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Volume 156 No. 4 April 2016 ke
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Contents
Email
info@americanbeejournal.com
Web
www.americanbeejournal.com
Editor-Joe M. Graham Advertising Manager-Marta Menn
Making a Bee Trailer 415 Publishing Department- Dianne Behnke & Susan Nichols
International Honey Market
Ron Phipps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
A Review of the New Edition of The Hive and the Honey Bee
Peter Loring Borst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
Making a Bee Trailer
Craig Cella . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
Understanding Colony Buildup and DeclinePart 11
Varroa and the Late Season Collapse
Randy Oliver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Colony Collapse Disorder Eight Years LaterPart II
Articles

Kirsten Traynor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425

Honey Bee Biology Explained 405
Bringing Up Bees from Packages and Nucs
Peter Loring Borst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431

Departments
Avocados and Bees
Dewey M. Caron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439 Letters to the
Biloxis Ken Parker Attributes His Beekeeping Start to BPs Gulf Oil Spill Editor . . . . . . . . . . . 373
Cecil Hicks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443
Newsnotes . . . . . . . 379
How to Become a Beekeeper (The Not-so-Straightforward Way): Part I
William Blomstedt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447
U.S. Honey Crops
The Adventures of Pollination Habitat and Markets . . . . . . 387
Terry Lieberman-Smith and Michele Colopy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
Bees Helping Boys &ODVVLHG
Steve Mac McNair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457 Advertising . . . . . . . 481
Winning the Urban Customer
Howard Scott. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465 Advertising
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . 486
Its on the Tip of My Tongue
William J. Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467

The Classroom
Columns Beekeeping Topics - My Homemade Feeder Board
Jerry Hayes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399 Ray Nabors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .463
Field Guide to Beekeeping
Jamie Ellis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405 Apiary Management with Integrity - Part II
Larry Connor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .471
For the Love of Bees and Beekeeping
Keith Delaplane. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437 The Other Side of Beekeeping
Honey Bee Biology George S. Ayers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .475
Wyatt A. Mangum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
The American Bee Journal ISSN 0002-7626
April Cover Picture THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL (ISSN 002-7626) ing to National Archive Publishing Co., 300 N. Zeeb
is published monthly at American Bee Journal, 51 S. Road, P.O. Box 998, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106.
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April 2016 367

 Letters to the Editor
PEOPLE ARE AS INTERESTING
AS BEES
A BEEKEEPING STORY FROM RUSSIA
The 2015 season was awful for the
beekeepers in the vast territory of the Ural
Mountains, including Baskiria, and the
Perm region, which are famous for their
honey and vast yields. This Perm region
will be the scene of a story that comes later.
Most of the beekeepers received nothing
from their bees. We had a rainy summer,
and day temperatures averaged around 20
degrees Celsius in my town. It was only
due to my 35 years of experience, as well as
one stubborn farmer, who sticks to planting
canola, that I managed to yield half of the
ton of canola honey that makes up half of
my average harvest. I moved more than half
RIP\RSHUDWLRQWRWKHVHFDQRODHOGVDQG
put the hives in the farmers orchard.
In the beginning of August, all hope of a
good harvest had died; it seemed as if even
the bees were reconciled with their fate, and
had started to expel drones. Then, all of the
sudden, the weather changed and the skies
cleared, despite the forecast. I was away,
and unfortunately couldnt observe the
weather change, but according to the farmer,
it was a great show! By 10 a.m. on the 9th of
August, millions of bees climbed up into the
air, making kind of a vertical tube or dome
over the orchard and rushed to the canola,
which was past the peak of its bloom. I
was lucky enough to have put on extra
supers and extracted the incoming honey
within 10 days to prevent its granulation.
I was lucky, not because I dont know
how to do this job, but because of my
changing attitude to the business. And, the
terrible summer weather had added to it.
My prevailing interests had drifted from
farming to other things, like the English
speaking clubs, functioning in Ekaterinburg
and set up by American missionaries of the
Baptist and Mormon churches. Lately, I
had found it as interesting and captivating
to observe different humans, as to follow
the life of bees. So, as soon as my wife
issues a permit and lets me go, I travel
to Ekaterinburg and stay there two or three
days. The following story concerns both
men and beekeeping.
********************************
Last year, I had a new man help me with
my hives. I have had many farmhands
ranging from 16 to 60 years of age during
my beekeeping career. I had even raised two
young fatherless boys, sharing with them
all of the hard work, and teaching them not
WRLPSXOVLYHO\HHDIWHUEHLQJVWXQJPDQ\
April 2016
Send your letters to the editor, Attn: Joe Graham, Dadant, 51 S. 2nd Street,
Hamilton, IL 62341, Fax: 1-217-847-3660, or email: abj@dadant.com.
Due to size and content, we may be unable to publish all information received. Thank You!
times by aggressive Russian bees. I was
proud to help a guy with a violent drinking
problem to recover from this dependency
and to lean on the beesto focus his life
on bees. This man started as an assistant,
and not once did he let me down during
WKHKHFWLFWLPHRIWKHPDLQRZ+RZHYHU
he then became addicted to beekeeping.
He even gave up his drinking habits, and
after 5 years, started his own beekeeping
operation.
This year, I worked with a new guy who
had moved to my town recently. His name
is Victor. But, despite his name, he has not
been victorious all his life. He is 58 years
old now. He was lucky enough to enter a
naval academy in the 1970s with a brilliant
future ahead of him. However, everything
had changed in one night. He accidentally
NLOOHG VRPHRQH LQ D EDU JKW $V LQ PRVW
cases, booze was the main culprit in the
accident. He was sentenced, and served
many years in a Soviet prison camp. He
served his entire term, was released and by
now has acquired a good reputation as a
driver and construction worker--no alcohol
or tobacco dependencies--a very decent
and dependable man. He created respect
in my eyes because he hadnt broken down
in prison, and even more so because he
succeeded in adjusting to his new life after
it. It was not the money that attracted him
to help me, although at the time, he was
between jobs. I run a small apiary and
to his face. He was kind of like a tsar for this
Holding the February 1990 American
Bee Journal with my photo on the
cover. (Yuri Gan)
cannot afford to pay much. We immediately
became friends when we met. He was similar
to me in one way--he just hated to be idle. At
UVWKHKHOSHGPH[XSP\ZLQWHULQJFHOODU
and then he started to help me with my bees.
I felt that his second reason for continuing to
work with me was that in some mysterious
way he was spellbound with the bees and
beekeeping. During our long drives to my
outyards in my small truck, he explained the
reason for this to me.
He shared with me many unforgettable
memories, dating back to the time when
he was an inmate in prison. It would take
Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky to
do it justice; it would make a great novel.
When he was in the so-called labor camp,
or zone, he was, as were the rest of the
inmates, employed with construction work,
felling trees, or farming. During his fourth
year in prison, a new inmate was sent to
their labor camp. He had been sentenced to
15 years for murder. This man turned out
to be a great asset to the labor camp! He
happened to be an experienced beekeeper
from somewhere in Siberia, and was about
40 years old.
The prison was functioning as a kind of
state-owned enterprise, or self-sustainable
social entity, lost in the vast territories of
WKH WDLJD FRYHUHG ZLWK SLQH DQG U WUHHV
Different shops produced timber, bricks, and
pieces of furniture. There was even a farm
to cater to this small state. Every inmate was
assigned to a special shop. My friend spent
most of this time working with a building
team. The head of this prison was a colonel,
the master as he was nicknamed, but not
place. The population had developed a stable
social hierarchy, a pecking order, you might
VD\7KHRUGHUZDVEDVHGRQVHYHUHRIFLDO
UXOHV DQG RQ HYHQ PRUH VHYHUH XQRIFLDO
rules developed by the inmates during the
decades. Some survived under it, and some
on the other hand, broke down.
The new inmate, a beekeeper, asked for an
audience with the master, and in a year or
two, life at the prison started to change. My
friend, Victor, was sent to build a wintering
cellar for an apiary that was set up by this
correctional institution. As Victor recalls,
it was built with all the materials at hand;
stones, birch-tree bark, logs, moss for the
insulation, and a very sophisticated system
of vent pipes. The vegetation of the area
supplied sources of nectar that were short-
lived, but very intense, if the weather was
favorable. Ive been to a place nearby this
location, and was greatly impressed with
its nectar potential. Even willow trees can
produce surplus honey. Due to the hills,
the blooming period of every species is
373
PXFKORQJHUWKDQRQWKHDWDUHD,WVWDUWV
from the southern slopes, then goes to the
western slopes, and ends up on the northern
VLGHV 7KHUH DUH PDQ\ UDVSEHUU\ UHZHHG
and basswood trees; though the last is very
temperature and humidity sensitive, so does
QRWFRQWULEXWHWRWKHPDLQRZYHU\RIWHQ
The first years of beekeeping were
successful, the apiary was expanded, and
six other cellars followed. A large workshop
produced all of the necessary woodenware,
and some of the excess hives were even sent
to be sold through state-owned bee-supply
shops (remember: it was the Soviet era).
It seemed that the whole life of the prison
started to revolve around bees. One team
of inmates produced hives year-round, and
another team made thousands of frames and
wired them. It was impossible for them to
order queens from the south, so three teams
of young inmates would catch swarms
during June and July. Some of these young
men even picked up beekeeping as a future
profession.
Many buckets of honey were sent to the
mainland from this island lost in the taiga
and every inmate had a bottle of honey on
his nightstand, among his scarce belongings.
The inmate beekeeper was given a jeep, an
army vehicle, to get around to all of the
outyards. The master would even hold out
his hand to greet the man! However, it was
not done publicly since it could have ruined
the reputation of the inmate in the eyes of the
other inmates. It was strictly prohibited by
XQRIFLDOUXOHVWREHRQIULHQGO\WHUPVZLWK
the administration of the camp.
Later, in the middle of his term, this man
was suddenly released on parole. This was
very unusual for inmates serving long terms.
Maybe the numerous buckets of honey that
were produced sweetened this decision
given from the top? Nobody really knows
the reason. My farmhand, Victor, has seen
a lot happen in his lifetime. However, the
amazing career of this prison beekeeper left
an impression on him that he would never
forget. Unfortunately, Victor doesnt know
what happened to this gentleman after he
was released. This was just a piece of his
former life, which came from nowhere and
went nowhere.
Yuri Gan
Alapaevsk, Russia
email: ganbee@mail.ru
THE WONDERFUL ARTICLES
BY JAMIE ELLIS
The articles that Jamie Ellis has been con-
WULEXWLQJKDYHOOHGPHZLWKDZHDQGZRQ-
der. I would highly recommend them to any
reader who has missed them.
Jamie goes into detail on the bee, its
home, external and internal anatomy, (I
especially liked the hooks between the
fore and aft wings that can be used to join
them together), the tasks of the worker bee,
swarming behavior, mating biology, the bee
374
sting, ( I noted that there are 50 compounds
in bee venom ). I see that here in February
he will write about Thermoregulation and
the Honey Bee Dance Language. Then in
March, bees as superorganisms. I cant wait.
As a scientist, all these amazing discover-
ies, and details must be attributed to evolu-
tion. I on the other hand am not a scientist
so I can look at these wonders, and see a
Creator. There are so many things that are
interdependent with bees, they would have
all had to happen at the same time for them
to survive. If any one thing were missing,
(say making wax, how do they do that?)
what would they do?
I know that no one can prove God, with
empirical evidence. The only way we will
know for sure is when we die, and meet our
Maker, or not. But when I look at the bee,
and the details Jamie Ellis shares with us, I
have to thank God for His creation.
Thanks for the ABJ, bees are amazing.
Garth Banks
UNCAPPED HONEY
After reading the article Dealing with
Uncapped Honey in your January edition,
I was puzzled that no one mentioned simply
extracting the uncapped honey separately.
Im just a backyard beekeeper with a single
hive, so perhaps this technique doesnt scale,
but last fall I had many frames that were
SDUWLDOO\FDSSHGVR,VSXQWKHPUVWZLWK-
out uncapping them, and stored the resulting
not-quite-honey separately, for use in cook-
ing, mead-making, and short-term eating.
Then I scratched off the cappings and ex-
WUDFWHGWKHIXOO\QLVKHGKRQH\LQWKHXVXDO
way, knowing that it had the proper moisture
level and would keep for a long time.
Anne Bennett,
Montreal
Canada
THE AMERICAN HONEY
BEE GERMPLASM
REPOSITORY PROGRAM
At the 2016 American Honey Producers
Association and American Beekeeping Fed-
eration respective conferences, introductory
meetings were held for the initiation of the
American Honey Bee Germplasm Repository
Program. Various researchers, bee geneti-
FLVWV TXHHQ SURGXFHUV DQG 86'$ RIFLDOV
convened to discuss the initiation of the pro-
gram and to begin a dialogue on the preser-
vation of various subspecies strains of Apis
mellifera found in the United States. The
program, initiated by Dr. Robert G. Danka-
Research Entomologist for the USDA Honey
Bee Breeding, Genetics and Physiology
Laboratory of the USDA-ARS Baton Rouge,
Louisiana and Dr. Harvey Blackburn of the
National Center for Genetic Resources Pres-
ervation in Fort Collins, Colorado brought
together stakeholders to discuss the impor-
tance and process of establishing a honeybee
genetics germplasm program. The program
would allow those involved in the American
queen breeding, research, and production in-
dustries to deposit selected strains for preser-
vation and future propagation.
The USDA Germplasm Center utilizes
cryopreservation to retain and store ge-
netic samples for breeding and distribution.
Cryopreservation involves deep-freezing to
better preserve genetic samples. In the case
of honey bees, drone semen would be col-
lected and frozen, depositing a historical ge-
netic component in stasis with the ability
to be reintroduced in present times and in
the future. These semen samples can then be
thawed and shared for utilization of instru-
mental insemination breeding programs in
various areas of the country.
These initial meetings focused on the
history of the USDAs National Center for
Genetic Resources Preservation, as well as
the available germplasm programs which
include genetic samples of swine, cattle, tur-
keys, chickens and other livestock breeds.
The inclusion of honey bee germplasms
would allow the industry to better preserve
healthy mite-resistant stock lines among
other sought-after characteristic traits. It will
also promote collaborative participation and
multidisciplinary projects among research-
ers, institutions and producers for lab and
HOGDSSOLFDWLRQV
Each collection of species is managed by
a directorial committee composed of various
stakeholders. The inaugural group of volun-
teer board members has not been selected as
of this date; but once determined, will then
be responsible for establishing and maintain-
ing the program and composing protocol and
policies for selection of subspecies and their
crosses, sampling procedures, storage and
distribution. The USDA National Center for
Genetic Resources Preservation has commit-
ted to fund the American Honeybee Germ-
plasm Program.
For additional information, visit: http://
agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/2016/jan/
bees/.
For questions on the USDA National
Center for Genetic Resources Preservation,
contact Harvey.Blackburn@ars.usda.gov.
For questions and inquiries of interest on
the American Honeybee Germplasm Re-
pository Program, contact Dr. Bob Danka at
Bob.Danka@ARS.USDA.GOV.
Melanie Kirby
Zia Queen Bees
Truchas, NM
8TH CARIBBEAN BEEKEEPING
CONGRESS
Further to our announcement of, and invi-
tation to attend the 8th Caribbean Beekeep-
ing Congress from 12-16th September 2016
at the Rovanels Resort and Conference
American Bee Journal
Centre, Store Bay, Tobago, as well as the
pre congress Queen Rearing Course and the
post congress Africanised Bee Tour of Trini-
dad, it is my pleasure to inform you of the
launch of our joint Association of Caribbean
Beekeepers Organisations / 8th Caribbean
Beekeeping Congress website.
Please visit the site at www.acboonline.
com and kindly note, amongst other things
our Call for Papers.
The congress and related events present
a unique opportunity to visit the Caribbean
if you reside outside the region, and to visit
Tobago if you reside within the Caribbean.
In the event that you reside in Trinidad and
Tobago, I urge you to support this indige-
nous initiative and be our guest and our visi-
tors co-hosting at the same time.
A warm Welcome awaits you.
Gladstone Solomon
Chairman, Local Organizing Committees
CHILLED BEES
I am in my seventh year of beekeeping
and look forward to receiving the American
Bee Journal each month. I learn something
new every time I read the articles. I particu-
larly enjoy articles by Jamie Ellis. In the
recent issue, February 2015, the article by
Jamie Ellis Colony Level Thermoregula-
tion and the Honey Bee Dance Language,
he states on page 148 that, Bees chilled
below 18 C (64 F) cannot generate the
DFWLRQSRWHQWLDOQHHGHGWR\%HORZ C
(50 F), bees become immobile and enter a
chill coma.
On March 29 of last year, I was walking
past my apiary at 12:45 p.m. when I noticed
Hive #2 was very active. Bees were coming
and going as if it were a warm summer day.
It was 37 F ! To make sure that my digital
thermometer was correct, I checked the of-
FLDO'D\WRQ0DU\ODQGZHDWKHUVLWHZKLFK
showed that it was 35 F.
$WUVW,WKRXJKWWKDWWKHUHPLJKWEHDSURE-
lem in this hive. But, after observing the bees
a few minutes, I saw them taking in pollen. It
had been a long cold winter here in Dayton,
and I guess that the bees decided it was time
to forage despite the cold air. It was a calm
bright sunny day and not a cloud in the sky.
The Dadant publication The Hive and
the Honey Bee states that, The minimum
temperature for active foraging is approxi-
mately 13 C (55.4 F). Another case where
the bees dont read the manuals.
I consulted with a master beekeeper who
is also a past president of the Maryland State
Beekeepers Association, and he said a strong
hive will forage at these low temperatures.
However, if bees get wet or go into the shade,
they will not make it back to the hive. I talked
to another beekeeper at our Howard County
Beekeepers Association meeting, and he said
his bees were out foraging the same day.
Ross Englehart
Maryland
April 2016
You may agree, that it has captured the
nectar of my pen.
BUTLER OBITUARY CORRECTION Guy Graybill
Scientists strive to document their re-
WINNOWING
search, not only to share information with
the world, but to be recognized for their BY GUY GRAYBILL
discoveries. However, sometimes mistakes
are made. On page 262 of the March issue, We dont need the mice
in the obituary for Colin Butler, the discov- An we dont need rats.
ery that queen substance (9-oxo-2-decenoic If there are no mice,
acid) is a sex attractant pheromone was We dont need the cats.
mistakenly credited to Dr. Butler. In fact, We dont need possum
I made this discovery and published it in An we dont need hogs.
DSUHVWLJLRXVVFLHQWLFMRXUQDO*DU\1( We dont need the ticks
1962. Chemical mating attractants in the Or the polliwogs.
queen honey bee. Science 136(3518):773-
774). None of Dr. Butlers research in- We dont need roaches
volved aerial displays and observations of An we dont need bears.
mating behavior until after he learned about We dont need spiders.
my research success. An we dont need hares.
,ZDVWKHUVWUHVHDUFKHUWRGHYHORSDQ
apparatus that permitted direct observations We dont need skeeters
of mating behavior high in the air where An we dont need gnats.
\LQJGURQHVFRXOGEHREVHUYHG7KLVDS- Without them skeeters,
paratus permitted the display of multiple Well never need bats.
pheromones to determine the relative at-
WUDFWLRQRIGURQHV)RUWKHUVWWLPHYLUJLQ We dont need the wasps
TXHHQVWHWKHUHGIRUOLPLWHGLJKWFRXOGEH Or the centipedes;
observed interacting with drones. It was We dont need the sharks
DWKULOOWREHWKHUVWKXPDQEHLQJWRRE- Or the canine breeds.
VHUYHPXOWLSOHPDWLQJRIDWHWKHUHG\LQJ
queen with 11 drones! Aerial display of We dont need tigers
queens by this apparatus, as well as helium $QZHGRQWQHHGHDV
balloons, provided new tools that enabled
the discovery of drone congregation areas, We need only us...
GHWHUPLQLQJWKHLJKWUDQJHRIGURQHVDV An the honey bees!
well as other honey bee mating behavior.
Using the aerial apparatus I was able to Guy Graybill
PDNHWKHUVWVFLHQWLFGRFXPHQWDU\OP 1423 Church Road
of mating behavior, Mating behavior of Middleburg, PA 17842
WKH KRQH\ EHH $HULDO \LQJ GURQH WUDSV
ZHUHGRFXPHQWHGIRUWKHUVWWLPHLQWKLV guyoldt@gmail.com
OP,WZDVVKRZQDWWKH;;,,WK,QWHUQD-
tional Congress of Apiculture in 1969 in
Munich, Germany.
THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER
Norman Gary, Ph.D. FOR BEES
Professor of Entomology and
Apiculture (Retired) We have all read the bee books and maga-
Dept. of Entomology zines that tell us bees collect water and need
University of California water in their hives. Some leave the subject
Davis, CA at that and many folks dont really go to the
effort to supply their bees a water source.
0DQ\ EHOLHYH WKH EHHV ZLOO QG ZKDWHYHU
water they need so they dont see this as an
HONEY BEE POEM important subject.
I think if you want to be a successful bee-
I am the author of a half-dozen properly keeper you need to think about every aspect
published books, which may be seen on Am- of beekeeping and take the actions necessary
azon.com. One of my books is WHIMSY to make the life of your bees as easy as pos-
AND WRY, a collection of commentary and sible and supplying water is very important.
rhyming poems. Sometimes you will have neighbors
The attached poem, WINNOWING is complain about your bees invading their
related to the bee crisis. It was published swimming pool or gathering around their
in one Bee Culture magazine and a British birdbath. This is a situation that should and
magazine of the same type. It is also in my can be avoided if you take the time to do
above-cited book. your homework and supply your bees with
When you read it, kindly read it aloud. a water source.
Its true beauty improves with the vocal It can be anything from a small dish of
rendering. water or a dripping faucet if you only have
375
one or two hives. But what if you have hun-
dreds or even thousands of hives, now what?
Have you ever heard the expression, Loca-
tion, Location, Location is everything? This
applies to your apiary as well. If you have
thousands of hives, you might be searching
for a river or pond near your planned site for
your apiary.
If you are moving bees for pollination,
you are mapping out the truck stops with a
place to water your bees. Water is always
important for honey bees.
Some do not realize how much bees need
water in the winter. Sure they cluster and
sometimes ice will build up on the cover lid
only to melt when it gets warm. Tilting hives
is the easiest way to avoid having ice water
drip onto the bees. As it melts, it will run to
the down side and drip out without causing
too much damage to the bees.
In the hot summer time your bees need
water to cool the hive. They do this by plac-
ing droplets around the nest and fanning
their wings to cause evaporation and cool-
ing. This helps them thermoregulate the hive
so it doesnt get too hot and cause the wax to
melt or the brood to get overheated.
When the larvae are developing, it is very
important not to overheat or chill them.
Queen cells are even more sensitive to tem-
perature changes and humidity.
The average hive will collect and use
about a quart of water or more during the
hot months. They use it for more than a cool
drink. Sometimes they use it to dissolve
crystallized honey, or dilute thick honey so
they can eat it or feed it to the brood. Brood
food contains up to 80% water when they
UVW VWDUW WR IHHG 7KH\ ZLOO VSUHDG ZDWHU
around the edges of brood cells and fan to
keep the right temperature on the brood.
This also helps keep the humidity in the hive
right as well.
When the nurse bees are using their Hy-
popharyngeal gland to produce food for the
brood, they need water just like humans do. I
think doctors tell us to drink eight glasses of
water a day. I wonder how much a bee needs
daily. The point being that if it is available,
they will get what they need.
During winter or cold snaps some bee-
keepers will dump sugar on the top bars or
place fondants in hives for feeding. Bees
need water to help them use these food
sources. Can you picture a bee chewing on a
lump of sugar and trying to swallow it?
I also wonder if anyone will do research
on how water can help bees excrete toxins
and help them resist other pests and diseases.
If we get dehydrated, we can suffer from all
kinds of ills as humans. Maybe bees do too.
And what about her majesty laying all
those eggs. Lubrication must be very impor-
tant to her and water aids with that.
Bees dont store a lot of water in the
comb, but bring it in as needed. To make
water available and the only time I would
ever use a Boardman feeder would be to sup-
ply a hive with water if there was no other
water sources nearby.
If you dont make sure your bees have
water, they may end up in the ditch literally.
376
The roadside ditches may be a water source,
but the water may contain runoff from farms
and be full of insecticides, pesticides or fun-
gicides. And, we all know the deleterious ef-
fect these chemicals have on our bees. And,
now that we have the scare of mosquitoes
carrying the Zika virus, the sprays will be
everywhere.
Chappie McChesney
Chappiesbees@windstream.net
Florida
XENTARI FOR WAX MOTH
Regarding my article on wax moths, ABJ
January 2016, Mr. Scott Ward, in a Letter
to the Editor, ABJ March, states that I made
a glaring omission and was surprised that I
GLGQWPHQWLRQXVLQJWKHSHVWLFLGH;HQ7DUL
to kill wax moth larvae. For the record, this
insecticide is labeled for legal use on cer-
tain vegetables and row crops. It has not
been vetted, tested or evaluated nor regis-
tered for use on honey bees or combs by
the Environmental Protection Agency and
therefore doesnt appear on the label of the
product.
)RUYHULFDWLRQRQHFDQFKHFNZLWKWKH
pesticide regulations of the EPA as well as
with Valent U.S.A. Corporation that han-
GOHV;HQ7DUL,WLVLOOHJDODQGDYLRODWLRQRI
federal law to use a pesticide inconsistent
with its label. Beekeepers beware.
Robert Weast
Johnston, Iowa
Editors note: The product, Certan,
now called B401, is a concentrated solu-
tion of Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies
aizawai, a micro-organism, harmless to
man & honeybee alike. It is produced and
sold by Vita Europe, http://www.vita-eu-
rope.com/products/b401/ for use against
wax moths on stored combs. However, it
is not currently registered for use in the
United States. A similar product called
;HQ7DULLVVROGLQWKH86EXWLVQRWOD-
beled for use to treat wax moths on stored
honey combs.
MITE-BITING BEHAVIOR
RESEARCH
I have recently been awarded a USDA
6$5(JUDQWDQGKDYHFRPSOHWHGWKHHOG
work, and written the report. I would like to
submit it for publication to the ABJ. Here is
the summary:
This project tested if there is a rela-
tionship between Mite-biting Behavior
(MBB) levels and the total number of
Varroa mites in a honey bee colony. MBB
is a recently described grooming behav-
ior trait that has been documented at high
levels in some honey bee stocks, but it has
yet to be proven as effective and practical
tool for controlling/reducing Varroa mite
populations.
The study group encompassed Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio, West Virginia, and Indiana,
consisting of 35 colonies of bees, from
these we collected and evaluated 127 sam-
ples. A formal statistical analysis was per-
formed, and resulting conclusions are: 1)
Mite biting behavior negatively/inversely
correlates to mite drops/populations,
and 2) Purdue/MBB genetic parentage
positively correlates to MBB percent-
ages. Although, the statistical correlation
VWUHQJWKZDVZHDNLWLVVWLOOVLJQLFDQW
There are several possibilities that can
explain increased vigor. The 2015 season
was marked regionally with substantial
fall losses due to being overwhelmed by
mites; the MBB bees stole the remaining
honey from collapsing neighboring hives,
and also brought back hitchhiker mites
with them, and guard bees groomed them
off, killed them, and left them in piles next
to the entrance. This leads us to conclude,
that more work is warranted, but with a
different experimental design.
Jeff Berta
Always Summer Herbs
724.735.4700
HEARTLAND HONEY BEE BREED-
ERS COOP: STATE BREEDING
PROGRAMS START TESTING FOR
MITE-BITING BEHAVIOR
Did you ever wish that your bees were
healthier and more productive? Did you
wonder why there did not seem to be any-
body locally, in your state, or regionally de-
veloping better bees? If you felt alone and
frustrated, so did we. Until 2013 that is how
several of us felt as small bee breeders work-
ing tirelessly, relatively isolated in our own
respective beeyards, without any organized
Varroa mite with legs
s
the bees
American Bee Journal
help from our clubs or state organizations.
Several of us got together and formed the
Heartland Honey Bee Breeder Cooperative
HHBBC which started with Ohio, West
Virginia, Indiana and later Pennsylvania.
The HHBBC works closely and with the
guidance of bee geneticist Dr. Greg Hunt at
Purdue University. As bee breeders we have
been working on improving survivor stock
in our own states, and now we have been
able to add Mite-biting Behavior. Mite-bit-
ing Behavior (MBB) is a recently described
grooming behavioral trait that has been
documented at high levels in some honey-
bee stocks bred at Purdue by Dr. Hunt. The
MBB trait is when the honey bees bite off
one or more legs from a varroa mite; bitten
cal analysis. The following is an excerpt of
the results:
Varroa biting rates Group 1 had
the highest percentage of chewed Var-
roa mites (38.68%) within the total that
had dropped on sticky boards, Group 2
was intermediate (32.06%), and Group
3 had the lowest percentage (20.91%)
(p=0.0074) (Rsq=0.087).
Varroa drop numbers vs. biting rate
Biting rates of colonies in this study
were negatively correlated with number
of Varroa mites dropped by the colonies
(p=0.0035, Rsq=0.066),(i.e. drop num-
bers and biting rate). A larger slope of
Two major contributions will be long-
standing from this project:
1) Improved honey bee geneticswhich
now have the MBB trait added to our
HHBBC foundation stock queen bees.
2) HHBBCs relationship with local
bee clubs and backyard beekeepers.
Many of the HHBBC breeders have
been contacted and are now an inte-
gral part of their respective honey bee
improvement programs. For example,
D TXHHQ PDWLQJ QXF SURGXFLQJ HOG
day in Linesville, PA. Almost 100
queens were mated using MBB genet-
ics using queen cell cups inserted into
participants own nucleus colonies
mites will then bleed to death. Because of
this behavior, they have also been loosely re-
ferred to as Indiana Leg-chewers or Pur-
due Ankle-biters.
Jeff Berta, a HHBBC breeder from Penn-
sylvania wrote a grant proposal to the USDA
Northeast SARE program under the spon-
sorship of Dr. Christina Grozinger of Penn
State. The project was awarded, and the hard
work began in June 2015. This project mea-
sured relationship between MBB levels and
the total number of Varroa mites in a honey
bee colony. This study evaluated if MBB is
an effective and practical tool for control-
ling/reducing Varroa mite populations. Dur-
ing the 2015 season, we measured MBB
percentages in 35 colonies located in: Penn-
sylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Indiana,
and performed by members of the Heartland
Honey Bee Breeders Coop (HHBBC).
Ideally, if MBB can reduce mite counts,
selecting for this trait in honey bee popu-
lations will increase the sustainability of
beekeeping by reducing pesticide and labor
inputs, and increasing bee health, honey pro-
GXFWLRQDQGSURWDELOLW\
The method we used during the test was
an assay developed by Dr. Hunt, and has two
major components: collection of mites, and
evaluation of chewed legs. The collection of
PLWHV LQ WKH HOG E\ EHHNHHSHUV LV VLPSOH
(1) an oiled board is inserted over the bottom
board, allowed to remain for 12-48 hours,
then the mites are scraped off, and onto a petri
dish; (2) view each mite on the slide under a
ORZ SRZHU PLFURVFRSH;KDQGOHQVH DQG
count how many mites have chewed/missing
legs, then calculate the MBB, as a percent-
age, (example: 12 chewed mite/ 36 total =
33%). We compared three groups: 1) HH-
%%&EUHG TXHHQV $UWLFLDOO\ ,QVHPLQDWHG
with semen from MBB stocks raised in Pur-
due 2) queens from best local survivor stock
(overwintered) from the HHBBC (3) queens
obtained from commercial breeder.
The beeyard locations used are in the
HHBBC members respective states: Jeff
Berta PA, Mark Gingrich PA, Dan OHanlon
WV, Dwight Wells OH, and Dave Schene-
feld IN. Each yard had 4 colonies from each
group. We measured the project colonies on
3 timepoints, starting in August, and ending
in October, approximately 2 weeks apart.
We had a Penn State graduate student,
Mehmet Ali Doke, perform a formal statisti-
April 2016
WKH W OLQH KHQFH WKH 5VT YDOXH LQGL-
cates stronger correlation between the
variables. (Mehmet Ali Doke, personal
communication, Penn State 2016).
Although the formal statistical analyses
showed only weak relationships between
MBB, and total mite counts; there are sev-
HUDO DQHFGRWDO HOG REVHUYDWLRQV WKDW DUH
important:
1. It seems as the mite population
went up, so did MBB. Historically,
mite populations skyrocket in August
through October, and the bees seemed
to respond to the threat by more biting
of mites.
2. We observed piles of dead mites near
the entrances of the colonies. Possibly
the bees were setting up a battle line
E\JURRPLQJHOGEHHVDVWKH\UHWXUQHG
from robbing out collapsing hives in
the area. The 2015 season was marked
regionally with substantial fall losses
due to being overwhelmed by mites; the
MBB bees stole the remaining honey
from collapsing neighboring hives, and
also brought back hitchhiker mites with
them, and guard bees groomed them
off, killed them, and left them in piles
next to the entrance.
3. Control group (Group 3) showed
MBB, which diluted the statistical
analysis and correlation. Upon further
investigation of group 3, there was his-
tory of them biting and chewing mites
at times in the past. This is a very im-
portant discovery.
which they brought. Over 65 local
beekeepers attended. Another smaller
workshop was held in Slippery Rock
with queen producers from local clubs,
where we exchanged queen cells and
grafted larvae for the MBB breeders
queens into cups, then gave them away.
Summary
This project tested if there is a relation-
ship between Mite-biting Behavior (MBB)
levels and the total number of Varroa mites
in a honey bee colony. A formal statistical
analysis was performed, and resulting con-
clusions are: 1) Mite biting behavior nega-
tively/inversely correlates to mite drops/
populations, and 2) Purdue/MBB genetic
parentage positively correlates to MBB per-
centages. Although, the statistical correla-
WLRQVWUHQJWKZDVZHDNLWLVVWLOOVLJQLFDQW
There are several possibilities that can ex-
plain this outcome, which we are currently
investigating. Anecdotally, we observed
that MBB colonies produced more honey,
and with overall increased vigor. And, we
found the presence of MBB in stocks outside
of the Purdue breeding program, which was
unexpected genetic treasure. Bees that bite
back; this very exciting news, one more tool
in the toolbox for healthier bees!
Author Jeff Berta, Always Summer Herbs,
Jeffberta@alwayssummerherbs.com
HHBBC members:
Dwight Wells
Dan OHanlon
Mark Gingrich
CREDIT: This work was funded by USDA
SARE Program
377

