which exist in most of all living animals. As the individuals who are the most performant have the most chance to breed and produce offspring carying their genes, an environnemental pressure such as intensive use of pesticide will cause the evolution of the specie into more resistance to the stressfull agent. Specially in the case of insects wich reproduce at a tremendous rate. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 10:36:21 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Digest Cesar Flores Subject: Re: Burr comb on queen excluders I have heard of using burlap instead of an inner cover. At $.30 compared to $6.50 for wood it is certainly cheaper. Of course a wooden one could be substituted for drip-feeding or with an escape if those methods are used, but are there any other advantages/disadvantages to using burlap? In a message dated 97-06-30 00:28:48 EDT, you write: << A number of commercial lids or inner-covers I have seen in use have a 3/8" - 1/2" rim on the underside. Can't say why -- the top-bee-space (the "standard" in North America) then ends up way too large, and the bees can plug that all up with burr comb, = pain-in-in-the-neck. >> ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 19:02:06 +0000 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "Malcolm Tom Sanford, Extension Apiculturist" Subject: Re: Bee question Comments: To: Pam Spooner Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Sorry, I can't help you on this. Am sending it out to another list on bees to see if there is any help there. Tom Sanford At 04:28 PM 7/1/97 -0700, you wrote: >Hello! > >I'm a reference librarian at a university in Texas. I have had a >question from a patron, couldn't answer with standard ref. sources, >threw it out to the incredible WWW listserv "Stumpers" which is a >collaboration of librarians across the world and they have suggested >that this mysterious word is bee-related. > >I am trying to find the meaning of the word: > >apisling > >A patron's family is described in a 1870 Georgia (USA) census as >'apislings on a farm'. > >I've used the Oxford English Dictionary plus several other general >English language dictionaries with no luck. Is this word in fact >in the vocabulary of beekeepers? > >thanks so much for any hints! > >Pam Spooner (whose flower garden is nicely full of bees!) >Wildenthal Memorial Library >Sul Ross State University, Alpine > ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 21:12:50 +0200 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Karel Bokhorst Subject: Re: enjoy your dinner!!!!! Comments: To: jtemp@xs4all.nl MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-2 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ---------- > > > Ian Watson wrote: > > > > EEEEEuuuuuuuuwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.....................;) > > > > Just because you can eat something, doesn't mean you HAVE to.....;) > > Also, are you sure they are absolutely safe for human > > consumption?...including the mites that are likely on them, and who knows > > what other parasites that you can't see, plus the potential for residues of > > Apistan and other medicines you may have used? > > > > > > > I'am still alive!!!!!! and it was the third time. > On the univerity in Wageningen the had a week on eating insect > with cooks from over the world. > Many people in the wold eat insects as there only protein source. > > -- > In Eastern Europe there exists a product Apilarnilprop Api stands of course for bee Lar stands for for (drone) larvea Nil is the first name of the producer Prop stands for propolis. It is a very healthy product and the drone larvea adds a lot of vitamins especially of the B family to your food. Product is for sale in the Netherlands as well Karel Bokhorst Bussum The Netherlands ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 16:51:50 -0400 Reply-To: dronebee@norfolk.infi.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "\\Dr. Pedro P. Rodriguez" Organization: Independent non-profit research Subject: Re: BEE-L Digest - 30 Jun 1997 to 1 Jul 1997 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 P. Aras et M. Boily wrote: Dear Friends. Thanks to P Arras et Moily for the assist in explaining one facet about how MO works on bee mites. Very well done and very much appreciated. Please do not forget that mites also have a large number of body surface pores through which they take in moisture and that these pores are blocked in the same manner in which the spiracles are blocked resulting in dehydration. Hence MO's action is two fold. In nature, anything is likely to happen. I seriously doubt if mites will ever develop an adaptation to this double effect of MO. If we all (beekeepers worldwide) were to treat bee mites( "en masse") there wont be any mites left to develop resistance. Again, as I said yesterday, there is a lot to learn about bee mites and the fight has just begun. Good luck with your treatments. Best regards. Dr. Rodriguez ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 19:27:18 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: bartlett Subject: Mineral Oil Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Not scientific --- Maybe not true--- But insects as small as the mites developing resistance to oil may be like humans developing resistance to Mack trucks!!! billy bee ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 22:44:16 -0400 Reply-To: dronebee@norfolk.infi.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "\\Dr. Pedro P. Rodriguez" Organization: Independent non-profit research Subject: Re: Mineral Oil MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 bartlett wrote: Good for you Billy. Nice comparison. We'll see down the road how the little devils respond to MO. I see nothing but positive results so far. Keep trying. Best regards. Dr. Rodriguez ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 16:10:00 GMT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Andy Nachbaur Organization: WILD BEE'S BBS (209) 826-8107 LOS BANOS, CA Subject: VARROA, (started as cell size) RD>From: Richard Drutchas >Date: Sat, 28 Jun 1997 07:21:56 +0000 >Subject: cell size >Organization: Bee Haven Honey RD>Early on I was hearing that AHB was more tolerant to varroa now Im >hearing that its varroa that is holding AHB back in southern Texas. How >about it is varroa killing feral AHB in Brazil? Hello Richard, Varroa has not disappeared from any area of the world they have been reported in, as far as I have read, or heard. Some areas such as Brazil and other SA location have varroa but they are not reported to be a problem to hivebees or their feral offspring. They appear to reach a certain level in the honeybee populations, (maybe 10%), and co exists with their honeybee hosts. Some say this is because they are different, but the damage and vector they provide for other pathogens is the same if they were made in Japan or Eastern Europe. I have long suspected that the right kind of sales promotion of chemical treatments could fast change the perceived threat from Vampire mites even in Brazil and all beekeepers would be treating there today to prevent loss. Maybe an aggressive government give away program such as reported done in other areas and with queen bees in the past would change the bee tolerance to mites or is it beekeeper tolerance? Brazil has been blessed with some real bee scientists that have resisted the pesticide merry-go-around. Or it could be that producing pesticide advertizements in the language of Brazil is not cost effective as it is in the English or Spanish language. Many explanations have and will be given why one area suffers from horrendous loss of honeybees and the other none or less, the best answer is better pasture and less stress in one area over another. It is interesting to note that in the USA we have since the first importation of bees had climatic health problems with them. These problems seem to run in cycles with large die offs each time placed on some biological disaster. Then followed by periods of relative calm until the next event. I personally believe we are again entering one of those extended periods of relative calm. Sadly beekeepers in the US will be treating for one problem or another forever. Some will change from costly chemical treatments to less costly and non toxic things like mineral oil for Vampire mites. As for the feral populations.. One thing I have noticed in almost 50 years of stoop labor in my own bee hives is there is less swarming. This is because I am a better beekeeper, use better stock, and my bees have poorer pasture then they once had, all more or less true. I mention this because the continued hype to the public media of the big loss reported by some in the wild or feral honeybee populations. This is being unwarranted made into some kind of natural disaster when it is nothing more the the reflection of our own efforts and may have passed in the wind. Feral hives are different in only one respect from hive bees and that is they are the survivors of swarms issued by our hives. If we have no or much less swarms in our hivebees then in time there will be no or few feral hives in many areas of the US that are hostile to bees because of the same factors that reduce our own hive numbers each year under the best of care and environmental conditions. It is also well to remember that all the research done on feral honeybee populations in the USA does not amount to much more then a few local grad student projects. There does not exist a data base of feral hive statistics over any extended period of time for more then a limited local area and most of these are very limited spastic observations. It is sad to see so many research and proposed research papers with figures of gloom and doom on feral and hive bee populations but then thats pure USA BS (bee science) for you and they wonder why they are on the short list. ttul, the OLd Drone (c) Permission is granted to freely copy this document in any form, or to print for any personal use. (w)Opinions are not necessarily facts. Use at own risk. --- ~ QMPro 1.53 ~ http://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/beecam/beecam.html ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 11:27:10 +0800 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Nik Mohamed Abdulmajid Subject: Re: enjoy your dinner!!!!! Comments: cc: BestOfBee@systronix.net In-Reply-To: <13470363423156@systronix.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Wed, 2 Jul 1997, Excerpts from BEE-L wrote: > > food for thought...hehe > > I'am still alive!!!!!! and it was the third time. > On the univerity in Wageningen the had a week on eating insect > with cooks from over the world. > > Many people in the wold eat insects as there only protein source. > > Jan Tempelman > What I know during my visit to Indonesia, beekeepers there do eat bee brood of early pupa and larva stage prepared in the form of porridge. As a food for thought, what about the bee cherysalis (hope the spelling is correct) produced in Australia and China? They are extracts from the bee broods claimed to enhance mental development. Nik M Abdulmajid ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 23:45:34 -0400 Reply-To: dronebee@norfolk.infi.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "\\Dr. Pedro P. Rodriguez" Organization: Independent non-profit research Subject: Re: VARROA, (started as cell size) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Andy Nachbaur wrote: Dear Andy: Just a short note to say hello and to add a brief comment to your dialogue. First of all, allow me to indicate that everyone is entitled to his/her opinion and personal beliefs. No one can take that away as far as I am concerned. On the other hand, I am saddened when I read that experienced beekeepers do not yet realize the magnitude of the threat of bee mites to apiculture in North America. Their capacity to harm our honey bees is real, devastating. Our food producing enterprises that depend on honey bees for pollination, be they whatever they are, are bound to suffer tremendous loses should we neglect to find effective treatments for bee mites. Consumers would soon feel the crunch of price escalation were we to allow bee mites to continue their growth unchecked. In North America, we must not make comparisons to other countries in which agriculture and food producing businesses do not compare to our rate of production. Bee mites have existed for a long time in the wild in Asia and are now being established in the jungles of South America without impacting on the economies of those countries precisely because of the type of relationship that bees bear to their economy. Not in North America! Please beware of misleading comparisons. North American bees are far too important to our economy, and, unfortunately bee races in North America are highly susceptible to bee mites. Best regards. Dr. Rodriguez ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 23:43:18 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Frank & Phronsie Humphrey Subject: Re: Is It Swarmy or What??? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ---------- > From: Gerry Visel > To: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU > Subject: Is It Swarmy or What??? > Date: Monday, June 30, 1997 9:07 PM > > Two weeks ago, I got a call at work that one of my hives was swarming. > I rushed home, and sure enough, there was a football sized ball on the > branch about 20 feet straight above the hives. To make a long story > short, I climbed up and shook the branch, and they flew away. :-( > > Last Sunday, I was working on the car, and the kids came running > again! They were in a different tree this time, and I'd had a bit of > time to think. (Sometimes...) I threw a rope over the branch they were > on and pulled up a 5 gallon plastic bucket squirted with some honey right > under them. Shook the branch again and got a decent sized clump to drop > in. Lowered them down and dumped into a hive body. (Always have an > extra!!!) Tried it a few more times, with less success each time. > > Then my daughter says "Why don't you just pull the hive body up?" > Tied the rope around it four ways, and tried that. Magic! I shook the > branch to get some on top of the frames, and, Voila!, in they marched! > Inside of ten minutes, there weren't any more on the branch! Lowered the > box, added top and bottom, and now have a new hive! (I know, I > shouldn't have let them get so crowded, but...) > > Catching a swarm is a neat feeling! > > Gerry Visel > Winnebago, IL USA Put a frame of open brood in the bucket and Hoist it to them. They will march right in. In about 30 to 40 minutes, lower bucket, put frame in a hive, close hive. Dump remaining bees on white sheet in front of hive. These bees will march in and attract remaining bees by scenting. Hive can be moved after dark when all bees are in. Frank Humphrey beekeepr@cdc.net ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 09:06:52 GMT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Steve Pearce Organization: Dept of Biochemistry Subject: Re: enjoy your dinner!!!!! hi All, This thread has prompted me to remember an experience I had 2 weeks ago, when I had fnished extracting some honey. I liked a very sticky finger, only to find as I was chewing a bit of wax a crunchy sensation and the most amazing aromatic flavour which was extremely pleasant. It was very like fresh new propolis. I then stopped to see what I was eating. This turned out to be a poor wee bee, but very tasty it was ! I wonder if this was a bee which was involved in propolis collection. The Chinese graduate student in my lab eats capped brood stir fried, but I have not heard of anyone eating adult bees, but this particular one was very good! (although I have not rushed to repeat the experience) Bye'yall Steve ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 22:52:36 +0900 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: j h & e mcadam Subject: Re: adding honey supers Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Steve Phillips wrote: >I read somewhere that it works better to add empty honey supers below >the full honey supers. Is bottom supering important? Why? It seems >impractical once you get 3 or 4 honey supers on. You under-super when the honey is insufficiently capped to remove but you expect the honey flow to continue and honey storage space to be limited before you return. Bees will seek space adjacent the brood for honey ripening and storage rather than cross a large expanse of capped honey. If you have 3 or 4 supers of uncapped honey you are probably over-supering and should reduce the number to enable the bees to finish sealing a super at a time. Betty McAdam HOG BAY APIARY Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island j.h. & e. mcadam Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: j h & e mcadam Subject: Re: Hive mats Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I inadvertently replied direct to Allen Dick rather than posting to Bee-L. Thank you for pointing this out to me and I re-post the discussion below for general information: >> In respect of Garth Cambray's comment on the bees liking the extra space >> in the lid so that mats may be a bad idea, perhaps this is the reason of >> ensuring there is a margin of space so bees can move into the lid. I >> assume they sometimes use the lid to draw cooler air through the hive as >> sometimes I lift the lid and find a mass of bees on top of the hive mat. > >I assume then, that the hive mats of which you speak are smaller than the >inside of the top of the super? > >What then are the dimensions of the supers you use and the mats? > I use standard size 10 frame supers either supplied by an apiarist supply house or made in the workshop - outside measurement 510 cm. by 410 cm. The inner measurement would be 40 mm. smaller than the outside measurement. The hive mats are cut from surplus vinyl flooring. The original instructions from my Beekeeping in Australia book by Fred Bailey recommended leaving a 12.5 mm margin on all sides to allow moist air to escape and prevent condensation dripping down onto the bees. My hive mats are cut to approximately the recommended size but I think as long as bees can move up under the lid from the frames, the exact spacing is not critical. Betty McAdam HOG BAY APIARY Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island j.h. & e. mcadam Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: j h & e mcadam Subject: Re: Backsaver Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Faith Andrews Bedford wrote: >In a message dated 97-06-26 16:52:00 EDT, Arron Morris wrote: > ><< One funny thing at the trade show was that few people paid attention to >the > Backsaver display. Perhaps it was a macho thing - "REAL men don't have to > worry about their backs!". >> > > >I got such a kick out of this. One could paraphrase that "REAL women look >for the easiest way to do things and don't worry about being macho." > Strength (or lack of it) pervades. > >But seriously, wouldn't it be easier to run our hives with nothing but >shallow supers - four for a "two brood chamber" basic hive and the rest for >honey? That way everything would be eminently interchangable. As a >beginner, I eagerly went out and bought all "the right stuff", i.e. deep >brood chambers. It was quickly apparent that they were just too heavy for me >to handle. A fully loaded super is about all I can handle, unless I can con >my somewhat bee-phobic husband into helping. After l7 years of beekeeping >and recently having hit the "half century mark," I'm moving slowly to the >all shallow situation. Can anyone see a problem with that? Thanks! > I agree that shallow supers are easier to handle - the difficulty is what to do with all those perfectly good full depth supers. We run full depth for the brood box plus one full depth super and a shallow (in Australia it is known as a Manley size - after a Mr. Manley, I presume). We very rarely increase the supers from this level - although it has been known. A Manley super can be lifted off to enable the next super to be checked and we remove sealed frames from this until it is light enough to lift. We have an excluder above the brood box and do not always check the bottom box. This gives us reasonable interchangeability between the brood box and the super plus surplus space for a vigorous honey flow. Betty McAdam HOG BAY APIARY Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island j.h. & e. mcadam Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: j h & e mcadam Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" John M. Wolford wrote: >After introducing packaged bees into a knew hive with just 4 frame of drawn >comb about 3 weeks ago, I have been feeding a 1 to 1 sugar syrup to >stimulate comb building activity. How long do I need to do this? So far I >have fed them about 6 gallons of syrup. Depends. How much comb have they built so far? Are they able to forage? Are they bringing in pollen? If they have started to raise brood and are foraging freely, I would stand back and let them go for it. Betty McAdam HOG BAY APIARY Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island j.h. & e. mcadam Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: j h & e mcadam Subject: Re: cleaning out candied frames Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Leigh Wiley wrote: >2) I have two supers of capped, crystalized honey from last fall that >the bees did not use and I need the supers. Can I safely let the hives >rob the supers out by leaving them out or is there a better way to let >them clean them up? I don't want them to start robbing the other hives. > Thanks for any ideas you might have! I occasionally have at least some frames of honey from the canola flow that candy before I can extract them. My practice is to take the sealed frames off and extract the following day but sometimes this does not prevent totally candied frames. I use these for feeding swarms or nucleus hives by uncapping them to provide access and before placing in the hives soaking for 30 seconds in a container of water. Bees require a great deal of water to uncandy honey and this seems to get them started. I do not recommend leaving frames out for bees to rob - it results in a feeding frenzy and the cells get damaged. Betty McAdam HOG BAY APIARY Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island j.h. & e. mcadam Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: j h & e mcadam Subject: Re: Need AFB information Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I note the reference to TM-25 for treating AFB. I have always understood the only treatment for AFB was to torch the inside of the supers, together with killing all bees and burning the frames or alternatively to irradiate the super and frames. I cannot comment on the treatment advice since we do not have AFB or EFB but I wonder whether TM-25 treats AFB or disguises the symptoms while the hive recovers strength on its own. Betty McAdam HOG BAY APIARY Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island j.h. & e. mcadam Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "(Thomas) (Cornick)" Subject: Re: enjoy your dinner!!!!! In a message dated 97-07-03 05:42:03 EDT, you write: << EEEEEuuuuuuuuwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.....................;) Just because you can eat something, doesn't mean you HAVE to.....;) Also, are you sure they are absolutely safe for human consumption?...including the mites that are likely on them, and who knows what other parasites that you can't see, plus the potential for residues of Apistan and other medicines you may have used? food for thought...hehe >> Now you know what I think about when I drive by a McDonalds ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 12:51:07 +0000 Reply-To: tvf@umich.edu Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Ted Fischer Organization: U. Michigan Dept. of Anatomy & Cell Biology Subject: Re: Need AFB information MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Betty McAdam wrote: > > I note the reference to TM-25 for treating AFB. I have always understood > the only treatment for AFB was to torch the inside of the supers, together > with killing all bees and burning the frames or alternatively to irradiate > the super and frames. I cannot comment on the treatment advice since we do > not have AFB or EFB but I wonder whether TM-25 treats AFB or disguises the > symptoms while the hive recovers strength on its own. > I agree with your statements on AFB treatment if the colony is well on its way out, with lots of bad brood and a declining bee population. In that case there is no other way. However, if a populous colony shows sporadic AFB cells, TM-25 can easily clean it up. I always mix it in vegetable shortening patties with sugar and place two 4-6 ounce patties between brood chambers. I don't know if the AFB spores are killed, but if the treatment results in no more dead and dying brood, what's the difference? Incidentally, as a preventative I always give such a treatment to all colonies early in spring and again after the honey flow in fall. In the last five or six years since adding this to my management routine, I have yet to see an AFB colony in my 75 hive apiary. (Hives killed by varroa can mimic AFB, but it is not the same.) Ted Fischer Dexter, Michigan USA ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 19:07:07 +0200 Reply-To: jtemp@xs4all.nl Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Jan Tempelman Organization: Home Subject: getting of topics, but I don't know any better... MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-2 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I have a funny problem, nothing on beekeeping but I know no better entrance I use an Apple Mac (Performa 5200) Recently I bought a digital photo camera (see the great pictures on "enjoy your meal" discussion a week ago) http://www.xs4all.nl/~jtemp/maaltijd.html Casio QV-11. It came with a cable but no software and a manual for software LK-2V. So I have to buy the software (ONLY incl. a new cable) So I used the software Version 1.21; The manual tells about version LK-2a . So I went to the shop. They took the software back. And I got my money back. They can't help me on the latest software. So I used the copied software (ver. 1.21; no possibility to save as JPEG) with manual LK-2V.(wich speeks about saving as JPEG). Who knows a mac user with the casio software LK-2V and an email-adres??? attaching will be very welcome. -- Jan Tempelman / Ineke Drabbe | EMAIL:jtemp@xs4all.nl Sterremos 16 3069 AS Rotterdam, The Netherlands Tel/Fax (SOMETIMES) XX 31 (0)10-4569412 http://www.xs4all.nl/~jtemp/index3.html ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 14:53:32 -0500 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Midnite Bee Subject: So.Adirondack Bkprs. Conference? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit www.cybertours.com/~midnitebee Greetings! I have visited the Betterbee Meadery in Greenwich,N.Y. I am told that they will have a "conference" on beekeeping. I believe the date is 8/3/97,in Greenwich,N.Y. Aaron Morris: Could you give more details? Herb ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 14:53:13 EDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Aaron Morris Subject: S.A.B.A. Summer Workshop at Betterbee and Meadery MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT >--- Summer Workshop ---< The Southern Adirondack Beekeepers Association will sponsor a full day workshop on Beekeeping in northern climates on Saturday, August 2 at Betterbee in Greenwich, NY. Speakers include Dr. Shimanuki, USDA, ARS, Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, MD who will focus on mites, past, present and future, Peter Keating of Lac St. Jean, Quebec, a former bee inspector and currently a private consultant to the 25 biggest beekeepers in Quebec who will speak on wintering and mite control strategy in Quebec, and Charles Parker, a com- mercial beekeeper from Ontario who will speak on managing bees in the north country. This will be an excellent oppor- tunity to hear the latest information on beekeeping first hand and exchange information on the latest management tech- niques. The morning session will run from 10 am to noon and the aft- ernoon session from 1 pm to 3 pm. Bring your own lunch or visit nearby fast food restaurants. Advance registration would be appreciated as last year's workshop drew 200+ beekeepers and friends. Send $10 per family ($5 for SABA members) to Fred Ludewig at 289 Middle Line Road, Ballston Spa, NY 12020. For further information call 518-885-9032. