From MAILER-DAEMON Fri Sep 17 12:52:11 1999 Received: from listserv.albany.edu (listserv.albany.edu [169.226.1.24]) by luna.oit.unc.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id MAA27275 for ; Fri, 17 Sep 1999 12:52:09 -0400 (EDT) Received: from listserv.albany.edu (listserv.albany.edu [169.226.1.24]) by listserv.albany.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id MAA11077 for ; Fri, 17 Sep 1999 12:52:05 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <199909171652.MAA11077@listserv.albany.edu> Date: Fri, 17 Sep 1999 12:52:05 -0400 From: "L-Soft list server at University at Albany (1.8d)" Subject: File: "BEE-L LOG9904B" To: adamf@METALAB.UNC.EDU Content-Length: 100105 Lines: 2134 ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 7 Apr 1999 22:03:18 -0700 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: "Paul Cronshaw, D.C." Subject: Preparing for AHB influx Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I received the following message from a friend I have helped establish an apiary over past 2 years. He writes: "I think we need to get educated on what to expect and how to run an apiary with the AFB in the community. Would you check with your internet associates for the names of anyone with whom we can communicate by email to accomplish this. Also the names of any apiaries in Southern California that might be worth making a short visit to - to learn how they handle the AFB." I too am curious as to what preparations fellow beekeepers are making or have made where AHB is making a transition into a non-AHB area. Thanks for any input. Paul Cronshaw, D.C. Hobbyist Beekeeper Santa Barbara, CA USA ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 8 Apr 1999 19:17:44 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Tim Rich Subject: Re: Stinger evolution Comments: To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Adrian Wenner said " I won't pretend to be able to answer all that was asked but can provide some insight. " and "However, I cannot comment about the correspondence between the poison sacs of stingers and where they might have come from." In fact, nobody has seen the 'evolution' and we can only hypothesize about what 'might' have happened. If the honey bee stinger were a part of the ovipositor, why does the queen not use the stinger as such - especially since egg production is her purpose in the hive! ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 8 Apr 1999 16:53:26 -0400 Reply-To: Midnitebee Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Midnitebee Subject: EAS Update/Andy MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Greetings! Marlene has sent me an update of the EAS 1999 meeting:click the below link. http://www.cybertours.com/%7Emidnitebee/html/update.html Also,for those who are interested, I have Andy's a.ka. "OLd Drone's" writings for the last two years..e-mail me directly and I will send you the attachment. Herb Holly-B Apiary P.O.Box 26 Wells,Maine 04090-0026 http://www.cybertours.com/~midnitebee "An educated consumer is YOUR best customer" ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 8 Apr 1999 18:30:14 EDT Reply-To: CSlade777@aol.com Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: CSlade777@AOL.COM Subject: Re: pests on plants Comments: To: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I heard recently that caffeine has insecticidal properties. I have no idea yet whether there is any truth in this. The aphids haven't got going yet in UK but somebody in a more favoured climate may like to make a brew of tea and when it is cold apply it to half of a plant attacked by aphids, leaving the other half untreated as a control. It would be appreciated if they could report back with results if any. Sorry this isn't directly about bees but the less noxious chemicals sprayed on plants the better it is for the bees and for us. Chris Slade ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 9 Apr 1999 08:07:41 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Tim Dartt Subject: Spring Feeding Comments: To: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Spring is springing in Vermont! The weather is starting to reach temperatures above 50 degrees so I have attempted to start feeding my hive. The only problem is that the bees don't seem to be taking any of the sugar syrup! I've been checking the hive when I get home from work and I've noted that there are some bees outside the hive at the time I get there, (5-6 pm) but they just aren't touching the sugar syrup! (I have a enterance bottle feeder) I haven't opened the hive yet this year, but I can hear a pretty healthy amount of buzzing in the hive. (I'm waiting for a weekend day when the temp is greater than 60F to open the hive) Should I be concerned? ---------------------------------------------------- Tim Dartt Riser Management Systems 802-660-8188 tDartt@Riser.com ---------------------------------------------------- ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 9 Apr 1999 08:47:29 EDT Reply-To: Pollinator@aol.com Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Pollinator@AOL.COM Subject: Re: Spring Feeding Comments: To: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 99-04-09 08:11:14 EDT, you write: << The weather is starting to reach temperatures above 50 degrees so I have attempted to start feeding my hive. The only problem is that the bees don't seem to be taking any of the sugar syrup! I've been checking the hive when I get home from work and I've noted that there are some bees outside the hive at the time I get there, (5-6 pm) but they just aren't touching the sugar syrup! (I have a enterance bottle feeder) I haven't opened the hive yet this year, but I can hear a pretty healthy amount of buzzing in the hive. (I'm waiting for a weekend day when the temp is greater than 60F to open the hive) Should I be concerned? >> In cold weather (and you are still cold in Vermont), always feed on top of the cluster. Entrance feeders are notorious for not helping hives, especially weak ones. Put a feeder pail on the opening in an inner cover, or make a 16 x 20 sheet of plywood with a hole in the middle, if you don't have an inner cover with a hole. You can open a hive at 50 without worry. Don't pull brood frames and leave them out while you do a slow inspection. But removing the cover to check the cluster size and position is no problem. I'd do it at 32, if I can get to them. Dave Green SC USA The Pollination Home Page http://www.pollinator.com The Pollination Scene http://members.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html Jan's Sweetness and Light Shop on the Internet (honey & beeswax candles) http://members.aol.com/SweetnessL/sweetlit.htm ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 9 Apr 1999 08:20:33 EDT Reply-To: Beehealthy@aol.com Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Beehealthy@AOL.COM Subject: Apitherapist looking for opportunities Comments: To: tcherbuliez@cyburban.com, beevenom@juno.com, beelady@waldorf.net, apither@gmb.ro, linda.day@hopewell.net, HoneyBs4U@aol.com, vb@smart.net, BIeditor@aol.com, VMG@jac.kiev.ua, Carol_Kozak@cici.mb.ca, klaus.schulte@mailbox.swipnet.se, msimics@direct.ca, ABJ@dadant.com, LJConnor@aol.com, DomQuixotq@aol.com, BIGBLUE77@aol.com, RoyBee@aol.com, Natalie172@aol.com, BeeMike@aol.com, Bill3fish@aol.com, HarrisonRW@aol.com, BEEGEE@aol.com, Beevenom@aol.com, QueenB95@aol.com, bee-l@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU, wonnacot@cycor.ca, lwpurdy@ecentral.com, honeybs@radix.net, nickw@wave.co.nz, kjm@ionline.net, mjcollins@wxs.nl, beehaven@msn.com, chinamed@well.com, bweeks@whidbey.com, lawrence@the-link.net, jeantony@orn.net, spygoat@orn.net, beefree@frontiernet.net, stephanae.lariviere@gs.com, dv23@cornell.edu MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In the spirit of expanding Apitherapy's cause, I share with you a letter I received from Plamen Entchev, a Bulgarian living in Warren, Michigan. He has an impressive resume: > licensed as a Medical Doctor in Bulgaria > member of the Bulgarian Apitherapy Society, > member of the Bulgarian National Beekeepers Association > Chairman of the Tregional Beekeepers Assoc. of Hissar County, Bulgaria > attended Apimondia '97 in Antverpen, Belgium. He has a strong interest in nontraditional medicine, in particular Apitherapy, and is looking for work. He became a permanent resident of the USA in Oct. '98 and wants to continue working with professionals of like mind. Can you help or suggest him to contact anyone? His contact data follows: Plamen Entchev 11399 E. Ten Mile Rd. Apt. #220 Warren MI 48089 Perhaps some of you have also received this letter and if so, I apologize for the redundancy. Bee Healthy, Jean-Francois Lariviere ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 9 Apr 1999 10:06:05 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Rod Billett Subject: L.A. now officially colonized by killer bees --- Direct from CNN Comments: To: bee-l@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii http://www.cnn.com/NATURE/9904/08/killer.bees.reut/ CNN has a news item relating to the Official announcement of the Killer Bee colonization of Los Angeles. L.A. now officially colonized by killer bees Africanized honey bees look just like regular honey bees April 8, 1999 Web posted at: 5:39 p.m. EDT (2139 GMT) LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -- The city of fires, earthquakes and mudslides has a new woe to contend with: colonization by killer bees. Los Angeles county's agriculture commissioner announced Thursday that Africanized honeybees -- known as "killer bees" because they have slain at least five people in the United States -- have moved into the last killer bee-free zone in the sprawling 4,083-square mile county. Commissioner Cato Fiksdal said the bees were recently found lurking under the eaves of a building in the suburb of Palmdale, which previously had no killer bees. "As a result of the recent detection in Palmdale, we are officially declaring that the entire county of Los Angeles is now colonized by the bees," Fiksdal said. "This particular colony was suspect and we sent the DNA to (be tested) and they confirmed it." Killer bees are no more venomous than normal bees but are considerably more aggressive and thus sting more readily. Fiksdal said the declaration was made to alert residents to the bees and "to let them know that they should not try to remove or deal with a colony of feral bees on their own. They should call for a professional." The first swarms of Africanized honeybees were discovered in Los Angeles county last December, Fiksdal said. Some came via ship from Central America, while others migrated from other parts of the country. The surrounding Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside and Imperial counties have already been colonized. The bees' last known victim was a 72-year-old man in Casa Grande, Arizona, who was attacked and killed in his mobile home in April 1997. Fiksdal said anyone attacked by a swarm of killer bees should cover his or her nose, mouth and eyes, get into an enclosed area and call 911. Fiksdal advised against going underwater because, he said, the bees wait for their victim to resurface. Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 9 Apr 1999 10:18:45 EDT Reply-To: Gothoney@aol.com Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Gothoney@AOL.COM Subject: Info re: raw honey Comments: To: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I have customers that ask about raw honey. Why is it supposed to be good for you? Does anyone have a researched answer from an authoritative source to pass on to my customers. There is much hand waving about the subject but little hard data it seems. Can anyone help? ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 9 Apr 1999 11:28:35 -0400 Reply-To: tvf@umich.edu Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Ted Fischer Organization: ACB Dept., Univ of Michigan Subject: Re: Spring Feeding Comments: To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-mac-type="54455854"; x-mac-creator="4D4F5353" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Tim Dartt wrote: > Spring is springing in Vermont! > The weather is starting to reach temperatures above 50 degrees > so I have attempted to start feeding my hive. > The only problem is that the bees don't seem to be taking any of > the sugar syrup! The obvious question to ask as: "Do they need to be fed?" If the hives are heavy, and the combs of honey are arranged so as to be next to the cluster, why would one want to feed anyway? Maybe to medicate, but fumadil should be given in the fall and terramycin should not be given in syrup. You say you have not been into the hives, but it is crucial that you do in order to evaluate where the bees are in relation to their stores. If the bees are in the front left corner and the stores are over to the right, movement of frames is obviously needed, for example. However, if they do need feeding, the entrance feeder is not the best for this time of year, when cold days still are to be expected. Use the zip-lock bag method instead. It is much easier, cheaper and more dependable than other feeding methods. Ted Fischer Dexter, Michigan USA ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 9 Apr 1999 14:12:46 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Thom Bradley Subject: Re: Raw Honey MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Raw honey is seen as more healthy than "cooked" because at higher temperatures various chemically important portions of the honey are destroyed. For example: At 140 deg F. naturally occuring yeasts begin to breakdown and die. If at temp for a long time all yeasts present in honey will perish. At 180 deg. F. the enzymes added to the nectar by the bees, namely the gluconase, sucronase, maltase, etc. will very quickly shutdown and suffer permanent damage. Other protein and sugar chains (read, creation of caramel and effects of Brownian motion.) will have their structures altered and be damaged. This will change the chemical structure of items within the honey permanently. For a treatise on the subject just do a search on the web re: the chemical makup of honey and consult any detailed book on brewing to find the effects of temperature on the process, and effects of heat. Thom Bradley Chesapeake, VA Thinking Brewing is a pefect way to enjoy the colories present in honey. ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 9 Apr 1999 15:15:17 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Tim Sterrett Subject: Re: raw honey Comments: To: Gothoney@aol.com Comments: cc: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Gothoney@aol.com wrote: > > I have customers that ask about raw honey. Why is it supposed to be good for you? Does anyone have a researched answer from an authoritative source to pass on to my customers. There is much hand waving about the subject but little hard data it seems. Can anyone help? *************** An acquaintance sells honey and pollen without making any health claims. And he suggests that we would be wise to do the same. He does, however, also sell books that make their own health claims for honey and pollen. Raw honey (unheated and not finely filtered) is similar to brown chicken eggs. I know that white eggs and brown eggs are not different in any way except shell color, but I prefer brown eggs as slightly exotic. (And the rich, orange yolk color of some farm eggs is the result of carotene in a food supplement and means nothing, right?) Tim -- Tim Sterrett sterrett@voicenet.com (southeastern) Pennsylvania, USA 40.0 N 75.5 W ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 9 Apr 1999 17:42:22 -0400 Reply-To: Midnitebee Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Midnitebee Subject: Bee course MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Greetings.. Cook College (New Brunswick,NJ) is offering a beekeeping course: click the link below for further details. http://www.cybertours.com/%7Emidnitebee/html/nj.jpg Herb Holly-B Apiary P.O.Box 26 Wells,Maine 04090-0026 http://www.cybertours.com/~midnitebee "An educated consumer is YOUR best customer" ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 9 Apr 1999 15:21:18 -0700 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Adrian Wenner Subject: Re: Stinger evolution Comments: To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Comments: cc: eric@tucson.ars.ag.gov Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" After I responded (in part) to Joseph Johnson's query about stinger evolution, Tim Rich retorted: >"In fact, nobody has seen the 'evolution' and we can only hypothesize >about what 'might' have happened. If the honey bee stinger were a part of >the ovipositor, why does the queen not use the stinger as such - especially >since egg production is her purpose in the hive!" ********** One can find clarification about this general question both 1) on pages 165 and 166 in the ANATOMY OF THE HONEY BEE (1984 printing, by R.E. Snodgrass) and 2) on pages 150, 151, and 156 in THE HIVE AND THE HONEY BEE (1992, edited by Joe M. Graham, authors Snodgrass and Eric H. Erickson). I provide here quotations from both of those works: 1) pp. 165-66: "An ovipositor develops in the same way as does the sting, and works in much the same manner, but the mechanism necessary for discharging eggs is in general simpler than that for injecting poison.... In the non-stinging members of the Hymenoptera the females use their ovipositors for egg laying. The eggs traverse the channel of the shaft just as they do in Orthoptera and Hemiptera, though in some parasitic species with bristlelike ovipositors the eggs may be greatly compressed and stretched in their transit through the narrow channel. The queen bee discharges her eggs directly from the genital opening before the base of the sting." 2) pp. 150-51: "The sting of the bee is similar in its structure and mechanism to an egg-laying organ, known as the ovipositor, possessed by many other female insects, including most of the Hymenoptera. The ovipositor of some species is also a piercing organ capable of being inserted into the bodies of other insects, or of penetrating plant tissues, even hard wood; but in such cases its function is merely to form a hole in which the eggs may be deposited. The sting of the stinging Hymenoptera (Plate 20), therefore, is very evidently an ovipositor that has been remodeled in a few ways for the injection of poison instead of eggs." pp. 156: "The sting of the queen is longer than that of the worker and is more solidly attached within the sting chamber. Its shaft is strongly decurved beyond the bulb. The lancets have fewer and smaller barbs than those of the worker (Plate 21), but the poison glands are well developed and the poison sac is very large." ******** Now to the question posed by Mr. Rich: >"If the honey bee stinger were a part of the ovipositor, why does the >queen >not use the stinger as such - especially since egg production is >her purpose >in the hive!" My reply: WHY questions and PURPOSE speculations belong in the realm of theology and only represent incipient questions for scientists. Instead, scientists have to attend to hypotheses about HOW and WHAT. We treated this problem in Excursus TEL of our 1990 Columbia University Press book, ANATOMY OF A CONTROVERSY: THE QUESTION OF A "LANGUAGE" AMONG BEES. Adrian Adrian M. Wenner (805) 963-8508 (home phone) 967 Garcia Road (805) 893-8062 (UCSB FAX) Santa Barbara, CA 93103 **************************************************************************** * * "Nature only answers rightly when she is rightly questioned." * * Goethe **************************************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 10 Apr 1999 06:36:57 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Stan Sandler Subject: Re: Stinger evolution Comments: To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Thankyou for copying those interesting passages Adrian. I will note another interesting analogy between the stinger and the bees sexual organs, this time not the ovipositor, but the male organ. The nervous control of the sting is such that the pumping of the venom sac is always "on". The nervous system of the bee PREVENTS it from discharging most of the time. It has to be so since it pumps AFTER it is torn out of the bee. I know that in praying mantises that the males continue to copulate when a female is eating the male by a similar arrangement of the nervous system. I would not be surprised (although I do not know) if the drone bees copulation is similar, since the genitals are torn out during copulation, perhaps before all the sperm is discharged. Regards, Stan ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 11 Apr 1999 11:30:10 -0400 Reply-To: Mark Baird Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Mark Baird Subject: Need some advice Comments: To: Bee Server MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi all- I've enjoyed the group's advice for over a year now, and need some help. I am in upstate NY, and have only a single hive from last year. Plenty of stores for the winter and looked great in the fall. Medicated with Apistan about 4 weeks ago, everything looked "OK". I had left the cover ajar to keep airflow and try to cut back on moisture. Bees were only using the top and escape hole in the back of medium super on top of two deep supers as entrance/exit. So I thought I'd look. The bees were not using the bottom entrance because of all of the dead bees in the bottom. No sign of any disease (that I can tell. Two to three frames of apparently healthy brood and still plenty of honey. Some black mold that I cleaned up just looked like moisture to me. Still seems to be a reasonable number of bees. I switched some frames around to get the brood centered in the bottom deep super, and moved some honey into it as well. They were active, but calm. There was a reddish waxy formation in some parts of the hive, which I cleaned up too. Darker than propolis. How do you think the hive is doing? Thanks in advance. Mark Baird ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 11 Apr 1999 20:18:59 EDT Reply-To: RASpiek@aol.com Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: RASpiek@AOL.COM Subject: SWARMING?? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Today while near my hives, I found myself in the middle of a swarm of bees about a big as a bus. They were just milling about the hive. It was very windy and at times would be blow 50 or 60 feet away then return to the hive area. I guessed that they were getting ready to leave so I prepared to follow them till they clustered some where. after 30 or more minutes, they clustered on the front of their hive and in 10 more minutes, reentered the hive and all has been business as usual the rest of the day. What did I see? Was it a queen breeding? They streamed out by the thousands and then returned. During the time that this happened, the adjoining hive stopped all activity. After it was over they went back to coming and going as usual. Tomorrow I will split them and wait queenlessly for my new queen. ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 11 Apr 1999 21:49:33 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Tim Rich Subject: Re: Stinger evolution - the hypothesis In Adrian's first comment: " I won't pretend to be able to answer all that was asked but can provide some insight. " and "However, I cannot comment about the correspondence between the poison sacs of stingers and where they might have come from." And in the second response, Adrian quoted from other sources who were only able to compare/contrast the stinger - first "An ovipositor develops in the same way as does the sting, and works in much the same manner, but the mechanism necessary for discharging eggs is in general simpler than that for injecting poison...." Again, noting similarities, not saying there is evolutionary relationship. note again, "The sting of the bee is similar in its structure and mechanism to an egg-laying organ, known as the ovipositor, possessed by many other female insects . . ." " . . .but in such cases its function is merely to form a hole in which the eggs may be deposited. " - "Is similar" "but" - different. The clincher? "The sting of the stinging Hymenoptera (Plate 20), therefore, is very evidently an ovipositor that has been remodeled in a few ways for the injection of poison instead of eggs." "Instead, scientists have to attend to hypotheses about HOW and WHAT." Here again, I said, In fact, nobody has seen the 'evolution' and we can only hypothesize about what 'might' have happened. With all due respect, Adrian, you support my original statements very well. My point is, among the many theories of evolution, we must remember that the science of origins is purely hypothetical, based on interpretation of the facts at hand and pre-suppositions of a begining point, and presuppositions about the interval from that beginning and the present. This interval would have been unattended by today's scientists - who come up with different interpretation(sometimes wildly different) of the same facts. Nobody on earth today saw it happen - if it did happen by evolution. One of my science professors said frequently "Correlation does not imply causality." As students, we would sometimes imitate his monotone restatement of this; however, in reality, this statement has been demonstrated frequently. Our world is far to complex to say "These two things have similarities, therefore they must have the same original purpose." And I think that scientists are also very concerned with WHY in many cases, I know that medical scientists are, as WHY leads to important cures. A complete understanding of science needs to include WHY. Original purpose is definitely theological; furthermore the WHY of PURPOSE must remain in the realm of theology. Tim Rich, bee-keeper for my sons' bees. ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 9 Apr 1999 23:01:37 +0200 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: P-O Gustafsson Subject: Re: raw honey MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Tim Sterrett wrote: > Raw honey (unheated and not finely filtered) is similar to brown > chicken eggs. I know that white eggs and brown eggs are not different in > any way except shell color, but I prefer brown eggs as slightly exotic. Now, I wouldn't agree on this statement. For most of us here in Europe, "raw" honey is the normal honey and something heated and filtered would be industrial honey that is used in bakery etc. and not ending up in the stores. A friend sent me some liquid honey in a "Honey Bear" from the US that had been treated that way. Sure, it stayed liquid for ever, but didn't taste much of anything. All that taste you buy honey for was gone..... you could use plain sugar instead. -- Regards P-O Gustafsson, Sweden beeman@algonet.se http://www.algonet.se/~beeman/ ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 07:52:27 -0600 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: "Richard H. Glassford II" Subject: Mite control Apistan Comments: To: Bee list MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hello, This is my second spring with bees. I have 5 queens coming next saturday. I am excited to split my hives. I have a question regarding mite control. I purchased some apistan strips last Aug. to treat my hives. I still have some left and was wondering if I could use the strips I bought in Aug. for this springs treatment. This spring has been terrible for the bees. We have had sun, then 8 inches of snow and cold temps. Today was a nice day and they were out in large numbers. Looking forward to the apple bloom. Many thanks in advance. Richard Zone 5 Utah ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 08:47:08 EDT Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: tomas mozer Subject: Re: Swarm Cells Comments: cc: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU another take on swarming as adaptive behavior in the face of mites... from the article "epidemiology of honey bee parasites" in parasitology today, vol.6,no.11,1990 by l.a.royce and p.a.rossignol: "...it appers that a parasite of social insects has in essence to adapt to two hosts: first, the individual worker within a colony, the numbers of which grow linearly and second, to the colony itself, the actual reproductive "organism"...transmission also has vertical and horizontal components...analysis of tracheal mite populations in particular suggests that intracolony parasite levels are regulated by the swarming behavior of their hosts...ironically, current and highly productive methods of honey bee management with movable hives curb swarming and may contribute to increasing the spread and the impact of some parasites...this insight may result in changing management practices to reduce the detrimental effects of bee parasites." ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 08:47:08 EDT Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: tomas mozer Subject: Re: Honeybee Improvement Program Comments: To: pencaemawr@bigfoot.com Comments: cc: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU can't speak for hip, but believe they take viruses into consideration via selection of only "healthy thriving survivors" without tratment for two years...as regards variability in virulence with differing mite strains being involved, don' think anyone has gone beyond anecdotal evidence yet of such a correlation, at least to my knowledge, and it should surely be looked at for co-evolutionary host/parasite implications...as per biological controls for varroa, preliminary results with a mite parasitic/pathogenic fungus (hirsutella thompsonii) in florida are promising, and certainly deserve further study along the same lines as bacillus thuringiensis for control of wax moth and possible hymenopteran parasitoids (parasitic wasps) and nematodes as well on the small hive beetle...personally, swarms/feral hives still hold out the slim lottery-like possibility of finding survival/tolerance mechanisms by natural selection, enough so to keep on collecting and observing them over time. ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 08:05:25 -0500 Reply-To: boby@lakecountry.net Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Bob Young Subject: russian bees Comments: To: Bee-l list MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Has anyone an update on the mite tolerant Russian bee program in Louisiana? I heard last the tests were encouraging and queens had been placed with commericials in the state for honey production evaluation. Bob Young Lindale, TX ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 09:46:34 -0500 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Musashi Subject: Re: Mite control Apistan Comments: To: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU There should be no problem this spring using Apistan strips you bought in August. Fluvalinate is a contact pesticide so does not work by evaporation and fumes. It is probably best to seal any unused strips in the packet they come in and tape the open end closed airtight as a precaution to keep their greatest efficacy. It will also probably help to keep them cool and out of humidity and they will last longer. I can't see waiting from August until now as being any problem at all. They should work just fine. Layne Westover College Station, Texas ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 10:10:19 -0500 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Musashi Subject: bee foraging behavior This may have already been described, but I don't remember reading it yet. I have been observing my bees flying in and out of the hive entrances on several hives for the past several days, and I noticed that there is a behavior that all the bees were doing, including the drones, and every single bee did it. When they came to the entrance of the hive, just before taking wing, each bee rubbed its front legs over its antennae and eyes, almost as if washing its face or rubbing the sleep out of its eyes before taking off. After I recognized what I was seeing, then I watched closely, and every single bee that left every hive I looked at did it without fail before flying. I then was left to wonder what the purpose of this action was. Was it just to clean their eyes off before flying? What if their eyes were already clean? Why would they have to do it again? Then I wondered if it might be something that helped with their orientation. It was just curious and fascinating to me that they did this because I had never really noticed it before. Are there any agreements or disagreements with this observation? Can anyone else shed any more light on this behavior? Thanks, Layne Westover College Station, Texas ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 11:51:29 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Tim Sterrett Subject: Re: SWARMING? Comments: To: RASpiek@aol.com Comments: cc: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit RASpiek@aol.com wrote: *********** Today while near my hives, I found myself in the middle of a swarm of bees after 30 or more minutes, they clustered on the front of their hive and in 10 more minutes, reentered the hive and all has been business as usual the rest of the day. ***************** When one of my hives was doing this for the third time last spring, something finally clicked upstairs and I looked on the ground in front of the hive. The queen was dashing around on the ground. So I caged her and hung her from a convenient branch, thinking I could control where the swarm would settle. Nope. Swarm settled at the top of a tree and later went back into the parent colony. Tim -- Tim Sterrett sterrett@voicenet.com (southeastern) Pennsylvania, USA 40.0 N 75.5 W ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 11:57:09 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Tim Sterrett Subject: Hanta Virus Comments: To: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit A member of our bee association asked about the danger from hanta virus when cleaning mouse residue/nests out of bee hive bodies. Anyone want to address this? (Hanta virus can be transmitted from mice to humans by contact with mouse feces. The virus has been found in the southwest and northeast U.S. The virus can cause death in humans.) Tim -- Tim Sterrett sterrett@voicenet.com (southeastern) Pennsylvania, USA 40.0 N 75.5 W ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 11:22:01 -0400 Reply-To: tvf@umich.edu Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Ted Fischer Organization: ACB Dept., Univ of Michigan Subject: Re: Mite control Apistan MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-mac-type="54455854"; x-mac-creator="4D4F5353" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Richard H. Glassford II wrote: > Could I use the > strips I bought in Aug. for this springs treatment? Yes, the strips are still good if you haven't put them in a hive. Ted Fischer Dexter, Michigan USA ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 09:57:11 -0500 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Musashi Subject: Re: SWARMING?? RASpiek@aol.com wrote (on April 11, 1999): "What did I see? Was it a queen breeding? They streamed out by the thousands and then returned." I don't have the answer, but it was "deja vu" to read your description because I had the same experience here on Saturday. In my case, it was a split in a nucleus hive that had several queen cells in it when I split it from the mother hive. The bees came out in a big swarm, milled around in the air for some time and then all returned to the hive rather than clustering somewhere outside. Since I assumed they had a new virgin queen, I also wondered if this was part of the "excitement" of the hive encouraging their new queen out on a mating flight. After the bees returned, there seemed to be an increased level of in and out activity in this nuc, whereas before, there had been relatively little entrance activity. I'll stick my neck out and say that what I think I saw was a hive of bees getting their queen to go out on a mating flight, although I'm not sure of that. I guess time will tell--if I get a good new laying queen in this nuc in a week or two, then that would tend to confirm this hypothesis. Layne Westover College Station, Texas ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 06:46:51 -0800 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Scott Moser Organization: MailCity (http://www.mailcity.lycos.com:80) Subject: Queen Introduction Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Greetings all, Hope all is going well for everyone. Eastern Missouri appears to be the swarm capital of the midwest this year. Is this a sign of something? Of the 12 beekeepers at our meeting last weekend, better than half have had swarms. Even happens to the best of them I guess. I got into another hive Saturday that I was going to split late this week after my queens arrive on Thursday. This hive was really strong, and I found numerous queen cells again in various stages. I cut all the cells, split the hive, and even split out a 4 frame nuc. Question is, only one has a queen in it. There are two queenless ones. How can I assure a better success of queen acceptance in the queenless hives? I plan on going in Wednesday and destroying queen cells again. By then there should be no eggs left, except in the split with the queen. I realize this wasnt the best way to deal with it, but I didnt want to lose another swarm like I did last week. Thanks folks! Scott Moser Get your FREE Email at http://mailcity.lycos.com Get your PERSONALIZED START PAGE at http://personal.lycos.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 11:11:13 -0700 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Dave Pehling Subject: Re: Hanta Virus Comments: To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology In-Reply-To: <199904121612.MAA13469@listserv.albany.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII The Center for Disease control has an excellent section on Hantavirus - even an on-line slide set at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hantvrus.htm Cheers, Dave Pehling Snohomish County Extension Analyst ============================================ | W.S.U. COOPERATIVE EXTENSION-SNOHOMISH CO. | | 600 128TH ST. S.E. | | EVERETT, WA. 98208 U.S.A. | | PHONE - (425)338-2400 | | FAX - (425)338-3994 | | EMAIL pehling@wsu.edu | ============================================ ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 13:18:41 -0700 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Adrian Wenner Subject: Re: Hanta Virus Comments: To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Tim Sterrett asked: > A member of our bee association asked about the danger from hanta >virus when cleaning mouse residue/nests out of bee hive bodies. Anyone >want to address this? > (Hanta virus can be transmitted from mice to humans by contact with >mouse feces. The virus has been found in the southwest and northeast >U.S. The virus can cause death in humans.) The highest known incidence of Hanta virus occurs on the Northern Channel Islands (more than 50% of the mice carry the virus in some parts) here in Santa Barbara County. During the past 30 years of research on Santa Cruz Island I have caught a great many deer mice and also cleaned our living quarter, raising a great deal of dust in the process. After the first deaths occurred due to Hanta virus in the U.S., many of us long term visitors to the island were tested for antibodies; we all came out negative. It appears that there are different strains of that virus, and the strain out on the islands --- at least so far --- is benign to human beings. I should add that a field worker near Santa Barbara died from the virus, and a student died while doing research up in the Mammoth Lakes area. Adrian Adrian M. Wenner (805) 963-8508 (home phone) 967 Garcia Road (805) 893-8062 (UCSB FAX) Santa Barbara, CA 93103 **************************************************************************** * * "Nature only answers rightly when she is rightly questioned." * * Goethe **************************************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 13:18:56 -0700 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Adrian Wenner Subject: Bee stingers and hypotheses Comments: To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Tim Rich offered some interesting comments about Why and Purpose in science, including the following: >...I think that scientists are also very concerned with WHY in >many cases, I know that medical scientists are, [since] WHY leads to important >cures. A complete understanding of science needs to include WHY. Original >purpose is definitely theological; furthermore the WHY of PURPOSE must >remain in the realm of theology. ******** Yes, all of us in science begin an experimental program with Why questions (an inescapable starting point, actually). I covered that point in the following two publications: 1989 Wenner, A.M. Concept centered versus organism centered biology. AMERICAN ZOOLOGIST. 29:1177-1197. and a simplified version: 1993 Wenner, A.M. Science as a process: The question of bee "language." BIOS. 64:78-83. Those on BEE-L can contact me directly to obtain a copy of the 1993 publication. One can find a much earlier treatment of the changing nature of "fact" in the following publication: Fleck, Ludwik. 