News
Notes
USDA RESEARCH IDENTI-
FIES FACTORS CAUSING
PREMATURE COMMERCIAL
HONEY BEE QUEEN FAILURE
by Kim Kaplan
ARS News Service, USDA
BELTSVILLE, Md., Feb. 10, 2016
Temperature extremes during shipping and
elevated pathogen levels may be contribut-
ing to honey bee queens failing faster today
than in the past, according to a study just
published by U.S. Department of Agricul-
ture (USDA) scientists in the scientific jour-
nal PLOS One.
Either stress individually or in combina-
tion could be part of the reason beekeep-
ers have reported having to replace queens
about every six months in recent years when
queens have generally lasted one to two
years, explained entomologist Jeff Pettis
with the Bee Research Laboratory in Belts-
ville, Maryland, who led the study. The Bee
This honey bee queen (blue dot) has
valuable genes so a wing has been
      research to develop and transfer solutions
away.
April 2016
Research Laboratory is part of USDAs Ag-
ricultural Research Service.
Queens only mate in the first few weeks
of life. Then they use the stored semen to
fertilize eggs laid throughout their life.
Queen failure occurs when the queen dies
or when the queen does not produce enough
viable eggs to maintain the adult worker
population in the colony. Replacing queens
cost about $15 each, a significant cost per
colony for beekeepers.
Commercial beekeepers usually order
their replacement queens already mated,
and the queens are shipped to apiaries
from March through October. Researchers
questioned whether temperature extremes
during shipping could damage the sperm
a queen has stored in her body. During
simulated shipping in the lab, inseminated
queens exposed to 104 F (40 C) for 1-2
hours or to 41 F (5 C) for 1-4 hours had
sperm viability drop to 20 percent from
about 90 percent.
In real-world testing, queens, along with
thermometers that recorded the temperature
every 10 minutes, were shipped from Cali-
fornia, Georgia and Hawaii to the Beltsville
lab by either U.S. Postal Service Priority
Mail or United Parcel Service Next Day
Delivery in July and September. Research-
ers found that as many as 20 percent of the
shipments experienced temperature spikes
that approached extremes of 105.8 F and
46.4 F for more than 2 hours at a time.
Those exposed to extreme high or low tem-
peratures during shipping had sperm viabil-
ity reduced by 50 percent.
The good news is with fairly simple im-
provements in packaging and shipping con-
ditions, we could have a significant impact
on improving queens and, in turn, improv-
ing colony survival, Pettis said.
Assessments of the queens sent in by bee-
keepers for this study found that almost all
of them had a high incidence of deformed
wing virus; Nosema ceranae was the next
most commonly found pathogen.
Beekeepers had also been asked to rate
the performance of each colony from which
a queen came as either in good or poor
health. A clear link was found between
colonies rated as better performing and
queens with higher sperm viability. Poorer
performing colonies strongly correlated to
queens with lower sperm viability.
We saw wide variation in both pathogen
levels and sperm viability in the queens that
were sent in to us, and sometimes between
queens from the same apiary in July and
September, so there is still more research to
do. But getting queens back to lasting two
years may well be one of the links in getting
our beekeeping industry back to a sustain-
able level, Pettis said.
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
is the U.S. Department of Agricultures
chief scientific in-house research agency.
The Agencys job is finding solutions to
agricultural problems that affect Americans
every day from field to table. ARS conducts
cryopreserved (frozen) will form the
to agricultural problems of high national
priority and provide information access
and dissemination to ensure high-quality,
safe food, and other agricultural products;
assess the nutritional needs of Americans;
sustain a competitive agricultural economy;
enhance the natural resource base and the
environment and provide economic oppor-
tunities for rural citizens, communities, and
society as a whole.
NEW ARS BEE GENEBANK
WILL PRESERVE HONEY
BEE GENETIC DIVERSITY
AND PROVIDE BREEDING
RESOURCES
by Kim Kaplan
ARS News Service, USDA
The Agricultural Research Service
(ARS) is organizing a national bee gene-
bank as part of the agencys response to
ongoing problems facing the countrys bee-
keepers. Average losses of managed honey
bee colonies have increased to more than
30 percent per year due to pathogens, pests,
parasites, and other pressures including de-
ficient nutrition and sublethal impacts of
pesticides. These stresses have threatened
the continued business sustainability of
commercial beekeepers.
The genebank, which will be located in
Fort Collins, Colorado, will help preserve
the genetic diversity of honey bees, espe-
cially for traits such as resistance to pests or
diseases and pollination efficiency. It will
also provide ARS and other researchers ac-
cess to resources from which to breed bet-
ter bees, according to entomologist Robert
Danka, with the ARS Honey Bee Breeding,
Genetics, and Physiology Research Unit in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Danka is help-
ing shape the bee genebankthe Russian
honey bee and Varroa Sensitive Hygiene
lines developed at the Baton Rouge lab will
be among those conserved first.
To help make the genebank a practical
reality, ARS researchers are developing bet-
ter long-term storage techniques for honey
bees, including improving cryopreservation
of bee sperm and embryos. Their work will
include creating a way to reliably revive
frozen embryos and grow them into repro-
ductively viable adults after storage.
Semen collected from honey bees and

379
 Another component needed to create the
new genebank is a germplasm species com-
mittee, which will decide which species and
subspecies to collect and preserve. ARS and
Washington State University are working
with beekeepers on the next steps for the
committee.
BEE VIRUS SPREAD MAN-
MADE AND EMANATES
FROM EUROPEAN
HONEY BEES
The spread of a disease that is decimat-
ing global bee populations is manmade,
and driven by European honeybee popula-
tions, new research has concluded
University of Exeter
The spread of a disease that is decimat-
ing global bee populations is manmade, and
driven by European honeybee populations,
new research has concluded.
A study led by the University of Exeter
and UC Berkeley and published in the jour-
nal Science found that the European hon-
eybee Apis mellifera is overwhelmingly
the source of cases of the Deformed Wing
Virus infecting hives worldwide. The find-
ing suggests that the pandemic is manmade
rather than naturally occurring, with human
trade and transportation of bees for crop
pollination driving the spread.
Although separately they are not major
threats to bee populations, when the Varroa
mite carries the disease, the combination is
deadly, and has wiped out millions of hon-
eybees over recent decades. Varroa feed on
bee larvae while the Deformed Wing Virus
kills off bees, a devastating double blow to
colonies. The situation is adding to fears
over the future of global bee populations,
with major implications for biodiversity,
agricultural biosecurity, global economies,
and human health.
The study was funded by the Natural
Environment Research Council (NERC)
and supported by a Royal Society Dorothy
Hodgkin Fellowship. It involved collabo-
rators from the universities of Sheffield,
Cambridge, Salford and California, as well
as ETH Zurich in Switzerland.
Lead author Dr Lena Wilfert, of the
University of Exeters Centre for Ecology
and Conservation, on the Penryn Campus
in Cornwall, said: This is the first study to
conclude that Europe is the backbone of the
global spread of the bee killing combination
of Deformed Wing Virus and Varroa. This
demonstrates that the spread of this combi-
nation is largely manmade - if the spread
was naturally occurring, we would expect
to see transmission between countries that
are close to each other, but we found that,
for example, the New Zealand virus popula-
tion originated in Europe. This significantly
strengthens the theory that human transpor-
tation of bees is responsible for the spread
of this devastating disease. We must now
380
maintain strict limits on the movement of
bees, whether they are known to carry Var-
roa or not. Its also really important that
beekeepers at all levels take steps to control
Varroa in their hives, as this viral disease
can also affect wild pollinators.
Researchers analyzed sequence data of
Deformed Wing Virus samples across the
globe from honeybees and Varroa mites,
as well as the occurrence of Varroa. They
used the information to reconstruct the
spread of Deformed Wing Virus and found
that the epidemic largely spread from Eu-
rope to North America, Australia and New
Zealand. They found some two-way move-
ment between Europe and Asia, but none
between Asia and Australasia, despite their
closer proximity. The team also looked at
samples from other species suspected of
transmitting the disease, including different
species of honeybee, mite and bumblebees,
but concluded that the European honeybee
was the key transmitter.
Professor Roger Butlin, professor of
Evolutionary Biology at the University of
Sheffield, said: Our study has found that
the deformed wing virus is a major threat to
honeybee populations across the world and
this epidemic has been driven by the trade
and movement of honeybee colonies.
Domesticated honeybee colonies are
hugely important for our agriculture sys-
tems, but this study shows the risks of mov-
ing animals and plants around the world.
The consequences can be devastating, both
for domestic animals and for wildlife. The
risk of introducing viruses or other patho-
gens is just one of many potential dangers.
Senior author Professor Mike Boots of
Exeter and UC Berkeley concluded: The
key insight of our work is that the global
virus pandemic in honeybees is manmade
not natural. Its therefore within our hands to
mitigate this and future disease problems.
EPA POSTS LIST OF PES-
TICIDES REGISTERED TO
COMBAT VARROA MITES IN
BEE HIVES
The EPA has posted a list of pesticides reg-
istered for use against Varroa mites (http://
www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection/epa-
registered-pesticide-products-approved-
use-against-varroa-mites-bee-hives) to
help beekeepers identify products that can
help fight this invasive species of bee pest.
As part of EPAs role in the National Pol-
linator Health Strategy (http://www.epa.
gov/pollinator-protection/federal-polli-
nator-health-task-force-epas-role), the
Agency has expedited its review of registra-
tion applications for new products targeting
pests harmful to pollinators.
In 2015, EPA expedited the review of
applications for oxalic acid (http://www.
epa.gov/pesticides/epa-registers-new-mi-
ticide-combat-varroa-mites-bees) and a
new biochemical miticide, potassium salts
of hops beta acids, to provide more options
for beekeepers to combat Varroa mites.
More pest control options help avoid the de-
velopment of resistance toward other prod-
ucts. The list we published makes it that
much easier for beekeepers to identify all
products that are registered for use against
Varroa and helps advance toward the goals
in the National Pollinator Health Strategy.
AN EFFECTIVE CONTROL
FOR VARROA
INTERNATIONAL BEE RESEARCH
ASSOCIATION PRESS RELEASE
The parasitic mite Varroa destructor
(varroa) is generally agreed to be the great-
est threat facing honey bees worldwide. De-
spite much research, losses continue due to
lack of effective control measures, because
the mite has become resistant to several
commonly used chemicals. The natural
product oxalic acid has been widely used
in mainland Europe, but surprisingly, little
previous research has directly compared
different methods of application, their ef-
ficacies, and their adverse effects on bees.
In this paper published in the Journal of
Apicultural Research, Hasan Al Toufailia,
Francis Ratnieks and colleagues from the
Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects
at the University of Sussex, compared three
methods of applying oxalic acid under UK
field conditions. They compared trickling,
spraying and sublimation at three doses,
using 110 honey bee colonies in winter.
They found that all three methods could
give high varroa mortality, but that the
sublimation method (heating crystals to va-
porize them inside the hive) was superior,
because it gave higher varroa mortality at
lower doses. Sublimation using 2.25g of ox-
alic acid also resulted in significantly less
worker bee mortality in the ten days after
application than either trickling or spray-
ing, and lower bee colony mortality four
months later in mid spring. Colonies treated
via sublimation also had greater brood area
four months later than colonies treated via
trickling, spraying, or control colonies.
The authors conclude that: This con-
firms that applying oxalic acid via subli-
mation in broodless honey bee colonies in
winter is a highly effective way of control-
ling V. destructor and causes no harm to
the colonies.
American Bee Journal
 IBRA Science Director Norman Carreck
says: the publication of this study is very
timely, as an oxalic acid product has for the
first time recently been approved in the UK,
and beekeepers will want to see these re-
sults obtained under UK conditions.
BATON ROUGE BEE LAB
RESEARCH
LEADER RETIRES
USDA News Release
Dr. Thomas Rinderer has retired as
research leader of the Baton Rouge
Bee Lab.
Dr. Thomas E. Rinderer, Supervisory Re-
search Geneticist, retired on Jan. 2, 2016,
after a research career of 40+ years. He has
been in his assignment as Research Leader
of the Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics and
Physiology Laboratory in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, since 1977.
Dr. Rinderers research has resulted in
312 publications (246 in refereed journals),
countless abstracts of papers presented at
scientific meetings, 7 supervised theses/
dissertations and research grants exceed-
ing $2 million. His range of research topics
has included genetics, breeding, behavior,
morphology, pathology and toxicology. The
range of organisms studied has included
several species of honey bees, several spe-
cies of mites parasitic on honey bees, sev-
eral diseases of honey bees and two pests
of bee hives.
Dr. Rinderer is recognized nationally and
internationally as an expert in honey bee bi-
ology, genetics and breeding. He has served
as senior editor of the Journal of Apicul-
tural Research and the journal Bee Science,
has served as a reviewer for numerous other
journals, and has served on international,
federal, state and industry research panels
evaluating funding for research grants. He
is an adjunct professor of entomology at
Louisiana State University.
April 2016
A primary focus of the research has been
the improvement of honey bees through
genetic selection. Most recently, Dr.
Rinderer discovered a stock of honey bees
in far-eastern Russia, imported it through
an APHIS-approved quarantine which he
established, and documented its resistance
to the parasitic mite V. destructor. The level
of resistance was sufficiently high that the
need for mite control treatments was re-
duced by more than half. Continued selec-
tion in multi-state field trials through 12
years, using breeding methods developed
specifically for this project, has produced
a Russian honey bee stock having consis-
tently improved resistance to V. destructor
such that colonies rarely require chemical
treatment to suppress V. destructor, has
maintained resistance to the tracheal mite
A. woodi, and has increased honey produc-
tion to commercially acceptable standards.
Technology transfer efforts encouraged
18 commercial honey bee breeders in 2008
to form the Russian Honeybee Breeders
Assoc. Inc. All lines of the Russian honey
bee stock have been transferred to members
of the association who are now maintaining
and selecting the stock using techniques and
procedures obtained from extensive tech-
nology transfer efforts by Dr. Rinderer and
his team. In addition to developing Russian
honey bees into a stock with excellent bee-
keeping functionality, Dr. Rinderer has been
actively involved in the planning, develop-
ment and execution of honey bee breeding
programs to produce stocks of honey bees
that have improved Varroa sensitive hy-
gienic behavior and improved resistance to
Nosema ceranae and Deformed Wing Virus.
Dr. Rinderers research accomplishments
not only have gained him widespread inter-
national and national scientific recognition,
but also a universal recognition from the bee-
keeping industry of the nation. On a number
of occasions the beekeeping industry has ex-
pressed their gratitude to Dr. Rinderer for his
<<dD
contributions and delivered strong support to
the program of the laboratory that he leads.
Through the years, Dr. Rinderer has engaged
in cooperative research with individual bee-
keepers as a way to leverage research re-
sources and build strong relations with the
beekeeping industry.
2016 AMERICAN HONEY
QUEEN & PRINCESS
HAIL FROM
WISCONSIN & TEXAS
(From American Honey Queen Program,
Anna L. Kettlewell, Chairperson,
10432 W. Norwich Avenue,
Greenfield, WI 53228)
The American Beekeeping Federation
is proud to announce that Kim Kester
and Tabitha Mansker were selected as the
2016 American Honey Queen and Prin-
cess at its annual January convention in
Jacksonville, FL.
Queen Kim is the 23-year-old daughter
of Jim and Barb Kester of Nekoosa, WI.
She is a graduate of the University of Wis-
consin-Madison, where she double-majored
in dairy science and poultry science. She
is currently pursuing a masters degree in
Agricultural Education at Iowa State Uni-
versity. Kim began beekeeping in 2014 and
now owns six hives of bees. She previously
served as the Wisconsin Honey Queen.
Princess Tabitha is 20-year-old daughter
of Gary and Wanda Mansker of Nevada,
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family on a small farm and enjoys caring
for their many animals. Tabitha was deeply
involved in 4-H for more than 8 years and
enjoys all aspects of agriculture. Currently,
381
she is pursuing studies in business and mar-
keting and has hopes of becoming a teacher.
Tabitha stays busy helping to manage her
familys 16 hives of bees and extracting
honey for many commercial beekeeping op-
erations. She previously served as the Texas
Honey Queen.
Kim and Tabitha will spend the next year
promoting the beekeeping industry through-
out the United States in a wide variety of
venues, including fairs, festivals, schools,
and media interviews. To schedule an ap-
pearance with American Honey Queen Kim
Kester or American Honey Princess Tabitha
Mansker, please contact American Honey
Queen Program Chairperson Anna Ket-
tlewell at 414.545.5514.
GRANDPAS HIDDEN
GOLD FARM
A new childrens book about beekeep-
ing for PreK - Grade 2
Berne, Indiana Grandpas Hidden
Gold Farm is an exciting new childrens
book by reading teacher, Sharyl Calhoun.
With murmurs of a steady decline in the
number of professional beekeepers in the
United States, here is a fun way to intro-
duce the importance of beekeeping to our
youngest generation.
One would not expect to discover gold
on a farm, but Grandpa knows just where to
find this hidden treasure. Dig into Grand-
pas Hidden Gold Farm for a sweet and
yummy treat! The humorous illustration on
the gold cover invites children into the book,
where a clever, tiny bee guides one eagerly
through the realistic fiction tale. The 28-
page softcover book includes two diagrams:
Parts of a Hive and Bee Tools. References
Calhoun and her sister, illustrator Jean
Marvel, recall watching their grandmother
don her bee suit to collect honeycomb from
382
her hives for a special treat. Marvels family
now has several hives of their own.
Sharyl Calhoun has been a teacher of
reading for more than 25 years, helping
children develop good reading strategies
and a love for books. she has published
seven childrens books, with the help of
illustrators who make the stories fun and
lively. Her book titles include Sophia and
the Bully, The Pet Trap, The Farmer and
The Groundhog, The Bike, Grandpas Tree,
Grandmas Lullaby, and Grandpas Hidden
Gold Farm.
Purchase Grandpas Hidden Gold
Farm from your beekeeping supply store
or at www.grandpastree.com.
THE HONEY BEE
ILLUSTRATED
by Margaret Cowley
A series of annotated diagrams was pub-
lished in Bee Craft magazine from 2011 to
2014 to help readers understand honey bee
biology. Many who were studying for the
British Beekeepers Association assess-
ments, especially Module 5, Honey Bee Bi-
ology, told us how useful they were, so we
have collected them together in the first of
the Bee Craft Reprints series.
The diagams have been carefully drawn
to illustrate the different sections of the syl-
labus which are numbered from 5.1 to 5.20.
They have been kept as simple as possible
to allow readers to practice reproducing
them. Annotations to the drawings give de-
tails of the important points to know about
the structures shown.
Contact: bee-craft.com/bee-craft-shop
grafting tool; if successful, the student may
Sondgrass, RE (1956). Anatomy of the
Honey Bee, Comstock.
Cushman, D. Website: www.dave-
cushman.net
Goodman, L (2003). Form and Function
in the Honey Bee, International Bee Re-
search Association.
PENNSYLVANIA
The Capital Area Beekeepers Associa-
tion is offering its 29th Annual Short Course
on Saturday, May 7 & 14, 2016.
Part I: Will start at 8:00 AM at the Dauphin
County Agriculture & Natural Resources
Center, 1451 Peters Mt. Road, Dauphin, PA
17018.
Part II: Will start at noon at Strites Orchard,
1000 Strites Rd., Harrisburg, PA 17111.
The cost of the Short Course is $50 which
includes a CABA membership and the Penn
State Book, Fundamentals of Beekeeping.
For additional information visit cabapa.org,
or contact John Novinger, 717-365-3215,
email jdnovinger@epix.net.
PENNSYLVANIA
Queen Rearing Class
Delaware Valley College, Doylestown, PA
Queen rearing Intensive weekend May
7-8, 2016, Saturday 9am-4pm, Sunday 9am-
3pm. Queen cell pickup: Monday May 17,
2016 , 6-8pm.
This two-day course will include grafting
larvae, the Cloake board method of queen
rearing, and the use of mating nucs. Hands
on experience with grafting will comple-
ment lectures on queen rearing and queen
breeding. Each student will receive a queen
bar frame, plastic queen cell cups, and a
have queen cells to take home nine days
later.
Taught by Master Beekeeper, Vincent J.
Aloyo, PhD
For information or to register, see: http://
vincemasterbeekeeper.com/courses/
NEW YORK
The Sullivan County Beekeepers As-
sociation will hold its Annual Beekeepers
Seminar/Workshop on Saturday April 30,
2016 at the Cornell Cooperative Ext. Bldg.,
Ferndale Loomis Road, Liberty N.Y. for
beekeepers with any level of skill, experi-
ence or ability. Workshop will cover basic
biology, equipment, how to work the bees,
management, bee diseases, honey produc-
tion, queen bees, pesticides, swarms, mites
and moving bees. Registration begins at
9:30 A.M. Program starts at 10:00 A.M. and
ends at 2:00 P.M. Cost is $30.00 per person.
To register and for more information con-
tact Don Bertholf at 845-807-1036, or Bob
Davis 845-423-8906 or e-mail me at bda-
vis1@hotmail.com.
American Bee Journal
 NEW YORK
Bee Well Workshop
Malta, NY on April 9: Southern Adiron-
dack Beekeepers Association presents their
annual all-day seminar. Speakers; Dewey
Caron, Chris Harp, Allen Hayes and Grai
Rice. Details: www.adirondackbees.org or
call Anne Frey 518-258-7503.
NEW YORK
August 5-7, 2016, NY Bee Wellness
workshop, Randy Oliver; Dyce Lab, Ithaca
NY; Details TBA; contact Pat Bono, info@
mybeewellness.org, 585-820-6619
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Charles Andros, former NH/VT Apiary
Inspector, will hold a beekeeping workshop
from 1-3:30 PM on Saturday, April 19, at 18
MacLean Road, Alstead, NH 03602. Look
for the BEE sign on the south side of Wal-
pole Valley Road. Topics of discussion will
be early spring management: locating apiar-
ies, equipment, handling bees, feeding syrup
and supplements, making nuclei, reversing,
and requeening. Bring a veil, if you have
one, as we shall be opening some colonies.
Well be inside if it is a rainy day. Regis-
tration required. email: lindenap@gmail.
com or call 603-756-9056.
CONNECTICUT
On April 16, 2016, the Connecticut Bee-
keepers Association will hold their April
meeting at the Connecticut Agricultural Ex-
periment Station, Jones Auditorium in New
Haven CT. The meeting begins at 9 am.
This time we will be having TWO speakers.
10 AM Betty Mencucci - Twenty Seven
Years of Beekeeping and Lessons Learned
11 AM Carl Jurica - Practical Queen Pro-
duction in the North (part 1)
NOON Pot Luck Lunch
1 PM Betty Mencucci - The Importance
of Record Keeping - Making It Quick and
Simple
2 PM Carl Jurica - Practical Queen Pro-
duction in the North (part 2)
Betty Mencucci also known as The Bee
Lady, is owner of Bettys Bee Farm, past
president of the Rhode Island Beekeepers
Association and teaches bee school, which
has grown from 12 students a year to 200
students a year.
Carl Jurica, received his PhD under Doc-
tor Roger A. Morse, Cornell University.
Carl has been raising Northern Queens
commercially since the mid 1970s in John-
April 2016
stown, New York. After persuing other ac-
tivities, he has recently returned to raising
queens in the Southern Adirondacks region
of New York.
Please bring a dish to share for the pot
luck luncheon!
Meeting Notice:
On June 4, 2016, the Connecticut Bee-
keepers Association will celebrate its 125th
anniversary. This will be held at the Con-
necticut Agricultural Experiment Station in
Hamden, Connecticut. We invite all other
bee clubs to attend, as well as the general
public. We will have many activities for
everyone to showcase beekeeping in Con-
necticut, as well as celebrating the rich his-
tory of the CBA. We will have two featured
speakers, Dr. Larry Connor and Dr. Diana
Sammataro. More details will be posted
soon. For additional updates check www.
ctbees.com.
CONNECTICUT
BACKYARD BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION
Tuesday April 26: Roberta Glatz,
Swarming
Much respected Ms. Glatz will share her
wisdom & expertise on swarming of the
honey bee, the signs, biology & folklore.
Each month we have timely weekend
hands-on inspection workshops, bee school,
mentor program and more.
Please check our website for the dates
and locations or more information at www.
backyardbeekeepers.com.
2016 Schedule:
May 24: James Wilkes
June 28: Dinner Meeting
September 27: Brenna Traver
October 27: Anne Frey
November 17: Jennifer Tsuruda
VIRGINIA
SPIKENARD HONEYBEE SANCTUARY TO GIVE A
TWO-DAY BIODYNAMIC BEEKEEPING WORKSHOP
FRIDAY, APRIL 29 SATURDAY, APRIL 30
Floyd, Virginia Professional beekeeper
and educator Gunther Hauk, co-founder of
Spikenard Honeybee Sanctuary, will give
a two-day workshop on the foundations of
sustainable/biodynamic beekeeping.
For beginners as well as practicing bee-
keepers.
Mr. Hauk and his team will present on
the most important topics of beekeeping
from the biodynamic perspective, includ-
ing hive forms and materials, swarming,
queen rearing, working without foundation,
seasonal tasks, mites and other pests, treat-
ments and teas, selecting the best bee forage
plants, and more.
Visit www.spikenardfarm.org for regis-
tration and more information.
540.745.2153
info@spikenardfarm.org
WEST VIRGINIA
CORRIDOR G BEEKEEPERS AS-
SOCIATION is hosting the West Virginia
Beekeepers state spring meeting on April
9, 2016, Saturday at Chapmanville Middle
School, 300 Vance St., Chapmanville, WV.
Featured speaker is Michael Bush, one
of the leading proponents of treatment-free
beekeeping.
Pre- registration is $30.00 and includes
lunch with registration before March 18,
2016, registration after $35.00.
To receive a registration form or for more
information, contact:
Kathy Watson
kathymullarkywatson@gmail.com
304-855-8504 or 304-687-7170
OHIO
2016 BEGINNING BEEKEEPING WORKSHOP
Dale Olson will be presenting this im-
portant beginning beekeeping workshop in
conjunction with the Geauga County Bee-
keeping Association education program.
This workshop is designed for people who
would like to get started in beekeeping,
those who have had previous beekeeping ex-
perience and want to get back into beekeep-
ing, or those who just want to know more
before taking the plunge.
Topics covered will include basic hon-
eybee biology, races of bees, package bees
versus nucs and where to get bees, how to
start a hive, new and used equipment, keep-
ing bees in a residential setting, feeding, in-
spections, swarm control, disease and pest
management, producing honey and other
hive products and over wintering. Informa-
tion on package bees, nucs and equipment
will be available at the workshop. Price in-
cludes a book about bees.
There will be a follow-up meeting May
21, 9am - 4pm to show how to install pack-
aged bees and more useful information.
Registration and agenda information can be
found at: www.kenstoncommunityed.org
Phone (440) 543-2552 Fax (440) 543-2850.
Course Cost: $45.00 per family. Course
Dates: April 14, 2015, Time: 7 9:30pm
Kenston Middle School, Art room 231, 17425
Snyder Road, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023
ILLINOIS
The Illinois State Beekeepers Association
will be holding their 2016 Summer Meet-
ing at the Northern Illinois University Hoff-
383
man Estates Conference Center on Saturday,
June 11, 2016. The Conference Center is lo-
cated at 5555 Trillium Blvd., Hoffman Es-
tates, Illinois, 60192. Registration is $70.00
per person for ISBA members and $85.00
per person for individuals who are not ISBA
members. All attendees must register by
June 4, 2016; we will not be able to accom-
modate any walk-in registrations. Check-in
starts at 7:30 a.m. The meeting will com-
mence at 8:30 a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m.
Our keynote speaker is Jerry Hayes, the
honeybee health lead for Monsanto. He was
previously the Apiary Section Chief for the
Florida Department of Agriculture and Con-
sumer Services, responsible for the regula-
tory health of 350,000 colonies. For over 25
years, Jerry has written a monthly column
in American Bee Journal called The Class-
room; he wrote a book by the same name.
Phil Craft will also speak at the meeting.
Phil served as the Kentucky Department
of Agriculture State Apiarist from 1999
through 2011. He is a nationally known bee-
keeping instructor and lecturer, and author
of the monthly question/answer column,
Ask Phil in Bee Culture magazine.
Dick Rogers, who has been keeping and
studying honey bees for over 40 years, will
also give a presentation. Dick is a Principal
Scientist/Entomologist in Ecotoxicology
and manages the Bee Health and Integrated
Apiculture Research Program of the Bayer
Bee Care Center in North Carolina. He
works to identify, develop and evaluate
tools, products and management for protect-
ing and improving honey bee health.
The registration form is available on the
Illinois State Beekeepers Association web-
site, www.ilsba.com. Please join us for this
interesting and informative meeting.
ILLINOIS
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS BEES AND
BEEKEEPING SHORT COURSE
APRIL 16, 2016
Lectures, hands-on workshops, and in-
formal discussions on:
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*Beginners Track: introduction to bee-
keeping and colony management
*Advanced Track: queen rearing
INSTRUCTORS: Prof. Gene Robinson,
Prof. May Berenbaum, and Members of the
University of Illinois Bee Research Facility
staff
384
GUEST INSTRUCTOR: Jennifer Berry,
Apicultural Research Coordinator and Lab
Manager for the University of Georgia
Honey Bee Program
LOCATION: Bee Research Facility and
Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biol-
ogyboth new, state-of-the-art buildings.
The Bee Research Facility has specially de-
signed flight cages that will allow us to do
hands-on bee work indoors regardless of the
weather. Those choosing to participate in
the hands-on activities must bring and wear
their own protective veils, suits, or gloves.
Non-participants can view from outside the
flight cages.
FEE: $100 includes course materials and
refreshments
DATES & TIMES: Saturday April 16,
2016, 9:00 AM 5:00 PM
REGISTRATION:
Email: lcundiff@illinois.edu
Phone: (217) 265-7614
Or mail your check to:
Tish Cundiff, Carl R. Woese Institute for
Genomic Biology, University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 W. Gregory,
Room 2414, Urbana, IL 61801
(include your name, address, phone number,
and email address)
LIMITED TO 50 PARTICIPANTS, SO
REGISTER EARLY!
ILLINOIS
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
(Murphysboro, IL) The Southern Illinois
Beekeepers Association (SIBA), is hosting
the second annual Field Day on May 14,
2016 at 402 Ava Road, Murphysboro, at the
Jackson Co. Extension office facilities. Ad-
vanced registration by May 9, is required to
attend. The cost to participate is $35 to the
general public and $20 for SIBA members.
A full lunch is included in the registration
fee. Given the hands-on focus of the event,
May 21 has been set as the rain date. SIBA
has members from the southernmost 16
counties of southern Illinois with a mission
of protecting the regions honey bee popula-
tions.
Spring honey bee swarm season is around
the corner, and SIBA members want to edu-
cate the public and area honey bee enthu-
siasts on the opportunities for safe capture
and removal of swarms and other topics
related to keeping honey bees. The hands-
on educational topics presented at the Field
Day include: Beekeeping on the cheap, hive
construction, honey bee pest management,
extracting and processing honey, bee equip-
ment and hive inspections, catching bee
swarms, rendering beeswax, expanding your
apiary and re-queening, bee rescues from
logs and walls, and making creamed and
flavored honeys, lip balms and lotion bars.
Door prizes sponsored by local bee friendly
businesses will be offered. In addition to the
events activities, there will also be honey
bee supply vendors on site and a honey bee
used equipment swap meet. Keep up with
event and other activity updates by finding
the group on Facebook at S.I. All-A-Buzz.
For registration or questions contact event
coordinator, Jesse Will at 618.571.2716 or
jcwill@midwest.net.
MISSOURI
QUEEN REARING CLASS
Queen Rearing Class, Instructed by Cory
Stevens. Presented by Boone Regional
Beekeepers Association, Columbia, Mis-
souri June 4, 2016 Visit www.boonebees.
org or www.boonebees.com for class and
registration information. Cost is $90 for
Individuals or $155 for couples. Class is
limited to 30.
TEXAS
EIGHTH ANNUAL BEEKEEPING SCHOOL
When
Saturday April 16, 2016 from 8:00 AM to
5:00 PM CDT
Where
Washington County Fairgrounds,
Brenham, Texas
1305 East Blue Bell Road
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Greetings!
The Central Texas Beekeepers are host-
ing a one-day Beginners Beekeeper School
to be held April 16, 2016 at the Washington
County Fairgrounds in Brenham, Texas.
We will have beginner classes on Top Bar
and Langstroth as well as Intermediate and
Advanced level Langstroth classes in the
morning. The afternoon will be filled with
demonstrations and additional courses. This
is an excellent learning opportunity regard-
less of experience. Vendors will be present
to answer your questions and have beekeep-
ing equipment for sale.
The cost of the school includes a catered
Bar-B-Q meal with Blue Bell Ice Cream for
dessert as well as a school book that will
have information for all of the classes.
Last year we had over 530 students and
100 staff present. Due to space restric-
tions, we are limiting the enrollment to 550
students this year.
To view more information, visit our web-
site at: www.centraltexasbeekeepers.org.
CALIFORNIA
This years pollination season was rough
for beekeepers across California. Over 500
American Bee Journal
hives were stolen from CSBA members
alone. Theft has been just as widespread for
beekeepers outside our organization with the
total number of beehives stolen easily rising
to over 1,000. One arrest has been made in
connection to the hive thefts and one large
cache of hives was discovered and returned
to the rightful owner. The CSBA currently
offers a reward up to $10,000 for the arrest
and conviction of persons stealing CSBA
members bees or equipment. The CSBA
would like to encourage all beekeepers to re-
port incidents of bee theft both to the author-
ities and the CSBA. The CSBA represents
the interests of all California beekeepers and
we need to be fully aware of bee theft both
inside and outside of our organization.
Remember to plan now for your winter
vacation at the annual CSBA convention,
Nov 15th-17th at the Kona Kai Resort &
Spa in San Diego, CA. When youre not
busy listening to the latest research and
gathering ideas from fellow beekeepers,
you can explore the San Diego Zoo, hit the
beach, and enjoy the local cuisine. Theres
plenty to keep the whole family entertained.
Keep on eye on our websites Events page
for registration opening this summer.
The next CSBA board meeting will be
held May 13th in South Lake Tahoe. You
may contact us at castatebeekeepers@hot-
mail.com for details.
WASHINGTON
Instrumental Insemination Of
Honey Bee Queens
Classes 2016
Specialized instrumental insemination
classes are offered in Washington State by
Susan Cobey. Individual and small classes
are scheduled to provide the attention
and detail required to learn the technique.
Classes are intensive and geared to individ-
ual needs. Advanced classes are designed to
increase efficiency and trouble shoot. Per-
sonalized classes may include specialized
beekeeping practices to care for and estab-
lish IIQs. Classes are scheduled during the
summer season. Please inquire for details
and to book dates.
Contact: scobey@mac.com
Class Requirements
Classes are designed for researchers and
beekeepers involved in a breeding program
or research project requiring controlled mat-
ing. A strong background in beekeeping and
queen rearing is required. Virgin queens &
drones, microscopes & lights are supplied
for classes. Instruments and parts are avail-
able. There is no standardization in instru-
mentation and a variety of quality, so please
inquire for an evaluation and/or upgrade of
equipment, as needed. For info. see:
https://honeybeeinsemination.com
About the Instructor - Susan Cobey
An acknowledged international authority in
the field of apiculture, Susan has extensive
April 2016
experience in bee breeding and perfecting,
teaching and writing instructional material
for instrumental insemination. She main-
tains the New World Carniolan Closed
Population Breeding Program, now in its
34rd generation. Currently, she works with
Washington State Universitys collaborative
stock improvement and maintenance pro-
gram. This includes the collection and incor-
poration of germplasm collected from Old
World European honey bees into domestic
breeding stocks to enhance U.S. honey bees
and the establishment of a germplasm re-
pository at WSU.
COSTA RICA
INTERNATIONAL COURSE
BEES AND POLLINATION
16 26 AUGUST 2016
The international course Bees and Pol-
lination of Universidad Nacional de Costa
Rica and Utrecht University, The Nether-
lands, is an in-depth study of the relationship
between bees and flowering plants.
In addition to the pollination function
of bees and flower biology, we will study
related bee biology and behavior. For par-
ticipants who are already familiar with the
honey bee, the course will also be an in-
troduction to some other very interesting
bees, like stingless bees, orchid bees, bum-
ble bees, various solitary bee groups and,
of course, some Africanized honey bees.
Next to the comparative approach, there is
a strong practical component, participants
will carry out observations in the lab and in
the field. The excursion program includes a
rain forest expedition of two days.
More information about the course is
listed on the website (http://web.science.
uu.nl/sommeijer/course.html).
TRAVEL TO CUBA
FROM JULY 17TH TO 22ND, 2016
A GOOD TRAVEL OPPORTUNITY:
You are invited to attend the 6th Cuban
Congress on Apiculture in Havana, July 17
22, 2016. Here is a wonderful chance to
visit Havana and meet people involved in
Apiculture from around the world.
Cuba is considered one of the most ad-
vanced in the development and processing
of honey. Learn about their technology, pro-
ductive handling, pollination, bee selection
and breeding. Meet local apiarists and make
new friends.
Why Cuban Honey?
The quality of honey, like wine, is influ-
enced by variety of important factors, but
none more so than the blossom from which
the honey is made. The flower is to honey as
the grape is to wine. Cuban honey is highly
popular and is considered exceptional due
to the Islands position in the Caribbean
and the low toxicity of its products. Cuban
nectar comes from flowers that are pesticide
and insecticide free. This honey has a high
nutrition value, delicious aroma and taste
that satisfy the most demanding consumers.
For the true honey lovers Cuban polyfloral
honey floats off your tongue leaving you to
savor its subtle, yet rich, tropical essence.
Tourists visiting Cuba are very familiar with
this amazing product.
What makes Cuban honey special is a
natural and ecologically pure environment
in a privileged climate where an exquisite
variety of rich and exuberant flora grows all
year round and with rich, wild bee-attractive
species. From those flowers, our bees collect
pure, sweet nectar.
To maintain honeys wonderful taste, tex-
ture and nutritional qualities Cuban honey is
offered in its pure, natural state no heat is
ever applied to it. Cuban honey is as close to
its natural state as possible except that it is in
a jar. Unheated honey is a live food because
it has naturally occurring living enzymes,
full nutritional spectrum of natural pollens
and antioxidants.
Cuban bees forage for nectar in one of the
most pristine places on the planet, the island
of Cuba. And, if it wasnt enough that the
environment was pure and natural, Cubans
take their bees to forage in some of the most
remote and beautiful parts of the islandthe
lush tropical forestson cliffs overlooking
the Caribbean Sea.
For more information view: http://www.
cubabeekeeping.com/home.html.
In cooperation with US Apiarists, TRAN-
SEAIR TRAVEL has arranged a Congress
Travel Package. For trip ingredients, pricing
and the General Trip Application reserva-
tion form, contact TRANSEAIR TRAVEL.
Upon hearing from you, we will send you
further information. This is a OFAC li-
censed trip.
Questions? Inquiries? Please call
Transeair Travel at (202) 362-6100 or
e-mail: blubic@transeairtravel.com.
385
 heavy this spring and interest among new
beekeepers continues to run high. Ground
moisture conditions are mostly adequate
IRU SODQW JURZWK 7KH UVW PDMRU RZV
will come from black locust, tulip-poplar,
VXPDFDQGDVVRUWHGZLOGRZHUV
SOUTHEASTMaple, willow and
other early pollen sources were late in
coming forcing some beekeepers to con-
tinue feeding longer than normal. By late
)HEUXDU\PDQ\PRUHZLOGRZHUVDQGWUHHV
were in bloom. Soil moisture conditions
remain fair to good. However, a number
of beekeepers complained about erratic
weather conditions with periods of cold,
ZHW ZHDWKHU ,Q )ORULGD WKH RUDQJH RZ
was scheduled to start in early March.
UNITED STATES The wholesale honey market continues Some reporters felt that conditions were