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 14:54:23 EDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Aaron Morris Subject: Backsaver contact MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT I finally remembered to bring in the address for Backsaver. It's: Mountain Road Apiary 1711 Chateau Ct. Fallston, MD 21047 phone: (410) 877-0345 Email: 102562.2176@compuserve.com Aaron Morris - thinking it's time to start the holiday weekend!!!! ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 15:22:46 -0500 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Midnite Bee Subject: Re: S.A.B.A. Summer Workshop at Betterbee and Meadery MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit www.cybertours.com/~midnitebee Thanks for the quick reply. Herb ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 15:53:00 EDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "George W.D. Fielder" Subject: Re: Need AFB information BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU ++++ Having suffered sever AFB when a neighboring unregistered apiary died out because of it, I can say that I used both and agree with what has been discussed. I would add that after having a hive very weakened by AFB it seemed impossible to control with TM25. However further spreading throughout the apiary was avoided by plugging all entrances of the weakened hive (to prevent robbing) until it could be burned and feeding TM25 to the whole apiary and any other apiaries that you might have taken equipment to. The burning had to be delayed because we were suffering a drought and fires without a permit were banned. I note too that Ontario no longer requires the beekeeper to burn AFB infected hive. However it is still recommended to burn heavily infected frames after dumping the bees onto new foundation. The colony should then be treated with TM25 and closely monitored. It is still recognized that burning the whole hive (and all infected hives) is safest. .... george ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 16:59:24 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "(Thomas) (Cornick)" Subject: Re: Bee I.D. In a message dated 97-07-03 15:29:53 EDT, you write: << www.cybertours.com/~midnitebee Question:Please I.D. Some bees, or WASPs, or Hornets have set up camp in our lawn. Their heads are green, yet their bodies have faint yellow and black stripes. They live underground and cover up the hole to their nest come ~sundown. Have you ever seen something like this? There seems to be a gate-keeper guardian. One green head pops up and looks around, like it's watching its hole. These bees are digging up our lawn, but so far no stings. Thanks,Midnitebee(Herb) >> How about this mouthfull? Virescent Green Metallic Bee Agapostemon virescens watch em and see if pollen covered bees get head of the line privelledges at the entrance One thing beekeeping has done for me besides getting me outdoors more in fine weather is to change the way I look at flowers and insects. I guess the more I learn the more I want to know. Here in CT it has been dry and the honeyflow is paused or maybe stopped til the fall flow Tom ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 13:45:32 -0700 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Adrian Wenner Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Herb of Midnite Bee asked: Question:Please I.D. Some bees, or WASPs, or Hornets have set up camp in our lawn. Their heads are green, yet their bodies have faint yellow and black stripes. They live underground and cover up the hole to their nest come ~sundown. Have you ever seen something like this? There seems to be a gate-keeper guardian. One green head pops up and looks around, like it's watching its hole. These bees are digging up our lawn, but so far no stings. ******* Usually identification by description is very difficult, but it would appear that Herb has BEMBIX wasps, not bees in the yard. They are very heavy bodied and look like bees. Some have bright green eyes; others have bright blue eyes. Their food: They capture blue bottle flies that they bring back to their underground nests for their larvae to feed upon. They seem quite harmless, though some species have a habit of buzzing about one as if they will soon attack. Adrian Adrian M. Wenner (805) 893-2838 (UCSB office) Ecol., Evol., & Marine Biology (805) 893-8062 (UCSB FAX) Univ. of Calif., Santa Barbara (805) 963-8508 (home office & FAX) Santa Barbara, CA 93106 *********************************************************************** * "Discovery is to see what everyone else has seen, * * but to think what no one else has thought." * * --- Albert Szent-Gyorgyi * *********************************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 15:15:11 -0600 Reply-To: allend@internode.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology Comments: Authenticated sender is From: Allen Dick Organization: The Beekeepers Subject: Re: Burr comb on queen excluders In-Reply-To: <970702103605_645652675@emout02.mail.aol.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT > I have heard of using burlap instead of an inner cover. At $.30 compared > to $6.50 for wood it is certainly cheaper. Of course a wooden one could > be substituted for drip-feeding or with an escape if those methods are > used, but are there any other advantages/disadvantages to using burlap? We do use burlap where we do not use plastic pillows. We have given up wood because of gaps and propolization and the need for scraping -- and also the fact that wood squashes bees unless extra care is taken. The only real problem we have found is that burlap is not good for wintering under wood because burlap holds moisture and moulds. If there is sufficient provision for breathing above the burlap, it works well in winter too. Although burlap allows for putting queen cages on top bars for queen intro and also permits insertion of grease or pollen patties when required, using TM dust is a problem because the bees do not get to the drug unless sticks or some such are placed close to the dust to hold the sack up so the bees can get to it. Folding sacks to fit the top of a hive can also be a bit of a nuisance sometimes until they get creased and gummed up and stay in the correct shape. Allen ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 07:31:28 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Albert W Needham Subject: Re: Bee I.D. On Thu, 3 Jul 1997 16:59:24 -0400 "(Thomas) (Cornick)" writes: Herb/Tom: Are these solitary nesters? I have seen something similiar in my front lawn (in a partially sandy area). Mine have been solitary nesters, but a whole bunch of them in the immediate area. They dig the hole like dogs throwing out the dirt. Upon completion, they bring in some sort of live green soft bodied insect and drag it down into the nest...presumably as food for the emerging larvae. Kinda fun to watch them operate. Al, --- awneedham@juno.com - Scituate,MA,USA Honey Bees & Beekeeping - / - Doktor Finkle Play " Interlotto " and win at: http://www.xensei.com/users/alwine/ ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 22:01:00 GMT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Andy Nachbaur Organization: WILD BEE'S BBS (209) 826-8107 LOS BANOS, CA Subject: BeeChat originally in conference IN-BEEKEEPIN on WILDBEES (WILD BEE'S BBS) ---------------------------------------- JA>From: John Alexander >Subject: BeeChat Hi All Beefriends, GOOD TIME had by all in spite of a few technical problems at the July 1 Beekeepers Chat. Hope to see more of these scheduled CHATS. Dr. Rodriguez did a good job answering questions on his work with MO and Varroa. One BEE BYTE of NEWS passed on by a LA beekeeper, (not LA Calif.) was that the Russian bees (queens) have invaded the United States and are being kept at a secret base on a island off the coast of LA. Well maybe it is a just a quarantine station or something... It is hoped this new genetic material from Eastern Europe will add varroa resistance to our bees as they are reported to kill all but 10% more or less of their varroa. Lots of ruck, but one has to really be a believer that the varroa mites themselves are or can kill off hives full of healthy bees and that has never been demonstrated by beekeepers or science and if it is a combination of conditions linked with one or more virus and other environmental concerns then bees that can tolerate 10% varroa will be no less subject to traumatic collapse sooner or later. But we all should welcome new stock in any case as even a small addition to the honeybee gene base in America is better then nothing but I fear that a few or a few hundred hand picked by any beekeeper or a closed group of beekeepers will prove to be no more that what the USDA Bee Research has given us in the past. All should remember the experience of the Brazilian beekeepers with African Bees imported by one of the top graduates of the University of California Beekeeping school under the best scientific controls. I don't believe this would have happened if many real experienced beekeepers were allowed to pick their own stock. Not to say the judgement of many can not be faulty but I can assure you that a real queen breeders looks at stock selection a lot different then the scientist and does it every day of the bee season and not just on expense paid vacation trips to Timbuktu. It is about time that like Canada we in the USA open our boarders to greater bee importations and try to get a step ahead of nature who everyday is providing us with new genetic material from south of our own boarders. ttul, the OLd Drone (c) Permission is granted to freely copy this document in any form, or to print for any use. (w)Opinions are not necessarily facts. Use at own risk. JA>A reminder to all that tonight, 1 July 97 at 8:00 PM EST, BeeChat will >host Dr. Pedro Rodriguez. Dr. Rodrigues recently published his findings >on research into the use of mineral oil for the control of Varroa mites. JA>BeeChat is a real-time java-based chat program and as such, you will >need to have a 32 bit operating system (Win 95, OS/2, UNIX, etc) and a >java enabled browser (Netscape, Internet Explorer). JA>Join BeeChat and Dr. Rodrigues tonight at 8:00 PM EST. JA>http://www.widtech.com/beechat/ --- ~ QMPro 1.53 ~ Let the honey flow!!!!! ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 22:18:00 GMT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Andy Nachbaur Organization: WILD BEE'S BBS (209) 826-8107 LOS BANOS, CA Subject: Re: Burr comb on queen excluders DCF>From: Digest Cesar Flores >Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 10:36:21 -0400 >Subject: Re: Burr comb on queen excluders DCF>I have heard of using burlap instead of an inner cover. At $.30 compared to >$6.50 for wood it is certainly cheaper. Of course a wooden one could be >substituted for drip-feeding or with an escape if those methods are used, b >are there any other advantages/disadvantages to using burlap? It makes the best smoker fuel when it is replaced when used a season as the inter cover on a bee hive as it picks up wax and bee glue that combined with the jute makes very sweet mild clouds of white smoke that calms the bees and beekeeper. The only commercial beekeeping uses other then smoker fuel I have seen in the bees is under "old" flat tops to make them bee tight, and also used to keep bees from moving, fighting, when used on hives that have been divided into two or three compartments for queen or nuc rearing. Used Burlap is moving into the endangered species category as paper, plastic, and other bulk packaging has just about replaced it making it hard to find in some areas and at much higher cost. DCF>In a message dated 97-06-30 00:28:48 EDT, you write: DCF><< A number of commercial lids or inner-covers I have seen in use have a >3/8" > - 1/2" rim on the underside. Can't say why -- the top-bee-space (the > "standard" in North America) then ends up way too large, and the bees can > plug that all up with burr comb, = pain-in-in-the-neck. >> --- ~ QMPro 1.53 ~ Let the honey flow!!!!! ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 23:51:26 -0600 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Donald Aitken Subject: Re: Burr comb on queen excluders Comments: To: Allen Dick In-Reply-To: <01382026726856@systronix.