1935 GENESIS AND DEVELOPMENT OF A SCIENTIFIC FACT [in fractured German]. (translated into English and republished in 1979 by the Univ. of Chicago Press). [1-(800) 621-2736 --- ISBN: 0-226-25325-2] That paperback book actually costs only about $15 U.S. In other words, I suspect Tim Rich and I are on the same wave length on a good many points, though perhaps living in different theological worlds. Adrian Adrian M. Wenner (805) 963-8508 (home phone) 967 Garcia Road (805) 893-8062 (UCSB FAX) Santa Barbara, CA 93103 **************************************************************************** * * "Nature only answers rightly when she is rightly questioned." * * Goethe **************************************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 22:44:14 -0700 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: David & Sarah Grew-Foss Subject: no brood, need advice Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Hello, I have one hive that I started from a package one year ago. The hive is very very strong, yeilding over 200 lb of surplus honey last year even though I am a beginner and they had to draw out all the comb, etc. On March first I went into the hive and it was very crowded. It appeared to me that they were filling the upper brood chamber (I use two deeps) with nectar as soon as a cell was empty. The bees were dive bombing my veil and really upset by my presence in the hive which I attributed to the cool temperature. I didn't see any newly layed eggs in the upper box but figured the queen had been forced down, I didn't go into the lower box. I have never seen a queen cell but did see some suspicious looking burr comb bits. I added a honey super to try and hold them back. Since then the weather has been cold, many nights in the thirties, rainy days in the forties to low fifties. Today when I opened the hive I went through both boxes and couldn't find any brood. Lots of bees, honey, pollen, nectar, but no brood, and the bees were still very aggressive. Should I order a new queen ASAP? Should I wait a week or so and check again to see if a new queen has started laying? I am assuming that a swarm departed without my knowledge, does this seem right? Why would a perfectly nice colony get so irritable over the winter? Any ssggestions appreciated. Sarah Grew ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 05:00:16 EDT Reply-To: GImasterBK@aol.com Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: GImasterBK@AOL.COM Subject: Re: no brood, need advice Comments: To: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit What state is your location? What RACE of bees was the package? Are there any drones present in the colony? I can't help you much until I know more info; but then, glad to help a beginner. George Imirie My 66th year with bees in Maryland ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 09:11:29 +0200 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Karl Dehning Subject: frozen pollen ayone? Comments: To: bee-l@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; name="cc:Mail" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Dear bee-l Can someone tell me at what temperature pollen filled honeycomb freezes (chilles) well for storage for a season or two? Does it keep well? Karl Dehning Cape Town South Africa ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 21:40:37 +0000 Reply-To: les@homemail.com Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Les Simms Subject: AGENT-B Comments: To: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU In-Reply-To: <199904101232.IAA04272@listserv.albany.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Has anyone heard of Agent-B for the treatment of Varroa? This product is produced in Germany and is said to consist of essential oils, propolis, alcohol and natural acids. It may not be as efficient as Apistan or Bayvarol, but it may be less toxic in the production of comb honey. I would be interested to hear about your experiences of Agent-B, or other sources of information about it. Many thanks, Les Simms. ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 22:04:26 -0400 Reply-To: info@beeworks.com Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: David Eyre Subject: Re: bee foraging behavior Comments: To: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU In-Reply-To: <199904121525.LAA10442@listserv.albany.edu> On 12 Apr 99, at 10:10, Musashi wrote: > several hives for the past several days, and I noticed that there is a > behavior that all the bees were doing, including the drones, and every > single bee did it. When they came to the entrance of the hive, just > before taking wing, each bee rubbed its front legs over its antennae and > eyes, almost as if washing its face or rubbing the sleep out of its eyes > before taking off. After I recognized what I was seeing, then I watched > closely, and every single bee that left every hive I looked at did it > without fail before flying. >snip< > I then was left to wonder what the purpose of this action was. Was it > just to clean their eyes off before flying? What if their eyes were > already clean? Why would they have to do it again? It's very simple really. It's bright out there, so they put on their sunglasses! A better explaination. Their antenaes are the main sensory organs, their very life depends on them, makes sense to keep them clean and in good working order. ***************************************** The Bee Works, 9 Progress Drive, Unit 2, Orillia, Ontario, Canada.L3V 6H1. Phone (705)326 7171 Fax (705)325 3461 David Eyre, Owner e-mail http://www.beeworks.com This months special:-Therapik, soothing aid for stings. **************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 22:23:21 -0500 Reply-To: cspacek@flash.net Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: curtis Subject: Re: Queens Comments: To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Gauthier Buddy J wrote: > > Here is my situation: > > A few weeks ago, I noticed a few drones appearing. I checked the brood and > the majority of it was drones. I started to get things in motion by ordering > another queen. While waiting for the new queen to arrive, I figured I would > find the old queen and take it from there. Well, she was marked with a red > dot, and I could not find her anywhere. I noticed that queen cells were > being formed.(Peanut sized cells on the side of the frames) My queen was not buddy,remove the top box and shake all the bees into the lower boxes put a queen excluder on top of the super(one with no bees) then shake all the bees onto the excluder from the bottom 2 boxes.as boxes are emptied place them under the top box,whenyou are done smoke the bees on the excluder and they will descend into the hive leaving the queen on top of the excluder.an empty box ,no frames,on top of the excluder helps funnel the bees into the boxes below.good luck!!!!! Curtis Spacek Pasadena,Texas ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 22:30:02 -0500 Reply-To: cspacek@flash.net Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: curtis Subject: Re: Queens Comments: To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Gauthier Buddy J wrote:Queen problems btw you should raise/graft your own queens.its really simple and I'm surprised more people don't grow their own.I just made 15 queens last week and placed them in queenless hives yesterday.all for about $30.00 U.S.initial setup costs with enough cell starter cups to last a lifetime.Use your best stock and pick the smallest larvea you can see. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 16:36:31 +0900 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Victor Fursov Subject: stimulation for Queen ?? Comments: To: bee-l@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Dear Netters, could somebody advise us: is it possible to increase fertility and productivity of honey bee queen or bumble bee queen using any chemicals, like stimutaion agents, if add it to food of queen? Did somebody study stimulation agents on bees? Any advice or references will be helpful. Sincerely, Dr FURSOV Victor http://www.icfcst.kiev.ua/siz/depart/taxonomy/dep-taxonomy.htm ---- Victor Fursov fursov@meijo-u.ac.jp ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 07:39:21 EDT Reply-To: Pollinator@aol.com Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Pollinator@AOL.COM Subject: Re: no brood, need advice Comments: To: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 4/13/99 3:11:16 AM Eastern Daylight Time, tloloc@dnai.com writes: > Today when I opened the hive I went through both boxes and couldn't find any > brood. Lots of bees, honey, pollen, nectar, but no brood, and the bees were > still very aggressive. Should I order a new queen ASAP? Should I wait a > week or so and check again to see if a new queen has started laying? > > I am assuming that a swarm departed without my knowledge, does this seem > right? > Why would a perfectly nice colony get so irritable over the winter? If the hive was very populous, as you say, in early March, you probably did lose a swarm, or two, or three..... After casting swarms, the hive has to get the virgin queen mated and laying. If weather was bad, she may not have gotten mated. This points out the advantage of having two hives. (I always advise new beekeepers to start with two.) We try our best to avoid swarming, but when it happens, and we find one that has cast a swarm, we routinely give them a frame or two of brood. Then, if the virgin does not get mated, the hive has a second opportunity to raise a queen, from the eggs we give them. If they start making queen cells immediately, you know that they failed. You can also give them a queen cell. The reason they are irritable is because they have no young bees emerging. Most of the population is aging, and old bees are always nastier. If they truly are queenless, they will continue to get worse behaved. It is NOT a good idea to give them a queen at this point. If they have a queen just getting started, you have wasted your money. If they have been queenless for awhile, they do not have the needed young bees to accept a queen. The only reliable way to install a queen would be to give them a small nuc -- a queen already laying and accepted by a couple frames of bees. Best bet now, is to try and find a willing beekeeper to get a frame or two of brood. You may even be able to add one from a swarmy hive that already has cells. Gently handle the frame and adhering bees - don't even tip it upside down as you may damage the developing queen's wings. If it is just brood, make sure you have eggs, and be sure you don't take your friend's queen. If it has swarm cells, you needn't bother to find the queen, his hive is about to get re-queened anyway. ;o) Pollinator@aol.com Dave Green Hemingway, SC USA The Pollination Scene: http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html The Pollination Home Page: http://www.pollinator.com Jan's Sweetness and Light Shop (Varietal Honeys and Beeswax Candles) http://users.aol.com/SweetnessL/sweetlit.htm ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 10:02:54 EDT Reply-To: mnasr@evbhort.uoguelph.ca Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Medhat Nasr Organization: Environ. Biology & Horticulture Subject: Re: Pollination Symposium Report Comments: To: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT REPORT ON CROPS AND HONEY BEE POLLINATION SYMPOSIUM HELD IN GUELPH, ONTARIO, March 25, 1999 Shannon Corrigan1, Janet Tam1, Medhat Nasr1, Doug McRory2 1. Ontario Beekeepers' Association, c/o Dept. Environmental Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1. 