T
he yearly almond pollination event in to struggle with declining quotes on large ULSH IRU D EHWWHU RUDQJH RZ WKLV VSULQJ
California will be over by the time lots of honey since they are now in direct while others still felt that citrus greening
this issue comes out. Early reports competition from increasing amounts of and accompanying spraying would result in
suggested that the estimated 2 million col- cheaper foreign honey. Meanwhile, the poor orange honey production again. Some
onies rented by growers to pollinate about market for small lots of wholesale honey, beekeepers also expressed fear of potential
1 million acres of almonds did their job as well as the retail market, remains strong. heavier bee losses from extra mosquito
well. Despite earlier muddy conditions and NORTHEASTBeekeepers welcomed spraying to combat potential outbreaks of
a warm spell that caused almond blossoms the warmer spring weather as they shifted the Zika virus.
to open earlier than expected, most growers into high gear for the new beekeeping sea- Both Florida and Georgia beekeepers
VHHPHGWREHVDWLVHGZLWKWKLVSROOLQDWLRQ son. Maple, willow and other early pollen were also hoping for better gallberry, tu-
season. Beekeepers saw their pollination sources were providing much needed early SHORWLWLDQGSDOPHWWRRZV5HSRUWVIURP
rental incomes increase by an average of stimulation for colony brood rearing. Win- Mississippi and Alabama indicated earlier
$10 to $15 per colony. Unfortunately, some ter weather was a hodgepodge of mild tem- heavy feeding being required, but that now
commercial beekeepers were again bat- peratures mixed with occasional intense colonies are starting to brood up well on
tling crippling colony losses and weaker cold. Bees generally overwintered well QXPHURXV WUHHV DQG ZLOGRZHUV FRPLQJ
than normal bee populations this season. with a few exceptions, especially among into bloom. Beekeepers were also hoping
Colony thefts were also in the news a lot migratory beekeepers. Some beekeepers IRULPSURYHGSULYHWKHGJHDQGFORYHURZV
and it sounds like these thefts are on the complained that their bees ate their stores as the season progressed.
increase, especially since pollination fees early due to the milder winter. Feeding has Package bee and queen companies,
remain very attractive. The added moisture been going on for some time now. Sugar many of which are located in the South-
from rain and snow in the mountains will patties and candy boards were used in late east, report heavy orders again this season
GHQLWHO\KHOS&DOLIRUQLDVVWUXJJOLQJDJUL- winter, but once temperatures warmed and are hoping that the weather will allow
culture. However, many locations will need some, many beekeepers switched to syrup them to maintain shipping schedules for
several seasons of good precipitation to re- and began adding pollen patties to stimu- packages, nucs and queens. A number of
turn to normal ground moisture conditions. late brood rearing. Many beekeepers had bee producers booked up early for spring
The U.S. winter has generally been a reserved packages, nucs or queens early for deliveries and are now into taking order for
mild one, although some locations battled fear of not being able to lock in their order late spring or summer deliveries.
prolonged cold spells that were hard on for early delivery. Indeed, quite a few bee The wholesale honey market for larger
colonies. Despite many reports of better companies booked up their early delivery lots of honey remains weak due to more
overwintering this season, some glaring dates fairly soon after the new year began. competition from foreign honey. How-
exceptions exist. For example a number of MIDEASTMaple, oak, henbit and ever, small-lot sales for remaining stocks
commercial beekeepers in the Midwest and DVVRUWHG ZLOGRZHUV FDPH LQWR EORRP LQ of 2015 crop honey are good. Retail sales
Southeast suffered crippling colony losses, February and March helping overwintered have also remained strong.
sometimes hampering their efforts to pro- colonies to brood up for the spring sea- SOUTHWESTColonies are brood-
vide bees for almond and other early sea- son. Colony winter losses were generally ing up in these states as beekeepers gear
son pollination. A number of explanations low, despite some intensely cold weather up for another very busy season. Many mi-
have been suggested such as more prob- earlier in the year. Some beekeepers re- gratory beekeepers still had their colonies
lems with varroa and the viruses it spreads, ported sporadic cases of starvation, but out of state doing pollination work, but
more pesticide losses or weather-related many said they started feeding sugar pat- others were providing colonies for in-state
problems hurting colony survival odds and ties or candy boards to prevent widespread pollination. Bees were working numerous
subsequent population buildup. loss of weaker colonies. However, demand WUHH EUXVK DQG ZLOGRZHU VRXUFHV 6RLO
Reports suggest that interest in hobby for bees and queens is still expected to be moisture conditions are mostly adequate
beekeeping remains strong, judged by the IRUWKHSUHVHQW0DLQRZVKDGQRWVWDUWHG
large numbers of sign-ups for late winter Northeast
Intermountain yet, but beekeepers were trying to make
and spring beekeeping classes around the West West Central East Central sure their hives were built up by the time
country. As a result of this continuing PDMRURZVEHJDQ,QWKHGHVHUWVRXWKZHVW
growth, as well as the need for replacement timely rains had caused some area land-
colonies, many package bee and queen VFDSHV WR EHFRPH D VHD RI ZLOGRZHUV
companies were booking up their early Those beekeepers lucky enough to have
deliveries very quickly. In fact, some com- Mideast KLYHV QHDUE\ ZHUH REWDLQLQJ QLFH RZV
panies had stopped taking orders or were IURPWKHVHRZHUV3DFNDJHEHHDQGTXHHQ
telling customers that they would have to companies have also been very busy. De-
wait until later in May or June to receive Southeast mand has been very brisk for packages,
bee or queen orders. Southwest nucs and queens.

April 2016 387

 U.S. HONEY, BEESWAX AND POLLEN PRICES FROM OUR REPORTERS HONEY MARKET FOR THE
North- Mid- South- South- East West- Inter- MONTH OF JANUARY 2016
east east east west Central Central Mountain West
Wholesale In volumes of 10,000 pounds or greater
White lb. Blk.$2.00-$3.00 $2.00-$2.90 $1.80-$2.50 $1.70-$2.50 $1.80-$2.50 $1.70-$2.60 $1.60-$2.75 $1.75-$2.60 unless otherwise stated
Amber lb. Blk $1.80-$2.50 $1.90-$2.25 $1.50-$2.25 $1.60-$2.25 $1.70-$2.35 $1.60-$2.30 $1.50-$2.50 $1.70-$2.35
(From February 2016
1 lb. CS 24 $ 60.00- $ 55.00- $ 50.00- $ 51.00- $ 53.00- $ 58.00- $ 60.00- $ 58.00- USDA National Honey Report)
$115.00 $100.00 $110.00 $120.00 $115.00 $110.00 $150.00 $115.00
2 lb. CS 12 $ 59.00- $ 58.00- $ 60.00- $ 58.00- $ 59.00- $ 55.00- $ 57.00- $ 60.00- Prices paid to beekeepers for extracted, un-
$ 85.00 $ 80.00 $ 90.00 $ 77.00 $ 82.00 $ 85.00 $ 110.00 $ 84.00 processed honey in major producing states
5 lb. CS 6 $ 72.00- $ 59.00- $ 60.00- $ 57.00- $ 60.00- $ 60.00 $ 59.00- $ 59.00- by packers, handlers & other large users,
$105.00 $102.00 $ 98.00 $ 95.00 $104.00 $105.00 $101.00 $103.00 cents per pound, f.o.b. or delivered nearby,
Retail containers exchanged or returned, prompt
Jars 8 oz. $ 2.50- $ 2.40- $ 2.25- $ 2.20- $ 2.50- $ 2.40- $ 2.00- $ 2.25- delivery & payment unless otherwise stated.
$ 4.00 $ 4.00 $ 3.95 $ 3.90 $ 4.50 $ 4.00 $ 4.00 $ 3.90
Squeeze $ 3.50- $ 3.00- $ 2.75- $ 2.80- $ 2.95- $ 3.25- $ 3.50- $ 3.25- -Report includes both new and
Bear 12 oz.$ 4.90 $ 4.85 $ 4.85 $ 4.75 $ 4.95 $ 4.75 $ 4.85 $ 4.95 old crop honey-
Jars 1 lb. $ 3.95- $ 3.55- $ 3.40- $ 3.50- $ 3.45- $ 3.95- $ 3.75- $ 4.00-
$ 11.00 $ 8.25 $ 7.00 $ 8.00 $ 8.25 $ 8.25 $ 8.00 $ 9.00
(# Some in Small Lot +Some delayed
Jars 11/2lb.$ 5.50- $ 5.25- $ 5.50- $ 5.45- $ 4.25- $ 5.50- $ 4.75- $ 4.75- payments or previous commitment)
(Pint) $ 13.00 $ 10.00 $ 9.70 $ 10.00 $ 9.50 $ 9.50 $ 10.00 $ 10.25
Jars 2 lb. $ 7.99- $ 6.95- $ 5.99- $ 6.00- $ 6.25- $ 6.95- $ 6.25- $ 6.50- California
$ 14.00 $ 10.50 $ 10.49 $ 11.25 $ 11.00 $ 10.50 $ 11.25 $ 11.50 6DIRZHU/LJKW$PEHU
Jars 3 lb. $ 9.50- $ 8.95- $ 8.79- $ 8.25- $ 8.00- $ 8.50- $ 8.10- $ 8.00- Colorado
(Quart) $ 25.00 $ 22.00 $ 18.00 $ 21.00 $ 21.00 $ 22.00 $ 23.00 $ 25.00 Alfalfa Extra Light Amber $2.00
Jars 4 lb. $ 10.00- $ 10.00- $ 11.00- $ 12.00- $ 10.00- $ 10.00- $ 11.00- $ 10.00- Dakotas
$ 35.00 $ 30.00 $ 29.75 $ 29.70 $ 30.00 $ 30.50 $ 28.50 $ 32.00 Canola Extra Light Amber $1.75
Jars 5 lb. $ 16.99- $ 15.00- $ 15.50- $ 16.25- $ 16.00- $ 15.75- $ 16.00- $ 16.50- Clover White $1.75
$ 40.00 $ 39.50 $ 35.50 $ 32.00 $ 31.00 $ 35.00 $ 33.25 $ 35.00
Cotton Light Amber $1.75
Creamed $ 5.50- $ 5.50- $ 5.49- $ 5.25- $ 5.50- $ 5.40- $ 4.75- $ 5.25- Western White $1.70
12 oz. $ 7.50 $ 7.00 $ 6.95 $ 6.99 $ 6.25 $ 7.25 $ 7.00 $ 7.25 Western Extra Light Amber $1.70
Comb $ 6.00- $ 5.50- $ 5.25- $ 5.50- $ 5.50- $ 5.50- $ 5.50- $ 5.75- Florida
12 oz. $14.00 $13.00 $13.25 $13.50 $14.75 $14.50 $13.75 $13.50 Brazilian Pepper Light Amber $1.75 - $1.60
Round $ 5.00- $ 4.50- $ 4.50- $ 4.00- $ 4.25- $ 4.00- $ 4.25- $ 4.50- :LOGRZHU([WUD/LJKW$PEHU
Plas. Comb$ 8.50 $ 8.50 $ 7.50 $ 8.25 $ 8.99 $ 7.50 $ 7.00 $ 8.50 :LOGRZHU/LJKW$PEHU
Louisiana
1 Gallon $ 24.00- $ 23.00- $ 24.50- $ 24.00- $ 25.00- $ 23.00- $ 24.00- $ 25.00- Tallow Light Amber $1.85
$ 50.00 $ 46.00 $ 45.00 $ 50.00 $ 45.00 $ 45.00 $ 50.00 $ 50.00
:LOGRZHUV/LJKW$PEHU
60 lb. $185.00- $130.00- $130.00- $140.00- $130.00- $140.00- $140.00- $140.00- Maine
$225.00 $200.00 $200.00 $200.00 $225.00 $220.00 $225.00 $230.00 Blueberry Extra Light Amber $1.65
Beeswax Michigan
Light $ 3.20- $ 3.20 - $ 3.20 - $ 3.20 - $ 3.20 - $ 3.20 - $ 3.20 - $ 3.20 - Basswood White $2.00
per lb. $ 6.50 $ 5.75 $ 6.00 $ 5.50 $ 6.00 $ 5.50 $ 5.50 $ 6.00 Star Thistle Extra Light Amber $2.00
Dark $ 3.20 - $ 3.20 - $ 3.20 - $ 3.20 - $ 3.20 - $ 3.20 - $ 3.20 - $ 3.20- Minnesota
per lb. $ 6.00 $ 5.35 $ 5.25 $ 5.25 $ 6.00 $ 5.75 $ 5.50 $ 5.75 Basswood White $1.75
Pollen Clover Extra Light Amber $1.75
Wholesale $ 3.50- $ 3.50- $ 3.00- $ 3.00- $ 3.25- $ 3.25- $ 2.50- $ 2.50- Clover Light Amber $1.75
per lb. $ 6.50 $ 8.00 $ 6.00 $ 5.00 $ 6.00 $ 6.00 $ 6.00 $ 5.50 Mississippi
Retail $ 5.50- $ 7.00- $ 6.00- $ 6.00- $ 7.00- $ 7.50- $ 7.00- $ 7.00- Soybean White Amber $1.81
per lb. $ 15.00 $ 15.00 $ 15.00 $ 10.00 $ 15.00 $ 15.50 $ 12.00 $ 15.00 Montana
Clover White $1.75
The above prices are not meant to provide a realistic picture of prices in all states of the Nebraska
particular area. They are intended merely to show what a few beekeepers are receiving Alfalfa Extra Light Amber $1.75
for their honey, beeswax and pollen and we realize prices may vary tremendously, even Oregon
within individual states. The bulk prices for honey are stated per pound, delivered buy- Clover Extra Light Amber $1.75
ers warehouse, containers exchanged or furnished by buyer, unless otherwise noted.
:KHUHSULFHVDUHQRWVKRZQLQVXIFLHQWGDWDZHUHDYDLODEOH :LOGRZHUV/LJKW$PEHU
Texas
Cotton Extra Light Amber $1.85
Commercial beekeepers are concerned queens was expected to be heavy again this Cotton Light Amber $1.75
about the declining bulk wholesale mar- season. Most beekeepers were sold out of Western White $1.70
ket for honey, but anticipate another good honey until the new crop starts coming in. Western Extra Light Amber $1.70
sales year for honey sold to their local re- Local demand is expected to remain strong Washington
tail trade. There is never enough inventory this year, but large lot sales by commercial Alfalfa Light Amber $1.75
beekeepers will continue to encounter in- Buckwheat Dark $1.75
of many of the locally produced varietal Mint Dark $1.75
honeys. creasing competition from foreign honey. Wild berry Extra Light Amber $1.75
EAST CENTRALThe winter has Interest in hobby beekeeping continues to Wyoming
been relatively mild in these states as well. expand judged by record attendances at Alfalfa White $1.70
Bees have wintered well for the most part local beekeeping short courses.
and winter losses will be down from nor- WEST CENTRALReports of a Prices paid to Canadian Beekeepers for
mal barring any late severe winter weather. warmer than normal winter came from a unprocessed, bulk honey by packers and
Beekeepers had already started feeding majority of our reporters this month. Out- importers in U. S. currency, f.o.b. shipping
since colonies were going through their breaks of colder weather had kept colonies point, containers included unless otherwise
stated. Duty and crossing charges extra.
stores quickly due to the warmer weather. in cluster, but by February more frequent Cents per pound.
0DSOHZLOORZKHQELWDQGZLOGRZHUVKDYH breaks in winter weather were allowing
begun to bloom out. These will be followed EULHIFOHDQVLQJLJKWVIRUEHHV'HVSLWHWKH Canola White $1.32 - $1.45
by fruit bloom in April. Despite better win- warmer winter, some of our reporters said Clover White $1.45
tering, demand for package bees, nucs and WKH\KDGFRQWLQXHGWRJKWKHDYLHUWKDQQRU- Mixed Flowers White $1.30

388 American Bee Journal

 Prices paid to importers for bulk honey, mond bloom which came on fast in many IRUEHHNHHSLQJDQGIDUPLQJODVW\HDU:LWK
duty paid, containers included, cents per locations due to a warm spell. Providing better rains, as well as snow in the moun-
pound, ex-dock or point of entry unless oth- VXIFLHQWFRORQLHVIRUWKLVKXJHSROOLQDWLRQ tains, farmers are hoping that they will have
erwise stated. event is always problematical and this sea- DGHTXDWHZDWHUIRUWKHLUFURSV:LOGRZHUV
son was no exception. Some larger beekeep- should also return, which will add a lot to
Argentina ers reported much heavier colony losses potential nectar sources available.
0L[HG)ORZHUV:KLWH
Mixed Flowers Extra Light $1.46 - $1.75
than normal and this meant that they could $OWKRXJKPDQ\EHHNHHSHUVKDGOLWWOHRI
0L[HG)ORZHUV/LJKW$PEHU not supply the numbers or strength of colo- their 2015 honey crop left to sell, they were
Brazil nies that they had anticipated having. Bee worrying about the weaker market for large
25*$1,&([WUD/LJKW loss reports were especially high from the lots of honey due to greater amounts of for-
25*$1,&/LJKW$PEHU Upper Midwest and the Southeastern United eign honey coming into the country.
0L[HG)ORZHUV/LJKW$PEHU States. Rental prices for colonies were up
India by $10 to $15 over last year and averaged ARGENTINA
Mixed Flowers Extra Light $1.32 - $1.71 between $170 and $185 per colony. Some $UJHQWLQHH[SRUWVIRUZHUHWKHORZ-
0L[HG)ORZHUV/LJKW$PEHU contracts reached the $200 per colony level, est of the last 10 years. Between January
Myanmar
0L[HG)ORZHUV/LJKW$PEHU especially if they were done later in the DQG'HFHPEHURI$UJHQWLQDH[SRUWHG
Vietnam ZLQWHUZKHQJURZHUVZHUHGHVSHUDWHWRQG RQO\07'XULQJWRWDOH[SRUWV
0L[HG)ORZHUV/LJKW$PEHU bees. One very disturbing by-product of the were 54,300 MT and in 2013 exports were
Ukraine strong market for pollination bees has been 64,000 MT. This sharp decline is partly ex-
Mixed Flowers Extra Light $1.54 - $1.61 the more numerous reports of hive thefts plained by lower US imports over the last
6XQRZHU:KLWH WKLV VHDVRQ $OWKRXJK VRPH FRORQLHV KDYH three years: 27,600 MT in 2015, 35,700 MT
6XQRZHU/LJKW$PEHU been recovered by the authorities, many of LQDQGLQ$PHULFDQLP-
the thefts have remained unsolved. ports dropped 35% in three years which rep-
mal winter losses and weak colonies, which The better rains in the valleys and foot- resents 15,000 MT less. The current unsold
they are blaming on mites and the viruses hills, as well as the heavy snows in the Sier- stock of the last crop is close to 7,000 MT.
they spread, as well as pesticides. Some ras, have been very welcome to farmers and :HDWKHU FRQGLWLRQV GXULQJ ODWH -DQX-
beekeepers also said that they were having beekeepers. In fact, some southern Califor- ary were moderately dry and it did affect
to feed their colonies a lot more often since QLDGHVHUWORFDWLRQVKDYHVHHQZLOGRZHUV KRQH\RZVLQVRXWKHUQ%XHQRV$LUHVDQG
the warmer weather had allowed bees to con- FDUSHWWKHGHVHUWRRUIRUWKHUVWWLPHLQ La Pampa. On the other hand, northeastern
sume their stores earlier. Moisture conditions several years. Beekeepers are hoping for provinces such as Entre Ros and Corrientes
are mostly average to good, although a few better honey crops from sage, buckwheat, ZHUHDIIHFWHGE\RRGV7KHFHQWUDOUHJLRQ
reporters expressed concern about a lack of star thistle and eucalyptus, as well as the nu- RI$UJHQWLQDLVVXIIHULQJWKHVSUHDGRIOR-
snow cover. By the time this was written, PHURXVRWKHUZLOGRZHUVWKDWEORRPGXULQJ custs, and their treatment is putting a heavy
maple, willow and other early sources had the spring season when adequate moisture burden on beekeepers who must move their
begun to bloom. Next will come fruit bloom is available. hives to prevent their poisoning.
DQGZLOGRZHUVDVZHOODVKHQELWDQGZLOG Farther north in California, Oregon and ,QVSLWHRIWKHGHYDOXDWLRQRIWKH$U-
PXVWDUGLQWKHHOGV$QXPEHURIFRPPHU- :DVKLQJWRQFROGDQGRIWHQVQRZ\ZHDWKHU gentine currency and regardless of the ex-
cial beekeepers from this area transport all or has kept bee work to a minimum. However, SRUWWD[HOLPLQDWLRQWKHVRFDOOHG$UJHQWLQH
part of their hives to California for almond as the weather warms, beekeepers in the exporters have not passed on any of their ex-
pollination, so they will not be back to their Northwest are also hoping for better honey WUDRUGLQDU\SURWWRWKHSULFHVSDLGWRORFDO
KRPHVWDWHVXQWLO$SULORU0D\ RZV'URXJKWZDVDPDMRUOLPLWLQJIDFWRU beekeepers.
Large-lot sales of honey are running at
about $1.70 per pound for white and $1.60
per pound for amber grades. Small-lot local
sales are closer to $2.10 per pound for white
honey and $2.00 per pound for amber grades.
Most of the 2015 crop has been sold by now.
INTERMOUNTAIN$V LQ WKH :HVW
Central area, some beekeepers report very
heavy bee losses, while others say their bees
have wintered very well due to the mild
weather this winter. Many commercial col-
onies from this area are in California for al-
mond pollination and will be brought back
to their home states sometime in May. Bees
overwintered in potato sheds did better that
outside overwintered colonies this winter.
$OWKRXJKDIHZGU\ORFDWLRQVSHUVLVWPXFK
of the area received average amounts of
rain or snow this winter which has helped
ground moisture levels. Some beekeepers
are still actively trying to sell the remainder
of their 2015 crop. Large-lot prices have
declined to as low as $1.50 to $1.70 per
pound. Small-lot sales are 20 to 40 cents
per pound better. Retails sales continue to
hold up well.
WESTNearly 1 million acres of
California almonds were pollinated by ap-
proximately 2 million colonies this spring,
according to estimates. Good foraging
weather allowed colonies to work the al-

April 2016 389

 by RON PHIPPS
President, CPNA International Ltd.1
Co-Chairman,
Committee for the Promotion of Honey and Health

Resin technology applied to honey creates products which cannot

be labelled as Honey
Introduction Resin technology

A
W WKH HQG RI )HEUXDU\  ZH UHFHLYHG DQ RIFLDO OHW-
WHU IURP 86 JRYHUQPHQW DXWKRULWLHV FRQUPLQJ WKDW WKH
application of resin technology to honey results in creat-
ing products which cannot appropriately be labeled or marketed
as honey. This is a major development, as it helps to clarify the
status of a technology which, it is believed, has been widely used
Resin technology has been legally and properly applied to
different types of foods to remove various contaminants. But its
application to honey is novel. The Chinese manufacturers of the
technology began to openly and aggressively offer the technol-
ogy to producers and exporters of honey about 2-3 years ago.
Resin technology can 1) disguise country of origin as assessed
in recent years to disguise honey origin.
The American honey industry is acutely aware of the grave
threat imposed upon the market by phenomena associated with the
circumvention and adulteration of honey. Prices in the American
and international honey markets have been collapsing, to the
distress of beekeepers and honest honey exporters, importers and
packers throughout America and other countries. During the past
12-14 months honey prices for many important and traditional
origins have eroded by 40%-50% of their previous levels.
The balance and integration of the incentives to produce and
consume honey have not been reached. Instead a grave imbalance
persists, which distresses and threatens the survival of beekeepers
throughout America, Canada, Argentina and Europe, putting in
jeopardy agriculture, agricultural production, food security, food
safety and the sustainability of ecological systems whose fragility
and vulnerability are appreciated now more than ever before.
$3RLQWRI,QHFWLRQLQWKHULVHRIKRQH\SULFHVZDVUHDFKHGLQ
the 4th quarter of 2014. The honey market urgently needs a Point
of Stability.
1 CPNA International, Ltd.
1043 Oyster Bay Road
East Norwich, NY 11732
Tel: (516) 935-3880
Fax: (516) 628-3959
e-mail: info@cpnaglobal.com
Report distributed March, 2016
Mr. Phipps is president and founder of CPNA International, Ltd.
and is currently on the National Honey Board. He is an importer of
honey, natural foods and tea from various international producers.
Ron is also the former personal research assistant to the president
of the American Philosophy Association. He is a recipient of the
National Science Foundation fellowship for philosophy of theoreti-
cal physics. Mr. Phipps is a founding member of the Tea & Health
&RPPLWWHH ZKLFK RUJDQL]HG WKUHH PDMRU VFLHQWLF V\PSRVLXPV RQ
tea and health and the role of antioxidants in the prevention of dis-
ease. He has worked with FDA to develop a research protocol for
the global diversity of honey. Currently, Mr. Phipps is president of
the Chamber Players International.
April 2016
E\XVXDOVFLHQWLFPHWKRGRORJLHVUHPRYHQRWRQO\SROOHQEXW
also antibiotics and residues, thereby reducing risks to importers,
exporters and packers; 3) remove chemical components which
give color to honey, therewith allowing tropical and semi-tropical
countries to export large amounts of white honey (Remember
when Indonesia, prior to the successful work of U.S. Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE), exported to the U.S. 100%
white honey); and 4) remove chemical components of honey
ZKLFK DGG DYRU DQG DURPD WKH FRPSRQHQWV ZKLFK OHG WR WKH
honeys award in 2015 for Flavor of the Year. By removing or
UHGXFLQJ DYRU FRPSRQHQWV VXFK PDQXIDFWXUHG KRQH\ LV HDV\
to blend as hamburger helper into honey. As an illustration,
VXQRZHUKRQH\KDVEHHQUHSRUWHGWRKDYHDYRUSUROHVWKDW
ZHUHQRWVXQRZHUDQGZKLFKFU\VWDOOL]HGOLNHUDSHVHHGKRQH\
The manufacturers, users and sellers of the resin machinery
have claimed that resin technology was FDA approved. A letter
IURPWKH)'$FODULHGWKLVDVIROORZV
[The]..resins may be safely used as articles or compo-
nents of articles intended for repeated use in producing
food, in accordance with Federal Regulations.the regu-
ODWLRQGRHVQRWDGGUHVVWKHXVHRIWKHUHVLQIRUDQ\VSHFLF
food products or contaminants, including carbendazim in
KRQH\QRULVVXFKVSHFLFXVHHOVHZKHUHDGGUHVVHGLQ)'$
regulations.
calling the product that has been treated with the
resin technology simply honey would not accurately iden-
tify the food generally understood to be honey. The product
VKRXOGEHODEHOHGZLWKDQDPHWKDWVXIFLHQWO\GHVFULEHVLWV
characterizing properties in a way that distinguishes it from
honey which has not been treated with resin technology.
The FDA issued draft guidance on April 9, 2014, for the proper
labelling of honey and honey products. The FDA is working on
QDOL]LQJWKLVJXLGDQFHDQGLVDFFHSWLQJFRPPHQWV
7KHDERYHFODULFDWLRQRQWKHXVHRIUHVLQWHFKQRORJ\LVRIFDU-
GLQDOLPSRUWDQFH7KRVHZKRJHQXLQHO\ZDQWDOHYHOSOD\LQJHOG
which incentivizes producers and consumers need enforcement
391
of this ruling that requires special labelling for the product that
results from the use of resin technology on honey. TOP TEN COUNTRIES
TOTAL HONEY IMPORTS -USA 2015
New methods of honey analysis and authenticity testing
Currently there are serious discussions regarding cooperative metric tons Av. Price/lb.
DQG FROODERUDWLYH LQWHUQDWLRQDO VFLHQWLF HIIRUWV WR HVWDEOLVK D
EURDGJOREDOGDWDEDVHRIDXWKHQWLFKRQH\VDPSOHVUHHFWLQJWKH World 175,4 06 1.58
PXOWLSOHYDULDEOHVZKLFKGHWHUPLQHWKHFKHPLFDOSUROHVRIKRQH\
American beekeepers are participating in providing authenticated
samples. Vietnam 37,071 21%
In an Era of Transparency, as Dr. Daberkow and I described
in our Chapter in the new edition of The Hive and the Honey India 36,123 20.50%
Bee WKHVH LQWHUQDWLRQDO FROODERUDWLYH HIIRUWV IXOOO DQG IXUWKHU
the FDA Research Protocol for Honey issued by Dr. Michael A. Argentina 27,081 15.50%
McLaughlin, Samuel W. Page, and Jerome A. Schneidman of the
Brazil 15,459
USFDA. Concurrent with the effort to establish that data base are
HIIRUWV WR HVWDEOLVK PRUH VRSKLVWLFDWHG VFLHQWLF PHWKRGRORJLHV Ukraine 11,411
to better assess and determine country of origin, adulteration, the
use of resin technology, and whether or not the honey has been Thailand 10,752
ripened by bees (mature honey).
The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Technology applied Canada 8,233
WRKRQH\LVRQHRIWKHPRVWSURPLVLQJDQGVRSKLVWLFDWHGVFLHQWLF Uruguay 7,243
techniques being developed and investigated not only by private-
IRUSURWODERUDWRULHVEXWDOVRE\LQGHSHQGHQWDFDGHPLFVFLHQWLVWV Mexico 5,364
and governmental laboratories concerned with food safety and
food authenticity. Turkey 5,179
Systems of traceability allow the producing industry to trace not
only where, when and from which areas honey was produced, but 3OHDVH QRWH WKDW WKH SULFHV RI LPSRUWHG KRQH\ LQ  UHHFW
DOVRWKHRUDOVRXUFHVFOLPDWLFFRQGLWLRQVDQGRWKHUUHOHYDQWYDUL- prices of shipments entering US Customs in 2015. The prices
DEOHV ZKLFK GHWHUPLQH WKH FKHPLFDO SUROHV RI KRQH\ 6LPLODUO\ RI VXFK LPSRUWHG KRQH\ RIWHQ UHHFW SULFHV IURP  RU HYHQ
SUROHV RI EOHQGV RI KRQH\ FDQ EH UHODWLYHO\ HDVLO\ HVWDEOLVKHG  PRQWKV HDUOLHU ZKHQ WKH PDUNHW ZDV UP DQG WKHUH ZDV QR
To make an analogy, major teaching and research hospitals in expectation of either a tremendous surge of honey imports or a
the U.S. are working to establish what has been called Precision precipitous collapse of prices. Market prices by June 2015 had
Medicine within the Context of Global and Integrated Medicine. already sharply dropped creating passivity in the marketplace and
%\ HVWDEOLVKLQJ WKH VSHFLF QDWXUH RI LQGLYLGXDO JHQRPHV DQG everyone thought next week prices will be lower. The declining
understanding those genomes in relation to a global data base with PDUNHWSULFHVIRUKRQH\UHHFWHGDJHQHUDOPDODLVHLQWKHLQWHUQD-
an integration of many variables, more precise ways to predict, tional economy. Chinas economic stagnation and retreat led to a
diagnose, treat and cure diseases are being developed. general decline in global commodity prices.
The assessment of the purity and authenticity of honey, its
PHWKRGRISURFHVVLQJVXFKDVXOWUDOWUDWLRQRUUHVLQWHFKQRORJ\
and country of origin may come by means of the collaborative
VFLHQWLFUHVHDUFKQRZXQGHUZD\WRPLUURUWKHJHQHUDOWKHPHRI
Precision Analysis within the context of Global and Integrated
Data.
Without underestimating the machinations of honey circumven-
WLRQZHUHPDLQPRUHRSWLPLVWLFWKDWQHZVFLHQWLFWRROVDQGGDWD
bases are emerging which will make circumvention and adultera-
WLRQPRUHGLIFXOW7KHLQGXVWU\QHHGVVXFKWRROVWRVXVWDLQDYLWDO
vibrant and vigorous beekeeping industry and preserve the health
of global ecosystems of which the worlds greatest pollinators
the bees are an essential part.
Statistics and the Situation
Honey consumption in the USA is at least 500 to 600 million
pounds per annum. The growth of honey consumption has mir-
rored the growth of the population with per capita consumption
about a half kilo or 1.1 pounds per person. It is important to note
that this increasing level of total consumption has been maintained
for a decade of substantially rising prices.
Honey is a small luxury and a natural, pure, charming and
intriguing product. Like many products, when the prices are low
consumers perceive a lack of value. Sophisticated marketers are
well aware of this marketing fact.
The current collapse of the market price is not due to a decline
in consumption because of higher prices. The precipitous collapse
in honey prices is a result of other factors. What is occurring is
more the Domino Effect or the House of Cards collapsing. Group
A surges with low prices and a big quantity of all kinds of honey
and steals the market from Group B whose subsequent collapse
under the burden of world inventories causes the collapse of
Group C whose collapse leads to that of Group D. Group D is the
North America Beekeepers.
392
Argentina
Argentinas new President Macri has offered more
liberal, market-oriented economic policies. This has
allowed the Argentine peso to be devalued, although
WKDW LV FRXQWHUHG E\ LQDWLRQ ZKLFK KDV SODJXHG
Argentina for years. International agreements to resolve
prior sovereign debts are in place. The bizarre requirement
of the preceding government that import rights depend on
exports is unlikely to be sustained. That will reduce the arti-
FLDOLQFHQWLYHIRUVSHFXODWLRQLQKRQH\E\WKRVH$UJHQWLQH
UPVVSHFLDOL]LQJLQLPSRUWLQJKLJKSUROHKLJKWHFKQRORJ\
products.
Unsold inventories from the 2015 crop, the removal of export
duties, and a plunge in the value of the peso contributed to down-
ward price pressure on honey by mid 2015. The major factor caus-
ing these declines was the competitive pressure which emerged
from offers of white and ELA honey which were offered at below
market prices from a set of countries that are not known as pro-
GXFHUVRUH[SRUWHUVRIWKHW\SHRIKRQH\ZKLFKRRGHGWKHPDUNHW
Honey exports from Argentina to the U.S. in 2015 were 27,081
metric tons, a decline of 26.5% from 2014. Prices decreased
relative to 2014. The previous crop (2014-2015) is estimated to
have been between 60-65,000 metric tons and not as white as its
preceding crop. Unsold inventories remain in Argentina and also
in the U.S. The current crop is very good and may reach 70,000
to 80,000 metric tons.
Brazil
Crop forecasts are optimistic for the main crop
of Light Amber, including eucalyptus, which
EHJLQV LQ 0DUFK 6LQFH WKH HDUO\ SRO\RUD FURS
from southern Brazil failed in the 4th Quarter of
2015 due to heavy rains, many shipments were
American Bee Journal
 There is growing concern among thoughtful Brazilian export-
US HONEY IMPORTS 2015 by color ers that the current large differential between Organic and
WHITE HONEY IMPORTS - USA 2015 Conventional honey prices risks reducing demand for Organic
honey.
Metric Tons Av. Price/lb.
Canada
Canada 7,534 1.89 Production rose by 11.4% to 95.3 million pounds in 2015, and
Argentina 5,700 1.74 U.S. honey imports from Canada increased by 46.6% to 8,233
metric tons (about 18 million pounds) of primarily white honey.
India 3,876 1.59 U.S. importers paid an average of US$1.90/lb., the highest overall
average, to Canadian sellers. Canadian production has been gener-
Mexico 1,805 1.87 ally rising since 2008. Reports of honey imported from Spain at
very low prices suspected to be primarily of Chinese origin and/
Brazil 915 1.84 or adulterated with sweeteners are circulating. These reports are
causing careful scrutiny in Canada.
Taiwan 211 0.99
Mexico
U.S. imports from Mexico were about 10 million pounds in
EXTRA LIGHT AMBER HONEY IMPORTS-USA 2015 2015 for mainly white and ELA colors at prices generally higher
than other origins. Volumes declined by about 25% while prices
Argentina 1.74 for white colors increased compared to 2014.
India 1.52
Vietnam and India
Ukraine 1.52 Inventories of Amber and Dark Amber honey are piling up in
9LHWQDPPRVWO\IURPWKHQHZRUDOVRXUFHAcacia mangium. The
Uruguay 1.6 color of Vietnam honey imports is typically Light Amber, while
Thailand 1.23 57% of imported Indian honey was White or Extra Light Amber
in 2015.
Taiwan 1.12 Total imports from Vietnam declined from 47,107 metric tons
in 2014 to 37,071 metric tons in 2015 (down 21%), while imports
Mexico 1.78 from India soared from 20,381 metric tons to 36,123 metric tons in
2015 (up 77%). By value, imports from India reached $114 million
in 2015, making India the top exporter to the U.S. by value. This
LIGHT AMBER HONEY IMPORTS - USA 2015 is a remarkable growth from 2001, when total imports from India
were 20 metric tons/year at a price of $0.60/lb.
Vietnam 1.31
Ukraine
India 1.43 In late 2015 there were reports of rejec-
Ukraine 1.48 tions in Europe of Ukrainian honey due to
widespread contamination with antibiotics,
Thailand 1.21 DQG LQ HDUO\  SULFHV GURSSHG VLJQL-
cantly from their average of $1.52/lb. in 2015.
Turkey 1.45 The Ukraine government stopped some honey
exports from Ukraine to the EU. While Ukraine has considerable
GHOD\HGDQGSULFHVIRURUJDQLFKRQH\ZHUHUPDQGULVLQJVOLJKWO\ VXQRZHUSURGXFWLRQDQGPDQ\EHHNHHSHUVWKHVL]HRIEHHNHHSLQJ
in February. We heard the comment Due to El Nino anything can operations in Ukraine is extraordinarily small, making effective
happen and that concern has led some exporters to be cautious TXDOLW\FRQWUROYHU\GLIFXOW
about forward sales. Volumes from the Northeast and Southeast 8NUDLQHHPHUJHGDVDYHU\VLJQLFDQWH[SRUWHURIKRQH\WRWKH
are expected to be good, however. Honey exports from Brazil U.S. despite the fact that the Ukrainian economy is in deep eco-
to the U.S. in 2015 were 15,459 metric tons, a decline of 20% nomic distress and the economic, political and military tensions
compared to 2014. between western Ukraine and eastern Ukraine remain tense. The