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Thu, 3 Jul 1997, Allen Dick wrote: > but are there any other advantages/disadvantages to using burlap? > > We do use burlap where we do not use plastic pillows. We have given up > wood because of gaps and propolization and the need for scraping -- and > also the fact that wood squashes bees unless extra care is taken. > > The only real problem we have found is that burlap is not good for > wintering under wood because burlap holds moisture and moulds. If there > is sufficient provision for breathing above the burlap, it works well in > winter too. > > Although burlap allows for putting queen cages on top bars for queen intro > and also permits insertion of grease or pollen patties when required, > using TM dust is a problem because the bees do not get to the drug unless > sticks or some such are placed close to the dust to hold the sack up so > the bees can get to it. Folding sacks to fit the top of a hive can also > be a bit of a nuisance sometimes until they get creased and gummed up and > stay in the correct shape. > We make our insulating inner covers with a 1/4 inch rim and leave them on year round. There is some burr comb built between the frame bars and the cover but it is certainly not a problem. What is the purpose of the burlap or plastic pillows? Donald Aitken 11710-129 Street Edmonton Alberta Canada T5M 0Y7 ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 21:22:54 +0900 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: j h & e mcadam Subject: Re: Burr comb on queen excluders Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >I have heard of using burlap instead of an inner cover. At $.30 compared to >$6.50 for wood it is certainly cheaper. Of course a wooden one could be >substituted for drip-feeding or with an escape if those methods are used, but >are there any other advantages/disadvantages to using burlap? > >In a message dated 97-06-30 00:28:48 EDT, you write: > ><< A number of commercial lids or inner-covers I have seen in use have a >3/8" > - 1/2" rim on the underside. Can't say why -- the top-bee-space (the > "standard" in North America) then ends up way too large, and the bees can > plug that all up with burr comb, = pain-in-in-the-neck. >> I do not believe the inside of a hive is an appropriate place for burlap or hessian, as it will absorb moisture and create a haven for moulds to form. I believe the inner covers of wood are designed for extremely cold climates - I will stick with my squares of floor vinyl (even cheaper than 30c.) - the bees don't fasten them to the frames as they do wood and they peel off without structural damage. The aim is to stop moisture condensing and dripping down onto the bees and the bonus is that the bees will not build burr comb in the lid space above. Betty McAdam HOG BAY APIARY Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island j.h. & e. mcadam Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: j h & e mcadam Subject: Re: enjoy your dinner!!!!! Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Nik M Abdulmajid wrote: >As a food for thought, what about the bee cherysalis (hope the spelling is >correct) produced in Australia and China? They are extracts from the bee >broods claimed to enhance mental development. > I know nothing of bee chrysalis products in Australia at any rate - I would expect them to be regulated out of existence. We do not have an bureaucracy sympathetic to alternative practices. Betty McAdam HOG BAY APIARY Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island j.h. & e. mcadam Comments: Authenticated sender is From: Allen Dick Organization: The Beekeepers Subject: Oil Fog Comments: To: Andy Nachbaur In-Reply-To: <9707031839421377@beenet.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Hi Andy Do you know anything about the excperiments with oil foggers for tracheal mites that were done in California some years back? I had heard rumours in the 80's, but nothing since. Allen ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 08:05:31 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "(Thomas) (Cornick)" Subject: Re: Bee I.D. In a message dated 97-07-03 22:40:59 EDT, you write: << They dig the hole like dogs throwing out the dirt. Upon completion, they bring in some sort of live green soft bodied insect and drag it down into the nest...presumably as food for the emerging larvae. Kinda fun to watch them operate. Al, >> The green headed bees are in small colonies and plugt the entrance with their head. Usually see them in real poor soil like the side of a gully or bare spot. If they are bringing in insects they are some kind of wasp. Near as I can figure we get a big fly that looks like a wasp called a Mydas Fly that has an orange spot on it's abdomen and a wasp called a digger wasp that goes after june bug and jap beetle grubs. Under shingles on the side of my house I have found rows of paralyzed katydids but have yet to see what wasp put them there. Some of them that gets the best of bee-l might have formal training in bug watching and may help us out. Happy 4th Tom ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 16:03:23 +1100 Reply-To: p.bray@airborne.co.nz Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology Comments: Authenticated sender is From: Peter Bray Organization: Airborne Honey Subject: Re Tooth Decay In-Reply-To: <9707022322.AA27154@eagle1.eaglenet.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT We had an employee that had tooth decay during their employment with us. On going to their detist, this employee was informed that the tooth decay was related to their job! And was put on Accident Compensation, a program funded by employers (mostly) and taxes. We disputed the tooth decay being a work related "injury" citing the employees part time bar work and poor family history of tooth decay as being more likely causes of tooth decay plus the lack of hard evidence linking honey consumption and tooth decay. We have now been ruled against on this issue meaning we have to apply for a review process and hence will put in an inordinate amount of time preparing a defense to this. This case will have the potential to set a dangerous precedent plus bad publicity spin off for honey. Does anyone have any information relating to a link between tooth decay and honey? Positive or negative. TIA Peter Bray, Airborne Honey Ltd., PO Box 28, Leeston, New Zealand Fax 64-3-324-3236, Phone 64-3-324-3569 p.bray@airborne.co.nz ---------------------------------------------------------------- ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 22:29:53 +0200 Reply-To: agfischer@bluewin.ch Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Annette & Gerard Fischer Subject: How to clean propolis? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable What is the best way to clean equipment and hands from propolis? I often have to wash my hands several times to clean them from propolis. Does anyone have a simple way to clean them. Thanks. G=E9rard ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 09:21:40 -0500 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Conrad Sigona Subject: Re: How to clean propolis? Comments: To: Annette & Gerard Fischer In-Reply-To: <33BC0BC1.3C11@bluewin.ch> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII > What is the best way to clean equipment and hands from propolis? > > I often have to wash my hands several times to clean them from propolis. > Does anyone have a simple way to clean them. Thanks. Propolis dissolves readily in alcohol. Conrad Sigona conrad@ntcnet.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 08:51:27 -0600 Reply-To: Charles Harper Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Charles Harper Subject: East Russa Queens MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit On July 1 100 queens from russia were imported to Grand tier, LA. They will be held there for 6 mouths. Then they will be evaluate for resistance to bee mites, in russia they have only a 10% or so infest of the worker brood to the mites. Sure hope that they will work out.I have about 30 jpg pictures i took of the event each one is about 160k in size.If intersted please Emaile me charlie@iamerica.net ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 12:17:12 -0700 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Mark Franklin Almond Subject: Sugar syrup to beeswax MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit I have read something on how many gallons of sugar syrup it takes for bees to make a pound of beeswax. Anyone have any ideas? All answers will be appreciated. Thanks, Mark ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 12:18:39 -0700 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Mark Franklin Almond Subject: Installing a new queen MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit When installing a new queen. Which is the best way? In between brood frames, on bottom board, on top of brood frames, in a five frame nuc with three frames, (brood, honey and pollen). I would like your views on installing new queen. All answers will be appreiciated. Thanks, Mark ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 12:20:05 -0700 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Mark Franklin Almond Subject: Constructing a bee vacuum MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit I would like to build a bee vacuum for retrieving bees from places not normally done by shaking a lower limb of a tree. Any ideas or plans will be appreciateed, Thanks, Mark ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 12:29:13 -0700 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Mark Franklin Almond Subject: Buckfast Queens MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Thinking of trying a buckfast queen. I would like some information on Buckfast Queens. Does other strains of bees except buckfast queens? Are there books on Buckfast Queens? Best place to order Buckfast Queens. All infomation will be most appreciative. Thanks, Mark ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 14:56:38 -0300 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Eunice Wonnacott Subject: Re: Re Tooth Decay Comments: To: p.bray@airborne.co.nz MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit My personal lifetime experience with tooth decay would seem to indicate that whatever one eats which has the potential to promote tooth dacay, would be a contributing factor. Also to take into consideration the chemical composition of the saliva. This differs in each individual. As a child, our home was amply supplied with honey, which did not have to be bought at a grocey store, just grown in the back yard! The family dentist used to tell me that our parents loved me best, because they fed me the most sweets! I had all my first teeth extracted by the age of three. Semi-annual visits to the dentist kept the fillings up to date. One memorable set of sittings saw eighteen fillings the fall I was seventeen. etc., etc., Anecdotal, but factual. We were supplied with toothbrushes, but told not to "waste" toothpaste! I do not remember any instruction on "hw to "use the tooth brush. Our parents, I am sure, believed they were giving us the very best of care. By age fifty, or so, the problem is completely solved: full dentures, no more toothache, or DRILL. Contrast this with my children who had fluoridation, dental cleanings, counselling on brushing techniques, flossing, etc etc. . Cavities are almost unknown in all seven of them, and they are now adults, some with children of their own. My opinion: The modern generation appears to try to "make their fortune" just about any way they can. Litigation included. Bad personal dental hygiene is the door where I would lay both my own and their problems. Just one person's experience. Eunice "From The Cradle of confederation" ---------- > From: Peter Bray > To: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU > Subject: Re Tooth Decay > Date: Friday, July 04, 1997 2:03 AM > > We had an employee that had tooth decay during their employment > with us. On going to their detist, this employee was informed that > the tooth decay was related to their job! And was put on Accident > Compensation, a program funded by employers (mostly) and taxes. > > We disputed the tooth decay being a work related "injury" citing the > employees part time bar work and poor family history of tooth decay > as being more likely causes of tooth decay plus the lack of hard > evidence linking honey consumption and tooth decay. We have now been > ruled against on this issue meaning we have to apply for a review > process and hence will put in an inordinate amount of time preparing > a defense to this. > > This case will have the potential to set a dangerous precedent plus > bad publicity spin off for honey. Does anyone have any information > relating to a link between tooth decay and honey? Positive or > negative. > TIA > Peter Bray, > Airborne Honey Ltd., PO Box 28, Leeston, New Zealand > Fax 64-3-324-3236, Phone 64-3-324-3569 p.bray@airborne.co.nz > ---------------------------------------------------------------- ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 14:02:09 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Beverly Ellen Stanley Subject: Re: AHB Bee Movie on Fox You are so right! The neighbors saw the movie and their kids said their parents warned them to stay away from our bees. Ours are particularly gentle. I often work around them in shorts and have not been stung. I even mowed the lawn once when I was in a hurry with a skirt on, mowed withing inches from the hive entrances and survived it without even a look from the bees. How can we convince people that ours are not agressive when a movie like that comes along? So the next day, I brought the neighbor kids in and they watched the movie, which my son had taped, and we re-explained about why such a thing was not going to happen in the way it did in the movie, and certainly not with our bees. Bev in NJ, USA ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 14:07:37 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Beverly Ellen Stanley Subject: Re: Bee question Apis relates to bee. The 'lings" is reminiscent of siblings, or maybe sons and daughters. I hope they weren't referring to the family as sons of bees! Sorry for the pun, but it truly tickled me to think of what apisling meant. Let me know if you find the real meaning. Beverly The bee is such a busy soul (S)he has no time for birth control, And that is why In times as these There are so many Sons of bees. (Author unknown) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 15:49:57 -0400 Reply-To: dronebee@norfolk.infi.