2. Crop Technology, OMAFRA, 1 W. Stone Road, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 4Y2. A successful symposium was held in Guelph on Thursday, March 25, 1999. This symposium was sponsored by Ontario Honey Bee Pollination Association, Ontario Research Enhancement Program (OREP), and Can- Adapt Small Projects Intiative. This symposium was part of a project to bring together both growers and beekeepers for promotion and marketing of honey bees for pollination. The symposium addressed various subjects dealing with crops and honey bee pollination. Summary of presentations is followed: Basics of Crop Pollination - Dr. Robbin Thorp, Professor, University of California, Davis, California, USA Both wild plants and crops are highly dependent on pollinators. Plants which self-fertilize do not usually require a pollinator, but many plants must out cross, which does require a pollinator to transfer pollen from another flower or plant. To maximize pollination and crop yield, plant pollination requirements must be known. Some plants need to be pollinated by another cultivar altogether. One complication found with this is that crops are usually planted in rows consisting of a single cultivar, and honey bees are more likely to forage along rows rather than across rows or cultivars. Honey bees can be either pollen foragers or nectar foragers. The pollen foragers are most efficient for pollination. To enhance pollination, pollen can be placed on inserts at hive entrances for bees to be dusted with as they leave the hives. Pollen can also be spread by hand, ground rig, or helicopter. These methods are costly and time-consuming, and not as effective as predicted. The best method to increase the efficacy of pollination is to design orchards in such a way that pollination is maximized. Beekeepers need to educate growers about the benefits of pollination and the beekeepers, themselves, must learn about crop requirements. Economics of Crop Pollination - Doug McRory, Provincial Apiarist, OMAFRA, Guelph, Ontario There are several costs involved in providing pollination services. Beekeepers have to manage their honey bees more intensively to prepare them for pollination. It is important to have strong bee colonies with good laying queens and sufficient feed honey and pollen stores. Equipment to move bees, such as forklifts, booms, trucks, and pallets, are extra investments which require maintenance. If over 200 colonies are to be moved in a short period of time, mechanical devices are needed to assist with the physical labour. For pollinating, honey bee colonies must have 5-6 frames of brood and be given sufficient room so they will not swarm while pollinating in the field. This requires additional management input. Colonies placed in fields for pollinating summer crops cannot be counted on to produce any honey. Therefore, it is necessary to charge enough to offset the loss in honey production. There is room for more colonies to be used for pollination. There are about 29,000 acres of apples in Ontario that should be using at least 40,000 colonies of honey bees in the spring. Only 10,000- 12,000 colonies are moved each spring. In the summer 5 000 bee colonies are moved to pollinate other summer crops. In total, there are 82,000 honey bee colonies in Ontario. The honey bee industry is a resource that is not being utilized efficiently by growers. Beekeepers need to market their pollination services more aggressively. If beekeepers have more orders than they can handle, there are many more beekeepers with good bees available from other parts of the province. On the other hand, crop growers need to be educated about requirements of their crops for pollination. They should know about pollinizer distribution, irrigation, cultivars' compatibility, and honey bees to insure efficient pollination. Recent research showed that the cost/benefit analysis of pollination is tremendous. Use of honeybees brings in profits of $41 to $192 for every $1 spent on pollination of apple and blueberry, respectively. The estimated value of insect pollination to Ontario agriculture is over $100 million annually. Our new challange is everyone who wants bees should be able to obtain them when they need them to increase production of quality crops in Ontario. Beekeepers and growers have to work together to meet this challenge. Apple Pollination with Emphasis on High Density Orchards and Pollen Movement - Dr. Peter Kevan (Professor) / Dr. Brian Husband (Professor) / Svenja Belaoussoff (Ph.D. Candidate), University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario High density apple orchards are now common throughout southern Ontario, yet their pollination requirements are poorly, if at all, understood. Most of the existing literature and recommendations pertain to standard apple orchards. High density plantings result in rows of dwarf trees that resemble hedge-rows. Pollinating honey bees tend to follow the rows, thus often working only a single variety, and only occasionally crossing between rows to cross-pollinate when adjacent rows are of different varieties. Placing less than the recommended number of honey bee colonies in an orchard will result in inadequate pollination. This is a problem for many growers in Ontario. To better understand pollen dispersal, paternity analyses of seeds were performed in a recent research project at the University of Guelph. For each apple variety, the protein gene profile was determined by electrophoresis. Seeds from each variety were analyzed to find out which variety(s) was the pollen donor. Self-fertilization was very low. Most blossoms were pollinated by more than one variety. In conclusion, it was determined that the combination and arrangement of varieties in an orchard is important since they have an effect on the percent of blossoms pollinated. Optimal arrangement of varieties can help to maximize crop yield. Colony Preparation for Crop Pollination in Ontario - Roger Congdon, Commercial Beekeeper, Ontario To better ensure overwintering survival, mite treatments and feed should be applied to honey bee colonies in the fall. The hives should be placed in yards that are easily accessible for moving colonies out after the winter. In the spring, Terramycin should be applied and colony strength assessed. Only healthy and properly proportioned (age ratio) hives should be used for pollination. When placing hives in growers' yards, they should be set in areas protected from the wind, and on dry ground. These sites should also be easily accessible to avoid damage for both the grower and beekeeper during moving. Colony placement should be timed so that the hives are delivered after spraying, but before the king bloom. It is important that beekeepers and growers communicate and understand each other's concerns and problems. Adjacent growers should try to synchronize their activities and work together so that one grower does not spray while the others still have honey bees in their fields which could be affected. Another important factor to be aware of is that different crops and crop varieties are not pollinated equally, so this can affect the number of hives required. Management of Honey Bee Colonies for Effective Crop Pollination - Dr. Robbin Thorp, Professor, University of California, Davis, California, USA Communication between beekeepers and growers is essential for effective crop pollination. It is recommended that beekeepers and growers discuss and agree upon the following issues before the pollination season begins: - movement of colonies in and out - spraying of harmful insecticides (advance warning must be given to beekeeper so that hives can be removed) - definition of colony strength (number of frames of bees, brood area) - distribution pattern in the orchard - beekeeper inspection of colonies - adequate supply of water - rental fee (how much? when due?) For growers to maximize pollination: - use strong hives - use the recommended number of hives per acre for that specific crop - put colonies inside orchard or field in clusters - move colonies in at first flower - disc cover crop (ie. remove flowering weeds between crop rows) to reduce competition with certain crops to be pollinated Current Management for Disease and Mites in Honey Bee Colonies - Dr. Medhat Nasr, Research Apiculturist, OBA, Guelph, Ontario There are a number of known honey bee diseases which can be prevented or controlled by treatments applied by the beekeeper. Some of these are AFB, EFB, nosema, chalk brood, and sacbrood. Recently, parasitic mites were found in North America. Tracheal mites were introduced to USA in 1984. In Ontario, selective breeding of tracheal mite resistant honey bees is being done to manage tracheal mites. A bioassay, known as the quick test, is performed several times a year to screen potential breeder queens for resistance. Newly emerged workers are tagged and placed into mite-infested hives. These tagged bees are challenged with tracheal mites for one week At the end of the week, the tagged bees are removed and checked for the presence of tracheal mites. Those that do not have the mites, or have relatively fewer mites, are considered to be relatively resistant and their queen is then used for breeding resistant stock. Resistant bee stock is propagated in areas where controlled mating is practiced. Resistant stock is then made available for beekeepers to use. An expansion of this breeding program is underway for the control of varroa mites. It is thought that certain honey bee traits may be desirable for managing varroa mites. One of these traits is the hygienic trait. To test for the hygienic trait, liquid nitrogen is used to freeze-kill capped honey bee pupae. 