Newsletter

SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2012

The Presidents Hive Stand

Did one of my colonies try to swarm on 9 September? And if so, why and why then? And if not, what was that swarm-like mass of flying bees doing and where were they going and why? Of course, I did a hive inspection soon after, and it appears to be queen-right with brood of all ages present, from eggs to capped cells, plus pretty good honey stores and gobs of pollen. I just don't know what happened. Figuring it out is just one of the challenges and fun of attempting to be a good beekeeper! I know a lot more about what the club is doing and where it's going and why. Much of the 'why' has to do with the great involvement and cooperation many of you are contributing to BANV. We've had collaboration to bring in speakers, several small groups have emerged to deal with sustainability projects and community issues, and I've benefitted from good ideas how to handle upcoming classes and other bedrock efforts. And that is one of the rewards of working with so many good folks who make our club progressive and pleasurable. If you are looking to make a difference in regional beekeeping, I have two suggestions for you. First, consider becoming a mentor to students in upcoming classes. We will conduct those classes beginning early next year, but we'll need to recruit mentors soon to determine our class load we don't want anyone trying to handle too many new-beeks. Second, as you start keeping bees or expand your hives, think about this BANV is the largest club in the region and every hive we start with non-local bees dilutes the survivor stock that others are trying to create in the region. Our numbers can make a big difference to local queen and nuc producers and to the bees themselves. Please consider the impact each of us has on local sustainability when it comes time to look for queens/bees for your apiary. One person who's had a big impact on the club this year is Jane Harding, one of the newsletter co-editors. Jane was the first person to step up when I asked for volunteers this year, and her work on the newsletter has been exemplary. She has to step down due to other priorities; we are grateful for her work in getting the club's newsletter back into

circulation. John Fraser remains an editor; he could use your help. Okay, the season is swinging along, the bee year has already begun and concerns about winter survival loom. Time to brush up on fondant recipes, scrounge the mouse screen and think about ordering more gear for next year. And think about how you can keep BANV viable, too!
BANV President, Rob McKinney

Mark your calendars

Sept. 25:BANV meeting: Bee-Craft: Mead-making with Paul Steblein, and candle making with Kathryn Preston; Mason District Govt Ctr, 7 pm.
Save the dates and treat yourself to a great beekeeping meeting on a State, National, or East Coast scale and the best part- they are all within easy DRIVING DISTANCE.
1

NEWSLETTER | Sept-Oct 2012

November 2-3: VSBA Fall Meeting, Blue Ridge Community College, -less than two hours away -- Weyers Cave,VA. http://www.virginiabeekeepers.org/c ontent/meetings-events November 16-18: Apimondia 2012 Symposium.(see article below) January 8-12, 2013. ABF (American Bee Federation),- Hershey, PA; See: http://www.abfnet.org/ August 5-6, 2013: EAS(Eastern Apicultural Society) : Short Course, and August 7-9, 2013:.EAS: Conference Westchester, PA. http://www.easternapiculture.org/co nferences/eas-2013.html =============================

Among the topics discussed were the purposes of the club and how BANV was fulfilling those, what projects should or could the club sponsor (with reference to the 2010 goals list), a quick review of the projects currently ongoing, then a discussion of what should the club undertake in the future. The idea of acquiring an additional extractor to be made available to members was submitted by Kate Stoney (Extractor Coordinator), and how that availability could be best made possible. It was determined the club should do a better job of publicizing members who would share/rent their extractors before purchasing another. However, the age and condition of the current extractor is an issue and a replacement should be considered. Rob talked about the volunteerism in the club, most of which is good. But knowing how members might contribute led to a discussion of a member survey, perhaps in conjunction with an annual mail out for membership renewals in January. Terri McPalmer (Membership) and Art Foley (Web Team) will accept ideas on topics for that survey. It was noted that the GIS survey tool might be useful for this, as well as determining DCAs for our queen rearing group. There then followed a discussion of the upcoming beginning beekeeper classes, including the size of the classes, the number of mentors and how that number related to the class size. Availability and location of class sites was also considered. The need to have an educational chairperson was stressed as an urgent issue that had to be resolved. With time short, there then followed a brief discussion of the issue of the club applying for a 501(c)(3). This

issue remains complex and contentious. It was decided that it was a topic that needed to be discussed at a later date. The meeting ended at 9:00 pm.
Respectfully submitted, David Thompson, Secretary