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "\\Dr. Pedro P. Rodriguez" Organization: Independent non-profit research Subject: Re: Installing a new queen MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Mark Franklin Almond wrote: Dear Mark: It depends. If you are installing a commercial queen, the best thing to do is to suspend the queen between two frames in the "brood chamber" and let the bees free the queen by eating the candy that is keeping her in the cage. By the time that takes to eat the candy, the bees have adapted to the pheromones of the new queen and she is "home free." I breed most of my queens in nuclei and isolate each queen in a nucleus with one or two frames of honey with bees. When I am ready to introduce the new queen into a colony I use the "newspaper method" placing the queen with the two frames right above the brood chamber. If I have supers to place above that, I place a newspaper sheet below and above the box containing the new queen. Three days later I go back and check to see if the new queen has been accepted and remove the box that contained the new queen and the remains of the newspaper. This two methods have worked well for me for many years. I have used another method in which the queen is isolated within a wire cage attached to a brood frame. In this case the queen must have been mated before it is inserted into the colony because the method depends on the queen beginning to lay while she is caged hence the rest of the colony will accept their new queen readily when the wire cage is removed. This method is a little bit more complicated and requires a bit more experience. I hope that my contribution is clear enough to be of help to you. Please do not hesitate to ask me for more details should you be in need of more information. Best regards. Dr. Rodriguez Virginia Beach, VA (USA) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 16:13:47 -0400 Reply-To: dronebee@norfolk.infi.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "\\Dr. Pedro P. Rodriguez" Organization: Independent non-profit research Subject: Re: Oil Fog Comments: To: allend@internode.net MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Allen Dick wrote: Dear Allen: Good thought. I am convinced that there is a future for mineral oil use as an acaricide both for hobbyists and commercial beekeepers. Unfortunately, I have recognized from the beginning that my approach is not cost effective for commercial beekeeping. I hope that someone will develop a method (foggier; atomizer; ???) that will make the method practical for large scale beekeepers. I tried a hand sprayer as part of my application trials but I found that the oil was too "thick" to be sprayed and ended up squirting it in big droplets. Also I did not have control of the oil which is a very important factor to keep the bees from getting soaked. My experience with oil continues to be promising. I have not lost any colonies after the initial set up (one year span). I lost 5 colonies out of eleven while treating with "chemicals" prior to starting with the mineral oil treatment. Also, although I still have mites, the ratio of infestation is very low, contrary to my initial counts. In my opinion, the method has a great potential, especially if a method of application is developed in which the oil can be applied in a cost effective manner. Keep exploring the possibilities. Good luck and happy beekeeping. Best regards. Dr. Rodriguez ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 16:20:31 -0400 Reply-To: dronebee@norfolk.infi.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "\\Dr. Pedro P. Rodriguez" Organization: Independent non-profit research Subject: Re: Bee question MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Beverly Ellen Stanley wrote: Perhaps! When I read the first post I thought that perhaps they had misspelled the word "saplings" in the original document. Nice pun. Best regards. Dr. Rodriguez ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 17:59:43 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Victor E Sten Subject: Re: Re Tooth Decay Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Peter Bray wrote: >We had an employee that had tooth decay during their employment >with us. On going to their detist, this employee was informed that >the tooth decay was related to their job! And was put on Accident >Compensation, a program funded by employers (mostly) and taxes. > >We disputed the tooth decay being a work related "injury" citing the >employees part time bar work and poor family history of tooth decay >as being more likely causes of tooth decay plus the lack of hard >evidence linking honey consumption and tooth decay. We have now been >ruled against on this issue meaning we have to apply for a review >process and hence will put in an inordinate amount of time preparing >a defense to this. > >This case will have the potential to set a dangerous precedent plus >bad publicity spin off for honey. Does anyone have any information >relating to a link between tooth decay and honey? Positive or >negative. >TIA >Peter Bray, >Airborne Honey Ltd., PO Box 28, Leeston, New Zealand >Fax 64-3-324-3236, Phone 64-3-324-3569 p.bray@airborne.co.nz >---------------------------------------------------------------- > Hi Peter Sounds like the N.Z. compensation boards functions like their Canadian counterparts, that is they are stacked against the employer in all disputes. I can suggest three ways or points to fight this one: a) If you think back you and witnesses can surely remember that this fellow always had a foul smell coming out of his mouth suggesting that he never used the business end a tooth brush for its intended purpose. As a matter of fact when you talked to him you always tried to keep him down wind in case he choose to reply. b) Talk to your lawyer about seeking compensation for all the honey he stole from you on the job, after all you must have hired this person to work and not to eat your product on the job. c) If you are a member of a beekeepers association you may be able to find a few old timers with good teeth to disprove the dentists claim. Incidentally a dentsist basically runs a business and when a patient says there is no way that he can afford the recommended line of work he may start looking for ways to make somebody ells pay the bill, which is likely what happened here. Hope this helps Viktor in Hawkesbury, Ontario. ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 Jul 1997 10:57:41 +1100 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology Comments: Authenticated sender is From: Best of Bee Subject: AFB Pest Mgmt Strategy MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Some on the list may remember previous discussions concerning the National Beekeepers' Assn of NZ's American foulbrood Pest Management Strategy. The strategy has now been 'notified' in New Zealand, and I have made a copy of it available on the WWW. New Zealand has historically treated AFB in a manner differently from most other countries. I'm not posting this to try to start an argument about the rights/wrongs advantages/disadvantages of various approaches. I think it is mostly important that the beekeepers *own* whatever system of disease regulation might be in place. This is the one we are proposing for *ourselves* and I thought some members of the list might be interested in reading the justification and details! Point your browser at http://www.wave.co.nz/pages/nickw Cheers! (\ Nick Wallingford {|||8- home nickw@wave.co.nz (/ work nw1@boppoly.ac.nz ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 Jul 1997 09:09:56 +1200 Reply-To: beeman@insurer.com Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Jonathan KP Marshall Organization: Taranaki Honey Supplies Subject: Re: Oil Fog MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit \Dr. Pedro P. Rodriguez wrote: > > Allen Dick wrote: > I hope that someone will > develop a method (foggier; atomizer; ???) that will make the method > practical for large scale beekeepers. I tried a hand sprayer as part of > my > application trials but I found that the oil was too "thick" to be > sprayed and ended up > squirting it in big droplets. Now here is a thought. Foggier and atomizer can be developed. If as you say the mite problem can be controled with oil and the atomizer and or foggier can be a help for the commercial beekeeper then hear is an answer. Obviously if it works then there would be a market. With your institute conenctions why not patient the thought contract a entrepreneur or an industry person with connection with spray can manufactoring. If WD40 or similar Motor vehicle accessories can be made as atomizer's then so can minerial oil. Food for thought, maybe. But give it a go. Jonathan KP Marshall ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 Jul 1997 00:20:59 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Frank & Phronsie Humphrey Subject: Re: Feeding package bees MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ---------- > From: John Wolford > To: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU > Subject: Feeding package bees > Date: Tuesday, July 01, 1997 10:08 PM > > Could someone tell me how often or how much sugar syrup should be fed to a > new colony of packaged bees. The bees were installed during the second > week of June and so far I have been feeding them syrup every 3 or 4 days > to stimulate comb building. When should I stop. > > John M. Wolford > jmwolford@kih.net Don't stop until they do. They much prefer nectar. When the foraging bees bring in enough, they won't touch the sugar syrup. Frank Humphrey beekeepr@cdc.net ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 Jul 1997 20:47:31 +1000 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Paul & Sandra Roberts Subject: Re: Installing a new queen Comments: To: dronebee@norfolk.infi.net MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I read with interest your method of introducing the new queen and nucleus hive and wondered if a strip of mesh over a third or half of the box would help to introduce the queen by allowing the other bees in the main hive to "smell" her and adopt her prior to the paper being eaten through, much like the candy in the cage method. I would appreciate your thoughts as I was interested in breeding my own queens this year, just for interest and I was pondering the introduction method. Thanks Paul Roberts ---------- > From: \Dr. Pedro P. Rodriguez > To: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU > Subject: Re: Installing a new queen > Date: Saturday, 5 July 1997 5:49 > > Mark Franklin Almond wrote: > Dear Mark: > It depends. If you are installing a commercial queen, the best thing to > do is to suspend the queen between two frames in the "brood chamber" and > let the bees free the queen by eating the candy that is keeping her in > the cage. By the time that takes to eat the candy, the bees have > adapted to the pheromones of the new queen and she is "home free." > I breed most of my queens in nuclei and isolate each queen in a nucleus > with one or two frames of honey with bees. When I am ready to introduce > the new queen into a colony I use the "newspaper method" placing the > queen with the two frames right above the brood chamber. If I have > supers to place above that, I place a newspaper sheet below and above > the box containing the new queen. Three days later I go back and check > to see if the new queen has been accepted and remove the box that > contained the new queen and the remains of the newspaper. This two > methods have > worked well for me for many years. I have used another method in which > the queen is isolated within a wire cage attached to a brood frame. In > this case the queen must have been mated before it is inserted into the > colony because the method depends on the queen beginning to lay while > she is caged hence the rest of the colony will accept their new queen > readily when the wire cage is removed. This method is a little bit more > complicated and requires a bit more experience. > I hope that my contribution is clear enough to be of help to you. > Please do not hesitate to ask me for more details should you be in need > of more information. > Best regards. > Dr. Rodriguez > Virginia Beach, VA (USA) ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 Jul 1997 07:14:30 -0700 Reply-To: mister-t@clinic.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Bill Truesdell Subject: Re: Re Tooth Decay Comments: To: p.bray@airborne.co.nz MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Peter Bray wrote of an employee with tooth decay as an occupational hazard of beekeeping and honey. I sent him the following but was hesitant to post it on the list after all the complaints about bandwith. > "So, it was the refined sugar fault!"-- reprinted from The Minnesota Beekeepers, Spring 1996, Minnesota Honey Producers Association, Inc., Originaly printed May 1955 - ABJ > > Waugh a'nd Waugh (1940) studied the effects of natural and refined sugars on the mouth bacteria (Lactobacilli) and caries development among primitive Eskimos. In most cases the feeding experiments lasted five to six weeks. They found that practically 100 percent of those free from caries in the group fed natural sugars (raisins dried figs, maple syrup, honey, dates) remained free from caries and showed a drop from the original percentage of bacteria. Of those who had various teeth, 57.16 percent showed, on an average, an increase of 1.67 cavities per person (none in honey group) which might be considered a normal increase 'for actively various mouths. From those figures it was concluded that the Eskimo s natural sugars do not initiate or cause an increase in the growth of oral bacteria; neither do natural sugars initiate or cause an increase in dental cavities. > > Of those free from dental caries in the group fed refined sugars (preserved figs, candy bars, lollipops, sugar solution, sugar canes) 72.95 percent showed inception of caries, with an average of 2.6 cavities. Of those with various mouths, 100 percent showed an increase in the number of cavities, with an average increase of 4-9 cavities, which must be regarded as an increase far above normal for a five or six week period. In the group fed natural sugar, 81.90 percent showed inhibition of the growth of oral bacteria, and these organisms were present in 100 percent of the mouths at the end of the feeding period. From these figures it was concluded then with Eskimos refined sugars made an increase in the growth of mouth bacteria and also initiate and cause an increase in dental caries. > > From the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce and Bureau of Plant Industry newsletter. > It was to be an article for the MSBA newsletter, but still have not found room for it. Bill Truesdell Bath, ME ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 Jul 1997 08:18:41 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Adam Finkelstein Organization: http://sunsite.unc.edu/bees Subject: Re: Installing a new queen In-Reply-To: <33BD53E4.46C2DF17@norfolk.infi.