24 hours later, the frames are examined to count how many of the freeze-killed pupae were removed by the honey bee workers. If a high percentage of the freeze-killed pupae were removed, the bees are considered to be hygienic. Research results have shown that hygieinc bees were able to detect and emove pupae killed or damaged by varroa mites. In doing so, varroa mites would also be removed from the hive. This hygienic trait has been included in the tracheal mite resistant stock. Another desirable trait is a grooming trait. Development of a simple test is underway. Sticky boards are used to collect naturally fallen mites over 24 h and then the mites are examined under the microscope for damage inflicted by honey bees. The proportion of damaged mites to naturally dead mites is used to find hives with a high tendency for grooming. These colonies will be used in breeding. The grooming trait will be added to the mite resistant stock in 1999. Mite resistat honey bee stocks are used in the IPM (Integrated Pest Management) program which is being developed to control honey bee diseases in Ontario. The idea is to employ a variety of methods to control the mite population in honey bee colonies. Thus, beekeepers will be able to decrease the rate at which chemical resistance occurs and to be more environmentally friendly. For the control of mites, it is currently recommended that beekeepers apply formic acid in the spring to control varroa and tracheal mites, use mite- resistant stock in the late spring and summer, and apply Apistan for varroa mite control in the fall. The Small Hive Beetle - David Westervelt, Bee Inspector, Florida, USA The small hive beetle is a new predator of honey bees in North America. It has become quite prevalent in Florida, killing 30,000 colonies of honey bees this past year. The beetles live in the hive with the bees and reproduce whenever they are disturbed. The larvae of the small hive beetle feed on bee brood, honey, and wax. When the colony is infested with beetle larvae, the larvae produce a slimy material on the combs and the honey bees abscond. It has been found that the Bayer Bee Strip (coumaphos), used to control varroa in the USA, is also effective against the small hive beetle. Before the small hive beetle becomes resistant to coumaphos in the Bayer Bee Strip, other effective treatments must be found. Pheromone traps or repellents will be tested for usefulness as a control measure. As it is highly likely that the hive beetle has already spread to New York by beekeepers who overwintered their colonies in Florida, it may only be a matter of time before this beetle is found in Canada. Perspectives of Beekeepers and Growers for Summer Crop Pollination (cucumber, blueberries, squash and pumpkin) - Dr. Peter Kevan/ Svenja Belaoussoff Recent studies on cucumbers have shown that the greater the distance between a plant and the hive, the fewer visits the flowers receive from honey bees. With movement towards mechanized pickers, uniformly-sized cucumbers are required. Therefore, research must be conducted to find a way to synchronize pollination throughout a field. Combining cucumber varieties that bloom around the same time and for a short period with efficient pollination can help to produce uniform crop. Highbush blueberries are difficult for honey bees to pollinate because their flowers are long and narrow. Different types of bees (i.e. bumblebees, leafcutter bees, honey bees) pollinate different varieties of blueberries, depending on flower length and width. To increase productivity, studies must be conducted to find which bees pollinate which varieties. As well, self- and intervarietal-compatibility must be looked at. The hoary squash bee is a specialist bee which is seasonally in synch with squash plants. The squash bee collects nectar and pollen only from squash plants. A survey of squash bees was conducted last summer in Ontario and its range was found to be patchy throughout southern Ontario. More studies are needed to learn about the behaviour and biology of the squash bee so that it can be introduced into areas where squash and pumpkin are grown, to enhance pollination. Further studies need to be conducted on the pollination of cucumbers, blueberries, and squash and pumpkin so that crop yield can be improved. Dandelion as a Competitor to Apple Trees for Visits by Pollen-Collecting Honey Bees - Dr. Terence Laverty/Henry Hiemstra Dandelion often cover apple orchard floors at a density of 62 heads per square meter. It has been thought that dandelion competes with apples for pollination. One hypothetical solution to eliminate dandelion competition is to bring bees to the orchard after dandelion heads had closed for the day. Thus, the honey bees would be conditioned to apple blossoms. Another solution is to mow the orchard floor. To test the first hypothesis, resident and introduced hives were compared for their pollen collection. Only small differences were found between them, suggesting that conditioning of the bees to visit apple flowers first was not significant. Mowing the orchard floor also had no effect on the per cent of apple pollen versus dandelion pollen collected. Interestingly, it was found that during peak apple bloom, mostly apple pollen was collected even though there were dandelion all around. Apple pollen appeared to be preferred over dandelion pollen. In conclusion, there was no evidence of competition between dandelion and apple trees for pollination and therefore no need to remove dandelion from orchards in southwestern Ontario. Pollination of Greenhouse Tomatoes in Ontario - Lora Morandin (MSc. candidate) University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario In the field, tomatoes are wind-pollinated. In greenhouses, various types of mechanical vibrators are used instead. In either case, only insects have the capacity to pollinate male-sterile plants. Manual vibration pollination of greenhouse crops is expensive, damaging, and time-consuming. As an equally effective alternative, bumble bees can be used for pollination of crops such as blueberries, cranberries, tomatoes, and kiwis. These crops are more efficiently pollinated by bumble bees than honey bees, since bumble bees vibrate their wings while feeding at flowers and cause pollen to fall from the anthers. This type of pollination is known as buzz pollination. A problem with using bumblebees in greenhouses is that they often escape through greenhouse vents. Bumble bees are sensitive to UV light and are attracted to the open vents through which UV light enters the greenhouse. Because UV light cannot penetrate the plastics used in greenhouse walls, the bees feel confined and this leads to a decrease in their activity and pollination. Several different plastic types have been tested for UV penetration. Few types were found to be more suitable for use in greenhouses than what is already in use. Miniature greenhouses will be built using new plastics to test for effects on the flight behaviour of bumblebees. It is thought that if new plastics, which allow the penetration of UV light, are used in greenhouses, both problems will be solved. The bumblebees will not be able to differentiate between the vents and plastic and therefore, the bumblebees will not be able to escape so easily. As well, the bees will feel like they are in an open environment and so activity and pollination will increase. Panel Discussion of Pollination Issues - Doug McRory Many growers require honey bees for pollination their crops. Beekeepers have started this promotion campaign to increase use of honey bees for pollination and to encourage growers to rent their bee colonies, but will beekeepers be able to meet the demand? There should be standards set for honey bees made available for pollination. How will the standards be measured, and who will enforce these standards? It should be emphasized that insecticides sprayed on crops can kill honey bees. Even if one grower does not spray, his or her neighbouring grower might and this will harm the honey bees, disrupt pollination, and, therefore, decrease crop yield. Should there be contracts between growers and beekeepers? Insurance? Contracts will help both beekeepers and growers to specify their requirements and needs in an agreement. Provision of the bees and payment for pollination services will improve. If everything is agreed upon beforehand, there should be fewer disputes afterwards. Medhat Nasr, Ph.D. Research Scientist, Ontario Beekeepers' Association Dept. Environmental Biology University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 Tel: (519) 824-4120 Fax:(519)837-0442 e-mail: mnasr@evbhort.uoguelph.ca ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 09:58:54 -0500 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Jerry Scott Subject: Re: no brood, need advice MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" I too have a hive that is strong and mean this year. Last year (my first year) they were really nice, didn't even need a veil. Anyway, Last Sunday I opened them up and found NO Brood, just as Sarah did with one of her hives. I check every frame and couldn't find a queen (does mean much, half the time I can't find her anyway), but I found honey and pollen all over the place. I'm thinking it's queenless. I was thinking that ordering a new queen might take too long and I thought there still might be a queen in the hive. Not wanting to add a queen to the hive just to fight another queen. I was thinking about taking a frame of brood from one of my other hives and putting it into this hive. I'm wondering if this is a good action, my thought is that if the hive is queenless they should make a new queen, if there is a queen then the added brood will become workers, But won't explain why the hive has no brood or eggs. Jerry Scott Critterden Ranch (Specializing in Arabian Horses, Beef Cattle) Lipan, Texas. jscott2@tandy.com or critter@lipan.net ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 12:17:06 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Lloyd Spear Subject: "Russian" bees MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit "Has anyone an update on the mite tolerant Russian bee program in Louisiana?" The April, 1999 issue of American Bee Journal has the latest data I have heard of. Essentially, the USDA has determined that they are, in fact, capable of keeping varroa at levels where they are not harmful. The bees apparently do this via a combination of means, some of which are not well understood. These bees seem to be similar to Carnolians. Not reported in the ABJ, but reported at the January ABF meeting, is that during 1999 stock will be given to three commercial producers to evaluate for other traits such as honey production, over-wintering, temperament, etc. We were told that during 2000 more extensive evaluations would be made and that general distribution could take place as early as 2001. My impression is that the USDA is fully aware that the bad industry experience with the ARS-Y-C-1 Carnolians has left many commercial beekeepers skeptical of whether the USDA is capable of determining whether a strain is commercially acceptable. The USDA side of the story is that the ARS-Y-C-1 queens released to breeders were a far different bee than what the breeders released to the public, and "this time" they (the USDA) intends to have an ongoing role in the breeding programs. Lloyd Lloyd Spear Owner, Ross Rounds(tm). The finest in comb honey production. http://www.rossrounds.