APIMONDIA Qubec 2012 Symposium

Once more, the following announcement (& reminder!) is included in the newsletter -- The international beekeeping congress, Apimondia, doesnt come to North America often, especially this close to Virginia. Its a great opportunity for anyone looking to learn more about beekeeping in other countries. Practicing your high school French is optional, as all symposium conferences will be in English (with instant translation to French). The program presents several world class speakers, an exhibit hall full of the latest and greatest innovations in beekeeping, and a choice of workshops. Looking forward to seeing you in Qubec City, Canada, November 16-18, 2012. Early-bird registration runs through September 15. For information on programs, registration, hotels, and local tourist activities, go to the official website at: http://www.craaq.qc.ca/lecalendrier-agricole/apimondiasymposium-2012/e/1205

BANV Special Meeting, August 28, 2012

A meeting of club officers and chairs, plus any members who could attend, was held August 28, 2012. Rob McKinney hosted the session to discuss current and future planning issues. Along with the five elected officers, 13 others were present. Rob presented a slide show giving the big and small picture how BANV stood among state clubs in terms of membership and budget, commenting on the impact BANV has in several areas (VSBA monies, number of hives, potential impact to colony survivability in the region), then posed some upcoming topics for discussion.

BANV Booth at Arlington County Fair August 10-11-12, 2012

By Tom Greiner

Once again a visit to the BANV Booth at the Arlington County Fair was a high point for many fair

NEWSLETTER | Sept-Oct 2012

attendees. Even though the fair was shortened by a full day this year, sales were brisk. The club made back its investment plus about 6% on sales of approximately 900 pounds of honey and assorted other products. The members selling and the few volunteers enjoyed many opportunities to share experiences and honeybee stories (tall, short, and some shaggy) among themselves and with the many visitors interested in learning a little about bees, their condition, prospects, and theories on the losses and the bees future. Seller Ted Pratt took yet another ribbon with his jar of honey while member Kate Luisa took the Grant Champion ribbon for a sample from her FIRST! Honey harvest. Yea, Kate!

Recent rains will not necessarily cure the problem. Although asters, goldenrod, late-blooming milkweed, ragweed, and some daisies will provide pollen and nectar, the quality and amounts of both may be slight. Exotic and ornamental plants may also provide some variety in the suburbs, but there may not be enough. I recommend that a pollen patty be offered to each hive, placed between the supers before midOctober. Start with half a patty and see if it is taken. Remove the patty if it is not consumed in 10 days, as it may attract small hive beetles. Provide a pollen patty until the bees are no longer consuming it or until it is too cold to open the hive. By the end of October, each beekeeper should implement whatever winter changes will be made to the hives. I recommend that screen bottoms be left at least partially open and that a mouse guard be installed on each hive so that loose mites may fall to the cold ground and that mice may not enter. Install the mouse guard of choice only after making sure that no mice are inside the hive, of course. I am going to experiment with overwintering a group of 5-frame nucs this year, and have been feeding these hives to build up strength and stores. These small hives will also be insulated against cold and wind, while allowing ventilation of moisture. Other beekeepers may want to consider combining struggling hives or reducing a full size hive box to a nuc, rather than trying to coax a weak 6 or 7 frame hive through the winter.

Frank Lintons Work On Beehive Monitors, Beehive Behavior, and Visualization of Results
By John Fraser

Many BANV beekeepers have benefited and enjoyed the informative and thoughtful presentations made by Frank Linton, Ph.D., Harvard University, EAS Certified Master Beekeeper, at our regular meetings. More than a few members have also noticed the very serious, very scientific, and very welldocumented series of articles that Frank has published in recent years in various bee industry publications. Without wishing to suggest that I understand all of the articles, or the underlying science, it would be good for all BANV beekeepers to understand what Frank is trying to do with his work on scientific instrumental monitoring of beehives and the internal conditions of beehives. In a few paragraphs, I will try to summarize Franks work and suggest ways that we beekeepers can help Frank in his task. It is disruptive and sometimes counterproductive to open a hive to observe the interior conditions. Yet, how does a beekeeper know when numerous queen cells are about to hatch, or when a swarm is about to emerge? Do internal temperatures or rates of humidity predict certain behaviors? Does a particular core temperature in the brood nest correlate with swarming, or queen loss, or varroa infestation, or

This Month In The Beeyard September - October

By John Fraser

It has been an unusually dry late summer, and the beehives are showing the effects. When you check your bees, look to see if they have honey, nectar and pollen stores. Many hives checked recently have almost no pollen stored for the winter. This will result (if not corrected) in protein starvation and early death for the hives. Hives that are continuing to raise brood in large numbers will be especially vulnerable.