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Fri, 4 Jul 1997, \Dr. Pedro P. Rodriguez wrote: > By the time that takes to eat the candy, the bees have > adapted to the pheromones of the new queen and she is "home free." Hello. Interesting. Since the new queen most probably has the same "pheromones" as the old queen, maybe her body odor is diferent-- that is maybe her physiological odor is unique, not her pheromonal odor? Her cuticular odor? Just musing. Adam ___________________________________________________________________________ Adam Finkelstein Internet Apiculture and Beekeeping Archive adamf@sunsite.unc.edu http://www.sunsite.unc.edu/bees ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 Jul 1997 13:05:50 -0600 Reply-To: allend@internode.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology Comments: Authenticated sender is From: Allen Dick Organization: The Beekeepers Subject: Your ID Comments: To: Best of Bee In-Reply-To: <199707042254.KAA03769@Axil.wave.co.nz> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Hi Nick I see your mailer still shows you as 'Best of Bee'. Later Allen ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 Jul 1997 17:50:24 EDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "South Alabama Beekeepers' Association Inc." Subject: Bee Feeding Comments: To: albee-l@sun1.oardc.ohio-state.edu A Beefriend of mine has his hives located next to several hundred acres of cotton which should bloom in a few weeks. Other sources of nectar in this area have dried up for now. The question is: Should he be feeding his bees? Should the mixture be 50/50 sugar water? ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 Jul 1997 18:57:03 -0400 Reply-To: dronebee@norfolk.infi.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "\\Dr. Pedro P. Rodriguez" Organization: Independent non-profit research Subject: Re: Bee Feeding MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 South Alabama Beekeepers' Association Inc. wrote: Hi. I am not trying to be a "know it all" type. It may be that not everyone that receives this post may know what the 50/50 proportion means. Just a reminder that this ratio is by weight and not by volume. (Best illustration: 1 lb. of lead = 1 lb of feathers). Best regards. Dr. Rodriguez Virginia Beach, VA ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 Jul 1997 22:04:02 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Trevor Weatherhead Subject: Re: Compensation claim from worker Peter Bray from New Zealand has outlined the case being brought against him. I believe all beekeepers who have employees should take this seriously. Peter, would it be possible to give us some more details. How is it claimed the work as an employee has contributed to the tooth decay? Normally, our employees are not required to eat honey as part of their job. During extracting, if honey gets on the hands, it is not a requirement to lick it off but wash it off. Does the Honey Board in the USA have any data? Trevor Weatherhead AUSTRALIA ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 Jul 1997 22:20:11 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Trevor Weatherhead Subject: Treatment for varroa using mineral oil I have followed with interest the work of Dr. Rodriguez using mineral oil to prevent varroa infestations. I am fortunate in not have to content with varroa in my hive management but there is one aspect that has not been raised to date which I believe is important. Does the mineral oil become a residue in the honey? Judging by the application method there must be a possibility that it will enter the honey at some time. I realise that it is food grade mineral oil that is used but, as mineral oil is not a natural occuring part of honey, then any that finds it way into honey must be classed as a residue. We now have greater standards for honey being required throughout the world. If something is not natural to a product then it can be present legally if a Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) is set for a particular item. This means that the particular item can be present up to the MRL. I think a lot of people would be surprised at what MRL's have been set for a range of food products. There could be an MRL for mineral oil determined for honey. I raise this issue now because I would not like to see a suitable method of control of varroa eventually denied official sanctioning because of a possible residue problem. Trevor Weatherhead AUSTRALIA ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 05:40:54 -0400 Reply-To: dronebee@norfolk.infi.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "\\Dr. Pedro P. Rodriguez" Organization: Independent non-profit research Subject: Re: Treatment for varroa using mineral oil MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Trevor Weatherhead wrote: Dear Trevor et al: I hear you. Excellent thought. I do not know what is the minimum residue standard for mineral oil in food (if there is one). The reason why I insist that FOOD grade mineral oil must be used is precisely because Food grade mineral oil IS authorized for used on food handling machinery in the United States (and I guess worldwide for that matter since health standards of this type are usually accepted for applicable uses internationally). I have not included quantitative analysis for the presence of mineral oil in my procedure because I consider that if residues of mineral oil get into the honey, the amount will be negligible and since it is food grade, hence considered acceptable. It took me 13 years studying the Varroa situation to arrive at the decision to use FGMO. The use of FGMO was not accidental. It came from knowledge gained during past employment with the United States Department of Agriculture. When I decided to use FGMO I did it with the thought that if the issue of "residues in the honey" came up (and I agree with you, it is bound to come up), that FGMO will be accepted because it is accepted for other foods. I hope that this explanation puts the issue to rest and that the question does not deter beekeepers from using a procedure with a great potential in the "fight" against bee mites. I thank you for bringing up the subject. I have always felt that it was bound to be justifiably raised, but as I have explained above, I think that time will prove that the use of FGMO as an acaricide will not interfere with the quality and WHOLESOMENESS of honey. Best regards. Dr. Rodriguez ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 04:53:37 +0000 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology Comments: Authenticated sender is From: Curtis Atkinson Subject: Brood dimensions MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT I have some homemade broods that are 9 1/2 deep rather than 9 5/8. Will that 1/8 inch make any differences? Curtis Atkinson 2701 S. Caraway Jonesboro, Ar 72401 501-932-7838 catkinson@intellinet.com ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 07:10:23 -0700 Reply-To: mister-t@clinic.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Bill Truesdell Subject: Re: Treatment for varroa using mineral oil MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Another question. Since you apply the mineral oil to the top bars fairly regularly, in time they will get saturated with oil. Even food grade mineral oil will oxidize or degrade over time. How long before that happens? What are the by-products of the breakdown and are they toxic? With the other mite controls, we remove the control after time or the bees eat it up. With the oil, it stays in the wood and the hive for years. Maybe plastic frames will solve that problem, but there are many questions remaining. Bill Truesdell Bath, ME ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 21:01:38 +0900 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: j h & e mcadam Subject: Re: Tooth Decay Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >We had an employee that had tooth decay during their employment >with us. On going to their detist, this employee was informed that >the tooth decay was related to their job! And was put on Accident >Compensation, a program funded by employers (mostly) and taxes. > >We disputed the tooth decay being a work related "injury" citing the >employees part time bar work and poor family history of tooth decay >as being more likely causes of tooth decay plus the lack of hard >evidence linking honey consumption and tooth decay. We have now been >ruled against on this issue meaning we have to apply for a review >process and hence will put in an inordinate amount of time preparing >a defense to this. > >This case will have the potential to set a dangerous precedent plus >bad publicity spin off for honey. Does anyone have any information >relating to a link between tooth decay and honey? Positive or >negative. Aaaargh - is there no end to the stupidity? If your employee has eaten sufficient honey to contribute to tooth decay perhaps you should be charging him with theft. I am sure your advisor has already considered that honey would have to be eaten not merely picked up and put down again to contribute to tooth decay. I would think dentist literature is the only place you will find surveys of tooth decay causes. Know a friendly dentist? I would suggest writing to your Member of Parliament pointing out that the drafting of the laws is at fault if anybody working in an environment which contains sugars can then claim for dental work - irrespective of whether the product is consumed - chocolate factories? biscuit makers? bakeries? Ask whether this is what was intended when the laws were promulgated. Betty McAdam HOG BAY APIARY Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island j.h. & e. mcadam Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: j h & e mcadam Subject: Re: Installing a new queen Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >When installing a new queen. Which is the best way? In between brood >frames, on bottom board, on top of brood frames, in a five frame nuc with >three frames, (brood, honey and pollen). >I would like your views on installing new queen. >All answers will be appreiciated. >Thanks, >Mark > Provided the exit will not be blocked, I believe between two brood frames is best so that the queen emerges where queen cells would have been naturally made and in an area kept warm so that the queen is unlikely to be harmed by her incarceration. Some introduction cages are designed so that the queen can be fed by the hive prior to release which assists quick acceptance. Betty McAdam HOG BAY APIARY Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island j.h. & e. mcadam Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: j h & e mcadam Subject: Re: Installing a new queen Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >I read with interest your method of introducing the new queen and nucleus >hive and wondered if a strip of mesh over a third or half of the box would >help to introduce the queen by allowing the other bees in the main hive to >"smell" her and adopt her prior to the paper being eaten through, much like >the candy in the cage method. > >I would appreciate your thoughts as I was interested in breeding my own >queens this year, just for interest and I was pondering the introduction >method. > Unless the weather is inclement, when using the newspaper uniting method I punch two or three holes through the newspaper with the hive tool. This enables the queen's pheromones to permeate the entire hive area and I think encourages the bees to remove the newspaper barrier. Betty McAdam HOG BAY APIARY Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island j.h. & e. mcadam From: marian pintilie Organization: pimapis Subject: newcomer MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hello everyone. I am a beekeeper (hobbyist) from Romania and I intend to transform my apiary into a commercial one. For that purpose I had started to gather as much information I can about all products obtainable from hives(but up till now I have only arid information from books or my little knowledge),also into the commercial field I can say I am close to zero. So anyone who can give me any information about royal jelly and venom (as collecting, storing, packaging, prices used, personal experiences, any commercial hints etc.) is more than welcomed. Sorry about raising again those subjects, anyway I had browsed the archives but I did not collect to much information. I can receive any message through bee-l or to my address ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 08:48:54 -0600 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Donald Aitken Subject: Re: Brood dimensions In-Reply-To: <199707060953.EAA13521@sibyl.intellinet.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Sun, 6 Jul 1997, Curtis Atkinson wrote: > I have some homemade broods that are 9 1/2 deep rather than 9 5/8. > > Will that 1/8 inch make any differences? When I started beekeeping 20 years ago I made a batch of frames which were 1/8"less in height than normal. They worked fine, but the bees tended to build a lot of burr comb between the top and bottom brood chambers. After a while I glued a 1/8 strip on the bottom to bring them up to the standard size. The amount of burr comb dropped off to more normal levels. I would imagine if the box were 1/8" less in height there would be the opposite problem - the bee space would be too restricted. I don't think there would be any trouble from this, but it would not be difficult to glue a 1/8" strip on the bottom of the boxes. It is good to have standard equipment. Best regards, Donald Aitken 11710-129 Street Edmonton Alberta Canada T5M 0Y7 ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 10:50:37 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Dave Melton Subject: NYTimes Sunday Magazine article The July 6th New York Times Sunday Magazine has the following article: A New Buzz in Manhattan David Graves (pictured) is wearing a pith helmet and veil as he delivers a jar of sugar water to a newly installed hive of honeybees. "This helps them build their comb," he explains. A typically sylvan beekeepers' moment. The only difference: Graves is on top of a Manhattan office building, tending a secret beehive that has been in place since April. From his stand at the Union Square Greenmarket, the beekeeper and his daughter, Heather, sell maple syrup, honey, jams and jellies produced at their home base in Becket, Mass. By next fall, they hope to introduce "New York City Honey." Graves first proposed his urban-hive concept last spring, asking members of the Jane Street Block Association for permission to place a hive on a rooftop. The Jane Streeters were not convinced that his "very gentle" Italian bees would be benign, but soon after, Graves says, a "secret sponsor" offered him space at an undisclosed location. The legality of all this is unclear, but Graves believes the product will be worth any logistical hurdles. "Some believe local honey may help immunize people with allergies to local pollen, but I make no claims," he says. "I'm just looking forward to a unique taste." ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 12:05:44 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "(Thomas) (Cornick)" Subject: Re: NYTimes Sunday Magazine article In a message dated 97-07-06 10:51:54 EDT, you write: << The legality of all this is unclear, but Graves believes the product will be worth any logistical hurdles. "Some believe local honey may help immunize people with allergies to local pollen, but I make no claims," he says. "I'm just looking forward to a unique taste." >> One must remember that the only power the bureaucrats have it the power to say no. I keep 24 hives in Connecticut and the last involvement wanted other than registering with the state entomologist for hive inspection is with the local apparatchiks. Urban beekeeping is more like hey buddy you garden -got room for a couple hives? ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 12:11:26 -0400 Reply-To: dronebee@norfolk.infi.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "\\Dr. Pedro P. Rodriguez" Organization: Independent non-profit research Subject: Re: Treatment for varroa using mineral oil Comments: To: mister-t@clinic.net MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 > Dear Bill: In all my readings I have not found one that indicates that mineral oil deteriorates, oxidizes, etc. Nor have I found that it causes any undesirable effects on wood. On the contrary, it seems to preserve the wood. I used to see mold in some of my hives during the winter months but I haven't seen mold this year. I would be interested in reading literature to that effect should there be any and someone could refer it to me.Best regards. Dr. Rodriguez ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 13:39:35 -0600 Reply-To: rcanaday@ionet.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Roy Canaday Subject: NEWbee questions... Comments: cc: lcanaday@horizon.hit.net MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit My first attempt at questions, of which we have several... This is our second year of 'beekeeping'. Lost first (only) hive last yr due to mites, oppossums, wax moths (translated => ignorance)... started this year with two, each w/a 3 lb. package & queen. So far, looking fairly good w/2 deeps & 2 shallows about full on each, but I suspect some basic mistakes. 1) re spacing of frames - the supers appear to be wide enough for about 10 1/2 frames; should frames be evenly spread across super, or should they be adjacent to each other w/empty space at one side? We spaced 'em evenly & have trouble inspecting without damaging them. 2) re wax moths - granted, we shouldn't have had to deal with them, but would cedar top/bottom boards (frames?) reduce this nuisance? 3) starting small, we have no extractor. One of our books mentions that NO upper entrance is provided if cut-comb honey is produced, with no explanation why? Looks like a long, crowded trip from the hive entrance to the shallow supers. Any thoughts? We have a few more questions, but will save them for later. Thank you very much in advance for any insight or guidance. 73's to you HAMS, too. ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 21:34:06 +0000 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology Comments: Authenticated sender is From: Joe Hemmens Subject: Essential Oil Trial MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Hello, Last year the Devon Apicultural Research Group undertook a trial of an Italian Varroa treatment, based on Essential Oils, called Apilife VAR. A description and the results of the trial can be seen at - http://members.tripod.com/~DARGUK/home.htm I will be pleased to hear any comments or questions about the trial - thanks to those who have already done so. Best wishes Joe Hemmens ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 17:05:15 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "(Thomas) (Cornick)" Subject: Re: Brood dimensions In a message dated 97-07-06 05:55:12 EDT, you write: << I have some homemade broods that are 9 1/2 deep rather than 9 5/8. Will that 1/8 inch make any differences? Curtis Atkinson 2701 S. Caraway Jonesboro, Ar 72401 501-932-7838 catkinson@intellinet.com >> Not to difficult to tack a strip of wood on 1/8" thick with brads if you get a lot of propolus. Also is a good Idea to make a gauge 3/8" thick to see what fits and what don't when mixing and matching. ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 14:30:16 -0700 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: adony melathopoulos Subject: Re: Essential Oil Trial Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Mr. Hemmens : I found the web page devoted to the Apilife VAR field trials to be very well presented. There is another web site you may want to link to. Unfortunately I do not know the full web address. I know it begins with http://picol.cahe.wsu.edu The page describes a grant application for an Apilife VAR treatment conducted by Dr. W.S. Sheppard at Washington State. I am glad to see that Apilife VAR is being tried outside of Italy and Switzerland. It is obvious that there is much yet that needs to be understood about how to apply thymol-based acaricides, such as how to achieve consistant control in larger volume colonies, but I think there is much promise. There is are interesting studies by Nicholas Calderone and others that suggests that many plant essential oils (including thymol, and camphor) are also very toxic to the vegetative growth of Bacillus larvae (AFB) and Ascophera apis (chalkbrood). Apilife VAR may very well contribute to the health of colonies in more ways than one. I am not sure enough has been done investigating the lethal and sublethal effects of the Apilife VAR components (I know of one study by Anton Imdorf that describes lab studies testing the vapour of each oil seperately against mites and bees, but that is all). Keep up the good work At 09:34 PM 7/6/97 +0000, you wrote: >Hello, > >Last year the Devon Apicultural Research Group undertook a trial of >an Italian Varroa treatment, based on Essential Oils, called >Apilife VAR. A description and the results of the trial can be seen >at - > >http://members.tripod.com/~DARGUK/home.htm > >I will be pleased to hear any comments or questions about the trial >- thanks to those who have already done so. > >Best wishes > >Joe Hemmens > > *********************************** ** Adony P. Melathopoulos ********* *** Center for Pest Management **** **** Simon Fraser University ****** ***** Burnaby, British Columbia *** ****** Canada, V5A-1S6 ************ *********************************** Tel : (604) 291-4163 Fax : (604) 291-3496 e-mail : melathop@sfu.ca "The pursuit of agriculture promotes the strength of the mind as well as the body" - Rev. John L. Blake, 1853 ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 15:01:29 -0700 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: adony melathopoulos Subject: Re: Essential Oil Trial Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Dear List : I apologize for my previous posting on 'Essential Oil Trial'. It was not meant for the entire list. I will be more careful in the future. Adony *********************************** ** Adony P. Melathopoulos ********* *** Center for Pest Management **** **** Simon Fraser University ****** ***** Burnaby, British Columbia *** ****** Canada, V5A-1S6 ************ *********************************** Tel : (604) 291-4163 Fax : (604) 291-3496 e-mail : melathop@sfu.ca "The pursuit of agriculture promotes the strength of the mind as well as the body" - Rev. John L. Blake, 1853 ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 19:33:53 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "Conni Still (Long Island)" Subject: Re: BEE-L Digest - 4 Jul 1997 to 5 Jul 1997 It seems quite obvious to me, that the bees next to the cotton field should not be fed sugar syrup at all, but COTTON CANDY, what else? ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 20:37:41 -0400 Reply-To: elizabeth@ctwok.com Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "Elizabeth M. Bowles" Subject: Re: fishing line MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi all, Has anybody tried to "wire" foundation with fishing line instead of wire? I just wired some foundation last night and left one frame with just fishing line to see what happens. I'm new to bee keeping and have asked several fellow bee keepers who don't know for certain. Thanks for education I've gotten through BEE-L. Sincerely, Elizabeth Missouri, USA ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 21:49:12 -0700 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Mark Franklin Almond Subject: Lots of Bees MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Its July and the tempertures are in the mid 90s. I have noticed lots of bees on the front of one of my hives but not the others. I have 5 hives. I wondering if adding another super or leaving a space with space between the hive cover and top super would help in cooling this hive. Is there a chance that hive may swarm? All replies will be helpful. Thank you, Mark ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 19:19:47 -0700 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: adony melathopoulos Subject: Re: Isreali beekeepers Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" A hobby beekeeper who lives in my area will be traveling to Isreal sometime this fall. He wishes to meet beekeepers in Isreal and is willing to volunteer. He has 20 years experience working with bees and he has some experience with rearing queens. If anyone can help set this person up with Isreali beekeepers please reply to my address. Thank you in advance, Adony *********************************** ** Adony P. Melathopoulos ********* *** Center for Pest Management **** **** Simon Fraser University ****** ***** Burnaby, British Columbia *** ****** Canada, V5A-1S6 ************ *********************************** Tel : (604) 291-4163 Fax : (604) 291-3496 e-mail : melathop@sfu.ca "The pursuit of agriculture promotes the strength of the mind as well as the body" - Rev. John L. Blake, 1853 ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 00:22:54 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Eugene Makovec Subject: Re: Lots of Bees Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Robert Watson Subject: Re: NEWbee questions... Comments: To: Roy Canaday In-Reply-To: <33BFF477.1394@ionet.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Sun, 6 Jul 1997, Roy Canaday wrote: > This is our second year of 'beekeeping'. > 1) re spacing of frames - the supers appear to be wide enough for > about 10 1/2 frames; should frames be evenly spread across super, or > should they be adjacent to each other w/empty space at one side? > We spaced 'em evenly & have trouble inspecting without damaging them. You probably have self-spacing frames...push them all together and leave the extra space at the ends only...extra space on each side of the hive. You have probably read what the "bee space" is... anything less or more and the bees close the gap. > 2) re wax moths - granted, we shouldn't have had to deal with them, but > would cedar top/bottom boards (frames?) reduce this nuisance? dont worry about them...... a strong colony takes care of them... your interest in moths will occur when you STORE combs ... no bees to protect them. ...dont know enough to answer all your questions... being a relative new-bee myself.. have fun bye, rob Robert C.L. Watson rwatson1@freenet.npiec.on.ca pipe organ technician organist - choirmaster early woodwind player hobby beekeeper homebrewer tenor ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 10:35:44 +0000 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Leo Walford Subject: A wandering queen I've had my first bees for about three weeks now, bought as a nucleus and transferred into a UK national hive. Thye are in a park in central London and, in spite of the atrocious weather we've been having, they seem to have been doing an excellent job of drawing out comb and filling it (not taking too much notice of the syrup I've given them). I opened up the hive on Friday and felt it about ready for a super, so put one on, with a queen excluder. Yestersday (Sunday) afternnon, I was at the hive, watching the bees come and go (as you do) in what seemed like the first decent day for ages. I looked at the ground and noticed my clipped queen wandering around next to my foot. I got her to crawl onto a leaf and put her back into the hive through the entrance, but I am perplexed and worried about how she got out of the hive. Does anyone have any thoughts? My guesses so far have been 1. I clumsily knocked her off a frame when I opened the hive a few days ago and she's been on the ground ever since 2. She went for a wander and just fell off the alighting board 3. The bees tried to swarm (or even did swarm) and, because she's clipped, she just fell off the alighting board 4. The other bees pushed her out of the hive for some reason A beekeeping friend has suggested I wait a couple of days then check the hive throroughly, making sure she is there and laying, and that there are no queen cells. Can anyone offer useful advice in addition and/or suggest any reasons why this situation might have arisen? I must say that as an extreme novice (most of the workers in my hive have been doing it for longer than me!) this event was somewhat scary. I also had a subsidiary question: when I looked at the hive on friday, there were a few bumblelbees hanging around underneath it and, seemingly, harassing those honey bees which were on their own (below the level of the hive entrance), but the bumblebees did not seem to be trying to get into the hive - any thoughts? Thanks a lot Leo A beekeeper of three weeks and one hive, but already addicted. ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 06:17:16 -0400 Reply-To: dronebee@norfolk.infi.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "\\Dr. Pedro P. Rodriguez" Organization: Independent non-profit research Subject: Re: A wandering queen MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Leo Walford wrote: > Dear addicted (welcome to the club!). The likelihood is that the queen dropped off when you were examining the hive previous and had been crawling around trying to get back into the chamber.Yes, it will be a good idea to check and see if she is laying and to check for queen cells. A good strong hive will miss their queen soon and start making replacement queen cells. When the queen gets back to her duties she will lay eggs in those cells also and you will have a bunch a new queens having a battle. Good luck. I hope I did help you. Don't hesitate to write for more questions if you care. Best regards. Dr. Rodriguez ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 06:18:50 -0500 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Conrad Sigona Subject: Hole through cell bottom Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Yesterday I noticed in one hive that some of the brood comb, after the bee emerged, had been cleaned out but the bottom of the cell was cleaned out a little too much: a hole had been poked right through the foundation! Some of the facts: a) This occurred three times all on one frame. b) All occurrences are from the same side. c) The three holes aren't near each other. d) The foundation was newly drawn; that is, the cells in question were used only once. e) The other side of the frame is not yet fully drawn. Can anyone explain the hole? It would seem the housekeeper was trying to remove something that wasn't easy to remove. Conrad Sigona Newport, New York conrad@ntcnet.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 23:00:42 +1200 Reply-To: beeman@insurer.com Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Jonathan KP Marshall Organization: Taranaki Honey Supplies Subject: Re: Oil Fog MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi As an ex-nurseryman, we use to also have mist sprayers that were hand held. They worked on compressed air through an air pump. The held only 4 liters of water, (less the a gallon). The water was then propelled under hig presure (I assume about 30-60 lbs per inch) through a fine tip that atomised the water. I can only assume by experence there is no reason for the same to work on oil. cheers Jonathan > That's a thought. Thanks. I am hoping that someone will pick up the > thread and develop a tool along your line of thought. One very important > consideration along this line is that those types of sprayers require a > vehicle and propellant that might be toxic > and a contaminant. Must watch for those factors. Also, I think that it > will take a while yet for the people to realize that the "mineral oil" > idea works. Then commercial applications will probably develop. > Thanks for your contribution. > Best regards. > Dr. Rodriguez > Virginia Beach, VA ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 11:09:38 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: John A Skinner Subject: Re: Light colored honey In-Reply-To: <199706240650.AA22109@interlock.halnet.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Tue, 24 Jun 1997, RICHARD BARNES wrote: > Fellow Bee-Lers > > I just extracted 8 supers from 3 hives that have been on wild flowers and > black berries. I was surprised to see an extremely light honey. The honey > was lighter yellow than a manilla (sp.?) envelope. Usually our honey is a > golden brown not the light yellow color. The honey is also a milder flavor. > Greater than 90% of the cells were capped so I figure the moisture was right. > > We have had a really mild winter an a pretty wet spring this year. Could > the extra rain have made the difference? On the blackberries, I am talking > 5-7 shades lighter. I don't know the color grading system so I will use > something as visual as possible. Blackberry honey is usually the color of > wood with a light walnut stain, but this year the honey is the color of pine > with a clear varnish. No brown shade only the yellow to nearly clear/white. > > Other beekeepers in the area are seeing the same on wildflowers. Many of > the local buyers like the darker honey because they like the stronger taste. > No supply of dark so far this year only the light colored stuff. > > Any comments will be passed on at the next SW Oklahoma Beekeeper's > Association meeting. > > Richard Barnes > Richard, Blackberry honey, in my experience, when pure or in high percentage is light in color as you describe. It is aromatic and definitely the flavor resembles a milder version of the taste of the fruit. Excessive rain can have many effects on honey volume and sugar solids but it's difficult to generalize because local conditions vary so much. John A. Skinner 218 Ellington Hall Extension Apiculturist University of Tennessee jskinner@utk.edu Knoxville, TN 37901 (423)974-7138 ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 12:38:03 EDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Robert E Neely Subject: Re: Honey in Extractor Hi Walt: Leaving your extractor open could encourage "Robbing" . This may cause you to lose a colony or two. Bob Neely Goose Creek, SC neely-bee@juno.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 11:14:52 +0000 Reply-To: elevi@aristotle.net Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Ed Levi &/or Jan Townsley Subject: Humming bird feeders MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi folks, After a couple of decades of keeping bees, I'm proud to say that I still have questions. I just got a call from a man who doesn't have bees but has a beekeeping neighbor. His humming bird feeders are covered up with bees. I also have humming bird feeders and often have 40+ colonies of bees a hundred meters or so away. I have never seen bees at my feeders. Questions: Do some feeders attract bees more than others? Is there some way to discourage bees from going to humming bird feeders? What can I suggest to this man? Thanks in advance for your responses. Ed Levi ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 12:55:08 EDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Robert E Neely Subject: Re: History Hi Susan Bees Were "Kept" in Ancient Egypt in clay tubes, plastered sometimes on the ends with dung. They were approximately five feet long and stacked horizontally as we would store wood for the fireplace. Comb honey was taken with a scoop with a long handel. This was covered in American Bee Journal sometime last year. Bob Neely Goose Creek, SC neely-bee@juno.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 11:58:00 CDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "Otto, Warren" Subject: Re: Humming bird feeders Most (if not all) hummingbird feeders come with bee guards. They can usually be picked up at a local nature shop. Warren Otto ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 13:18:19 -0500 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Dave Lindquist Subject: Re: A wandering queen In-Reply-To: <199707070927.KAA00648@thyme.sagepub.co.uk> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Leo, It's always possible that you dropped the queen off of the frame you were examining, but the message here is that you should always examine brood comb carefully, bring extra careful (in majestic respect) of the queen's current area. Then again, she may have tried to swarm. Re-introducing the queen will do no harm, since if the hive cast her out she will be recast. Usually, before your hive swarms, you will notice the presence of queen brood being raised. (Pay attention for this, because it may mean a number of things). The young queen that hatches will dispose of the other queen brood larvae and possibly dispose of the hybrid queen. Your friend's advice is correct. Wait and see. When you go into the hive (weekly) always locate the queen and note the pattern which she lays her brood - should be in a tight circular pattern working outwards. As far as bombus, they may try to steal from the hive but a strong colony can fend them off. They live in the ground and can usually coexist just fine. Welcome to beekeeping... -Dave Lindquist Newfane, Vermont At 10:35 +0000 7/7/97, Leo Walford wrote: > I've had my first bees for about three weeks now, bought as a nucleus > and transferred into a UK national hive. Thye are in a park in central > London and, in spite of the atrocious weather we've been having, they > seem to have been doing an excellent job of drawing out comb and > filling it (not taking too much notice of the syrup I've given them). > > I opened up the hive on Friday and felt it about ready for a super, so > put one on, with a queen excluder. > > Yestersday (Sunday) afternnon, I was at the hive, watching the bees > come and go (as you do) in what seemed like the first decent day for > ages. I looked at the ground and noticed my clipped queen wandering > around next to my foot. I got her to crawl onto a leaf and put her > back into the hive through the entrance, but I am perplexed and > worried about how she got out of the hive. Does anyone have any > thoughts? > > My guesses so far have been > > 1. I clumsily knocked her off a frame when I opened the hive a few > days ago and she's been on the ground ever since > > 2. She went for a wander and just fell off the alighting board > > 3. The bees tried to swarm (or even did swarm) and, because she's > clipped, she just fell off the alighting board > > 4. The other bees pushed her out of the hive for some reason > > A beekeeping friend has suggested I wait a couple of days then check > the hive throroughly, making sure she is there and laying, and that > there are no queen cells. > > Can anyone offer useful advice in addition and/or suggest any reasons > why this situation might have arisen? I must say that as an extreme > novice (most of the workers in my hive have been doing it for longer > than me!) this event was somewhat scary. > > I also had a subsidiary question: when I looked at the hive on friday, > there were a few bumblelbees hanging around underneath it and, > seemingly, harassing those honey bees which were on their own (below > the level of the hive entrance), but the bumblebees did not seem to be > trying to get into the hive - any thoughts? > > Thanks a lot > > Leo > A beekeeper of three weeks and one hive, but already addicted. =================================================================== http://www.sover.net/~redcamp =================================================================== ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 20:15:01 +0200 Reply-To: jtemp@xs4all.nl Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Jan Tempelman Organization: Home Subject: Re: Light colored honey MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-2 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I just maked a page on how to make a pollen preparat see http://www.xs4all.nl/~jtemp/index3.html or direkt: http://www.xs4all.nl/~jtemp/pollenprep.html -- Jan Tempelman / Ineke Drabbe | EMAIL:jtemp@xs4all.nl Sterremos 16 3069 AS Rotterdam, The Netherlands Tel/Fax (SOMETIMES) XX 31 (0)10-4569412 http://www.xs4all.nl/~jtemp/index3.html ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 15:18:36 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "(Thomas) (Cornick)" Subject: Re: Light colored honey Just extracted 4 frames to see what color the honey was becomming and it was dark like the fall goldenrod /aster flow - the first 500lbs this year was all very light and thinner in consistancy than the stuff usually obtained in the fall. Has not been much rain here of late and the flow is about slowed down in SE CT ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 15:28:55 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Dcrocodile@AOL.COM Subject: beekeeping as a career? Hi Bee-Lers! My name is Diane Morgan and I'm researching a book on careers with animals. Naturally, I'd like to include beekeeping. If anyone would provide me with information, or would be willing to do an interview, I'd more than appreciate it. Thanks. ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 20:05:08 -0500 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Paul Basehore Subject: Re: Sugar syrup to beeswax Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 12:17 PM 7/4/97 -0700, you wrote: >I have read something on how many gallons of sugar syrup it takes for >bees to make a pound of beeswax. >Anyone have any ideas? >All answers will be appreciated. >Thanks, >Mark > I think it is 4 pounds of honey to make 1 pound of wax ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 23:43:05 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Robert Watson Subject: Re: Sugar syrup to beeswax In-Reply-To: <199707080105.UAA06940@dns.okc> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Mon, 7 Jul 1997, Paul Basehore wrote: > >I have read something on how many gallons of sugar syrup it takes for > >bees to make a pound of beeswax. > >Anyone have any ideas? > >All answers will be appreciated. > >Thanks, > >Mark > > > I think it is 4 pounds of honey to make 1 pound of wax Is the price of beeswax 4 times the price of honey, then? Robert C.L. Watson rwatson1@freenet.npiec.on.ca pipe organ technician organist - choirmaster early woodwind player hobby beekeeper homebrewer tenor