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 12:14:40 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: "Dave D. Cawley" Subject: Where The Hell Did The Bees Come From? Comments: To: A Honey of a Bunch MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Two weeks ago I go out to check out my three hives. One has great activity, one looks like it's getting robbed out by its neighbor and the other one could possibly be ok. The one with great activity gets the boxes swapped and the frames and boxes scraped. Good brood patter and things look nice. After a quick inspection of the one that might be ok, I find no brood, and there are not more than 50 bees in the hive. Being pressed for time I close it up and go home. I go out the next weekend to check out and clean up the third one that I suspect is dead. I clean it up, it is dead. I then go to the other one that I had previously pronounced as dead to clean it. I open the cover and there are a few bees on the top bars. I take the top box off and all of a sudden some bees come up at my face as if they are guard bees. I've never seen robbing bees be that defensive, so I check out the frames where they came from and find larva and capped WORKER brood with a smattering of drone brood. It's too early to swarm around here, it's mostly in the 40-55 range in temperatures and there isn't anything open other than tulips and crokuses. So where did these bees come from? *************************************************************** Dave D. Cawley | Where a social revolution is pending and, The Internet Cafe | for whatever reason, is not accomplished, Scranton, PA | reaction is the alternative. (717) 344-1969 | dave@scranton.com | -Daniel De Leon *************************************************************** URL => http://www.scranton.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 10:02:54 -0600 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: James Loveless Subject: Two Queen System Comments: To: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit ** Proprietary ** Can I use this arrangment for a two queen system? If the bees will move up into the supers, it seems that it would save some lifting. __________ l l l_________ l l l l_________ l Supers l l Q excluder _____l_________ l______ l l l l l l Brood l__________ l __________l l l l l Q1 l Q2 l Brood L__________l__________ l ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 12:22:19 -0500 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: "Waskey, Dick" Subject: Re: Two Queen System Comments: To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Subject: Two Queen System Can I use this arrangment for a two queen system? This arrangement reminds me of Dr. Furgalas horizontal two queen system taught to Northern bee keepers at the University of Minnesota. http://www.ent.agri.umn.edu/Faculty/furgala.htm If you want more info about it "E"mail me back ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 14:01:56 EDT Reply-To: BeeCrofter@aol.com Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: BeeCrofter@AOL.COM Subject: Re: no brood, need advice Comments: To: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 4/13/99 10:13:38 AM EST, jscott2@TANDY.COM writes: > Not wanting to add a queen to the hive just to fight another queen. I > was thinking about taking a frame of brood from one of my other hives and > putting it into this hive. Yep that is the way to go but make sure the brood from the good hive has very young eggs in it and make damn sure you don't move your good queen into it with your frame of brood. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 14:50:49 -0400 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Thom Bradley Subject: Re: no brood, need advice MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In addition to adding a frame of eggs/brood, realise you may not be queenless. Ask yourself what conditions may lead to an eggless, broodless hive. 1) A queen not laying eggs. Because: A) No Queen 1) killed by beekeeper accidentally (why didn't they build supercedure cells?) 2) Killed by bees (why didn't they build supercedure cells?) 3) Swarmed out and not replaced a) virgin queen killed by myriad of means b) virgin queen was faulty B) No fertile queen 1) swarmed out and replacement vigin was killed 2) swarmed out and replacement virgin unsuccessfully mated C) Fertile Queen is present and does not lay 1) Too cold for brood (doesn't sound like it) 2) Queen instinct is that it is the wrong time. 3) Queen is diseased 4) Queen is otherwise defective These are only some of the major reasons why a hive will appear queenless. You must decide which is pertinent here. In any case I would be sure to feed plenty of 1:1 sugar syrup just in case the queen is being fed honey and her instincts tell her there is no honey flow on and that new brood is not necessary. Workers will become defensive if there is no other work to perform. Tracheal mite infestation has been found to lead to a decreased capacity of the queen to lay. If you can, It may be a good time to treat with menthol to check this possibility as well. Thom Bradley Norfolk, VA area ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 19:11:23 EDT Reply-To: CSlade777@aol.com Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: CSlade777@AOL.COM Subject: Re: Antennae cleaning behavior Comments: To: BEE-L@CNSIBM.ALBANY.EDU MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I don't know the reason why bees always clean their antennae when about to leave the hive but they must have been doing so for a long time. If you look at the fore legs under a microscope you will see a round slot backed by a fibula which is the purpose built tool for the job. Chris Slade ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 21:56:06 -0400 Reply-To: info@beeworks.com Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: David Eyre Subject: Request I received a request from some one in Cook County,Illinois, looking for a local bee keeper who can supply honey to help her allergies. Please contact MBJBISHOP@AOL.COM ***************************************** The Bee Works, 9 Progress Drive, Unit 2, Orillia, Ontario, Canada.L3V 6H1. Phone (705)326 7171 Fax (705)325 3461 David Eyre, Owner e-mail http://www.beeworks.com This months special:-Therapik, soothing aid for stings. **************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 09:15:47 -0400 Reply-To: BobCan@tdpi.com Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Bob Subject: My Bee Journal MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I have a hive that I purchased a couple of months ago. I purchased it full of bees so that I could get a good start on pollinating my orchard. I didn't want to wait for a new package to arrive and not have enough bee to do the same. The hive I purchased contained many bees and was setup as a deep on the bottom with a medium on top. The hive itself needed a lot of attention as the bottom board was falling out and the supers were in need of painting and repairing. The frames need some work and the foundation isn't as nice and drawn out as I would like to see however, the hive is really full of bees for the purpose I was looking for. On a warm day I took all the frames out and put them into new equipment, bottom board, top, inner the works. I pulled out the apistan strips out since they had been in there for 45+ days as the original owner stated. I used terramycin and fumibil in the hive along with grease patties, pollin patties. I wanted to get the medium off and use only two deep supers so, I used bee go and moved the bees out of the medium into a new deep super on TOP of the original. Now with a queen excluder under the medium the bees are busy taking care of the broad in the medium. What I would like to do is clear out all the honey/pollin out of the medium and use the frames for maybe a swam box. Also, my concern is any AFB being in any of the frames so I am not sure I want to use these in any other hive. What can I do if I want to clear out the honey/pollin out of the medium frames so they are clean drawn foundations? Also, should I keep new deep super on top of the old one or underneath it? Currently I have bees in the lower deep and bees in the medium with little activity in the middle deep. What actually need is someone close to me to help me out however, I have no bee inspector in this county and the closes one about 10 miles away didn't seem interested in looking over my hives. Here in Ohio I guess I am legally registered as I sent in my apiary registration however there is no guarantee to have an inspector check things over. I wonder where the 5 dollars went I sent? Ok.. enough for this message any assistance is appreciated. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 05:56:15 -0800 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Scott Moser Organization: MailCity (http://www.mailcity.lycos.com:80) Subject: Queen Acceptance Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hello all, Does weather adversly affect queen acceptance? I just got 5 new queens for my splits and to requeen a hive, and the weather is supposed to turn rainy and cold. 2 splits have been queenless 4 days. Problem is, doesnt look like the weather will improve much between now and Tuesday. What to do? Thanks, Scott Moser Get your FREE Email at http://mailcity.lycos.com Get your PERSONALIZED START PAGE at http://my.lycos.com