^WE'/,K

April 2016 393

Chinese are reported to be renting over 10% of the agricultural
land in Ukraine, and at least 10 Chinese honey companies and
some Polish honey companies, are operating in Ukraine. Ukraine
is also importing imitation honey according to statistical reports.
The eastern European honey market, along with the EU as a
ZKROHLVVKRZLQJPDQ\VVXUHVDQGFRQLFWV,Q+XQJDULDQ
beekeepers staged protests at the EU headquarters in Brussels
against cheap and possibly adulterated imports which were harm-
ing their indigenous honey industry and beekeepers.
China and the U.S. Honey Market
China is the 800 pound gorilla
in the room whose presence must
be acknowledged. For the American
honey industry this presence revolves
more than any other single factor
XSRQZKHWKHU&KLQDZLOOUHFHLYHRI-
cial recognition in the USA as a
0DUNHW(FRQRP\ZKLFKZLOOSURIRXQGO\LQXHQFHKRZDQWLGXPS-
ing petitions against particular industries are handled and how
anti-dumping rates, if any, are calculated. This question involves
many industries from honey to steel, from tools to solar panels.
The same question is before the European Union. The Chinese
government undoubtedly hopes if Europe grants market status to
China this will put pressure upon the U.S. to do likewise. The issue
grows from the 2001 bilateral agreements by which China entered
At the end of February a hearing on Chinas shifting eco-
nomic realities was held in Washington, D.C. to discuss this
LVVXH 6HYHQW\YH SHUFHQW RI WKH SDUWLFLSDQWV DUJXHG WKDW
Chinas economic behavior and systems do not justify granting
China market economy status. The arguments can be sum-
marized:
China is not a market economy based on laws in the EU,
Canada or the US. The US criteria for consideration include
convertibility of currency, freedom of labor and management
to negotiate wages, and the extent of government control over
means of production, allocation of resources and price deci-
sions.
7RWUHDW&KLQDDVD0DUNHW(FRQRP\ZRXOGKDYHDVLJQL-
cant negative impact on the U.S. economy. Competition on a
VODQWHGSOD\LQJHOGSRVHVUHDOFRVWVWR86EXVLQHVVHV&KLQD
is described as a company disguised as a country by a U.S.
VWHHO FRPSDQ\ &(2 ZKR WHVWLHG +H SDLQWHG D SLFWXUH RI DQ
$PHULFDQVWHHOLQGXVWU\GHFLPDWHGE\DQLQX[RIRIWHQLQIH-
rior Chinese steel products. The crisis is compounded by the
Chinese governments unchecked intrusion in its steel-making
sector where capacity is multiple times what it should be and
cheap excess steel is shipped overseas, creating huge losses for
U.S. and other producers. Bankruptcies of 14 U.S. steel produc-
ers have occurred already.
China claims that the US is obligated to treat China as a
WKH:RUOG7UDGH2UJDQL]DWLRQ:72ZLWKWKHUPH[SHFWDWLRQRU
promise) that in 15 years (2016) China would be granted Market
Economy status.
The Chinese government has threatened to bring a law suit
before the WTO. Perhaps, if there had not been such an extensive
history of circumvention, transshipment and customs fraud, the
issue would be easier to resolve and tensions less sharp. But that is
water under the bridge and the collusion and circumvention con-
tinue to occur and, thus, irritate American industries and the U.S.
Congress. The USTR has highlighted Chinas large role for state-
owned enterprises and the preferences for domestic companies in
its evaluation submitted to the World Trade Organization.
7UDGH WHQVLRQV DUH EHLQJ IXUWKHU LQWHQVLHG E\ &KLQDV GLUHFW
and indirect outside investment, resulting in purchases of farm
ODQGVRLOHOGVIDFWRULHVEXLOGLQJVPLQHVDQGUHDOHVWDWHDURXQG
the world. A recent article in the New York Times was titled:
Chinas Acquisitive Ambitions Raise Alarm in Washington. As
Chinese companies try to snap up American tech businesses, they
are setting off ripples of unease in the Obama administration and in
Congress. In the U.S., Chinese interests have purchased computer
market economy by the terms of Chinas Protocol to the WTO.
LQJRUDOVRXUFHUHJLRQWLPHDQGFRQGLWLRQVRISURGXFWLRQ&KLQD
KDVPDQ\EHHNHHSHUVDQGDZLGHGLYHUVLW\RIRUDOVRXUFHVVXLWDEOH
to producing high quality honey. There are efforts within China to
improve the testing of honey and to prevent both adulteration and
illegal activities in exports of honey.
Global Honey Production and Global Beekeeping
Detailed analysis of total honey production and exports indicates
serious and obvious contradictions. As the graph below shows,
there has been a huge increase in total global honey exports with-
out a corresponding increase in the number of beehives around the
world. This aberration is troubling as the global bee populations
are under tremendous stress and declining.
In the most advanced and professional beekeeping operations
in the world, such as those in America and Argentina, productiv-
ity per hive has substantially declined. Areas where 120 pounds/
hive were typical are now yielding 50 70 pounds/hive and under
XQLWVIURP,%0/HQRYRWKH:DOGRUI$VWRULD6PLWKHOGDQGDUH adverse weather conditions even less. The bee losses related to
attempting to purchase the Chicago stock exchange. As was quoted neonicotinoids, pesticides, mites, colony collapse disorder, reduc-
by the New York Times, after a Chinese billionaire paid $175 mil- tion of acreage for forage, monodiets, stress, environmental pollu-
lion for a European art treasure, We have bought your businesses tion, and climate change have contributed to this loss of productiv-
and buildings and now we are buying your art.
China is currently negotiating to purchase for $44 billion the
giant Swiss manufacturer of agricultural chemicals and seeds,
including GMO seeds. Either directly or through surrogates China
is buying honey companies around the world, including in America.
The fact that China is saddled with enormous redundancies
of productive capacities is resulting in huge portfolios of non-
SHUIRUPLQJORDQVDQGQDQFLDOSHULO,WVHFRQRP\DQGVWRFNPDUNHW
are declining and its currency weakening, which is causing a huge
movement of money from China to other countries.
Studies of Chinese honey production and consumption have
indicated that China is consuming much more honey than it pro-
duces, and much more honey than the sum of its production and
imports. As reported over the past several years, the Chinese media
has indicated in numerous cities over 50% of the honey sampled
on the retail level has been found to be adulterated with up to
70-100% of other sweeteners. This has led to consumer complaints
and a tendency to buy honey only directly from beekeepers.
In 2015 there was a conference held in China to exchange tech-
nical information and discuss analytic technology for honey. China
is being invited to participate in the collaborative efforts to estab- ^ W E ' / ,
lish a global data base of authenticated samples of honey identify- K

394 American Bee Journal

ity per hive. The increase in global honey exports in the context of
both a stable number of beehives and declines in productivity per
hive in the major producing countries creates an anomaly which
suggests widespread honey adulteration.
The fact that Chinese beekeepers extract honey at very high
moisture levels of 35-40% and have the moisture reduced in
factories may be one factor contributing to this anomaly. The
extraction of immature and unripened honey may increase quanti-
WLHVEXWGHFUHDVHTXDOLWLHVDQGGHSULYHKRQH\RILWVKHDOWKEHQHWV
and status as a pure and natural product. Fortunately, Nuclear
Magnetic Resonance (NMR) technology may provide an effective
tool to distinguish immature and inauthentic honey from natural
honey. The biochemical interaction of bees and the nectar bees
JDWKHUDOWHUWKHFKHPLFDOSUROHVDQGEHQHWVRIKRQH\6WDQGDUGV
for global professional beekeeping practices and effective testing
methodologies for honey need to further evolve to preserve the
integrity of honey.
Climate Change
Not only is the global economic system in a prolonged state
RI VWDJQDWLRQ DQG QDQFLDO VWUHVV EXW WKH SDVW GHFDGH KDV VHHQ
the highest concentration of hot years. The past 2 years were the
hottest years on record. January 2016 was the hottest month on
record. Sea rises throughout the globe were the greatest in 28 cen-
turies! South Africa is suffering the severest drought in a century.
Syrias human tragedies of sectarian violence occur in the context
of severe and protracted drought. Plants and animals are gradually
migrating away from the Equator in both the northern and southern
hemispheres.
How honey and agricultural production will be affected during
the coming years remains to be seen. But weve seen enough to
hear a call for concern and change in the mode of preventative
medicine!
April 2016
Creative Marketing
There have been a series of efforts to bring to honey the Creative
Marketing which has transformed and invigorated various food
industries including almonds, wine, tea, and cranberries. The
opportunities for honey are considerable and the leadership of the
National Honey Board is working to craft ways to bring modern
creative marketing themes to honey. The general concept is how to
create a tapestry whose strands will include the intrinsic attributes
and charm of honey, which was awarded Flavor of the Year in
2015. The challenge is how to creatively weave together the beauty
of honey as The Soul of a Field of Flowers, the functional and
DYRUDWWULEXWHVWKHGLYHUVLW\RIPRGHVRIFRQVXPSWLRQWKHKHDOWK
EHQHWVDQGWKHUROHRIKRQH\LQDKHDOWK\GLHWWKHLPSRUWDQFHRI
bees to agriculture and the health of the globes interdependent
ecological systems. The new Dietary Guideline of the FDA with
its analysis of the role of sweeteners creates great opportunities for
SURPRWLQJWKHQXPHURXVKHDOWKEHQHWVRIKRQH\,QWHUHVWKDVEHHQ
expressed by the American and international honey industries to
UHYLHZVFLHQWLFVWXGLHVRQKRQH\DQGKHDOWKDQGWREULQJWRJHWKHU
these results in a compelling tapestry for honey.
It was very interesting that at the annual convention of the
American Honey Producers Association, not only did scientists
from the USDA and the EPA attend, but a White House Staff
member, Bruce Rodan, assistant director of Environmental Health,
2IFHRI6FLHQFH 7HFKQRORJ\VKRZHGSLFWXUHVRI:KLWH+RXVH
EHHKLYHVDQGZDVYHU\ZDUPO\UHFHLYHG+HDIUPHGWKHLPSRU-
tance of bees to agricultural production and the ecological system.
At the State of the Union address a member of the honey industry
was an invited guest. Interestingly, some premium quality U.S.
honey may be served during upcoming state dinners.
The global appreciation of the honey bee has never been more
acute, widespread or deeply understood than at present.
395
L
angstroth published the original Hive
and the Honey Bee in 1853. He en-
trusted Charles C. Dadant and Son to
undertake a complete rewrite of the book,
which appeared in 1888. Since then, it has
undergone many revisions. In 1947 edi-
tor Roy Grout introduced the multi-author
format that continues today. The book was
extensively updated in 1975, leading with
an article on The Worlds Beekeeping,
by Dr. Eva Crane. At almost 750 pages,
the new book was comprehensive and thor-
ough, but in 1992 a new version came out
which was nearly twice as large.
The 2015 edition may not have quite as
many pages, but it is just as heavy, owing to
the high quality paper that has been added
to allow the inclusion of full color pictures.
The use of better paper has the additional
EHQHW RI PDNLQJ WKH WH[W YHU\ VKDUS DQG
clear. Also, the pages are larger format,
enhancing the overall ease with which this
epic text can be read and enjoyed.
:KDW , QG SDUWLFXODUO\ LQWHUHVWLQJ LV
the inclusion of some older work amid all
thats new. There is a chapter on Beekeep-
ing Equipment by Charles C. Dadant,
which has been carried over from the 1975
edition, but it is enhanced with lively color
photographs. The sections by Norman Gary
(Activities and Behavior) and Justin
Schmidt (Allergy to Venomous Insects)
have been kept, but extensively rewritten
to incorporate new material. Overall, its
clear that much in beekeeping has changed,
while some things have stayed pretty much
the same.
, ZRXOG OLNH WR SRLQW RXW D VLJQLFDQW
change from the previous editions and that
is the number of female authors. I men-
tioned Eva Crane; she was the only one
in the past books, while in 2015 there are
nearly a dozen women among the listed au-
April 2016
WKRUV7KLVUHHFWVWKHVLJQLFDQWFKDQJHLQ
D HOG ZKLFK LQ WKH SDVW WHQGHG WR DWWUDFW
mostly men. Now there is an abundance of
women at the top of honey bee research and
science in general.
The topics in the new book range from
historical, like Richard Jones entry on
The Worlds Beekeeping Past and Pres-
ent, and the chapter by Wyatt Mangum on
the history of beekeeping in the U.S., both
profusely illustrated with color photos. The
picture of antique smokers shows dozens
of them in all shapes and sizes. There is
an excellent section covering the races and
ecotypes of honey bees by Walter Sheppard,
one of the leading experts and a discoverer
of a separate population of bees in the Tien
Shan mountains. This region, which in-
cludes Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and parts of
China, is the origin of many important fruits
including apple, pear and so on.
Many notable authors from the American
Bee Journal have been recruited to write
chapters. These include Kirsten Traynors
treatment of Honey which covers every-
thing from the types of honey, its chemical
composition, tips on displaying it and cook-
ing with it. M.E.A. McNeil co-authors an
exhaustive section on the Other Products
of the Hive which covers not only the usual
(beeswax, propolis, royal jelly) but also in-
cludes the use of bees as food. Another ABJ
author, TLee Sollenberger writes about
marketing hive products in a piece clearly
tailored to the small beekeeper.
Commercial beekeeping is thoroughly
covered as well. The 1992 edition carried
notable articles on this topic by Malcolm
Sanford and Harry Rodenberg. In the new
edition Sanford and Hoopingarner update
and expand their previous work in the chap-
WHUWLWOHG%XVLQHVV3UDFWLFHVDQG3URWDELO-
ity. To this is added a chapter on Honey
Marketing for the Commercial Beekeeper
by Ron Phipps.
George Ayers is known to readers of
the Bee Journal for his monthly section
RQKRQH\SODQWVVRLWLVWWLQJWKDWKHKDV
co-authored an extensive summary which
runs almost 100 pages. His chapter includes
tables which break down the subject into
plant families and geographic regions. As
you would expect, the section is illustrated
with clear color photographs which are an
LPPHQVHKHOSLQWKHLGHQWLFDWLRQRISODQWV
essential to the health and prosperity of
honey bee colonies.
Specialty topics are also thoroughly
covered. Susan Cobey gives detailed in-
structions on the technique of instrumental
insemination of honey bee queens, which is
vitally important to research into the breed-
ing and genetics of the honey bee. M.E.A.
McNeil adds a chapter on the production
of queens and package bees for sale. The
package bee industry is one of the unsung
heroes, considering how every spring they
help beekeepers restock their hives after
suffering the vagaries of winter.
Speaking of winter, this topic is ably han-
dled by Rob Currie, Marla Spivak and Gary
Reuter. They discuss the important issue of
winter losses, which were reported to be as
high as 33% in the 1950s for unprotected
colonies to as low as 6-10% for indoor win-
tered colonies. Over-wintering colonies is
especially important for Canadian beekeep-
ers who are no longer able to import bees
from the US in spring. It is also crucial to
those folks who want to develop and main-
tain locally adapted bees.
Over the years, many people in the bee
world have helped me with my own writ-
ing. I would particularly like to mention
Gene Robinson and Christina Grozinger,
both of whom have excellent chapters in
397
the 2015 Hive and the Honey Bee. Dr. Rob-
LQVRQKDVVWD\HGDWWKHIRUHIURQWRIWKHHOG
of Sociogenomics, which is the study of
the genetic basis of honey bee behavior
how it evolved, how it arises and how it is
regulated in the colony. Dr. Grozinger thor-
oughly covers Honey Bee Pheromones
which constitute the chief way in which the
hive is regulated. There is no whispering
in the dark; honey bees communicate with
chemicals; these substances are the news
media of the hive.
There is so much more in this book, you
will have to get a copy and see for yourself.
In this day when technical books often sell
for hundreds of dollars, the Dadants book
is a great value at the cost of dinner and a
movie. Special thanks are due to Joe Gra-
ham, tireless editor of the American Bee
Journal. He has enlisted more than forty
DXWKRUVWRSVLQWKHHOGDQGSURGXFHGDQ
epic volume well worth the twenty year wait
since his last edition. Treat yourself!
For book orders contact Dadant &
Sons, Inc., www.dadant.com, 1-888-922-
1293.

Timber Ridge Barrels

These 55 gallon barrels
(with food grade liners)
are perfect for storing honey.
$10-$15
per barrel
If interested: Contact Steve Bumann
by calling 712-353-6600 or 712-353-6678 or
Email: bumann@wiatel.net
7LPEHU5LGJH%DUUHOV6WHYH%XPDQQ+Z\/&DVWDQD,$

398 American Bee Journal

 The Classroom
by Jerry Hayes
Please send your questions to Jerry Hayes
Email: gwhayes54@yahoo.com

QUESTION FROM JERRY
FROZEN SMALL HIVE BEETLES?
I need some input on from you. The mag-
azine is assembled two months in advanced
so there is a delay at times with some things
like this that happened in January.
:HKDGVRPHRIFLDOZLQWHUZHDWKHULQ
my area in January. The forecast for the
evening of Jan. 17th and the morning of
the 18th was a low of 5 F and a wind chill
of -10. I had some smaller weaker colonies
and took a loop around the apiary on the
afternoon of the 17th as a concerned parent.
It was as cold as advertised on the morn-
ing of the 18th. I stayed inside because it
(SHB) on the landing board of just one good 2 miles or so away from the original
of my colonies. They couldnt have colony to prevent the bees from just going
been caught and brought there and left back to the hive they came from. What if
by the bees because the bees had been you don't have that luxury of another place
clustered for days. And even if they had, to move them? Can you make a split in the
the bees wouldnt have just left them at same bee yard? If so, any tips and tricks as
the entrance and gone back inside. So to how?
that is out. If the small hive beetles
were caught in the cold as the cluster Thank you,
contracted and were exposed and died in Dennis
the hive, they would have died in place in a
cell or fallen to the bottom where I certainly
wouldnt have seen them. It looks like they
tried to escape and only made it so far be-
fore they froze to death. Darwin in action.
But, I am making most of this up. I dont
know, what you think?
COMMENT FROM LARA
Classroom Question Titled: Are farm-
ers to blame for lack of bee forage?
I clapped when I read your response. I
am a beekeeper and a farmer so I experi-

didnt make any difference at that point.
That afternoon temperature warmed (right)
to 18 F. So I went out and saw something
I have never ever seen before. Take a look
at photo. Those are dead small hive beetles
PQ- is active and laying well and there are a lot
HQFHQJHUSRLQWLQJIURPZHOOPHDQLQJ\HW
extremely uneducated people/groups. Agri-
FXOWXUHRIWHQJHWVYLOLHGZLWKQRWKRXJKWDV
to how we can continue to feed the world's
growing population as agriculture lands
disappear at an alarming rate due to urban
VSUDZO,DOZD\VQGLWIXQQ\WKDWLWQHYHU
occurs to some urbanites that they could be
living in a town/city that was built upon a
IRUPHUEHHIRUDJLQJRDVLV%XWQRZ,
ger pointing, so I digress.
Farmers take care of the soil that takes
care of them and being a good steward of
the land and environment is always of the
utmost importance. Thank you for politely
and succinctly asking her what she (urban-
ites) can do instead of passing the buck.
Your answer absolutely warmed my heart
and I will use it to stay classy.
Thank you,
Lara
A
There are a couple of things to consider
in making splits in one location. These are
based on the reality (not the assumption)
that the original colony that the split is made
from is healthy and that the original queen
of food reserves, no disease issues and Var-
roa is below 3 mites per 100 bees. You want
the split to be able to stabilize and grow
quickly and not be restricted by pests, para-
sites and diseases. Having a queen available
to install will make this go more quickly.
Making a split and waiting for the split to
make their own queen slows things down
by a few weeks.
When making a split in the same yard, it
means that you, the beekeeper, can assume
the bees that are on the frames transferred

Q MAKING SPLITS
Hi Jerry,
with the frames of open and sealed brood
are young bees that have not aged to be-
come foragers. Older forager bees are the
only ones that have left the colony and have
imprinted on its location and if moved will
&      I know when making splits it is advised \EDFNWRWKHORFDWLRQWKH\KDYHLGHQWLHG
snap to place the new split in another bee yard a as home if possible. If you can limit the