NEWSLETTER | Sept-Oct 2012

robbing? Are there other readily measurable physical attributes of a hive that observed over time will predict or contra-indicate certain hive events? Frank has studied the options for recording weight, temperature, audio signals, the presence of honey, pheromone status, feed consumption, landing board activity, and brood volume. What monitoring devices are readily available, affordable, reliable and also able to communicate their hive readings to a recording device? It does no good to have objective data that remains in the hive, after all. Frank has installed temperaturereading devices in the brood nest core of hives, and has set up the devices to send their readings to be recorded outside the hive. Are there hive monitoring devices that can collect hive data and then call home to report the results? Yes if a beekeeper is willing to invest in cellular telephony or rather sophisticated satellite messaging or solar-powered electronics. Frank has studied it all. Capturing and transmitting the data is only the beginning of the scientific pursuit, however. The data must be collated, compared and analyzed. To fully comprehend what signals the hive is sending, Frank also works to visualize the data, to maximize its practical uses. For example, what a beekeeper needs is to know that a beehive is about to swarm. Can this be predicted from audio or other signals? Can we predict that the old queen is slimming down for the swarm flight when swarm pheromones and swarm dance

vibrations of scout bees are thrumming through the combs? Not yet. Of course, Frank cannot yet use monitors and sensors to predict the arrival of vital milestones in the life of a hive. But the day will come, and each of us can help. We can suggest patterns of behavior that may be readily monitored. For example, it is said in bee folklore that the old queen swarms when she can hear the piping of her successors in the yet-to-emerge queen cells. Is that true? Does swarm departure correlate with the advent of virgin queen piping? Could a BANV member devise an audio, or pheromone, or visual monitor to detect Varroa mites or small hive beetles or American Foul Brood? If you have any ideas along these lines, I know from experience that Frank Linton is ready to share his insights and listen to any useful suggestions.

We had a club meeting on Sat., Sept. 8. Club member Lukas Camby gave a 5-minute talk, with powerpoint assistance, on "Introduction to Honey Bee Genetics". At the end of his talk, every one there, even the 10-year-olds, could answer his quiz: "Describe each of the following : drone, egg, caste, 'genetic information', fertilize, worker, queen. "
By Brenda Kiessling Leader, 2 B A BEE 4-H Club

Eastern Kingbirds
By Dan Stiles Because I am a beekeeper, I know about Eastern Kingbirds. Kingbirds are "flycatchers," but as far as I'm concerned they are also superb bee catchers. They are really amazingly good at it! Prior to becoming a beekeeper, I had never seen an Eastern Kingbird before. Obviously they have no interest in my birdfeeder usually filled with sunflower seeds, so when I first saw one, I had to identify it with the help of a bird book. Many years ago, Eastern Kingbirds were shot by beekeepers, who then were politely called "misguided apiarists." Now, of course, Kingbirds are fully protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, as are more than 800 other bird species.

2 B A BEE 4-H club members

participated in the Fairfax County 4H Fair and in the Arlington County Fair. Both Abby and Tim Fry won top prizes in the Arlington County Fair, beating out a lot of grownups -Tim for his honey and Abby for her jam. Our two club colonies are both alive and well. They are inspected twice a month. This month, in September, the Munn family is helping with the inspections and making the entries in the record book.

NEWSLETTER | Sept-Oct 2012

To start at the beginning, Eastern Kingbirds are robin-sized birds, blackish above and white on their undersides. Like purple martins that are not purple, like red bellied woodpeckers that really don't have red bellies, it is reasonable to assume that Eastern Kingbirds are not really "Eastern." Actually they are found all over our country, all the way from Virginia to California. I can't explain why they still are called "Eastern." They are migratory birds and spend the wintertime in South America. But anyway ... My five hives are surrounded with bear-proof fencing. There are outer strands of barbed wire and inner strands of electrified smooth wire. No bears have managed to raid the hives during the past two years, although I know they are around, and I suspect some are thinking seriously about trying. Both the electric and barbed wire fences provide a perfect perch for flycatchers, like phoebes and Eastern Kingbirds. The electrified wires present no threat to perching birds, because birds provide no flow of electricity to the ground below. On the other hand, a bear with his four legs standing on damp ground, touching the wire with his sensitive wet nose, does. A bee yard, or more formally called an apiary, must be a dream come true for fly-catching birds. If one healthy hive contains 100,000 bees, five contain a half million. And, in a healthy hive, the queen lays over a thousand eggs each day, so my five