April 2016 399

number of these forager age bees and have a
majority of young nurse age bees, then they
cant /wont return to the colony because
where they are is the only world they have
known and will stay there. You can do this
to a large degree by selecting frames from
the brood nest that have open brood and to
a lesser degree sealed brood. The bees on
those frames will generally be young nurse
age bees and have never been outside, so
their world is based on their job of feeding
larvae and preparing the brood nest area for
the queen to lay and the population to grow.
Another technique is to simply select sev-
eral frames of sealed brood and then swap
colony locations. Put the nuc in the origi-
nal colony location and the original colony
VRPHSODFH HOVH $OO WKH ROGHU HOG IRUFH
will, of course, go to the original colony lo-
cation because that is where they recognize
'home' being. So, the nuc will be automati-
cally stocked with lots of bees quickly as
foragers simply are coming home. Having
mostly sealed brood is the best because
these old foragers are not and cannot revert
well to being nurse bees that can feed lar-
vae well. The bees that will shortly emerge
from the sealed brood will be young bees
that can feed larvae that the new queen is
going to provide. The original colony in a
new location that has lost its older forager
HOGIRUFHZLOOUHFUXLW\RXQJEHHVWKDWZLOO
convert (prematurely age) and become the
new foragers. And voila, theoretically, both
colonies will shortly adjust and adapt and
you have two colonies and twice the work
to do.
Q
VARROA TREATMENTS
FOR PACKAGE BEES
What do you recommend to treat the
package bees for varroa mites with when
they are hived? Were having tremen-
dous problems with low production and
KLYHORVV,WVHHPVOLNHWKDWUVWDWWDFNLVD
critical one. Which mite treatment should
we use?
Dick L.
A I think with Varroa there are potentially a
couple things going on from commercially
produced packages and queens. With Var-
roa you are trying to kill a small bug (var-
roa) on a big bug (honey bee). They only
400
thing we have been given are pesticides, ei-
ther chemical, caustic acids or toxins. There
is lots of collateral damage, even if these
products are used properly and the industry
has been doing this for 30 years. Varroa has
adapted and is resistant to many controls and
the bees have adapted to the toxins as well,
but not totally.
Commercial package and queen suppliers
have a huge market because of losses, but
in order to take advantage of that business
they have to control Varroa extremely well
which means lots of Varroa control chemi-
cals. Some of this impacts the queen directly
making her less robust and they can impact
drones as well and make them less able to
produce viable sperm. And, because of the
huge demand, many of the virgin queens are
not fully mated because there are not enough
fertile drones to mate with.
All that to say it might not be your en-
tire fault in controlling Varroa if colonies
dont seem to be growing well. Remember
that until there are larvae and pupae, which
are available for the Varroa to reproduce
on, their population wont grow and they
are exposed (phoretic) and can be knocked
down more easily. But, unless you have
this colony isolated miles away from any
PDQDJHG RU ZLOG FRORQ\ 9DUURD ZLOO QG
its way to this colony quickly from drift-
ing and bees visiting while out foraging on
RZHUVWKDWKDYH9DUURDULGLQJDURXQGRQ
them. You cant eliminate Varroa pressure
consistently. You might be able to delay it,
but they will be introduced and catch up if
you have a vital fertile queen that is laying
well and providing brood that acts as a Var-
roa nursery.
Assume that the bees in the package
along with the queen have been exposed
to lots of Varroacides. So, they might be a
bit beat up already and stressed. I guess if
I were you and wanted to give it a shot to
control Varroa that are phoretic on incom-
ing packages I would, while they are still in
the package, dust them heavily with pow-
dered sugar which will remove many of the
phoretic mites. Let them sit for 5 minutes
or so before you shake out the sugar and
hopefully all the mites that have been re-
moved. Install them on foundation to delay
the queen laying and sample immediately
using the powdered sugar method in a jar
with a screened top (info on the web) to see
what the actual Varroa pressure is. If there
is none, then you dont have to do anything.
If there are still varroa present, then using
something like ApiGuard, the thymol gel
SURGXFW ZRXOG EH P\ UVW FKRLFH $SL-
Guard is a chemical and a registered pes-
ticide) to knock down as many as possible
KNOWING this is temporary.
What do you think Dick?
COMMENT FROM DICK
Thank-you for the good advice. One thing
I will be doing this year is to move my yard
to a more secluded area. The challenges we
face are tremendous. I'm so thankful for
your work and because of it I have hope. A
commercial beekeeper in our area lost 50%
of his bees this year and thats scary!
JERRY
I have talked to several commercial bee-
keepers of late and I am hearing similar
stories. I wouldnt sleep at night if I had
thousands of colonies. Thank you for the
compliment. We are all in this together.
Q
AFRICANIZED BEES
I spoke to you a couple of months ago
regarding Africanized honey bees and our
concern about their importation into my
state. I had another question that I was hop-
ing you could help me with: Are there any
publications out there that list how much
less honey is produced by Africanized bee
colonies as opposed to European honey bee
colonies in a production setting? I realize
that the answers may be a bit variable, de-
pending on how many Africanized genes a
hive may contain, but in general, have there
been any studies conducted that list the dif-
ferences in the amount of honey produced
after the arrival of Africanized honey bees?
Thanks a lot for any information you can
steer me to. Have a nice day!
Chris K.
A
Hey Chris,
No, I have never seen a number or even
a range. The link below is a pretty standard
DQVZHUZKHQ\RXVFUROOWRQG'R$+%
Produce Honey. The short answer is that
they are not preparing for winter because
they come from a climate that doesnt re-
quire it, so they turn what would be honey
into more bees so they can swarm that 15+
times a year.
ZZZHGLVLIDVXHGXLQ
Q VARROA CONTROL,
BITING BEES
Have you heard about the bees that at-
tack Varroa and bite them and dismember
the mites?
Jeremy W.
A1
The short story is nothing is really new
American Bee Journal
in beekeeping. Shorter story is that queens
have been available on the market for 15-20
years with one of two traits. One trait is
enhanced grooming, think chimpanzees
grooming each other, and came from efforts
to import and breed the "Russian" honey
bee at the USDA Lab in Baton Rouge. The
second trait is VSH or Varroa Sensitive Hy-
giene where colony members can identify
which capped cells contain Varroa, uncap
them and remove affected larvae/pupae.
This was selected for and bred for market
by Dr. Marla Spivak and is called the Min-
nesota Hygienic Queen. Neither one is very
successful in the real world. Not that they
shouldnt be used as part of IPM, but they
are not a silver bullet either. For the longer
story let me know.
Q2
Jerry, I'd like to hear more of the longer
story. Why are they not effective? What
are the downsides to these two grooming
traits? Etc.
A2
Honey bee survivability from almost
pole to pole is based on genetic diversity.
This comes from the breeding scheme of
RSHQ PDWLQJ DQG VWRULQJ RI ; DPRXQW RI
sperm from each of the 20-40 drones mated
with. Mating in the air in DCA's (Drone
Congregation Areas) attract drones from
colonies in a many mile radius which en-
sures genetic diversity. Virgin queens seek
out farther DCA's, so they don't mate with
drones from their own colony. They mate
with, as I said, 20-40 individual drones to
DFTXLUH WKLV JHQHWLF GLYHUVLW\ DQG VWRUH ;
YH UHDOO\
amount of sperm from each for later use.
They dont want inbreeding weakness.
The hygienic traits can be selected for
the problem. The VSH trait is not perfect
as colonies open up a lot of cells that don't
have varroa and colony population can
be affected. But this trait in open mating
disappears quickly as well. When I was in
Florida, Dr. Glenn Hall at the University
of Florida bred a bee with these traits that
was almost 100% varroa free. However, the
colonies were about the size of a grapefruit.
No value as a honey bee colony. Good
ideas in principle--its just hard to maintain
WKH WUDLW LQ WKH HOG EXW WKDWV ZKDW EHH-
keepers want and need.
Q
Website:
Beekeeper's
License?
I have been told that some states require
a license for beekeepers and I would like
to know if this is true and if it is, where I
could get a sample license because I would
like to know how much I don't know. Okla-
homa where I live does not require a li-
cense, but I live very close to Missouri and
Kansas, so I may need a license if the laws
are changed. Also, I think I might need to
study more than I have been. I only have a
few hives, but may get more and it would be
nice to know more about what I am doing.
Thank you for answering the many ques-
tions. Seems like you always have the right
answers.
Merl from NE OK
diet in the lab. When they have access to a
below and he will be more than happy to
help you with regulations and training pro-
vided by the Dept. of Ag or the Oklahoma
Beekeepers Association.
OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture
Consumer Protection Services
Apiary Specialist: Don Molnar
Address:
P.O. Box 528804
Oklahoma City, OK 73152-8804
Phone: 580-614-1035
Fax: 405-522-4584
Email: don.molnar@ag.ok.gov
www.oda.state.ok.us/cps-bees.htm
Land Grant University Website:
www.ento.okstate.edu
State Beekeeper's Association:
www.okbees.org
Q SMALL HIVE
BEETLE FECES?
I am a new beekeeper and would like to
know what small hive beetle poop looks
like so I can tell if they are in my colony.
Steven
A
Great question Steven. I had never seen
any, so went to Dr. Jamie Ellis, Univ. of
Florida, who is the small hive beetle expert.
Here is Jamie's answer. Now I know why I
have never seen any.
Jerry,
They are small, thin, kind of orangey-
EURZQ EURXV ORRNLQJ VWULQJV ,
only seen these when feeding them a dry
E\XVLQJ$UWLFLDO,QVHPLQDWLRQ$,DQGD
limited amount of single drone sperm. You
gain a trait and lose some with this selec-
tion. When these AI- produced queens are
given/sold to commercial queen breeders,
the virgins produced are open-mated and
the trait disappears pretty quickly because
the DCAs have drones from the colonies
in a many mile radius from many differ-
ent coloniesnot all the ones you want or
need to transfer the trait.
Not a whole lot of downside to the adult
grooming trait, but maintaining the trait in
a demonstrable form for the price has been
April 2016
A There is not any State that requires a li-
cense to be an active beekeeper that I know
of, but some cities do have beekeeping ordi-
nances. You will have to check with the city
in which you reside. There are regulations
in some states to register as a beekeeper
and have inspections for pests, predators
and diseases to keep colonies healthy and
not act as a reservoir to infect other honey
bee colonies.
The contact information for Oklahoma is
below. I would contact Don Molnar listed
moist diet (i.e. with honey or brood juices),
the feces take in the moisture and get lost in
the background goop and slime.
Jamie
Q How Does the
Queen Know?
On page 1295 of Dec 2015 issue of the
Jamie Ellis article he mentions that drone
honey bees result from a queens conscious
decision to lay an unfertilized egg in a
401
large brood cell (a drone cell). Queens in-
spect cells prior to laying in them. During
this time, she will insert her head and front
legs into the cell, the latter which she uses
to measure the cells interior diameter. This
way, the queen is able to determine if the
cell is small or large, thus knowing whether
to lay a fertilized egg that will result in a
worker or an unfertilized one that will result
in a drone.
At a recent beekeeper party one of the
old-time beekeepers said that the queen
lays a drone egg because the drone cell is
larger and doesnt squeeze her abdomen so
no sperm is released, but a worker cell is
tighter so it puts pressure on the queens
abdomen causing sperm to be released with
the egg. Any thoughts as to which is more
likely to be true? Thank you for what you
do, it means a lot!
Katie
Moncks Corner, SC
A
The short answer is that Jamie is right.
The queen sticks her head in the cell and ac-
tually uses her antennae and legs to measure
the width of the cell. Antennae and legs can
move back and forth independently and are
used as a ruler as they move further or closer
apart. I am not quite sure if we know what
a conscious decision is for the queen, but in
the process of this measurement, a sperm re-
lease go / no go automatic decision action is
made somehow and the spermatheca (where
sperm is stored) valve is opened or not. For
drones it is kept closed.
I think the old timer at the party might
have had too much mead to drink.
Q
NOT THE FLOW
HIVE AGAIN!
Hey Jerry - hope all is well... quick ques-
tion for you. I have a farm up in Sonoma
County and would like to create homes for
some bees and share some honey! Have you
heard of the Flow Hive? Is this good or bad
for bees? Any guidance would be most ap-
preciated! Thanks
David F.
402
TABERS on the web...
A Ughthe Flow Hive. I try to ignore that.
The short story is that it is the most inno- Queens & Packages
vative, creative, dumbest thing I have ever
seen. But from a business perspective it has New USDA Russian
gotten a lot of crowd sourcing money--a
great business school example of market- ARS Yugoslavians
LQJWRWKHQDQFLDOO\VHFXUHEXWLJQRUDQW
I think the Flow Hive people answer their Free Brochure Call
emails from their new vacation homes in
Jamaica now (joke).
Phone 707-449-0440
Reasons:
1) Beekeeping is a visual sport. This Fax 707-449-8127
hive encourages let-alone beekeeping, so P.O. Box 1672
new excited hobby beekeepers never ad-
vance from beehavers and pests, parasites Vacaville, CA 95696
and pathogens have free reign. www.honeybeegenetics.com
2) When you physically break comb
in their process to release liquid honey, it
encourages the secondary predators, small BEE POLLEN
Low Moisture
KLYHEHHWOHVDQGZD[PRWKVWRQGDQGXVH
these free resources to reproduce and de-
stroy the colony. 10 lbs. . . . . . . . . . . . .$71.00
3) How do you know if the combs contain
IXOO\QLVKHGKRQH\RUQHFWDURUDFRPELQD- 50 lbs. . . . . . . . . . . .$325.00
tion that will ferment because of the high
moisture content?
100 lbs. . . . . . . . . . .$625.00
4) Honey is a super-saturated sugar solu- 250 lbs. . . . . . . . . .$1500.00
tion and as such, depending on sugar ratios,
it may try to balance the sugar ratios by 500 lbs. . . . . . . . . .$2900.00
forming sugar crystals--what we call crys-
1000 lbs. . . . . . . . .$5600.00
tallization or creamed honey sometimes.
Imagine this happening in the plumbing of FOB Auburn, NE
the Flow Hive and clogging everything up
in a solid mass!
5) Golly, it is expensive!
DRAPERS
SUPER BEE
I am stepping away from the podium
now. Dont do it David. 402-274-3725
HARDEMAN APIARIES 2016
SUMMER
906 SOUTH RAILROAD EXT.
P.O. BOX 214 MT. VERNON, GA 30445
PRICES
PHONE: (912) 583-2710 FAX: (912) 583-4920
ITALIAN RUSSIAN HYBRID QUEENS
QUEENS QUEENS
1-9 . . . . . . . $19.50 1-9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $22.00
10-24 . . . . . $18.00 10-24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20.25
25-UP. . . . . $17.75 25-UP. . . . . . . . . . . . . $20.00
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All Postal claims are to be made by customers. Hardeman is not responsible.
YEARLY INSPECTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
American Bee Journal
T
his article marks the end of my short
series on honey bee biology. Since my
June 2015 article, I have spent con-
siderable time discussing the members of a
honey bee colony, their external and internal
anatomy, their individual and group behav-
iors, and even their qualities as a superor-
ganism. I am going to wrap up this series by
bringing it all together into this single article
on honey bee biology.
Of course, honey bees and their colonies
are complicated organisms. A lot is known
about honey bees, this due to mans long-
standing relationship with the bee and the
bees general economic importance. These
facts have caused the honey bee to be one of
the most studied insects on the planet. Con-
sequently, a short series on various aspects
on honey bee biology culminating into this
penultimate piece in which I provide a gen-
eral overview cannot, no matter how hard I
try, do justice to the beasts that are the honey
bee and its colony. The more I researched
to develop these articles, the most I grew to
appreciate how amazing honey bees really
DUH5HJDUGOHVVRIWKHGLIFXOW\DVVRFLDWHG
with bringing all of this together into a single
treatise, I feel it is important for every bee-
keeper to have a general understanding of
honey bee and colony biology. After all, the
best beekeepers know what they are trying
to accomplish and what the bees are trying
to accomplish. They then work to harmo-
nize the two. No discussion of bee behav-
ior, colony nest architecture, superorganism
theory, etc. would be complete without an
effort to try to highlight the common thread
WKURXJKDOORIWKLV,KRSH\RXQGWKLVDS-
proach useful.
By now, you should have a sense of the
April 2016
difference between the individual honey bee
and its colony. I spent quite a bit of time
discussing this in my March 2016 article
on honey bee colonies as superorganisms
(Ellis 2016b). To summarize that article:
while the behaviors of the individual bees
steer the colony ship, it nevertheless is the
colony that is moving forward, regardless of
the individual efforts of its crew. Everything
an individual bee, from worker to queen to
drone, does advances the cause of the col-
ony. The individuals behavior and result-
ing biology, while amazing and noteworthy,
manifests most perfectly in the attributes of
the honey bee colony. Consequently, it will
Figure 1. A honey bee swarm. Swarms
are baby honey bee colonies.
EHVRPHZKDWGLIFXOWWRVHSDUDWHWKHELRO-
ogy of individual honey bees from that of
DFRORQ\DQG\RXPLJKWQGPHVZLWFKLQJ
between the two during this article without
announcement.
To understand honey bee biology, you
must know what a colonys goals are. Put
simply, a colonys goals are the same as
nearly every organisms goals. Honey bee
colonies want to survive and reproduce.
Everything a bee colony does results from
wanting to accomplish those two goals. I
FDQQRW VWUHVV WKLV SRLQW HQRXJK 7KH UVW
major desire of a honey bee colony is to
survive winter, and to survive it uncom-
promised, i.e. they want to be healthy and
strong on the other side of winter. The sec-
ond major desire of a honey bee colony is
to reproduce, which they accomplish by
swarming. Absolutely everything about
honey bee colony biology is centered around
those two goals.
Of course, there are many possible ways
to discuss honey bee biology. However, I
QGLWPRVWKHOSIXOWRWKLQNDERXWWKHFRO-
onys progression through a typical year,
just to give the effort a linear feel. The only
problem with this is that one has to deal
with the philosophical question of when a
colonys year starts. Most approach their
discussion of this topic in winter because
it, outwardly, appears to be the time of year
when colonies are dormant. However, I
QGLWPRVWKHOSIXOWRVWDUWDGLVFXVVLRQRI
honey bee and colony biology when a new
honey bee colony springs into existence. I
call this week 0. As noted in my article on
superorganisms (Ellis 2016b), that is when
a honey bee colony produces a child, when
the colony swarms.
405
 2QHQDOQRWH,KDYHGHFLGHGWRVXEVHF-
tion this article by week, grouping like col-
ony experiences and behaviors in the week
grouping when the experiences are realized
or the behaviors are performed. This should
within them all the tools necessary to dupli-
cate or even exceed their parents success.
That is one of the amazing things about
being a parent. You can see in your own
children their near limitless potential and
Where I live in Florida, for example, col-
onies begin to swarm in late March given
WKDWRXUDUHDVPDMRUQHFWDURZLV$SULODQG
May. Colonies have to time their decision
to swarm just right. If they swarm too early
make more sense as you progress through you hope to give them the resources and LH WRR IDU EHIRUH WKH PDLQ QHFWDU RZ
the article. I thought this might be a use- training necessary (and, of course, uncon- there may not be enough resources available
ful way to discuss the overall biology of a ditional love) for them to be even greater for the new colony to use to develop its nest.
colony. In short, I am discussing a colony as than you were. Honey bee colonies cannot If they swarm too late (i.e. too far into the
it ages. It is important to know that the week
range will vary based on your colonys
proximity to the equator. For example, a
summer in Florida (or, at least, summer-like
weather) is a lot longer than that in England.
So, the week range I present is a bit generic
and corresponds with the weather season
(time of year having a given weather pat-
tern, rather than the actual time period de-
love their children, but they do frontload
them every way possible to help ensure their
success. A colony in labor gives up its own
queen and over half of its adult population
to form the child that must make a name for
itself in a complicated and dangerous world.
The swarm leaves the parent colony with
a queen, some drones, thousands of workers,
DQGHQRXJKKRQH\WRSRZHUWKHLULJKWWR
PDLQQHFWDURZWKHUHPD\QRWEHHQRXJK
QHFWDURZOHIWWRSURYLGHWKHFRORQ\WKHUH-
sources it needs to build its home and store
enough honey to survive winter.
Even if the timing of a swarm is right,
the new colony can still fail for any num-
ber of reasons. For example, the quality and
quantity of nectar provided during the nectar
RZLVXQSUHGLFWDEOH$GGLWLRQDOO\ZHDWKHU
QHG E\ GDWHV )RU H[DPSOH VXPPHU
where I live is when temperatures are con-
sistently over 80F (about 27C), nectar and
pollen resources are somewhat low and of
poor quality, and we get quite a bit of rain.
This occurs from May through September,
despite meteorologists telling us that sum-
mer starts in late June. Thus, my colonies
engage in summer-type behaviors and dis-
play summer-like biologies for a much
longer time than would colonies, say, in a
Canadian summer.
Week 0 (early spring): Congratulations,
its a swarm!
Reproductively mature honey bee colo-
nies are those that can produce swarms (Fig-
ure 1). It is not the honey bee colonys goal
to make more bees and a colony that keeps
JURZLQJLQGHQLWHO\5DWKHUFRORQLHVZDQW
to make more colonies. This is superorgan-
ism reproduction. A colony issuing a swarm
is a colony giving birth. A colony that has
VZDUPHGKDVIXOOOHGLWVSULPDU\SXUSRVH
It has ensured the continuance of its genetic
lineage by producing an offspring.
What a dynamic offspring indeed:
swarms, like our own children, contain
&t- gaged in young bee tasks. One of the beau-
d ties of a new colony founded by a swarm is
Photograph by Mike Bentley.
406
and initial activities at the new nest site (see
Ellis 2015b for more information on swarm
biology). Besides that, the bees pack light
when leaving the nest. They have no wax
combs, no stored pollen, no emerging adult
bees, no brood, and limited time. The lat-
ter point is worth emphasizing because the
new colony must discover a nest site, move
into it, build the wax infrastructure needed
to support their colony, begin raising brood,
forage for and store pollen, and (here is
the kicker) store enough honey to survive
the winter that is only four to nine months
away, depending on the locations latitude
and local climate. Considering all of this, it
would seem that the odds are stacked against
the new colony; yet, bees in swarms are in-
dustrious and, as noted already, are front-
loaded with the tools they need to thrive in
the world into which they were born.
The timing of a swarm is critical to its
likelihood of surviving the impending win-
ter. Colonies typically swarm immediately
before or at the beginning of the years
PDMRUVSULQJQHFWDURZDSHULRGRIDERXW
YHWRVL[ZHHNVZKHQWKHPRVWQHFWDULIHU-
RXVRZHULQJSODQWVDUHLQEORRP7KLVKDS-
pens in most areas in early-to-mid-spring.
that despite the lack of age-appropriate bees,
impacts a new colonys chances of survival.
A colony can swarm at what is normally the
right time but it could be a dry spring, a wet
spring, a cold spring, etc. Furthermore, the
swarm could be too small, with too few bees
to form the critical mass needed to survive.
Likewise, a colony could issue a second or
third swarm headed by a virgin queen. This
swarm will need to establish and the virgin
queen mate before it is too late. Finally,
the new swarm could be harboring danger-
ous bee pests or be sick with a myriad of
pathogens that are set to doom it before it
ever gets off the ground. All of these would
cause added stress to the new colony, giv-
ing the colony something it must address
immediately after it is born. It is perhaps
for these reasons that colonies founded by
swarms often exhibit explosive growth. It is
as if they are trying to outrun any potential
stressors that otherwise would lessen their
likelihood of surviving winter. Assuming,
though, that the conditions are right and the
cards are stacked in the new colonys favor,
the swarm will move into its new nest site
and begin to make itself a home.
Weeks 1 8 (mid-to-late spring): Colony
growth and development
Immediately after inhabiting a new nest
site, the bees composing the young colony
get to work. However, their typical cycle of
age-related tasks (temporal polyethism) is a
ELWDVNHZWKHUVWIHZZHHNVDQHZVZDP
inhabits a nest. As noted in my October 2015
ABJ article (Ellis 2015c), worker honey
bees progress through a series of fairly pre-
GLFWDEOH WKRXJK VRPHZKDW XLG WDVNV DV
they age. Young bees engage in nest-based
tasks while old bees engage in tasks under-
taken outside the nest. New swarms leave
all of the emerging bees behind in its par-
ents nest. Consequently, there is a period
of time, about 3-4 weeks, between the time
when a swarm occupies a new nest and
the time when a new round of adult bees
emerges from the yet-to-be-constructed
ZD[FRPEV%\WKHWLPHWKHUVWURXQGRI
adult bees emerges, other adult bees as old
as four weeks or older, those that left the
parent colony with the swarm, are still en-
American Bee Journal
all the tasks seem to be addressed when the
colony needs a given task performed. The
bees composing the new colony have to get
right to work to ensure the survival of the
colony. And get to work quickly they do
First, a cohort of the bees in the colony
begins constructing the wax comb (Figure
2) that is intrinsically important to the colo-
nys survival. Wax provides the skeletal in-
frastructure of the colony beast and it serves
YH YHU\ LPSRUWDQW IXQFWLRQV LQ WKH QHVW
First, the bees raise the queens offspring in
the wax comb. Consquently, the combs sup-
port the brood area or colonys nursery. Sec-
ond, bees use the wax cells composing the
comb as storage areas for beebread, nectar,
and honey. Third, wax plays an important
role in bee communication. Bees communi-
cate using the comb by sending vibrations
through it, vibrations that other bees can de-
tect with their tarsi (feet). Fourth, wax also
plays an important role in colony toxin and
pathogen management. Regarding the for-
mer, wax traps lipophilic (wax loving) tox-
ins in its lipid structure, keeping them away
from the bees. For the latter, old combs are
replaced by the bees as they are destroyed
by wax moths and time, thus ridding the
nest of any accumulating pathogens. Fifth
DQGQDOO\ZD[VXSSRUWVWKHWKHUPRUHJXOD-
tory efforts of the bees who take advantage
of its shape and properties while heating and
cooling the nest.
Another cohort of bees begins forag-
ing for the resources necessary to fuel and
grow the developing colony. These bees get
to quick work scouring the area around the
colony for (1) water for thermoregulatory
purposes, (2) resins to use as propolis, (3)
pollen to consume and (4) nectar to convert
to honey for fuel. I have seen bees begin
foraging for foodstuffs within 30 minutes of
occupying a new nest site. The new colonys
UVW IRUDJHUV PD\ EH DPRQJ WKH PRVW LP-
portant they will ever have, given that the
colonys fate rests on the wings of that small
group of bees who will gather the resources
needed to grow the colony quickly.
Once a small section of comb is devel-
(l) Figure 3. A comb containing young brood. You can see eggs and young larvae developing in the cells. New colonies are
&W
Photographs by Jamie Ellis.
April 2016
oped, the queen will begin to lay eggs in it.
7KLVLVWKHUVWEURRGWKDWZLOOGHYHORSLQWKH
new nest and it represents the future of the
new bee colony (Figure 3). A colony will
produce only the amount of brood that the
incoming resources permit. Consequently,
it is imperative that the incoming resources
EHRIVXIFLHQWTXDQWLW\DQGTXDOLW\WRVXS-
port the necessary rapid growth of the new
colony.
Why is it necessary that the colony grows
rapidly? It is because abundant resources are
available at that time and those resources are
what are needed to provide the fuel neces-
sary for colony winter survival, mainly in the
form of nectar which is converted to honey
for winter storage. Given that colonies typi-
cally swarm just before or during the major
QHFWDURZPRVWRIZKDWWKH\FRXOGQHHG
to collect to fuel their rapid growth and col-
lect for winter storage is only available for a
few remaining weeks. I suspect most major
VSULQJ QHFWDU RZV ODVW DERXW YH WR VL[
weeks. Thus, a colony swarming during the
UVWZHHNRIWKHPDMRUQHFWDURZKDVYH
weeks left to take advantage of the available
nectar. A colony swarming at the end of the
QHFWDURZKDVOHVVWLPHDQGFRQVHTXHQWO\
is considerably less likely to survive the
coming winter.
By mid-spring, around weeks 4-6, the
new honey bee colony has constructed a lot
RIFRPELVHPHUJLQJLWVUVWF\FOHRIDGXOW
bees, has stored a lot of honey and pollen,
and is growing rapidly. A peak inside a
colony of this age will reveal lots of new,
white comb, open cells with ripening nectar,
large and full brood patterns, and bee bread
(Figure 4) stored everywhere.
Bees are quite meticulous during the
comb production and resource storage pro-
cess. They have a very set way that they
want to construct their inner nest, start-
ing where they place the brood. Typically
speaking, the queen lays eggs toward the
bottom of the available wax comb. Her egg
laying pattern is circular on any given comb,
with the pattern being the largest in the cen-
ter combs and the smallest on the periph-
eral combs. If you could remove all of the
nest contents except the brood, you would
notice that the area of the nest occupied by
the brood resembles something similar to
a large, slightly squashed basketball. The
bees, then, will jacket the upper half of the
brood area with a 1-2 inch (2.5 5 cm)
thick layer of bee bread or stored and pro-
cessed pollen. They put the bee bread near
the brood since the brood has the greatest
demand for the stored pollen. Finally, bees
store honey above the pollen jacket and up-
wards into the upper part of the nest cavity.
To help you visualize this, think of a basket-
ball placed into an empty tree cavity, resting
toward the bottom of the cavity. Then, take
a bowl that is slightly larger than the upper
half of the basketball and place it upside
down on the basketball such that it jackets
WKHHQWLUHXSSHUKDOIRIWKHUVWEDOO)LQDOO\
take a large, tall top hat without a rim and
SODFHLWRQWKHERZO7KHUVWEDOOZRXOGEH
the area occupied by the brood. The bowl
would be the pollen layer. The top hat would
symbolize the area occupied by the stored
honey (Figure 5). Rapid colony growth and
appropriate nest occupation is a sign that ev-
erything is going well.
Despite this, things can derail quickly.
Imagine, for example, that without warning,
WKHQHFWDURZFHDVHVRULVRWKHUZLVHSRRU
The growing colony, then, can outpace its
UHVRXUFHVOHDGLQJWRVLJQLFDQWVWUHVVDQG
an inability to fuel its activities. It also may
be too wet (rain prohibits swarming) or too
dry (drought affects nectar supply) for bees
to store enough honey. As long as bee colo-
nies do not grow too large too quickly, they
should be able to take advantage of the mea-
ger resources available throughout summer
and fall. I cannot emphasize enough, though,
that colony success during the rest of the
year hinges on its ability to grow steadily
and stably in spring and to take advantage of
all available good weather to forage for the
nectar they must convert to the honey they
need to survive winter.
Typically, weeks 7 and 8 represent a shift
in colonies from nectar foraging to nectar
407
 more, the original queen often is lost during
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408 American Bee Journal

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April 2016 409

&sdPhotograph by Univer-
&^&Photograph by Mike
Bentley.
In the best case scenario, colonies in sum-
mer have reasonable access to a few, mod-
HUDWHTXDOLW\QHFWDUDQGSROOHQRZVPLOG
temperatures, adequate quality water, low
pest and pathogen pressures, and good food
stores. If these criteria are met, the colony
has a good chance at surviving winter. Oth-
erwise, the colonys chances of survival are
VLJQLFDQWO\ORZHU
Weeks 20 32 (fall)
Bee colonies entering fall are in full win-
ter preparation mode. The warm-to-hot days
of summer are behind them and shorter/
cooler days lie ahead. Fall is an important
time for bee colonies. The colonies have to
PDNHQDOSUHSDUDWLRQVWRHQWHUZLQWHUZKHQ
resources will no longer be available. Any
little problem for colonies in fall can doom
their chances of surviving winter.
Many colonies come out of summer
stressed. They spent a lot of their energy
keeping the nest cool. They were without
WKHDEXQGDQWRZLQJUHVRXUFHVDYDLODEOHLQ
spring, and they usually are heavily laden
with pests and pathogens, unless they were
managed by beekeepers who have been tak-
ing steps to keep these pressures low. Thus,
fall is the do-or-die time for colonies.
Despite these setbacks, weeks 20 32 of
the now-mature colonys life can be produc-
tive. Many, maybe most, temperate areas
KDYHDQDVVRUWPHQWRIRUDWKDWEORRPDQG
are available to bees. In fact, fall nectar and
SROOHQ RZV FDQ EH TXLWH VLJQLFDQW VR
much-so that the colonies are able to top off
WKHLU UHVHUYHV DQG QDOL]H WKHLU VWRUDJH RI
honey for the impending winter.
In preparation for winter, the typical
queen begins to reduce her egg output from
early fall to nearly eliminating it altogether
by late fall. Thus, the vast majority of colo-
nies spend weeks 20 32 (fall) transition-
ing from life as an active colony to that as
a more dormant one, where winter survival
is the only goal. In warmer temperate re-
gions, such as the southern U.S. and south-
ern Europe, queens never stop laying and
brood can be maintained in colonies straight
410
through winter. This may be viewed as ad-
vantageous by the beekeeper, but it can be
somewhat taxing to a colony. The mainte-
nance of brood through winter means that
the colony must consume resources that
were stored for heating in order to maintain
the brood. Thus, most beekeepers hope to
see their queens curtail their egg-laying hab-
its in late fall.
Given that colony growth ceased in early
summer and populations fall rapidly through
fall, disease and pest pressures can derail a
colonys chances of surviving the coming
winter. Varroa and associated problems
pose great risks to bees at this time. While
some colonies left unattended may survive
the Varroa onslaught, most will not make
it without some sort of beekeeper interven-
tion. Of course, in the most natural sense
(i.e. without human interference), colonies
left unmanaged by beekeepers stand the
greatest chance of becoming tolerant of Var-
roa. But make no mistake, this will come
at great cost to the susceptible colonies that
will cease to exist in the face of Varroa. It is
somewhat discouraging to talk about colony
biology in light of the pressures exerted by
Varroa. Varroa are not natural pests of the
honey bees we keep (Apis mellifera). In-
stead, their native host is Apis cerana, the
Asian honey bee. Thus, it seems strange to
talk about honey bee biology and how it
is affected by a non-native parasite. In the
absence of Varroa, colonies would march
through summer and winter with the biggest
threat to their survival likely being resource
dearths. However, Varroa are a reality for
RXUEHHVDQGWKH\DIIHFWEHHELRORJ\VLJQL-
cantly. Many, perhaps most, colonies would
not have a fall/winter biology without some
level of Varroa-control intervention on the
part of beekeepers.
Assuming that the colony and beekeeper
have worked harmoniously to limit Varroa
and associated pathogen impacts during fall,
the next biggest stressor will be resource
availability. Colonies try to be conservative
with their use of stored resources through
summer and early fall. However, there are
locations where there simply is nothing else
available to the colony looking to overwin-
ter. A colony facing this dire situation will
consume its stored resources, thus facing a
grim outlook for surviving winter. Colonies
can, in fact, starve in fall.
The good news is that when left alone,
bees usually can store enough in spring and
WKHPRGHVWIDOOQHFWDURZVWRVXUYLYHZLQ-
ter. By late fall, the colony should have all
the honey it needs, a queen that has stopped
RUVLJQLFDQWO\VORZHGKHUHJJRXWSXWORZ
or no pest/pathogen pressures, and a nest
full of winter bees. The next step colonies
take toward winter survival is the eviction of
the drones that live within it. Drones are re-
source sinks in fall. They do no work. There
are no available virgin queens with which
to mate. In fact, drones otherwise sit around
and consume honey. Put together, they tax
colony resources and give nothing back this
time of year. Worker bees take this so seri-
ously that they evict the drones remaining
in the nest at this time and will not let them
back into the colony. During late fall, you
often can see drones on the outside entrance
of the nest, with worker bees limiting their
ingress back into the nest. Outside the nest,
the drones are left to die to whatever execu-
WLRQHUFODLPVWKHPUVWEHLWSUHGDWLRQVWDU-
vation, or cold.
In late fall, colony behavior begins to
FKDQJH VLJQLFDQWO\ 8VXDOO\ WKH ZHDWKHU
in most temperate areas in mid-to-late fall
EHJLQV WR FRRO VXEVWDQWLDOO\ UVW DW QLJKW
and then during the day. When the tempera-
ture drops below 18C (64F), bees begin to
cluster in an effort to keep the colony warm
(Ellis 2016a). They do not usually cluster at
higher temperatures, presumably because
coalescing into a tight cluster can disrupt
other colony functions. Clusters are almost
all or nothing events as many of the other
normal colony activities cease when a col-
ony is clustering.
Given that temperatures get cooler and
cooler as fall progresses, the bees cluster
more and more into late fall. In most tem-
perate areas, bee colonies are in a near-con-
American Bee Journal
stant state of clustering in late fall. Colony
production of heat relies on bee consump-
tion of honey. Bees on the outer shell of the
cluster are unable to move. Thus, they can-
not break free from the cluster to go and eat
more honey. Clustering bees, then, have to
cluster as close to stored honey (Figure 10)
as possible so that they can access it when
their individual personal reserves dwindle.
In fact, a colony can starve to death during
winter, even when the nest is full of honey.
This happens during prolonged cold spells
during which the bees are unable to break
cluster and move closer to the stored honey.
In fall, though, cold days and nights are
interspersed with warm days during which
bees can forage and continue their normal
activities. By late fall, when the tempera-
tures are nearly always cold, the colony is
ready to enter its visibly most dormant state
of the year.
Weeks 32 44 (early-to-mid winter)
Around week 32 post swarming, the typi-
cal colony in the typical temperate climate
enters winter (Figure 11). As we would say
LWLQWKHVRXWKWKLVLVVKRUFXWEDLWWLPH
for the colonies. There is little other prepara-
tion a colony can make for winter survival.
The pests and pathogens have weeded out
the sick colonies. The summer and fall of
poor resource availability have taken down
the colonies that did not store enough re-
VRXUFHVGXULQJWKHSULPDU\QHFWDURZ7KH
wintering colonies, then, either have what
they need to survive winter or they will die.
In most temperate areas, there are no
VLJQLFDQW UHVRXUFHV DYDLODEOH WR FRORQLHV
outside what the colonies stored for them-
selves earlier in the year. Hopefully, by this
time, the bees have stored the 20 kg (44 lbs)
of honey they need as fuel to heat the nest.
Also important is that there are intermittent
days of warm weather during which they
can break cluster and reach the food.
Clustering bees that move toward the
nearest honey reserves tend to migrate up in
the nest over the course of the winter. The
reason for this is obvious. The bees store
honey in the area of the nest that is above the
brood. Given that most clusters start in the
brood area during late fall, there is nowhere
for the cluster to go but up as the winter pro-
gresses. There can be one problem related
to clustering during winter. Bees produce
moisture when metabolizing honey. This
moisture can rise in the nest, collect on the
ceiling of the nest, and rain back down onto
the clustering bees. This is less than ideal
as it can cause bees to become chilled. For
managed colonies, many beekeepers ensure
that there is an upper ventilation hole in the
nest to allow moisture to escape.
Fortunately, most pest and pathogen
populations also decrease substantially dur-
ing winter. The typical colony only has two
main winter pests/pathogens to fear. They
include the two Nosema species (N. apis
and, most notably, N. ceranae) and tracheal
mites. The Nosema species are single cell
microsporidia (fungi) that infect bee guts.
These spores compete against the bees for
April 2016
&
stored honey as winter approaches. The honey is a good insulator against the
cold, but also serves as a source of fuel for the bees trying to heat the colony.
Photograph by Mike Bentley.
nutrition and they also rupture cells in the
lining of the gut. Tracheal mites, as the name
implies, inhabit the trachea of the bees. Both
Nosema spp. and tracheal mite populations
can grow in the tightly clustering bees and ing colony. Colonies ill prepared for winter,
cause the colonies to present symptoms of
infection/infestation in late winter. In gen-
eral, tracheal mites are considered a minor
problem while Nosema spp. ranges from
DPRGHUDWHWRDVLJQLFDQWSUREOHP0RVW
beekeepers ignore tracheal mites, but worry
a lot about Nosema.
Unfortunately, tracheal mites and No-
sema can produce similar symptoms in a
sick colony in late winter so it can be hard
to know with certainty which is causing
the problem in the colony. A sick colony
may have disorganized clusters of bees. It
may die in early spring. You may see bees
crawling on the ground around the colony
entrance. You also may see bees exhibiting
K-wing which is a symptom where the front
and hind wings of a bee become unhinged
Figure 11. A cold winter. Bee colonies
should enter winter with all that they
need to survive. By this point, there is
 goal in mind. They want to mature to the
bees. Photograph by Amanda Ellis.
and open to the shape of a letter K. As-
suming, though, that the bees have both of
these issues under control, starvation, then,
poses the greatest threat to any overwinter-
especially the long, cold winters of extreme
temperate climates, never make it to the
warmer spring days.
Weeks 44 52 (late winter early spring)
Colonies in late winter have their smallest
populations of the year. They may be clus-
tered tightly, but there are signs of life in
the center of the cluster. In late winter, espe-
cially as temperatures begin to rise a bit and
late winter trees/shrubs begin to bloom, the
center of the cluster is raised to about 34.5C
(94F) in an effort to accommodate brood
rearing. Queens in the center of the loosen-
ing cluster will begin to lay eggs, thus cre-
ating the demand for pollen. Usually, most
colonies have enough stored honey to power
their early activity. It is the pollen that they
lack for successful colony growth.
Arguably, the most (or second-most, de-
pending on who you ask) important bloom
of the year starts to happen in late winter/
early spring. These blooming trees and
VKUXEV SURYLGH WKRVH UVW WDVWHV RI QHFWDU
and pollen that the colony needs to raise co-
pious amounts of brood. To me, this is the
most exciting time of the year for the honey
bee colony. It reminds me a lot of a bear
coming out of hibernation. It has used most
of its winter resources. Its legs are a bit wob-
bly, but it is primed and ready to embrace
the coming year.
Bee colony growth can be explosive, es-
SHFLDOO\DVVSULQJDSSURDFKHVDQGWKRVHUVW
nectar and pollen laden plants release their
bounty. These can be some of the most re-
source rich blooms available to bees all year,
but the beekeeper largely will not notice
them because the bees consume the nectar
and pollen in real time, meaning that they
are using these resources to produce new
bees as quickly as it is coming into the nest.
Colonies coming out of winter have one
point of reproduction and everything they
411
collect is used toward that goal. Bee colo-
nies cannot reproduce (swarm) until the
conditions are right. Three conditions must
be met to allow colony reproduction to hap-
SHQ)LUVWWKHFRORQ\PXVWEHRIVXIFLHQW
size to allow it to reproduce. Second, drones
must be produced. Drone honey bees were
not needed during fall and winter. But now,
they are very important for a simple reason:
colonies that swarm produce new queens to
remain behind in the parent colony. New
queens must mate, meaning that drones
must be available in the area. Thus, colonies
heading full steam into early spring begin to
invest heavily in the production of drones.
Once you start seeing drones in a colony,
swarm season will follow soon. Third, and
QDOO\YLUJLQTXHHQVPXVWEHSURGXFHGEH-
fore a colony can be ready to swarm. This
is the last swarm condition that must be
met and it happens toward the end of early
spring. This, of course, is true because colo-
nies most want to begin to swarm just a few
weeks prior to or during the beginning of
WKHPDMRUQHFWDURZ2QFHDFRORQ\EHJLQV
WR SURGXFH YLUJLQ TXHHQV LW KDV RIFLDOO\
entered swarm mode and there is no turn-
ing back.
By the end of early spring, around week
52, most healthy honey bee colonies go into
labor. The colonies have grown to a criti-
cal size. Pollen and nectar resource avail-
ability is growing. Ripe queen cells are in
the nest. Finally, the old mother queen has
lost weight, largely thanks to the diet and
exercise regimen her worker offspring initi-
ated for her. These sexually mature colonies
contain within them a baby bee colony that
is ready to emerge for its own week 0.
I have four children of my own and there
is very little that is more beautiful than the
birth of ones child. I can say the same for
the birth of a colony. Go into an apiary on a
warm day in the latter parts of early spring.
7KHEHHVDUH\LQJWKHFRORQLHVDUHVWURQJ
and some are in labor. A colony in labor is
a sight to behold. Worker bees in the nest
begin to rush out of the nest entrance with a
fervor that is unmatched by other bee behav-
ior. When about 1/3 of the swarming bees
have left the nest, the old queen, now down
WRKHU\LQJZHLJKWUXVKHVRXWRIWKHQHVW
and takes to the air. The smells, sights, and
412
sounds emitted by a colony in labor are mi-
raculous. The swarming bees make a cluster
and start their week 0. You now know what
follows.
Week 53 and beyond
For the parent colony, the one issuing the
swarm, life is just as complicated, opportu-
nistic, and dangerous as it is for the swarm.
I want to conclude this article, then, by
following the parent colony to its moment
of stability, when the new queen is born,
mated, and laying.
Colonies left behind after the swarm
(what I call the parent colony even
though the old queen left with the swarm)
are queenless, at least they do not contain a
mature adult queen. These colonies, in fact,
do contain queens, lots of them. The queens,
though, are immature and developing in the
numerous queen cells scattered about the
brood area of the nest. See Ellis 2015a for
more details.
7KHUVWQHZTXHHQWRHPHUJHIURPKHU
queen cell seeks out her developing queen
sisters, bites holes in their cell walls, inserts
her stinger into the cells, and stings her com-
petition to death. There are times when mul-
tiple queens emerge simultaneously. These
TXHHQV HLWKHU JKW WR WKH GHDWK RU RQH RU
more early emerging queens may lead sec-
ondary (2nd) or tertiary (3rd) swarms from the
parent colony. At the end of it all, the colony
usually is left with only one virgin queen
ZKR JRHV RQ KHU PDWLQJ LJKW ZKHQ VKH
is somewhere between six to ten days old.
The average queen will mate with a dozen
or more drones on one (most often) or two
PDWLQJLJKWV2QFHPDWHGVKHZLOOUHWXUQ
to the colony to lead it through its second
\HDUVPDMRUVSULQJQHFWDURZ%\PLGWR
late spring, the size and condition of the par-
ent colony is not all that different from that
of the colony it birthed as a swarm.
Older colonies can have bigger problems
with pests, pathogens, and toxins than do the
swarms they issue. This, simply, is because
they continue to inhabit a nest that has seen
the accumulation of these stressors. While
the swarming bees can escape these issues
and inhabit/create a new nest in which pest/
pathogen loads are low, the parent colony
continues to inhabit the nest where these is-
sues have accumulated over time. Thus, a
new dynamic is in place for colonies enter-
ing week 53 and beyond. Regardless, honey
bee colonies are dynamic by nature and
seem to be able to combat these stressors,
within reason.
The life cycle of this very mature colony
FDQLQWKHRU\FRQWLQXHLQGHQLWHO\+RZ-
ever, it usually does not. I believe it is er-
rant to think that a colony can live forever.
The colony is a beast and all beasts even-
tually die. Left completely alone, and as-
suming no behavioral tolerance to Varroa
has developed, the typical colony will die
two-to-three years after it was birthed as
a swarm. Even if the colony is somewhat
Varroa tolerant, it is faulty to think that it is
immortal. After all, each new year produces
LWVRZQREVWDFOHVIURPSRRUQHFWDURZVWR
EDG ZHDWKHU GXULQJ TXHHQ PDWLQJ LJKWV
There is a lot that can go wrong in the life
of a colony. So, all colonies eventually die.
I, of course, realize that we can keep our
colonies alive in managed settings much
ORQJHU +RZHYHU WKDW UHTXLUHV VLJQLFDQW
intervention on our part and the remedies
we offer often are missing in the natural
world. I also know that I may be challenged
on this point by those of you (me included)
who have seen a feral nest site occupied for
many years, perhaps a decade or longer. In
this setting, however, one usually is seeing
a nest site that is continuously occupied, not
the same colony occupying the nest site.
Regardless, I want to note that death is a
QDWXUDOSDUWRIOLIHWKHJUDQGQDOHDQGWKDW
honey bee colonies experience it the same
way that you and I will.
Conclusion
As you might imagine, the biology of a
honey bee colony is more complex than I
was able to communicate in the pages of this
article. The bee colony truly is a beautiful
beast, with amazing intricacies. Each colony
almost has its own personality, born out of
the unique set of genetic and environmen-
tal factors creating it. However, there are
some transcendent biological properties that
nearly every colony has and those are the
properties to which I tried to introduce you
LQWKLVDUWLFOH,KRSH\RXQGWKHELRORJ\RI
a honey bee colony as fascinating as do I. If
anything, I hope this has given you a greater
appreciation for the bees you keep, or that
keep you. Happy Beekeeping.
References
Ellis, J.D. 2015a. Mating biology of honey
bees. American Bee Journal, 155(12):
1293-1299.
Ellis, J.D. 2015b. Swarms. American Bee
Journal, 155(11): 1187-1192.
Ellis, J.D. 2015c. The tasks of a worker
honey bee. American Bee Journal,
155(10): 1077-1081.
Ellis, J.D. 2016a. Colony level thermoregu-
lation and the honey bee dance language.
American Bee Journal, 156(2): 147-154.
Ellis, J.D. 2016b. Honey bee colonies as su-
perorganisms: the hive or the honey bee.
American Bee Journal, 156(3): 273-279..
American Bee Journal
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414 American Bee Journal

J
ust a little history about myself and what
we do. I started keeping honey bees in
1957 when things were simple (easy)
and I would average 75 lbs. of honey per
hive in northern New Jersey and I didnt
know what I was doing. Now I live in the
middle of Pennsylvania, dont average as
much honey per hive and have lots of prob-
lems, primarily the mite battle.
I have used many different hive stands
over the years with the two cement blocks
on their side as my favorite, one under the
front, the other under the rear.
However, several years ago I started
moving some hives for pollination and to
WDNH DGYDQWDJH RI GLIIHUHQW QHFWDU RZV
As your equipment ages, so does your body
and what was once an unpleasant job now
becomes impossible. So, I started using a
hand truck and stock trailer which worked
well however I had to build a bear fence
each time I moved and I wanted something
easier. I often thought of using a stock
WUDLOHUDQGDOORZLQJWKHEHHVWR\LQDQG
d:,E

April 2016
out through the sides. The disadvantages are
youre using a smoker in a poorly ventilated
area and you must carry everything from
one end to the other along with the cost fac-
tor. The last 16 stock trailer I bought over
20 years ago cost $3,500.00.
Then I came up with the Bee Trailer
idea and over the years I made mistakes but
each one was better than the last with some
being specialized for certain jobs. I dont
need a 20 trailer where a produce grower
only wants 3 or 4 hives. I charge the same
for rent as a 3 lb. package retails for (this
year $110.00). That way if they die then it
is not a total loss for our farm. You also
have to consider how far and how many
you will be moving. You will learn in a
year or two which farmers to rent to and
which ones not to.
As my trailer building developed, so did
my ideas and I will tell you about my mis-
takes and the things that work well.
,UVWVWDUWHGZLWKROGKRXVHWUDLOHUVWKDW
RQO\ KDG WKH RRU OHIW RQ ZKHQ , ERXJKW
them for $200.00. Ususally they had 3 to 4
axles with a 12 width by 45 to 70 length.
7KHUVWZRUNLVWRUHPRYHWKHRRUZKLFK
will take a good day until you are done.
1H[W\RXUHPRYHWKHVWHHORRUH[WHQVLRQV
from each main I-beam with a cutting torch.
Now it is time to make it shorter, usually
26 to 32 (which is too long for me). The
easiest way I found to do this is leave the
front hitch in place and cut the rear off. Next
remove the axles, cut them down to 8 or
less and weld the two pieces back together.
A piece of 3 x 18 pipe makes a good easy-
to-weld splice. Buy new spring hangers and
weld them in place onto a piece of 1/2 x 3
DWVWHHODVORQJDVQHHGHGWRKROGWKHD[OHV
and then weld the assembly onto the frame
so you have about 150 lb. tongue weight.
Remember, you are welding onto old thin
steel and it is easy to burn through it, that is
why I use the 1/2 plate. You should have
a 150 lb. tongue weight when done. It is
more than a ten minute job. The disadvan-
tage of this type trailer is the height from the
415
 ^Z
ground. I built catwalks down the middle,
but as you get older they get higher.
Next in evolution came the camper-
trailer. I have every type from a pop-up
(frame is too close to the ground) to 30
ORQJXQLWV7KHUVWRQH,EXLOWZDVDVLQJOH
axle 15 long one which I still use for short
hauls. I have paid as much as $500.00 for a
24 or 30 long camper with a good title. In
Pennsylvania it will cost almost $100.00 to
transfer the title, but I feel it is worth it when
I travel the interstate. My trailers come in
under farm implement for local roads so it is
not as important. I dont buy anything now
without a tandem axle system. It solves your
Z
/
d
416
balance problems to a large extent and if you
have a tire problem on the interstate, it is not
a good situation, but you can get to the next
pull off or exit. With a single axle you are
done! I also use inner tubes on everything
because sometimes when tubeless tires set
IRUPRQWKVWKH\JRDW7KLVFDQEHDUHDO
problem at 2 a.m. and 3 hours from home.
The easiest way I have found to remove
the camper from the frame is to roll it over
on its top and cut the bolts off that hold the
frame in place and pick it off. I have done
several from underneath, but it is a great
deal easier when you roll it over. All the
trailers I have worked on have some rotten
wood in the camper body and it will catch
RQ UH YHU\ HDV\ VR KDYH D KRVH FORVH E\
and lots of water. Dispose of the waste in
an approved manner. You are now ready to
start building.
I mark the frame starting at the front with
a 4 space, then place two pieces of 1/8 x
2 angle iron facing each other to form a rest
for my hives to set on. I like about a 6 space
between each set of hives, but it can be ad-
justed to meet your needs.
We live in bear country, so I build a re-
movable fence on each trailer. Again, I use
the 1/8 x 2 angle, one piece the same
length as the hive rests plus two 4 long up-
American Bee Journal
rights with a 3/8 hole drilled near the top.
Weld this together and you have a square
box open on the top to hold the livestock
panels (available at Tractor Supply) that be-
come your bear fence. I use a solar fencer
set inside with the hives and make the en-
tire trailer hot. The trailer must be insulated
from the ground at the trailer tongue jack
with a piece of insulating material plastic
usually works well. The square boxes are
welded in place to the frame wherever you
decide they will work well for you, but usu-
ally less than 8 apart. The panels are 16
long but you cannot cut two 8 out of one.
After the uprights are in place I install a 3/8
by 4 bolt in the 3/8 hole I drilled earlier
with two nuts and tighten those, then I heat
it with a torch about 1 away from the steel
and bend it up to form a hook to hold the
panel. I use at least two long bungee cords
to hold the panels in place when moving on
the road.
I also use the 2 DOT racket straps to
hold the hive in place when moving. Buy
the ones that bolt together and remove the
short strap. Take the long one, cut the metal
hook off and install the loop where the short
one had been. Figure out how long you want
your straps, heat up the edge on an old axe
and use it to melt (cut) the strap.
I usually remove the inside parts of the
brakes because they are rusted and just
create problems and I dont need them for
my work.
Now you are left with lights. I use a piece
of aluminum angle and mount my lights and
license plate on it. Most of your light prob-
lems come from the plug being out in the
weather, so my lights have a long cord to
reach to the pulling vehicle. The entire light
system is removed after each use and kept
inside at home. This is also held in place
with bungee cords when in transport.
Some of the things I like to travel with are
a spare tire for long hauls, tool box, smoker
DQG IXHO EHH VXLW FHOO SKRQH DVKOLJKW
blocks to level the trailer sideways, wheel
chock and a handy-man jack.
I prefer to travel during darkness to avoid
problems, losing bees and people getting
excited. I do not plug entrances it makes
them really furious and they can overheat.
If you travel during daylight hours, some
states require netting and that is just extra
work and money for me.
As they say this isnt rocket science.
Anyone can do it and if you have a prob-
lem give me a call at 570-725-3682.

April 2016 417

418 American Bee Journal
 /d
of strong, healthy hives was short this season, but that came as no surprise. Id heard
reports from all over the country last fall that varroa had gained the upper hand. And
when that happens, we can expect elevated rates of winter losses.

W
KHQYDUURDUVWDUULYHGLQP\DSLDULHVLQ,DFWXDOO\
looked forward to the challenge. After having success-
fully bred bees to be resistant to AFB, chalkbrood, and
tracheal mite, I was cocksure that varroa wouldnt be any big deal.
Boy was I wrong! In a couple of years nearly all my 250 hives
were dead. After nearly thirty years of happy beekeeping, I actu-
ally walked away from my deadouts in disgust, frustrated with my
feelings of failure and helplessness against this devastating parasite.
The next year my buddy Skip Landon told me about the magic of
Apistan strips, and encouraged me to not give up. So I spent the en-
tire summer scraping wax moth out of the abandoned hives and re-
stocking them with bees. To my great relief, beekeeping was again
possiblestick in a couple of the magic strips each fall and youd
satisfyingly cover the bottom board with dead mites; the colonies
were then good to go until next fall. I even heard a state extension
agent tell an audience that varroa was the best thing to happen to
professional beekeepersit reduced our competition from the bee
havers and feral colonies for nectar sources.[1]
I had a great year the next season, but was about to learn a few
important lessons:
as natural selection favored strains of the virus that were (1) better
adapted to transmission by varroa and (2) were more virulent.[2] No
longer could we allow varroa levels to climb as high as we could
GXULQJWKHUVWIHZ\HDUVPLWHOHYHOVWKDWZHUHDFFHSWDEOHLQWKH
year 2000[3] would spell death to a colony today. And I now rarely
see bees with deformed wings until long after DWV has already
gone epidemic in the brood.
Lesson #3: Varroa evolves too. The bee industry (unlike other
ag sectors) has done a poor job at supporting the breeding of bees
resistant to our worst pest.[4] But weve proven again and again
how quickly we can breed for mites resistant to miticides. We bred
XYDOLQDWHUHVLVWDQWPLWHVLQDERXWVL[\HDUVFRXPDSKRVUHVLVWDQW
mites in three years; and now there are indications that mites are
becoming resistant to amitraz in many areas (Fig. 1).

Lesson #1: Mite immigration from collapsing colonies. I was

enjoying my success at having conquered varroa. The next year I
treated my hives as per recommendation in early fall and cleaned
them of mites. But what I didnt account for were the feral hives
that now had been exposed to varroa for a couple o three years.
The ferals were now chock full of mites (this was before Deformed
Wing Virus gained traction), and that autumn they crashed en
masse. Due to drift and robbing, huge numbers of mites reinvaded
my treated hives and crashed them in turn (this was the third deci-
PDWLRQHYHQWRIP\EHHNHHSLQJFDUHHUUVWE\WUDFKHDOPLWHWKHQ
WKHUVWYDUURDLQYDVLRQDQGQRZIURPWKHFROODSVLQJIHUDOVLes-
son hard learned: no matter how well you manage varroa in your
own hives, they can still be overwhelmed by reinvasion from sur-
rounding hives. &/-

Lesson #2: Viruses evolve. ,QWKHUVW\HDUVRIEHHNHHSLQJZLWK -
varroa, we wouldnt see bees with signs of Deformed Wing Virus -
(DWV) until varroa levels were sky high. But that soon changed selves in the foot.

April 2016 419

 Our commercial industry has enjoyed a long and successful run
with off-label amitraz.[5] Unfortunately, its been used by many
without rotation, and at far higher doses than necessary (the best
use of amitraz would be as a low-dose behavioral disruptor of the
mite, rather than for rapid knock down). The time-release Apivar
strips can still be effective if used once a year in the springtime, but
other mite control measures should then be used for the rest of the
season, in order to delay the further development of resistant mites.
Unfortunately, there are few new silver bullets in the devel-
opment pipeline, and I fully expect that our industry is about to
enter a new era in mite managementone that is not as depen-
dent upon synthetic miticides. That means that it is increasingly
important for beekeepers to better understand the biology of bees
and varroa.
DEADLY COMBINATIONS
Its understandable that beekeepers want to blame the death of
their colonies upon anything other than their own negligence, but
the sad fact is that inadequate varroa management is still our num-
ber one problem. That said, the progression of colony morbidity is
often (to use a term favored by researchers) multifactorial. Nutri-
tion, pesticides, other parasites, management, and weather may all
enter into the equation, as do colony population dynamics. So lets
take a look at whats happening in the hive during the late summer
decline. Let me be very clear that my experience is mainly with bee-
NHHSLQJLQWKH&DOLIRUQLDIRRWKLOOVZKHUHWKHKRQH\RZW\SLFDOO\
ends by the 4th of July, and pollen becomes scarce until the autumn
rains (hopefully) arrive. Pollen availability varies greatly by loca-
tionthis discussion relates to those times of the summer during
which there is a pollen dearth. So you can shift the dates in the chart
below to match what occurs in your area (Fig. 2).
The main driver of colony population decline is the reduction
in incoming nutritious pollen. From the Spring Turnover on, the
colony had exuberantly been rearing brood, which allowed it to
maintain a youthful, vigorous, expanding, and resilient workforce.
But this comes to a halt as pollen becomes scarceas the recruit-
ment of new workers plummets, the population dwindles and ages,
&>K[6] Note the decline in the amount of
[7] This is predictably followed by a drop in the adult
E
420
and may suffer from nutritional stress. From Spring Turnover until
WKHHQGRIWKHPDLQRZFRORQLHVJHQHUDOO\KDYHIHZKHDOWKLV-
suesthey can usually shake off EFB and nosemaand are trouble
free. But things now change.
Practical application: what occurs to me is that before varroa
we likely just didnt notice how close colonies got to the edge of
failure during late summer. Varroa (and perhaps Nosema cera-
nae) changed all thatas my friend Dave Mendes observed,
bees are just more fragile these days.
Ive kept bees in the Sierra Foothills since well before varroa.
Before the mite, colonies used to survive the summer and winter
MXVW QH GHVSLWH WKH ODFN RI RUDO UHVRXUFHV DIWHU PLG -XO\ %XW
come varroa, I had a helluva time keeping colonies alive unless I
moved them to out-of-state pasture for the summer. Finally, tiring
of all the driving, I found that by feeding pollen sub I could keep
my hives near home for the summer. What I hadnt grasped is how
close colonies used to come to the tip point during our summer
dearthall it now takes is a moderate varroa/virus infestation to
push them over the edge.
Side note: Australia offers us a control group to which we can
compare our beekeeping problems, since varroa has not yet arrived
there, and many operations have minimal exposure to pesticides,
since their bees forage on wildlands. Yet in the Jan/Feb issue of
Australias Honeybee News, Dr. Doug Somerville addresses reports
of poorly-performing or dying colonies. He concludes that the gen-
eral thinking is that, in most cases, poor performing colonies in
spring relate back to autumn management, particularly the nutrition
intake the colonies are exposed to at that time of year. Take home
message: poor nutrition in late summer is tough on the colony,
whether varroa is present or notvarroa just makes it worse.
THE EFFECTS OF POOR LATE-SUMMER NUTRITION
Recent research helps us to understand the biological implications
of poor nutrition in the hive. Nutritionally-stressed colonies dump
excess workers, but by going into survival mode, can often hold
American Bee Journal
&
/
season, and varroa buildup can be far greater than indicated in this graph. Here you can see the amount of varroa hidden

t
^[10]

the fort until forage again becomes available. But that doesnt mean
that workers reared during periods of nutritional stress are up to par.
7KH WLWOH RI D VWXG\ E\ 6FRHOG DQG 0DWWLOD[8] summarizes it
succinctly: Honey bee workers that are pollen stressed as larvae
become poor foragers and waggle dancers as adults. Their conclu-
sions are worth noting:
 Mean lifespan was reduced at minimum by 5 days and at most
by 18 days for pollen-limited workers compared to workers in
control groups, which represents a decrease in mean longev-
ity of 2156% across trials.
Practical application: shortening the survivability curve
of workers leads to an accelerated reduction in the colony
population.
 Compared to nestmates who were reared under conditions
of pollen abundance, pollen-stressed workers were lighter,
they died sooner, and fewer of them were observed foraging.
Those who did forage initiated foraging sooner, and foraged
for fewer days.
Practical application: reduced foraging ability exacerbates the
nutritional stress of the colony.
 Workers reared in pollen-stressed colonies were far more likely
Practical application: nearly a third of foragers not returning
IURPWKHLUUVWYHQWXUHRXWGRRUVWKLQNDERXWWKHLPSOLFDWLRQV
 In addition to being less likely to forage, workers reared in
pollen-limited colonies were also less likely to waggle dance
than control workers and, if they danced, their dances were
less precise (although they danced with similar effort).
 These effects suggest a lasting legacy for workers of nutri-
tional stress, one that seriously compromises the foraging and
recruitment ability of adults, even when stress is restricted to
WKHODUYDOVWDJHRQO\,WLVOLNHO\WKDWWKHVHEHKDYLRUDOGHFLWV
would be exacerbated if chronic stress persisted throughout
adulthood at the worker level, and if a greater proportion of
workers were undernourished at the colony level.
Varroa adds insult to the injury. van Doormalen[9] found that
workers parasitized by varroa during their pupal stage emerged with
similar physiology as that of nutritionally-stressed workers, and
that they were unable to rebuild their body stores after emergence,
even if pollen was abundant. He also suggested that pollen-stressed
QXUVHVPD\VDFULFHWKHLURZQERG\UHVHUYHVLQRUGHUWRIHHGODUYDH
this would result in shortened longevity of those nurses once they
transitioned to foraging duties.
Practical application: it appears that the effect of varroa para-
WRGLVDSSHDURQWKHLUUVWGD\RIIRUDJLQJYV sitism of pupae is similar to that of nutritional stress of larvae.

April 2016 421

So imagine what occurs when a large proportion of the pupae
are also parasitized by varroa. Lets revisit the graph below
(Fig. 3).
Even more important than the amount of varroa in the sealed
brood is the proportion of the sealed brood parasitized by the mite.
Assuming that that the colony begins the season with a very low
mite level (100 mites in the example above), by late in the season,
a third to more than half of the brood may be infested.[11] Those
parasitized workers, should they emerge, will never be the bees that
they could have been, thus accelerating the decline of the colony.
Practical application: poor late summer nutrition, coupled with
high varroa levels, is a one-two punch that severely weakens the
colony, not only in number of bees, but in its resilience against
diseaseespecially that caused by Deformed Wing Virus.
ENTER THE VIRUSES
The RNA viruses are endemic in the pollinator population, read-
LO\WUDQVPLWWHGYLDFRQWDFWDWRZHUVGULIWRIEHHVEHWZHHQKLYHV
and in the case of DWV, vertically transmitted from queen to egg.
Varroa acts as both a vector and initiator of disease from DWV
and the paralytic viruses.[12] Without the presence of varroa at a
high enough level, these viruses are fairly well tolerated by the col-
ony. But once the infection prevalence in the pupae and adult bees
reaches a certain threshold due to vectoring by varroa, the viruses
can then go epidemic in the hive.
Practical application: Remember, its not varroa that kills colo-
nies, it is the virus epidemics that the mite initiates. Kudos to
'U6WHSKHQ0DUWLQIRUUVWHOXFLGDWLQJWKLVSURFHVV[13], and for
his vast body of research into understanding bee, varroa, and
virus dynamics.
Once the epidemic takes hold, the diseased adults are either driven
from the hive[14] or voluntarily commit altruistic self removal.
Little recruitment of replacement workers can take place, due to the
death of the brood from virus infection, inadequate feeding, or chill-
ing. The colony may then suffer through either a heart-rendering
dwindling, or the process can snowball into a rapid depopulation
leading to what appears to be an overnight collapse.[15]
Practical application: the insidious interactive combination of
poor nutrition, varroa, and viruses can spell morbidity or death
WRDFRORQ\$QG[LQJRQO\RQHSUREOHPPD\QRWEHHQRXJKWR
correct for the others. The poor survivorship of varroa- and
nutritionally-stressed bees accelerates the normal decline of
the colony. Add the altruistic self removal of virus-infected bees
and the colony workforce can quickly disappearleaving be-
hind a hive full of honey, but devoid of bees.
PROGRESSION OF DWV COLLAPSE
One of the most frustrating things for bee health advisors is bee-
keeper misdiagnosis of the cause of a colonys demise when it was
clearly due to varroa. In order to help those unfamiliar with the

& &/
ts-         
way. Note the discolored and dying propupae and pupae, 
K K-
/ self, robbing bees from other colonies will also carry mites
wings at this stage, but always see dying propupae. Unless home. Note the telltale mite fecal deposits on the ceilings
stat, this 
 varroa.

&/ &
         d[16],
bees remove the carcasses, virions are spread throughout 
 level with your eyes, so that the sunlight illuminates the
 /
 
 collapse due to varroa.


422 American Bee Journal

signs of varroa-induced collapse, Ive included some photos below
(Figs. 4-7):
$VXUSULVHQGLQJ$UHFHQWVWXG\[17] suggests that some forms
of DWV are avirulent, and can competitively exclude the viru-
lent strain[18], thus allowing colonies in which the benign form
has established a foothold to survive varroa infestation without
WUHDWPHQWV7KLVLVDYHU\H[FLWLQJQGLQJZLWKKXJHSRWHQWLDO
for improving colony health.
Practical application: even if the beekeeper manages to wrest
control back from varroa, it may take months for a colony to
to use that many commercial beekeepers never bothered to ro-
tate it with other treatments in order to avoid breeding for resis-
tant mites.
6 Based upon Lloyd Harris data cited previously in this series.
7 ,FKHFNHGWZRVWXGLHVWRFRQUPWKDWSROOHQLQFRPHGHFOLQHVLQ
Canadian apiaries at that time of year:
Mattila, HR & GW Otis (2007) Dwindling pollen resources
trigger the transition to broodless populations of long-lived hon-
eybees each autumn. Ecological Entomology 32: 496505.
Nelson, DL, et al (1987) The effect of continuous pollen trap-
ping on sealed brood, honey production and gross income in
Northern Alberta. ABJ Aug 1987: 648-650.
fully regain its health, due to the lingering effects of the virus
epidemic. This often comes as a hard lesson to those with al-
mond pollination contracts.
OTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
Im not forgetting additional potential stressors such as pesti-
cides, miticide-contaminated combs, monoculture pollen, heat
stress, etc. Regarding the hot topic of pesticides, when the only
 6FRHOG+10DWWLOD+5 Honey bee workers that are
pollen stressed as larvae become poor foragers and waggle danc-
ers as adults. PLoS ONE 10(4): e0121731.
9 van Dooremalen C, et al (2013) Interactive effect of reduced
pollen availability and Varroa destructor infestation lim-
its growth and protein content of young honey bees. J Insect
Physiol. 59: 487493.
10 This would include any short-term treatment other than
RUPRVWDWWUDFWLYHIRUDJLQJFKRLFHVLQLJKWUDQJHDUHDJULFXOWXUDO
crops and surrounding weeds, even sublethal exposures have the
potential to exacerbate the problems associated with late summer
decline.[19]
Practical suggestion: Beekeepers would do well to understand
the dilemma that growers (and the EPA) face in attempting to
protect our agricultural harvest from pests, while at the same
time avoiding unintentional killing of pollinators. For an as-
sessment of the current state of pesticides from an agricultural
point of view, I suggest the following article: Insecticides 2016:
Out with the Old, In with the New Reality.[20]
Any of the above factors (remember multifactorial) can make
things even worse, or cause problems in their own right. But before
SRLQWLQJDQ\QJHUV,GUVWPDNHVXUHWKDW\RXLQGHHGDUHSURYLG-
ing your hives with good nutrition (natural or supplemental) and
truly have varroa under control. Ill be discussing varroa manage-
ment in future articles.
AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to Lloyd Harris for the use of his data set, and to Pete
Borst for his generous assistance in library research. And a huge
thanks to all the beekeepers who support my research and writing,
and give me objective reality reports from all over.
NOTES AND CITATIONS
1 One could legitimately still argue that case today. Without var-
roa, we wouldnt be pushing $200 for almond rents ($30-$45
in 1997), nor selling nucs for $150 or better ($29 back then).
Nevertheless, if given the choice, Id go back to varroa-free bee-
keeping in a heartbeat.
2 ,QPDQDJHGDSLDULHVLWLVWRWKHEHQHWRIWKHYLUXVWRNLOORU
weaken the colony so that it will be robbed out and transmit
the mites carrying that strain to other hives. In a natural situa-
tion, this would be nonadaptive once the density of colonies in
the environment was reduced. But so long as beekeepers keep
restocking deadouts, there is no downside to the virus becoming
more virulent. See the paper below for a demonstration of the
selection process.
Martin, SJ, et al (2012) Global honey bee viral landscape al-
tered by a parasitic mite. Science 336: 1304-1306. Open access.
This is, IMHO, one of the most important studies in explaining
what I and others observed in the early years of varroa.
3 http://www.clemson.edu/extension/beekeepers/factsheets/
varroa_mite_control_in_sc.html
4 Despite commendable efforts by the Baton Rouge Bee Lab re-
searchers. In fact, weve actually thwarted the natural selection
process that would have already promoted the evolution of mite-
resistant bees.
5 In the early 2000s there were no registered treatments that still
worked. Taktic saved our industry, but it was so cheap and easy
April 2016
formic acid.
11$FWXDOJXUHVDUHKDUGWRFRPHE\,QHHGWRGRVRPHEURRG
inspection myself! But the following studies give an idea of the
degree of infestation:
Spivak, M & G. Reuter (2001) Varroa destructor infestation in
untreated honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies selected
for hygienic behavior. J Economic Entomology 94(2):326-331.
Piccirillo, GA & D De Jong (2004) Old honey bee brood combs
are more infested by the mite Varroa destructor than are new
brood combs. Apidologie 35:359364.
Calderone NW & LP Kuenen (2001). Effects of Western
Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colony, cell type, and lar-
val sex on host acquisition by female Varroa destructor (Acari:
Varroidae). J Econ Ent 94: 1022-1030.
12 Kashmir Bee Virus, Acute Bee Paralysis Virus, and Israeli
Acute Paralysis Virus.
13 Martin, SJ (2001) The role of Varroa and viral pathogens in the
collapse of honeybee colonies: a modelling approach. Journal of
Applied Ecology 38: 1082 1093. Open access. This is a neces-
sary read for any serious beekeeper.
14 Baracchi, D, et al (2012) Evidence for antiseptic behaviour to-
wards sick adult bees in honey bee colonies. Journal of Insect
Physiology 58: 15891596. The authors found that workers
drove asymptomatic DWV-infected bees from the hive. But their
data also suggests that that those symptom-free bees also com-
mitted altruistic self removal (reviewed in the following paper).
Rueppell, O, et al (2010) Altruistic self removal of health-com-
promised honey bee workers from their hive. Journal of Evolu-
tionary Biology 23, 15381546.
15 The mechanics are described at KWWSVFLHQWLFEHHNHHSLQJ
com/sick-bees-part-2-a-model-of-colony-collapse/. I devel-
oped the model to describe CCD, but the same principles apply
to varroa collapse, except that when nosema is not involved,
WKHUHLVOLWWOHEURRGUHPDLQLQJDWQDOFROODSVH
16 Tip: do notUVWORRNWRQGWKHVXQLWZLOOWHPSRUDULO\EOLQG
you. Instead, look for your shadow on the ground and turn so
that it is directly in front of you. Sunlight will then come over
your shoulder to illuminate the cells.
17 Mordecai, GJ, et al (2015) Superinfection exclusion in honey
bees explains long-term survival of Varroa-infested colonies.
The ISME Journal (2015): 1 10. Open access.
Mordecai, GJ, et al (2015) Diversity in a honey bee pathogen:
UVWUHSRUWRIDWKLUGPDVWHUYDULDQWRIWKH'HIRUPHG:LQJ9LUXV
quasispecies. The ISME Journal (2015): 1 10. Open access.
18 Theres suggestion in other research that the avirulent strain may
confer some resistance to nosema. Biology is so complex!
19 Im currently testing some remote hive monitors to see whether
I can obtain real-time data on the effect of pesticide applications
on hives placed in agricultural crops. If successful, Ill be writ-
ing about it.
20 http://www.agribusinessglobal.com/agrichemicals/insecti-
cides-2016-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-reality/
423
F
or the annual meeting of the Ento-
mological Society of America, more
than 3,000 entomologists and insect
scientists from around the world swarmed
into Minneapolis, MN in mid-November.
The conference included many special
symposiums, including one on the impacts
of Colony Collapse Disorder on honey bee
KHDOWK,GHVFULEHGWKHUVWKDOIRIWKHV\P-
posium in a prior article. The second half of
the symposium was supposed to include six
talks, but two of the presenters were unable
to attend. This session focused greatly on
the new efforts and initiatives that had been
implemented in response to CCD, helping
both commercial beekeepers and bee breed-
ers keep healthy hives.
First to speak was Todd Peterson from
Land OLakes in Des Moines, Indiana.
He discussed the work of the Honey Bee
Health Coalition, a collaborative effort of
April 2016
a diverse suite of almost 40 organizations
with the motto healthy bees, healthy peo-
ple, healthy planet. The coalition includes
many large stakeholders and companies,
including the American Beekeeping Fed-
eration, the American Honey Producers
Association, the Almond Board, the big
pesticide companies, several growers asso-
ciations and bee focused NGOs including
Project Apis m. (see the entire membership
list at: http://honeybeehealthcoalition.
org/about-the-coalition). Managing such
diverse interests and viewpoints cant be
DQHDV\WDVNWKRXJKWKHQDQFLDOFORXWRI
so many big players could have a serious
impact on honey bee health. Attendance in
the conference room visibly thinned during
the talk, as many dawdled over the break.
The coalition seeks to collaboratively
implement solutions that will help to
achieve a healthy population of honey bees
while also supporting healthy populations
of native and managed pollinators in the
context of productive agricultural systems
and thriving ecosystems. Although the
mission statement is a bit of a mouthful, it
focuses on four key areas impacting honey
bee health:
1. Pests and disease
2. Lack of forage and nutrition
3. Incidental pesticide exposure
4. Hive management
To help address pests and disease,
theyve issued a free guide to controlling
varroa, available online http://honey-
beehealthcoalition.org/varroa. It walks
readers through available varroa treatments.
Honey bee nutrition is a complex issue with
many big gaps of knowledge. The coalition
recently commissioned an in-depth litera-
ture review on this topic to help determine
what is known and where additional re-
search could help. The report is due some-
time this summer.
As beekeepers who have lost hives to
pesticides know, reporting the suspected
loss can be tedious, complicated, frustrat-
ing and expensive with the cost burden of
testing often falling on the beekeeper. With
little time and money to waste, beekeepers
may not bother completing the incident re-
port. The coalition hopes to increase inci-
dent reporting by simplifying the process.
Theyve created a guide to reporting a bee
kill with important contact details for each
425
state. Visit http://honeybeehealthcoali- swers are rarely as straightforward as they due to commercial queen breeding, where
tion.org/tools-and-resources and then UVWDSSHDU7DUS\ZHQWRQWRFODULI\ZKDW a few big operations supply a large majority
download the Incident Reporting Guide. the media often mucks up. Colony mortality of the queens used throughout the country.
:KLOH,KDWHOOLQJRXWWHGLRXVSDSHUZRUN does not equal CCD. Just because a colony When genetic diversity is analyzed at the
it helps the larger beekeeping community of honey bees died, doesnt mean that they population level across the country, they
when we report potential pesticide inci- ZHUHORVWGXHWR&&'+HDVKHGDJXUH segregate into only two different groups,
dents. Without such data, patterns of spray of four concentric circles. The smallest inte- one common to the west and the other the
damage are hard to track. Even if you only rior one represented the proportion of colo- southeast.
manage a few hives, if you suspect pesticide nies lost due to CCD. The next larger circle Genetic tools are now at a beekeepers
poisoning, consider informing the recom- VLJQLHGXQH[SODLQHGKRQH\EHHORVVHVRI QJHUWLSVFRXUWHV\RIWKH1&6WDWH4XHHQ
mended authorities. which CCD was just a small part. This was & Disease Clinic. To help bee breeders as-
The next talk by David Tarpy of North then surrounded by the circle for annual sess the quality of their queens, the lab will
Carolina State University delved into the losses, which itself was contained within the analyze the reproductive quality of queens
question Is there ae genetic component to largest circle representing the entire honey and the health of workers in colonies. Con-
&&'" 7KH UVW VOLGH DVKHG XS ZLWK WKH bee population. GHQWLDOLW\RIFOLHQWVLVNH\VRUHVXOWVDUH
answer No, not really. kept anonymous. Reports mimic a student
So I can go straight to the Q & A! Tarpy report card with a letter grade (see image).
announced, with his characteristic ability to The report always includes a comparison to
blend humor and science. But of course an- the global average to let breeders know how
they compare to all other samples analyzed.
Options include a test of insemination
t quality, which measures queen morphomet-
 rics (weight, thorax width and head width),
sperm viability, and total sperm count. To
JXUHRXWPDWLQJIUHTXHQF\UHTXLUHVVHQG-
/        ing in a sample of ~100 workers. Pater-
 nity is analyzed on 48 individual workers,
 from which the queen mating frequency is
Honey bee losses remain high and queen estimated. While insemination quality is
 failure continues to be a highly reported relatively inexpensive ($15-20 per queen,
      cause for winter mortality. The queenas depending on the volume analyzed), pa-
     - the mother of the colonyis the only source ternity testing has a much higher price tag
of genetics in the hive. Research has shown ($190-290 per colony). Details and pricing
      - that queens that mated with 7+ drones have available here: https://entomology.ces.
^ 3x greater survivability in commercial colo- ncsu.edu/apiculture/queen-disease-clinic/
 nies than their poorly mated sisters. When Katie Lee from the University of Min-
 a queen mates with multiple drones from nesota spoke next, discussing Tech Trans-
different genetic stocks, she will produce fer Teams: Working for beekeepers. Tech
d^ daughters with different fathers, often called WHDPVDUHHOGDJHQWVWKDWZRUNZLWKFRP-
      subfamilies. The more different drones, the mercial beekeepers, so the beekeepers can
more subfamilies a colony has, which gives make data informed management decisions.