queen bees can produce about five thousand daily. But, beekeepers always have and probably always will hate to see flycatchers capturing and consuming their honey bees. The truth be known, however, their impact on the overall bee population is really less than negligible. A few days ago I watched an Eastern Kingbird fly through a stream of bees that were returning to their hive. The bird then landed on a strand of fence wire to enjoy its meal - usually at the same place on the same wire. At one time there were four Kingbirds on the wires. I assume it was a family group, because Kingbirds are known to be very aggressive and seemingly fearless of others of their kind, and much bigger birds as well. I watched all four Kingbirds consume ten or a dozen honey bees each time they visited! And, I witnessed the arrival of an apparent intruder Kingbird, and he was driven off in repeated clashes of feathers by one of "my" resident Kingbirds. The scientific name for Eastern Kingbirds is Tyrannus tyrannus meaning, I would guess, tyrant of the worst kind. They are well known for attacking crows and hawks, and sometimes people who get too close to their nest. Believe it or not, there is a report of an Eastern Kingbird attacking a low flying airplane! I must admit I rather admire Eastern Kingbirds. Their numbers are steadily declining, and I'm glad to help them with a few of my honey bees. Attacking an airplane? You bet I admire them!

Sugar Syrup for Fall Feeding

By John Fraser

Here is a rough and ready approach to preparing sugar water for feeding to beehives. This is for beekeepers that are not fond of strict recipes and precise measurements. Find a clean bucket Find a drill that works. A battery-powered drill may be best around water Find a "squirrel cage" paintstirring drill attachment with at least a 16" length. (Home Depot $6 on sale there are other types of mixer attachments as well) For each gallon of water that you intend to feed, buy 3 pounds of sugar for thin syrup and 5 pounds for medium thick syrup and 8 pounds for thick Use a garden hose to fill the bucket with half the intended amount of water Pour in the sugar. Run the paint-stirring drill in the bucket at low speed. If the water is splashing over the side, lower the speed. Add the rest of the water and continue drilling. When the water turns clear, the syrup is ready

Do this task where you can use the garden hose to clean up spills. Do not heat the water. Do not agonize over crystals or incomplete sugar dissolution. Adjust the amount of water and sugar for future batches if needed. Add oils, treatments for nosema or other additives after the sugar is dissolved. Drill in any additives so it is completely mixed. Fini!

NEWSLETTER | Sept-Oct 2012

POLLINATOR PLATES
Still havent registered for pollinator plates? Do so NOW! Write to: Samantha Gallagher pollinatorplates@gmail.com to register online, visit: pollinatorplates.blogspot.com/p/getyour-plate.html
===============================

Want to contribute to the BANV newsletter? Write to: beekeepersnova+editor@gmail.com We prefer concisely written material, rather than suggestions & hints. Inclusion depends upon space available, timeliness, and/or relevance. Thanks!

NEWSLETTER | Sept-Oct 2012

BANV OFFICERS 2012-2013

President 1st Vice President 2 Vice President Secretary Treasurer
nd

Rob McKinney Rick Haynes David Michaelson David Thompson Steve Johnson

beekeepersnova+president@gmail.com beekeepersnova+1vicepresident@gmail.com beekeepersnova+2vicepresident@gmail.com beekeepersnova+secretary@gmail.com beekeepersnova+treasurer@gmail.com

WORKERBEES:

Newsletter Team Membership Outreach Recognition Mentoring Librarian Webmaster Spring Nuc Program GIS Mapping

John Fraser & Jane Harding Terri McPalmer & Denise Taylor Martha Kiene Carolyn Foley Amy Bennett Frank Linton Kamalesh Kalarickal Julie Waser Chelsie Romulo & Jeny Beausoleil

Beekeepersnova+editor@gmail.com beekeepersnova+membership@gmail.com beekeepersnova+outreach@gmail.com beekeepersnova+recognition@gmail.com beekeepersnova+mentoring@gmail.com beekeepersnova+librarian@gmail.com beekeepersnova+webmaster@gmail.com beekeepersnova+nucprogram@gmail.com beekeepersnova+gis@gmail.com