the hive greater genetic diversity. 7KHUVWWHFKWUDQVIHUWHDPODXQFKHGLQ&DO-
 In the United States there have been three ifornia, but they have expanded greatly in
bottlenecks that reduced the genetic diver- recent years, with additional teams based in
d - VLW\ RI WKH SRSXODWLRQ 7KH UVW RFFXUUHG WKH3DFLF1RUWKZHVWWKH0LGZHVW7H[DV
        with the original importations of honey and Florida/Georgia.
   t  bees; only so many queens were brought ,QWKHVKRUWWHUPWKHHOGDJHQWVSURYLGH
 over from Europe. Varroa wiped out the individual beekeepers with health infor-
 feral populations of honey bees creating a mation on their colonies, including colony
second bottleneck. The third bottleneck is strength, varroa and nosema infestations,

426 American Bee Journal

and disease incidence. The samples they
collect are shipped to a central processing
lab, where they are quickly turned around
and lab reports generated. These reports in-
clude varroa and nosema levels for an indi-
vidual beekeeper compared to anonymized
apiaries in the region and national averages.
The reports help highlight potential prob-
lems. When colony health issues arise, the
tech transfer agents work with the beekeeper
WRQGWKHEHVWRSWLRQVDYDLODEOH&XUUHQWO\
tech transfer teams assist 82 commercial
beekeepers, who together manage over
400,000 colonies. The tech transfer teams
thus inspect hives in operations that manage
approximately 13% of the all US colonies.
Commercial beekeepers greatly appreciate
the varroa monitoring, as it reminds them to
stay on top of their varroa treatments.
The long-term goal is to use the data col-
lected and determine which management
practices improve colony health, allowing
for the development of regional best man-
agement practices to reduce colony losses.
Following-up on Katie Lees talk, Marla
Spivak spoke about how tech transfer teams
help bee breeders. The queen breeders in
northern California produce over 600,000
queens for sale in the US. If we can im-
prove the genetics there, there is good po-
tential for change, Spivak explained. She
spent time with 17 commercial queen breed-
ers to learn what they needed and what they
actually wanted.
She had spoken for years about hygienic
testing to beekeeping groups, but almost
April 2016
none of the breeders were selecting for hy-
gienic behavior. It wasnt until she visited
the breeders yards and demonstrated in
their hives exactly how to test for hygienic
behavior using liquid nitrogen to freeze kill
brood that they showed interest.
The breeders were surprised to see how
easy it was to test. On average 12% of the
breeder colonies she surveyed removed
more than 95% of the killed brood, giving
them a good foundation with which to work.
We like this, but we want help, they
told Spivak. They wanted a hand in actu-
ally assessing hygienic behavior in their
colonies. So the tech team stepped in to do
the hygienic testing if requested by breeders.
2YHU WKH ODVW YH \HDUV WKH WHFK WHDPV
have tested 20-30 colonies of interested
breeders in late January or early Febru-
ary. In 2011, the colonies tested removed
on average 71% of the freeze-killed brood.
By 2015 that average had risen to 84%. To
breed hygienic behavior into a population,
you select the colonies that remove 95%
or more of the freeze-killed brood within
24 hours. In 2011, only 9% of the colonies
tested showed that high level of hygienic be-
havior. By 2015 that had more than doubled
to 20%. All of the queen breeders have colo-
nies with enough hygienic behavior to use
as potential breeding stock.
The tech team report shows how a breed-
ers hygienic behavior compares to the ano-
nymized results of all other breeders, which
naturally drives competition. Everyone cov-
ets top spots. But even when breeders have
the right hygienic stock for selection, there
remain three biological barriers that hinder
the spread of this behavior in the general
population:
1. Inadequate drone saturation
2. Horizontal transmission of parasites
and pathogens
3. Queen failures and replacements
Hygienic behavior spreads in the popula-
tion when the virgin queens from selected
stock mate with drones carrying this genetic
WUDLW0DWLQJ\DUGVQHHGWREHRRGHGZLWK
drones from selected stock, so that they pass
on the hygienic behavior. Some queen mat-
ing yards have achieved the level of drone
saturation needed, but others still have some
work to do. As selection for the trait contin-
ues, drone saturation should improve.
Horizontal transmission allows for the
spread of varroa and pathogens. With hori-
zontal transmission, both the mites and the
viruses can increase in virulence, as they
dont need to keep their honey bee host
healthy enough to swarm. Unfortunately,
improvements in hygienic behavior cant
keep up, so long as there is rampant trans-
mission Spivak said. Collapsing colonies
create a surge of varroa into healthy hives,
especially in the late summer and early fall
and even the most hygienic colony can be
RYHUZKHOPHGE\WKLVVXGGHQLQX[
The third biological barrier to increasing
hygienic behavior nationwide is the high
rate of queen supersedure. Rapid queen
427
turnover remains an issue. When the colony
rears a new queen, this virgin will mate with
the unselected stock in the vicinity of the
apiary. Her offspring will thus not inherit
the hygienic behavior from the drones, wa-
tering down the trait.
The final talk was cancelled, as the
speaker had to attend a funeral. I enjoyed
the symposium and as usual, learned a lot
RIQHZQHSRLQWV:KLOH,PDUDSLGQRWH
taker, I couldnt scribble fast enough to
keep up with all the details of every speaker.
Check out the twitter feed for #entsoc15 to
QGRWKHUDWWHQGHHVWZHHWV$JDLQ,H[WHQG
my sincere apologies to all of the speakers if
I mucked up your words or concepts.

Kirsten S.
Traynor co-au-
thored Simple,
Smart Beekeep-
ing with her
husband Mi-
chael J. Traynor.
She is currently
a post-doc at
the University
of Maryland, where she studies pesticide
impacts on colony health and honey bee
nutrition. Together with Michael, they run
Flickerwood Apiary, teach beekeeping
classes, and frequently speak to organiza-
tions on honey bees. You can follow her on
twitter @FlowersLoveBees or keep up with
her beekeeping adventures at www.mdbee.
com and ZZZIDFHERRNFRPLFNHUZRRG.

428 American Bee Journal

430 American Bee Journal
T
he business of shipping bees without
combs started around 100 years ago.
In the Feb. 15, 1916 edition of Bee
Culture, they state: Three pounds of fresh
bees, placed on good combs in a good hive
by May 1 will make a fair colony to start
in the business. They go on to point out
that over-wintered hives can have this many
or more bees, but they may be in such poor
condition that they quickly die. Many of
the bee papers of the day had extensive ar-
ticles on topics such as spring dwindling
and disappearing disease. The intestinal
parasite Nosema apis had recently been
discovered, was found to be widespread in
over-wintered bees, and was thought to be
connected to the poor spring health of many
colonies (White, 1914).
Soon, packaged bees and queens were
being advertised in the beekeeping trade
journals. Articles on the care and feeding of
bee shipments began to appear in publica-
tions such as the 1920 Annual Report of the
Agricultural Experiment Station at Madi-
son, Wisconsin. They describe at length the
situation where from 30 to 50 per cent of
all colonies in the state had been lost due to
disease and winter mortality, many of which
had not been restocked as a result of the
beekeepers giving up (Russell, 1920). This
in turn created a large demand for fresh bees
from the south, which when shipped with-
out combs, could be assumed to be nearly
disease free.
The article compares methods of ship-
ment and states that parcel post gave the
best results, even while taking as long as
six days. They state that if the packages
DUHIHGV\UXSFRQWLQXRXVO\XQWLOVXIFLHQW
spring nectar is available, they could pro-
duce and average surplus of 50 pounds and
some would yield 150 pounds. It is clear
that package bees and also nucs can be used
to produce a paying crop, provided it is done
April 2016
correctly. They can also be an excellent way
to lose very large sums of money, if mis-
managed. In this article I will go over the
promise and peril of starting new colonies
in order to produce honey.
In 1925, J. H. Merrill, apiarist of the
Kansas State Agricultural College laid the
facts on the table. He explained that if the
PDLQKRQH\RZHQGVLQ-XO\DKLYHRIEHHV
could go through 50 pounds of honey before
September and another 50 pounds during
the winter. He states:
If this honey could be sold at seven-
teen cents a pound, it would mean that
between 15.30 dollars and 17.00 dol-
lars would be saved to the beekeeper,
who otherwise spends it to keep alive
a colony of bees which could be re-
placed in the form of package bees
much cheaper the following spring
(Merrill, 1925).
One hundred pounds of honey in todays
money is worth 200 to 300 dollars in the
t DUHDGGHGWROORXWWKHVSDFH$VWKHFRORQ\
D: grows, it needs to be monitored for space,
retail market, which will more than pay for
a package of bees and a few gallons of sugar
syrup. In answer to the obvious question,
Merrill states: It is not the intention here to
advocate the killing off of bees at the close
RIWKHKRQH\RZ+RZHYHULWLVUHDOLVWLF
to anticipate losses and make preparations
against them.
Nucs vs Packages
This is probably a good time to bring up
the topic of nucs. There are obvious differ-
ences between these two types of starter
hives. The term nuc is short for nucleus,
which may have been coined by Lang-
stroth himself. He saw that the perfection
of the frame hive gave beekeepers com-
plete control over the colony. This allows
us to quickly locate the queen, ascertain
the health of the bees, and make divisions
almost as easily as one divides a clump of
irises in the spring. Langstroth referred to
his nucleus system of taking a few frames
of brood and the adhering bees, in order to
form a new colony. Typically, the bees were
left to raise a new queen, but Langstroth and
others soon engaged themselves in propa-
gating the Italian honey bee, and recom-
mended forming nucleus hives using queen
bees purchased from them.
Anyway, the name stuck. A nuc is com-
monly understood to contain two to four
frames of brood, bees, and a laying queen.
This unit sells for about $100 to $150 dol-
lars, and most buyers expect that they will
JHWVRPHKRQH\IURPLWWKHUVW\HDU1XFV
are not generally considered to be adequate
for pollinating although some beekeepers
offer them at lower rates than full sized
colonies. A nuc requires little care initially.
The frames are transferred from the nuc
box into a standard hive, additional frames
431
 Without going into great detail, they
found a wide range of parasite levels. There
were no tracheal mites, but Varroa levels
ranged from very low to very high. Nosema
levels also ranged from low to high. Since
QRQHRIWKHYHQGRUVZHUHLGHQWLHGZHFDQ
only say that some packages are a better
value than others and that it is worthwhile
checking for mite levels very early on. They
also mention that some vendors shipped
larger numbers of drones in the packages.
However, Strange states:

It may be that shipping some drones

in packages is not detrimental to the
establishment and ultimate success
of the young colony, but the extent to
t which colony development is delayed >
D: is unclear. D:

and supers added as needed. Often there
will be ample honey to carry it over till a
VWHDG\KRQH\RZEHJLQVEXWLWLVXVXDOO\
DGYLVDEOHWRIHHGWKHEHHVDWUVW
The downside of buying nucs under-
scores one of the reasons the packaged bee
LQGXVWU\ VWDUWHG LQ WKH UVW SODFH $W WKH
time, many states would not allow the entry
of bees on combs. Obviously, brood disease
may be present any time there is brood in a
hive, and states were unwilling to undertake
the chore of inspecting every hive entering a
state, especially in spring when rapid move-
ment is essential and delays costly. Hence,
the development of bees by the pound,
which could generally be assumed to be free
of contagions.
This of course is not true. Jamie Strange
and Nick Calderone published an article
titled Whats in that Package? They state
that:
A package, is composed of 909
1,364 g (23 lb) of worker bees and a
mated queen. Packages also can be an
effective means of dispersing diseases,
parasites, and undesirable stock to bee-
keepers throughout the United States
(Strange, 2008).
What we are left with is a race between
nucs and packages, which are not created
equal. Nucs seem to have the advantage,
since they arrive with bees and brood in all
stages. It is absolutely crucial that the buyer
check for the presence of a laying queen as
soon as possible. It is best to wait a week,
but not more than that. If there are eggs
DIWHUYHGD\VLWLVDOPRVWFHUWDLQWKDWVKHV
there and not to worry. If she was recently
killed, emergency queen cells will be appar-
ent. No eggs and no cells means you bought
a lemon. In any case, I would hash out the
details about queen loss prior to making the
purchase. A reputable vendor will replace a
lost or bad queen, unless evidence points to
mishandling on the part of the beekeeper.
But Will It Pay?
The question in everyones mind is: Can
a nuc or package really produce a paying
crop? Naturally, this will depend on a lot
of things. Most important in the equation is
the location where the bees are to be kept.
There are plenty of spots on this earth that
DUHMXVWSODLQEDGIRUEHHV,KRSH\RXQG
out soon if you are in one of those, to avoid
disappointment. All the same, bees can be
kept most places where there are blooming
plants, as urban and desert beekeepers will
tell you. But will they be supporting you, or
the other way round? If one wishes to have
bees for pollination or pleasure, this is less
of a problem. Clearly, some means of moni-
toring the hives food supply is crucial. Al-
lowing a hive to starve to death is not being
a responsible beekeeper.
I have gone deeply into this topic, and I
would like to share a few gems from 1956:
Henry W. Hanson
Using package bees with me was more
or less an accident. In 1936 I lost 90%
my bees and by the time I got through
cleaning up the mess and extracting
the honey that was left I thought I had
better do something else so I decided I
would try package bees altogether. For
PHLWKDVZRUNHGRXWQHDQG,GRQW
have worry about the colonies all win-
ter. I have been free from this worry
for some twenty years and I think
ZKHQ\RXJXUHLWLQGROODUVDQGFHQWV
you come out ahead.
Myron R. Frisque
Because our winters are quite long in
Wisconsin (Green Bay) wintering bees

^^WDDY

432 American Bee Journal

 is quite costly here. This past winter
many producers lost to of their
bees even though they left consider-
able honey. After all we do not need
any bees from the 1st of September
until the 10th of April. This is a long
time to be rearing brood, consuming
stores, putting wear and tear on the
equipment, and spending money for
extra labor with no return. This year
for example in spite of the fact that we
had a cold and severe spring our pack-
DJHV DUH EXLOGLQJ XS QH DQG PDQ\
queens are laying in two bodies (May
7KH\VKRXOGEHUHDG\IRUWKHRZ
about June 20.
G. H. Cale
A few years ago we had about 1,000
colonies in northern Minnesota along
the Canadian line and had at least ten
\HDUVWRQGRXWZKDWWKHFRPSDULVRQ
is in that northern location between the
two kinds of bees.
The cost of re-queening the wintered
colonies, or dividing them with new
queens and reuniting, when added to
the cost of the winter feed, made the
packages a better proposition. Most al-
ways the packages made a larger crop
than the over-wintered colonies no
matter how well they might be man-
aged and certainly when costs were
considered the package was much
cheaper (American Bee Journal, 1956).
These excerpts show that many com-
mercial producers came to the conclusion
that packaged bees do as well or better than
over-wintered colonies, and with less work.
However, as Henry Hanson concludes:
There are a lot of pitfalls that must
be avoided when managing with all
package bees. For a small beekeeper,
where labor does not enter the picture,
I would say by all means working with
wintered bees is more interesting.
How Do They Do It?
By now, I think you are getting the pic-
ture that not only is it possible to make honey
using packages or nucs, but that plenty of
people have done it over the years. In Can-
ada, until the border was closed to bees from
the U.S., restocking with packages every
spring was a common practice. According to
Pankiw (1968), more than 200,000 packages
were imported from the U.S. into Canada
annually. Now, I will discuss the dynamics
of hive development. As you might have
guessed, much of this work was done in
Canada, where whole operations were based
on the use of packaged bees.
A very thorough study was reported in
1970 in a Masters Thesis by Bruce Smirl.
Working in Manitoba, he used 48 colonies
over a three-year period. They were either
two or three pound packages and they were
set up at in April and May at 12-day inter-
vals, to determine the best size and timing
for the installation. His conclusion was that
April 2016
Y    W   D  D
Y
it made no big difference which size was properly managed than if they are left alone.
used or when they were installed. Person- Later, at Cornells Dyce Lab for Honey Bee
ally, I have observed pretty much the same Studies, I installed many hundreds of pack-
thing here in New York State. If the pack- ages while also managing over-wintered
ages are installed very early in April, they colonies. Most recently, I have built back
dont do very much until it gets warmer, up my own bees from two severe winters
whereas with a May installation, the bees where I lost most of the colonies each time.
are generally greeted by better weather, with *HQHUDOO\RQHFDQPDNHIURPYHWRWHQ
abundant nectar and pollen conditions, and nucs from a colony that is strong in spring.
catch up quickly. You will be much more likely to succeed
1RWDEO\LQWKLVVWXG\WKHPDLQRZRF- if you introduce laying queens at that time.
curred in July and August. By the end of I like to purchase queens in the spring, but
August all the colonies had populations of others prefer to raise their own or let the bees
about 45-50,000 adult bees. In our area of do it. The longer bees are without a queen,
1HZ <RUN 6WDWH WKH PDLQ VXPPHU RZV the more they are likely to get into trouble. I
are basswood in July, knotweed in August have also restocked with nucs that I bought.
and goldenrod in September. Obviously, A skilled beekeeper can take a good strong
packages will not get a crop from the spring nuc and divide it immediately, introducing
honey; only colonies which are strong in another queen. This cuts the cost of buying
0D\ ZLOO EH DEOH WR OO VXSHUV ZLWK EODFN nucs almost in half.
locust or fruit blossom honey. Those are the Installing packages will be a success or a
ones most prone to swarming, of course! failure, pretty much dependent on the equip-
A similar study was conducted by S. C. ment you have. The idea of putting bees
Jay. He noted in 1974 that Manitoba had one onto undrawn foundation makes me shud-
of the highest average honey production in der, though plenty of people do it. I think
North America, at 72.5 kg (160 pounds). they build up much faster if they have drawn
0RUH VLJQLFDQWO\ KH QRWHV WKDW WKH RSWL- combs, with pollen and honey. Perhaps this
mum number of bees for rearing brood was
estimated by Farrar to be 10,000. However,
-D\JXUHVWKDWLQKLVVWXGLHVWKHPRVWHI-
FLHQWUDWLRRIEURRGWREHHVZDVDFKLHYHG
at 5000 to 7000 bees. This is one of the un-
derlying principles of beekeeping, which is
lost on many people. A small colony has a
very strong impulse to become large, and is
YHU\HIFLHQWDWGRLQJVR:KHUHDVDFRORQ\
that is already large in spring may be used
to produce nice spring honey, but it is even
more valuable as a source of nucs or splits.
By setting up small colonies in spring, you
can capitalize on their growth potential, and
pre-empt the tendency for them to swarm.
Recipes for Success
To be certain, I wouldnt write this ar-
ticle if I didnt have some experience with
this. I worked in the packaged bee indus-
try in Northern California for a season, and
VDZ UVW KDQG WKH SRWHQWLDO RI FRORQLHV WR Y    W 
produce more bees in the spring if the are photo)
433
 tW
is because I have always done it that way.
Naturally, if you are just starting out, you
wont have these.
In a nutshell, I install nucs or packages
into equipment set up and ready. Ideally, the
hives will already have from 3 to 5 frames of
honey taken from healthy hives. (Installing
bees into diseased equipment is a common
mistake.) Depending on weather, it is advis-
able to feed the colonies as needed. A half
gallon or gallon feeder is adequate for a col-
ony that is building up. Most authorities rec-
ommend some form of pollen supplement; I
have never used it. Real pollen is always the
best bet. A frame of emerging brood added
to the package will help it immeasurably if
you have this available.
The hives should be monitored and addi-
tional supers added as needed. My tendency
is to add them, and if the bees occupy them
ULJKWDZD\,JXUHWKH\QHHGHGWKHP%HWWHU
to stay ahead than to fall behind. Some peo-
ple say that adding room can discourage
the bees; I disagree with that. By all means,
EHUHDG\IRUDKRQH\RZ'XULQJDUHDOO\
VWURQJKRQH\RZHYHQVPDOOFRORQLHVPD\
store surprising amounts of honey.
Finally, the big problem with packages is
drifting. Even the best laid plans to prevent
it may be defeated by the bees tendency to
\RXWLQDUXVKDQGQRWPDUNZKLFKKLYH
is theirs. Anything you can do to minimize
drifting such as not placing hives in rows,
not putting them too close together, etc. may
help. But if the bees are installed when the
weather is good, they may come pouring out
DQGJHWORVW&RQQLQJWKHPLVQRWUHDOO\DQ
answer, it just postpones the inevitable.
434
At the end of the season, the colonies ment and performance of package bees in
should be in pretty good shape no matter Manitoba. Masters Thesis, University of
where they stood in the spring. At that point, Manitoba.
one should probably think about dumping Strange, J. P., Cicciarelli, R. P., & Calde-
out the weak ones, and distributing the extra rone, N. W. (2008). Whats in that pack-
honey. The old rule of taking losses in the age? An evaluation of quality of package
fall, before winter, is not practiced as ruth- honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) ship-
lessly as it was back in the day. People ments in the United States. Journal of
have developed a soft spot for honey bees, economic entomology, 101(3), 668-673.
and secretly hope they will all make it some- White, G. F. (1914). Destruction of germs
how. They wont so plan ahead! of infectious bee diseases by heating. Bul-
letin No. 92. US Dept. of Agriculture.
References
Cale, G. H. (1956). Package Beekeeping
Versus Overwintering. American Bee
Journal. 96(8), 311-312.
Jay, S. C. (1974). Seasonal development of
honeybee colonies started from package
bees. Journal of Apicultural Research,
13(2), 149-152.
Merrill, J. H., & Archer, G. S. (1925). Ex-
perience with Package Bees. Bee World,
7(1), 11-12.
Pankiw, P. (1968).7KHLQXHQFHRIHQYL-
ronmental conditions on brood rearing,
build-up, and honey production of pack-
age bee colonies. The Canadian Entomol-
ogist, 100(02), 127-134.
Root, A. I. (1916). A California Man Suc-
ceeds in Sending Bees by the Pound in
Large and Small Lots. Gleanings in Bee
Culture, 44(4), 137-138.
Russell, H. L., & Morrison, F. B. (1920).
New Farm Facts: Annual Report of the
Director, 1919-1920 (Vol. 323). Agricul-
tural Experiment Station, University of
Wisconsin.
Smirl, C. B. (1970). A study of the develop-
American Bee Journal
April 2016 435
 LOHMAN APIARIES
since 1946
Quality Queens and Packages
Old World Carniolan
for Over-wintering and Honey Production
Dennis Lohman Apiaries
6437 Wagner Road
ARBUCKLE, CALIFORNIA 95912
530-476-2322
Member of California Bee Breeders Association

436 American Bee Journal

 dWWW
W
ith this months installment of my
meandering natural history of the
honey bee we arrive at a topic that
is near and dear to my heart the queens
habit of mating with multiple males, stor-
ing their sperm in an organ called the sper-
matheca, and using the sperm to fertilize
her lifes output of eggs. This behavior is
called polyandry. I attach such importance
to polyandry not just because of its impor-
tance to the evolution of Apis mellifera, but
also because of its up-to-the-hour relevance
for the health problems facing honey bees
today. Well, and to be honest, it was also
the subject of my research sabbatical in
England in 2012-2013 a period of my life
dense with happy memories not the least
of which were the delightful cross-country
footpaths and the famously fortifying real
ales awaiting the road-weary walker at each
village pub.
My sabbatical host was Dr. Giles Budge
at the National Bee Unit, a section of the
UKs Food and Environment Research
Agency (FERA) housed near the ancient
northern city of York (see Figure). Giles
and I had become increasingly interested in
the booming literature on polyandry and its
GLYHUVHKHDOWKEHQHWVIRUWKHEHHFRORQ\
The papers on polyandry were emerging
at an escalating rate, and we couldnt help
but wonder if this was another one of those
evolutionary clues to good beekeeping
management.
But before I can delve into that I want to
return a moment to something I talked about
last June, and that is how colonies resolve
UHSURGXFWLYHFRQLFWVDPRQJQHVWPDWHV,
explained how daughters in the primitive
nests of our putative ancestral honey bee
could choose to leave the nest, strike out
on their own, and expect to pass on 50%
of their genes in the form of offspring; or
they could choose to stay at the nest, altru-
istically help their mother reproduce, and
pass on 50% of their genes in the form of
siblings. It is possible that the presence of
DQHVWDQGWKHVWDELOL]LQJEHQHWVRIFRRS-
eration, shared defense, and shared forag-
April 2016
ing were powerful rewards for choosing the
social route. But readers will recall that just
because we can do the math and show equal
genetic rewards does not by itself compel
workers to the social route. In June I asked,
So what extraordinary selection pressures
pushed honey bee workers toward such
extreme expressions of cooperation and al-
truism that they evolved into a sterile and
distinct caste?
One possibility is so-called voluntary
altruism. The discovery of genes that do
indeed code for altruistic behavior lends
support to this option1, and moreover, such
genes can be expected to occur at higher-
than-background rates in colonies where
theres already a high degree of familial
relatedness. However, the presence of al-
truistic genes does not mean that theres no
SRVVLELOLW\IRUVHOVKQHVV$IWHUDOOHYHQD
sterile worker can activate her ovaries and
produce sons a perfectly viable option for
passing on 50% of her genes. In a social
context, such workers are called outlaws,
DQG ZKDW PDNHV WKHP VHOVK LV WKH IDFW
that they cease any work on behalf of the
colony while coopting the machinery of the
colony to rear their own sons. They become
social parasites. If all workers did this the
whole colony, and everyone in it, would
eventually perish a genetic dead-end if
there ever was one. Nevertheless, theory
based on simple inheritance predicts that
over 50% of workers can still be expected
WRFKRRVHWKLVVHOVKRSWLRQ2. So in the end,
voluntary altruism, even with the presence
of altruistic genes, does not seem capable of
explaining such high levels of altruism and
social cohesion we see in the modern honey
bee colony.
What seems a better answer is enforced
altruism, also called coercion or policing.
In June I explained that in the early primi-
tive colonies with one mother mated to one
male with highly-related daughters shar-
ing 50% of genes in common that policing
was a simple matter of the mother eating
the eggs laid by her daughters. After all, the
mother was more interested in rearing sons
and daughters (50% of genes in common)
than grandsons (25%). Outlaw daughters
were not punished for their criminal acts of
sneaking in an egg or two but they didnt
get away with it either. The mothers po-
licing behavior eliminated the rewards for
outlaw egg laying and promoted group co-
hesion. It was brute force, albeit indirectly
visited on the eggs, but nevertheless had the
stabilizing effect of eliminating reproduc-
WLYHFRQLFWV
7KHHOLPLQDWLRQRIUHSURGXFWLYHFRQLFW
in the nest was a critical development in the
evolution of honey bee sociality because it
freed each type of female to respond to nor-
mal Darwinian processes and diverge into
the vastly different forms we see today.
The mother specialized in egg laying and
evolved more subtle forms of social coer-
cion in the form of pheromones that exact
a policing effect on her daughters by sup-
pressing their ovaries. The daughters, for
their part, evolved the dizzying behavioral
repertoires of nest building, defense, forag-
ing, and brood rearing that captivate human
observers to this day. Eventually the two
diverged to the point that neither could do
the work of the other. They had become two
castes. Only at this point can we properly
talk about queens vs. workers.
This is also the earliest point at which we
can attach the term superorganism to our
ancestral honey bee. Now that neither the
queen nor worker is any longer reproduc-
tively autonomous, it is arguable that its
the colony as a whole that functions as a
Darwinian unit of selection.
This critical development also presented
the queen with new reproductive options.
With reproductive conflicts resolved
through coercion, and with workers having
lost the ability to mate and produce diploid
offspring, social cohesiveness was no lon-
ger so highly dependent on high rates of
kinship. Put another way, the rewards for
a queen practicing monogamy and produc-
ing a nest of highly-related daughters were
no longer so real. Queens began abandon-
ing the age-old practice of monogamy and
437
began mating with successive males. Its
true; one word for it is promiscuity, al-
though polyandry is the more commonly
used in the case of animals like bees ca-
pable of storing sperm. In the case of bees,
it is likely that one early force selecting for
polyandry was sperm scarcity. Even though
the semen of one drone is theoretically suf-
FLHQW WR VXSSO\ RQH TXHHQ D OLIHWLPHV
worth of fertile eggs, the post-mating
movement of sperm from the queens lat-
HUDORYLGXFWVLQWRWKHVSHUPDWKHFDLVLQHI-
cient and much of it is lost. Those primitive
queens that mated with more than one male
were rewarded with a larger sperm supply
and consequently larger, longer-lived colo-
nies3.
Events synergized to create an escalat-
ing reduction in the average relatedness of
the queens daughters. The queens mul-
tiple mating meant that average within-nest
worker relatedness dropped from 75% to
27.5 30%4. Also in this web of events
workers began getting involved in coercion.
There was then, as now, still the occasional
outlaw worker who tries to sneak in an egg,
but now workers began eating each others
eggs. After all, it is far better to help rear
their mothers female offspring (at least
25% genes in common, sometimes as high
as 75%) than the sons of half sisters (no
more than 12.5%). With coercion practiced
by workers as well as queens, reproductive
FRQLFWVUHPDLQHGVTXHOFKHGHYHQLQWKHVH
genetically diverse assemblages.
But we must be quick to point out that
polyandry could never have gotten off the
ground before workers lost their reproduc-
tive autonomy or totipotency. If a primi-
tive mother had tried to practice polyandry,
her totipotent daughters would have simply
scoffed at the idea of rearing distant kin and
struck out on their own.
d&Zz transmission of viruses through drones.
 Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 92:

438
So we can see that there is a sort of peril
involved in the leap from monogamy to
polyandry in the form of drastically reduced
within-nest relatedness. But consider: the
LSVLGHRIWKDWFRLQUHDGVgenetic diversity.
And it appears that at the level of colony
WKHVXSHURUJDQLVPWKHEHQHWVRIJHQHWLF
diversity outweigh the perils of low nest re-
latedness. Its an adaptation that can only be
understood when one considers colony as
Darwins unit of selection. As such, poly-
andry becomes one of the most compelling
arguments for the superorganism concept.
As early queens practiced polyandry, it was
their colonies that became bigger, healthier,
and more resistant to diseases and pests.
Field studies have shown a positive rela-
tionship between a queens mating number
and her colonys resistance to the diseases
chalkbrood and American foulbrood5,6,7.
Highly polyandrous queens head colonies
that produce more honey and yes, in the
purest currency of Darwinian are more W,
which means capable of reproducing, which
in the honey bee superorganism means
swarming8.
This is the literature that caught Giless
and my attention as we surveyed the pros-
pects of my English sabbatical. We asked,
How can we bring this evolutionary biology
to bear on the health problems facing honey
bees today? How can we optimize polyan-
dry to improve colony health? What are the
upper limits of polyandry that confer colony
EHQHW"&DQZHPDQLSXODWHLW"2QHREYLRXV
question is, How polyandrous are queens
in nature? and that answer has lately been
settled at around 12 males9, which of course
begs the question, Why stop at 12? We do
have records of mating numbers as high as
40 males10, but the best thinking is that an
average of 12 is an evolutionary optimum
EDODQFLQJWKHFRORQ\EHQHWVRISRO\DQGU\
105-108
against risks to the queen during mating
LJKWVZKLFKLQFOXGHSUHGDWLRQ11 and sex-
ually-transmitted diseases12. But what if we
could reduce or eliminate these risks? Have
our cake and eat it too, polyandrously speak-
ing? This was the gist of my sabbatical, and
I think the results are interesting enough to
warrant their own coverage next month.
References
1 Reviewed in Bourke, A.F.G. 2011.
Principles of social evolution. Oxford
University Press, pp. 52-56
2 Ratnieks, F.L.W. and T. Wenseleers.
2008. Altruism in insect societies: vol-
untary or enforced? Trends in Ecology
and Evolution 23: 45-52
3 Kraus, F.B., P. Neumann, J. van
Praagh, and R.F.A. Moritz. 2004.
Sperm limitation and the evolution of
extreme polyandry in honeybees (Apis
mellifera L.). Behavioral Ecology and
Sociobiology 55: 494-501 DOI 10.1007/
s00265-003-0706-0
4 Ratnieks, F. L. W., Helanter, H.
2009. The evolution of extreme altru-
ism and inequality in insect societies.
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal
Society of London B. 364: 3169-3179
5 Seeley, T.D. and D.R. Tarpy. 2007.
Queen promiscuity lowers disease within
honeybee colonies. Proceedings of the
Royal Society, Biological Sciences 274:
67-72 doi: 10.1098/rspb.2006.3702
6 Tarpy, D.R. 2003. Genetic diversity
within honeybee colonies prevents se-
vere infections and promotes colony.
Proceedings of the Royal Society, B. 270:
99-103. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2002.2199
7 Tarpy, D.R. and T.D. Seeley. 2006.
Lower disease infections in honey bee
(Apis mellifera) colonies headed by
polyandrous vs monandrous queens.
Naturwissenschaften 93: 195-199
8 Matilla, H.R. and T.D. Seeley. 2007.
Genetic diversity in honey bee colonies
HQKDQFHV SURGXFWLYLW\ DQG WQHVV 6FL-
ence 317: 362-364
9 Tarpy D.R., R. Nielsen, and D.I.
Nielsen. 2004.$VFLHQWLFQRWHRQWKH
revised estimates of effective paternity
frequency in Apis. Insectes Sociaux 51:
203204. DOI 10.1007/s00040-004-
0734-4
10 Estroup, A., M. Soulignac, and J. Cor-
nuet. 1994. Precise measurement of the
number of patrilines and of genetics re-
latedness in honeybee colonies. Proceed-
ings of the Royal Society of London,
Biological Sciences 258: 1-7
11 Koeniger N., G. Koeniger, and M.
Mardan. 1994. Mimicking a honeybee
queen? 9HVSDDIQLVLQGRVLQHQVLV (Perez
1910) hunts drones of Apis cerana F.
1793. Ethology 98: 149-153
12 Yue, C., Schrober, M., Bienefeld,
K., Genersch, E. 2006. Detection of
viral sequences in semen of honeybees
(Apis mellifera): Evidence for vertical
American Bee Journal
F
ollowing almonds, the biggest U.S.
pollination event, honey bee colonies
may go to apples or avocados. Avo-
cado culture in the US is concentrated along
the lower California coast and in Florida. In
CA, avocado trees bloom after almonds so
many CA beekeeper colonies are transported
directly to pollinate the estimated 57,000
acres of avocados, raised by some 6000
JURZHUV DOO ZLWKLQ  PLOHV RI WKH 3DFLF
Ocean from San Luis Obispo to San Diego.
Avocados, once mainly consumed by
latino immigrants in the US, is enjoying a
worldwide boom in food popularity. Cali-
fornia supplies 90% of U.S. avocado con-
sumption, a market value worth over 1/3 of
a billion dollars annually. However, intense
housing pressure (many people desire to live
within 5 miles of the southern CA coast) se-
verely limits expansion of avocado culture
within the U.S. The fruiting process is not
tolerant of freezing conditions, a limiting
factor as to where avocados can be grown.
Imports are needed to meet the growing
U.S., European and Asian market demand.
The U.S. imports used to come from Chile,
but Chilean growers now seek to supply
their growing domestic market and expand-
ing nearby South American markets. Mex-
ico, the largest European market supplier,
too faces intense housing pressure to expand
their growing acreage. Peru now is the 3rd
largest avocado exporter (after Mexico and
U.S.) in the world.
Avocado (palta in Spanish but called
aguacate in Mexico, where it is native),
has been grown in South America from be-
fore pre-Colombian times. In nature, it is a
shrubby tree that blooms in early spring (in
California in mid-March, blooming after
almonds and about same time as citrus).
Avocados, botanical name Persea ameri-
cana, are members of the family Lauraceae,
April 2016
which includes the plants that produce ed-
ible cinnamon, camphor, sassafras and the
herb, laurel (bay leaves).
Avocado presents a pollination challenge.
$YRFDGRRZHUVRSHQIRURQO\GD\V$S-
SUR[LPDWHO\WRQHZRZHUV
open each day/tree; mature trees can pro-
GXFHDPLOOLRQRZHUVGXULQJDGD\
VSULQJVHDVRQRZHULQJSHULRG7KHLQFRQ-
VSLFXRXVJUHHQLVK\HOORZRZHUVRFFXULQ
panicles of several dozens to hundreds of
RZHUV
:KHQDQDYRFDGRRZHUUVWRSHQVLWLV
LQWKHIHPDOHSKDVH$VDIHPDOHWKHRZHU
is open for 2 to 4 hours with the stigma
UHFHSWLYH WR SROOHQ 7KHQ WKH RZHU ZLOO
FORVH2QWKHVHFRQGGD\WKHVDPHRZHU
re-opens in the male phase and sheds pollen.
7KLVRZHULQJEHKDYLRULVNQRZQDVV\Q-
chronous dichogamy.
 are blander in taste, have less oil and are
Different avocado varieties have different
timing of the male (pollen-producing) and
female (stigma-receptive) phases, referred
WRDV$DQG%RZHUW\SHV$YDULHW-
LHVRSHQDVIHPDOHRZHUVRQWKHPRUQLQJ
RIWKHUVWGD\7KHRZHUFORVHVODWHPRUQ-
ing or early afternoon, and remains closed
until the afternoon of the second day when
it re-opens as male.
B varieties, in contrast, open as female
RQWKHDIWHUQRRQRIWKHUVWGD\FORVHLQODWH
afternoon and re-open in the male phase the
IROORZLQJPRUQLQJ7RWDORZHULQJF\FOHRI
Type A is 36 hours and for Type B trees is
24 hours, due to different hours of closure
WLPH 7RWDO RSHQ WLPH RI D RZHU PD\ EH
as little as a couple of hours upwards to 6
hours, split between the two phases. Flow-
ers are open during cool, foggy mornings
and with strong afternoon breezes, common
spring weather conditions along the coast.
,Q QDWXUH WKH WZR DYRFDGR RZHU W\SHV
complement each other. Both are function-
DOO\IHPDOHRQWKHLUUVWGD\DQGIXQFWLRQ-
ally male on their second day, but differ in
time of day that they are male and female.
A variety of one type produces pollen (func-
tionally male) when a variety of the other
type is receptive (functionally female). Na-
ture has it worked out.
And now the rub. Avocado growers arent
interested in growing just any avocado.
Type A avocado variety Hass (also called
California avocado, where this variety was
developed) commands 80% of the market,
thanks to a hard skin that makes transport/
export feasible. Hass trees produce me-
dium-sized (150250 g or 5.38.8 oz), ovate
IUXLWZLWKDEODFNSHEEOHGVNLQ7KHHVK
KDVDQXWW\ULFKDYRUZLWKRLO
Type B varieties (termed greenskins
also Florida avocados) are not hard skinned,
439

,
higher in calories and often larger in size.
They do not command the same market
value nor are they as easily transported/ex-
ported. They are largely consumed locally.
Commercial avocado growers seek to opti-
mize planting of Type A Hass, but must
also plant pollinizer trees of Type B; Zu-
tano and Ettinger and Fuerte are three cro-conditions there may be some overlap.
of the common greenskin varieties grown of
some 100+ varieties
Three types of pollination
There has been considerable differences
of opinion as to the pollination needs of av-
ocado. Three types of pollination are recog-
nized in avocado. Cross-pollination occurs
ZKHQSROOHQLVPRYHGIURPPDOHRZHUVRI
7\SH$WRIHPDOHRZHUVRIDFRPSDWLEOH
Type B and vice versa (i.e. Type B to Type
A). Growers question if planting a pollinizer
lination is necessary to grow exportable
The third pollination mode seen in avo-
cado is self-pollination. During the male
VWDJHRZHUSROOHQPD\IDOORQWRDVWLOOUH-
FHSWLYHIHPDOHRZHUVWLJPDZLWKLQDVLQJOH
RZHU6WLJPDVRIRZHUVGU\TXLFNO\RQFH
they switch to the male phase and begin to
produce pollen, but under more humid mi-
solid rows of Hass. Studies have demon-
So is cross-pollination necessary?
Numerous studies from several countries
have shown increased yield when Type A
trees are close to Type B. Using isozymes
and genetic markers, a 2000 study in Cali-
fornia showed a 4 year yield/tree average of
205 fruits of Type A Hass when Type B
trees were adjacent. When the Type B trees
were 5 rows away, the average yield was 90
Hass fruits/tree and when 15 rows away,
only 54 fruits/tree. A cage study excluding
of pollen collected by honey bee foragers
IURP PDOH RZHUV FDQ VWD\ RQ WKHLU ERG-
LHVDQGSROOLQDWHIHPDOHRZHUVRI7\SH%
WKHOHVVH[SRUWDEOHYDULHWLHVZKLFKRZHU
the same day. Pollen on bee bodies is less
OLNHO\WRSROOLQDWH7\SH$RZHUVZKHQWKH
PDOHRZHURSHQVLQDIWHUQRRQEXWIHPDOHV
are not open until the following morning.
Pollen transfer might also occur within the
hive.
Self-pollination may be more of a fac-
tor in homeowner backyard fruits where
yield is not of utmost importance or (where
mostly Type B) avocado are grown under
more humid conditions (such as in Florida).
7KH UVW RI WZR IUXLW GURSV WKDW RFFXU LQ
avocado is thought to involve mostly self-
pollinated fruits.
Thus, the consensus today is cross-pol-
quantities of Hass variety. New plantings
in Peru and Mexico (grower areas similarly
DORQJWKH3DFLF&RDVWDQGZKLFKDOVRIDFH
heavy housing pressure), utilize a cross-
pollination planting scheme.
Such an orchard planting scheme seeks
to utilize pollinizer (Type B) variety trees,
every 6th tree in every 2nd row, adjacent to
strated that most individual honey bees tend
to forage in a relatively small radius of 1 to
4 trees and there is a strong preference to
forage only within a single tree, when trees
are allowed to expand and grow tall. Mod-
ern plantings use a high density planting of
trees spaced 2 meters apart, in rows 5 meters
apart, 1000 trees per hectare. With pruning,
this creates solid tree walls 4.5 meters (10
feet) high.
+RZHYHU SROOLQDWLRQ LV RQO\ WKH UVW
phase toward a harvestable fruit. For effec-
7\SH % WUHH SURYLGHV HQRXJK EHQHW WR
compensate for loss of a Hass production
tree it has to replace?
A second pollination, close-pollination,
RFFXUV ZKHQ SROOHQ IURP D PDOH RZHU
lands on the receptive stigma of a female
RZHURIWKHVDPHWUHH7KLVPD\RFFXUGXU-
LQJGDLO\RYHUODSRIPDOHDQGIHPDOHRZHU-
ing stages or between different trees of the
same cultivar.
^
440
bees resulted in 5 fruits in Type A Hass
variety and 4 in Zutano (Type B). Adding
a small nuc to the cage yielded 284 fruit/tree
in Hass and 120 in Zutano.
A California study showed close-polli-
nation could be important when lower tem-
peratures (<70 F -20 C) occur during early
VSULQJ RZHULQJ DQG GXULQJ WKH PLGGOH
RIWKHGD\DWWKHWLPHRZHUVDUHFKDQJ-
ing from female to male). Small amounts
tive fertilization, studies have demonstrated
IHPDOH RZHUV QHHG PRUH WKDQ  SROOHQ
grains transferred to the female stigma.
When foraging honey bees are washed,
they show surprisingly few pollen grains.
,QPHDVXULQJLQHOGDGHTXDF\RISROOLQDWRU
populations, the estimate of 10 honey bees
per tree (1 minute tree walk-around) has
been used. In seems that honey bees do not
care for avocado nectar, described as high
American Bee Journal
in potassium and phosphorous, especially
when irrigation is used, which is the norm.
Bumble bees may be effective alternatives
to honey bees. The role stingless bees, prob-
ably their native pollinators in the original
avocado growing range of Mexico and Cen-
tral America, may play in pollination has not
EHHQZHOOGHQHGEXWDMRLQW,VUDHOL0H[L-
can study showed as many as 5 genera to be
FDSDEOHRISROOLQDWLRQ:DVSVDQGLHVPD\
contribute minorly to pollination.

Honey Bees as pollinators of avocado

Managed honey bees are usually the
pollinator of choice for large plantings of
avocado trees. Large numbers of bees can
provide effective transfer of pollen in the
orchard. Size of colony foraging population
matters. A shortage of bees and/or a lack of
IHPDOH SKDVH RZHUV DUH XVXDOO\ WKH UVW d
things to consider in a poor fruit set.
Pollination colonies for California and
Florida avocado plantations average 1-2 tion, along with the developing fruit. Bees g) fruit #48s avocados per tree (Hass
colonies/acre (5 colonies per hectare). Some need to remain on site over 2 months (90 variety) is ideal (about 100 lbs). Incredibly
Peruvian and Chilian plantations provide days) as avocado bloom is extended. this represents only about 0.02 percent fruit
double to triple this number, 8 to15 colo- A shortage of bee colonies means the VHWVLQFHDWUHHSURGXFHVVRPDQ\RZHUV
nies/hectare, depending upon the age of the mean fruit size and yields per tree are less. Trees, grown from rootstock, do not
trees. $ODFNRIIHPDOHSKDVHRZHUVUHVXOWVLQD RZHUXQWLO\HDUVRIDJHEXWPD\UHPDLQ
Colonies are placed throughout the plant- poor fruit set. Flowers and fruit require a lot productive for 25 years. By 5-6 years of
ing in groups of up to 32 colonies. Place- of resources from the tree and thus excessive growth, pruning becomes critical, especially
ment has changed from the margins of the RZHULQJ RI WUHHV RU KHDY\ EHDULQJ WUHHV with top removals to open up the middle of
plantings to within and placement toward with lots of developing fruit can mean poor the trees. A wall of fruit 4.5 meters tall is
the opening of rows vs facing a row wall is shoot growth required for the following sought.
suggested. The strongest colonies are placed years crop. A further complication is that Water is required to irrigate the avocado
in the best yielding blocks. With this quan- in nature, avocado trees (similar to pistachio trees. Modern plantings utilize hydrometers
tity of colonies, placement may take place and apple) tend toward alternate year imbedded in the soil to monitor moisture
over a two week time period. bearing, one year heavy followed by lighter levels which need be kept in a delicate bal-
In Mexico and southward to (but not in- fruiting the next. ance. Too much moisture promotes growth
cluding Chile), the pollinating honey bees DW H[SHQVH RI RZHULQJ EXW LI WRR OLWWOH
are Africanized colonies. Along coastal Temperature/water/hormones in moisture is available, fruit maturation may
Peru, not all colonies are Africanized, but avocado culture be delayed. Irrigation is supplied via embed-
WKHUHDUHQRZLQVXIFLHQWFRORQLHVWRPHHW Properly managed trees are given plant ded drip irrigation, controlled electronically.
the growing demand so the only new bees hormones to promote proper balance of Most growing regions have little natural
available for a rapidly expanding acreage OHDQJ DQG IUXLWLQJ 'HSHQGLQJ XSRQ VL]H forage to sustain the bees when the avocado
are Africanized. and age of tree, 200 harvestable 8 oz (229 LVQRWRZHULQJ3URJUDPVVXFKDV$SLV0
Colonies pollinating avocado in Califor-
nia have had an earlier start in almonds and
some colonies of coastal Mexico, Central
$PHULFDDQG6RXWK$PHULFDKDYHEHQHWRI
DQHDUO\VSULQJRZIURP(XFDO\SWXV2XW-
side of the US, colonies need be transported
over the higher Mountain passes from the
selva (=jungle) and often on poorer roads
with some colonies having as much as an
18-20 hour trip. Such lengthy transport does
not improve the Africanized bees defensive
nature and absconding, which Africanized
bees do excessively, is a big issue
Some bees go directly into avocado fol-
ORZLQJWUDQVSRUWDWWKHVWDUWRIRZHULQJ
Some beekeepers prefer early transport of
bees to the general area of the avocados as
a means of relieving the stress of transport
and for the opportunity to build colonies to
VXIFLHQWVWUHQJWKIRUSROOLQDWLRQ,Q&$DQG
South America, numerous colonies go to av-
ocado plantations well in advance (a month
or more) of the bloom period as there is no-
where else for them to be placed. In Mexico
southward, the avocado plantations often
have armed guards to protect the growers
LQWHUHVWVVRWKHEHHVEHQHWIURPWKHSURWHF- D

April 2016 441

that recommend planting areas of alterna-
tive forage (in case of CA almonds, use of
mustards) are being eagerly followed to see
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%HH%XIIHUSURJUDPwww.beebuffer.com)
seeks to enlist avocado grower participa-
WLRQ *URZHUV HVWDEOLVK SORWV RI  WR  HERE WE GO WITH, TWO MORE BUCKETS!
DFUHVRIRZHUVDEHHEXIIHU]RQHIRUWKUHH
years and provide annual feedback on the P.O. BOX 280
bee buffer performance. In Peru, alternative MOREAUVILLE, LA 71355
forage before and during avocado bloom is (318) 201-5379 (318) 964-2592 E.J. BORDELON OWNER
under active investigation. The conventional
ZLVGRPLVFRPSHWLQJEORRPGXULQJRZHU- PRICES FOR 2016 QUEENS MINNESOTA HYGIENIC ITALIAN
ing of the target crop is undesirable, but this
may not be the case with avocado. 1-9 10-24 25-99 100 Up
Queens $21.00 $20.00 $19.00 $18.00
Proper bee care on site
%HH FRORQLHV DUH XVXDOO\ SODFHG E\ WKH
beekeeper, not the plantation manager QUEENS SHIPPED PRIORITY OR EXPRESS MAIL ARE INSURED,
and some continue to manage their colo- UPS OVERNIGHT IS NOT INSURED. ALL POSTAL CLAIMS ARE TO
nies while on site. It is recommended that BE MADE BY CUSTOMERS. 25% DOWN PAYMENT TO BOOK ALL
colonies be fed sugar syrup before avocado ORDERS. NOW TAKING ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS.
bloom. Initially, on arrival, they may receive
DPL[WXUHIROORZHGE\7KHFRORQLHV
are also supplied with protein. In Peru, the
beekeeping managers are investigating the
feasibility of feeding bees, even a month
prior to arrival. It is usually recommended
that colonies NOT be moved into the plan-
tation prior to bloom, but often are as ex-
plained above. In some seasons swarming
can be an issue.
Thanks to Francisco Reyes M., Chiles
largest queen breeder and avocado pol-
linator, for assistance with this discussion
of avocado and to the avocado growers
of Peru for allowing me to consult with
them as they seek to improve their avo-
cado yield.

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 American Bee Journal

F
or years Mississippi resident Ken water some 5,000 feet in depth. The huge polluted waters. It was an economic disaster
Parker ran a highly successful marine oil slick eventually spread across hundreds for a lot of people who made their living
deep water boating business out of of miles of the coast line. It washed ashore along the Gulf Coast.
Biloxi. Until April of 2010 he kept so busy on the beaches of Louisiana, Mississippi, Although his boating business, Parker
selling boats, building aluminum catamaran Alabama and Florida killing numerous 0DULQH ,QF VWUXJJOHG RQ QDQFLDOO\ IRU D
boats up to 42 feet long, building canvas VK ZDWHUIRZO DQG XSVHWWLQJ FRPPHUFLDO IHZPRUH\HDUVEHIRUH.HQQDOO\FORVHGLW
boating products and fabricated tuna towers VKHULHVDQGGHFLPDWLQJWRXULVPDORQJWKH down for good, he now had some free time
IRUGHHSVHDVKLQJERDWVWKDWKHKDGOLWWOH Gulf coast. to take up beekeeping. He was thankful that
time to dwell on taking up beekeeping-- After BPs massive oil spill, Ken Parker his wife, who makes her living as an artist
although he wanted to. said his phone stopped ringing as no one and sells her work out of an art gallery in
After graduating from Belhaven College wanted to buy, or have him build a deep New Orleans, could earn enough income
in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1978 with a ZDWHU VKLQJ ERDW WKDW KH VSHFLDOL]HG LQ to support the bulk of their household
business degree he worked in an upholstery QRUZHUHWKH\JRLQJRIIVKRUHWRVKLQWKH expenses.
VKRS WKDW DOVR GLG ZRRG UHQLVKLQJ 7KH
shops owner kept bees at a farm and at
his shop. Ken recalls that there was just
enough wooded area at the farm to support
a couple hives. Every now and then after
work wed go to the bee yard, pop off the
cover of a hive, pull out a frame and cut out
some comb honey. I thought that this was
so amazing that a bug made something so
good to eat.
Ken said that for years he kept telling his
wife Kimberly that some day he wanted to
try his hand at beekeeping, but he was just
so busy it never happened. He added that
his wife is a nature lover and she always
told him to go ahead and get some bees if
thats what he really wanted to do.
Unfortunately, the peak marine boating
season for Kens business was in the spring
and summer, which coincidentally was also
the best time for beekeeping.
However, his business world drastically
changed in April of 2010 when British
Petroleums (BP) Deepwater Horizon Oil
Rig blew up killing 11 oil workers and
injuring 17 others. For 87 days the damaged
ULJV SLSHOLQH VSHZHG VRPH YH PLOOLRQ
barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico before
LWZDVQDOO\VKXWRIIDQGFDSSHG
This oil rig was located some 40 miles /E<
from Biloxi and it was drilling in ocean D

April 2016 443


< W      beekeeping work by himself from pushing
d the broom, bookkeeping, inspecting bee
is strained through a cheesecloth.
      supers, extracting and sales.
poured into jars to sell. The blue bar-
rel holds crystallized honey.
With a little more time on his hands,
Ken began researching honey bees on the
internet and it was where he watched video
after video on beginning beekeeping. He
also contacted a beekeeping representative
of Dadant & Sons Inc. at their Florida
office. He recalls that the patient and
helpful person he talked to answered all his
dumb questions about beekeeping. While
hed initially planned on only ordering
beekeeping supplies for one hive, before he
knew it the one hive became six.
After checking the Mississippi State
Beekeepers website for beekeepers who
'D lawnmower and knocked it over. To say the
W least, the bees were quite upset. He claims
<W he set a land speed record for up righting the
444
VROGEHHVKHSXUFKDVHGKLVUVWQXFVIURP
a beekeeper living in rural Bucatunna,
Mississippi.
He next joined the local Mississippi Gulf
Coast Beekeepers club and has since made
some lifetime friends who also answered
more dumb beekeeping questions and
offered sound advice. Ken is currently the
treasurer of this club, which meets monthly
and has a membership of around 35.
By the following year Ken said the
beekeeping bug had bitten him, or rather in
KLVFDVHLWKDGVWXQJKLP,QMXVWYH\HDUV
he went from his initial six hives as a hobby
to his current sideliner status of managing
82 hives this past season. As he prepares
for winter in November of 2015 he says
his colony numbers have dropped down
to 61. However, if all goes as planned next
spring when he does his splits hes hoping
to expand to 90 or 95 hives.
He has no part time help and does all
season usually kicks off with the Red Maple
trees for pollen. It is followed by Spring Ti-
yards, making splits, harvesting honey
wild Privet and lastly, but very important
Ken found out with his new beekeeping
hobby that while hed acquired the basic
skills quickly and at first it appeared
easy, he discovered there was far more to
beekeeping then dumping a load of bees
LQDER[DQGZDLWLQJIRUWKHKRQH\WRRZ
Today, after half a decade of beekeeping
Im still learning something new about bees
almost daily.
He and Kimberly have been married
for 34 years and have two grown children,
Andrew and Madison, but neither of their
kids are involved with the bees. They reside
in the city of Biloxi (pop. 44,054) and his
bee shop is in the neighboring town of
Diberville (pop. 9,486), just off an inlet
water way.
He bemoans the fact that Diberville,
where he grew up, has in just the past couple
years become the hotspot on the Mississippi
Gulf Coast. At one time this was prime
bee country, but most of the trees and
foliage are now gone and awaiting another
shopping center. I used to yard between 35
to 40 hives at my shop, but now Im lucky
if 15 to 20 hives can still produce a decent
honey crop.
All told, he keeps his bees at four
different locations. This includes his bee
shop, a large yard in rural Long Beach,
a blueberry farm, a yard of some of his
familys land in Gulfport and 10 hives at
his home in Biloxi. He and Kimberly live in
a subdivision and their house sets less than
300 yards from a good-sized wooded area.
He claims that city life must agree with
his bees as his home bee yard is his best
honey producer.
,Q .HQV UHJLRQ WKH DQQXDO KRQH\ RZ
Ti, Yaupon, High and Low Bush Gallberry,
(Chinese tallow) Popcorn trees. Ken said the
Popcorn Tree is the trees local name, but it
is most widely known as Chinese Tallow
and is considered an invasive species.
According to internet research on the
Chinese Tallow Tree, it grows 30 to 50
feet tall, prefers full sun and thrives in the
southern climate temperature zones. The
tree is native to eastern Asia. The seeds
IURP WKLV WUHH ZHUH UVW EURXJKW WR WKLV
country for tallow production and planted
in North Carolina in 1772 by Benjamin
Franklin.
While the popcorn tree may be an
invasive species to state agriculture
departments, Ken claims it produces large
amounts of nectar and in fact, Last spring
was unseasonably rainy and if it hadnt been
for the popcorn trees my 2015 honey season
would have been a complete bust. Instead,
his bees produced and average of 81 lbs. of
honey per hive.
Like most beekeepers in the gulf coastal
area of southern Mississippi, according to
Ken Parker, varroa mites are their biggest
problem with small hive beetles coming in a
close second. He believes most beekeepers
treat for mites up to three times a year.
Also, sometimes spring rains cause some
SUREOHPVLQGLVUXSWLQJWKHKRQH\RZEXW
by the end of spring the popcorn blossoms
bloom and if colonies have built up nicely,
they are able to gather large amounts of
nectar.
Ken said at his bee yards he hasnt been
bothered by bears and wild animals, plus to
date hes had no problems with Africanized
bees.
Ken believes every beekeeper has a
story or so they can tell about one of their
beekeeping experiences, or mishaps. He
laughs about it now, but recalls the time he
caught the edge of a large hive with a riding
American Bee Journal
bee box, restarting the mower and getting
the heck out of Dodge.
Ken sells his honey in pints $7, quarts
$12, and gallons $40. While he displays
a honey for sale sign at his bee shop for
walk-in business, he sells mostly to small
retail and health food stores. He gives these
stores a reduced discounted price as they
mark it up due to their higher overhead
operating costs. He doesnt make any
candles or soaps with the beeswax, but he
does melt it down into blocks to sell.
Ken runs double deeps, or single deeps
with a single medium on his bee colonies.
His honey supers are medium boxes. All his
bees are wintered in the same yards where
they stay during the spring and summer
months.
His beekeeping equipment includes a
20-frame Maxant extractor. Ken had his
uncapping tank custom built as he wanted
it to not only be heavy gauge stainless steel,
EXWKHZDQWHGLWGHVLJQHGWDOOHUWRWKLV
foot 6 inch frame as he wanted to bend over
as little as possible.
He uses a water-jacketed warming tank D<W
to return the honey to liquid as popcorn ,
honey does sugar easily. He said he just pallets in his bee shop.
received a honey pump hed ordered from
Maxant and fabricated a sump tank with a
RDWVZLWFKWRFXWGRZQRQKLVEXFNHWWUDLQ not only his bee shop, but is headquarters add a few more hives each year and build
when extracting. He explained that after for his sons tree service company and his up slowly as hes not interested in leaping
closing down his marine business he was wifes art studio. into running a large stressful commercial
left with several welding machines (both Ken said, according to the Mississippi beekeeping operation. However, he is
TIG and MIG), saws, plasma torch, forklift State Universitys web site, Mississippi has looking forward to some day raising his
and many other tools that he can use to between 20 to 30,000 honey bee colonies own queens, but is content right now with
fabricate items. during the summer months and between 80 moving slowly with that challenge.
He really appreciates the fork lift for to 120,000 colonies in the winter as many He enjoys visiting with a large
moving 55 gallon drums around. It beats bees are wintered here from beekeepers commercial beekeeping friend of his (Darrin
man-handling them with a dolly living in colder northern states. State Straus from Minnesota) in Poplarville each
The defunct boating business left him beekeeping numbers include around 800 spring as the trees are beginning to come
with two buildings, a 30 by 50 foot building hobbyists, 80 to 120 sideliners and 12 into bloom and the 55 mile drive is nice.
and a 45 by 80 footer. The buildings that commercial beekeepers. He stated, It will be interesting when
once held his boating marine business is Ken plans to reach about 100 colonies in I see Darrin again next spring to see how
now a family business center which holds the near future, but after that he may just much he has aged since he expanded his
beekeeping business to running 18,000
hives. Hes more of a man than me to take
on that much responsibility.

^<WD Ken inspects his hives in his bee yard

honey in jars with his label--Coast Honey 

April 2016 445

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446 American Bee Journal

I
am not a beekeeper. from everything as possible. New Zealand it, while riding in a pickup on uneven farm
Its a strange thing to write after being had the mystique of being on the other side tracks. I whiled away a few weeks on this
present in this journals pages for years. of the world and the spectrum of biomes farm, said goodbye, and then found another
I have worn many other hats: a bee worker, packed in a small area, while also having a few towns away. This was my plan; the
bee trucker, bee student, bee researcher, close cultural ties to what was familiar and, perfect antidote for my accumulated aca-
EHHMRXUQDOLVWEHHFWLRQZULWHUEHHZHE most importantly, was relatively safe for a demic malaise.
designer. If you mash all of those terms to- footloose youth like myself. New Zealand But the plan soon took a slight detour.
gether they may fall under the umbrella of it was. While walking through a small town to
bee enthusiast. I can talk about bees from Upon landing I worked on a sheep farm: the next hitchhiking spot, I saw a sign in a
sunset until dawn (and often do -- its a sur- shearing, herding, mustering and hunting window which said Honey for Sale. The
prisingly hit topic with some crowds) and rabbits with a .45 the last of which helped pure curiousness of this struck me. Honey
I have often called myself a beekeeper to both protect the vegetable garden and feed could be produced and sold. One could be
simplify the conglomeration of terms above the cat. Among the many skills I learned, I a beekeeper.1 It seemed daft as hell, but I
(which instigates the marathon talks). But was most proud of being able to hold my went inside and inquired. It was a munici-
Im not. I havent kept my own bees. Actu- mug of coffee level, and look blas about SDORIFHZKLFKVROGORFDOKRQH\DQGWKH
DOO\WKHUVWWLPH,WULHGZDVWKLV\HDU
But lets start a little further back.
My love affair with the bee began at the
age of 19 on a far-off hunk of Oceania.
$IWHUP\UVW\HDURIFROOHJH,GHFLGHGWR
take time off to work and travel. I left be-
cause I needed something that wasnt in the
classroom, nor in the fraternity basements
which seemed to suck up others who were
similarly without direction. Though my life
had all the comfort one could ask for, the
comfort, itself, felt like a weight. Its a fa-
miliar human trait: theres never enough
we always want more, that sits at the
root of all ill and good in the world. Plod-
ding through the dreary familiar was one
RSWLRQ EXW WKH UH LQ PH NLQGOHG LQ SDUW
by parents who had followed a wandering
path themselves, burned for action. Some
hard work, outside, in the sun, as far away

1
OK, this is a not-so-subtle way of imparting
the life/beekeeping lessons amassed along
the way. It also allows you to skip over the
boring details by just reading the bold
sentences and looking at the pictures you
can get the basic idea. KE

April 2016 447

 Wd&d
town secretary gave me the contact of a bee-
keeper named Keith. Two days later I was
ORRNLQJLQWRDKLYHIRUWKHUVWWLPH
Summer was then in high heat, and I
started my career with the timeworn tasks of
hauling and extracting. Keith gave me the
quick and dirty introduction on beekeeping,
showing me little things as we worked, but
WKHEXV\QHVVRIWKHVHDVRQPDGHLWGLIFXOW
to spend much time on anything. The best
E>D
dd^
448
lessons actually occurred between yards
riding in a truck with an experienced
beekeeper is a great way to learn about
beekeeping, for I could unload my ques-
tions and he could answer them with leisure.
By night I raided Keiths library for bee
material and took them to my home a
nearby trailer with a bed far too small for
me and read by the light of my headlamp.
During these weeks, which turned into
months, I discovered that beekeeping inter-
ested me far more than the other farming
I had known. Human-animal relationships
had always fascinated me, but this coop-
eration between insect and man, which not
only produced a fabled, unearthly sweet-
ener, but also made possible a great portion
of modern agriculture, was a few notches
beyond anything else. You could say I was
hooked
American Bee Journal

Hand loading hives in way-out
Australia.
My New Zealand adventure taught me
many things I couldnt learn in school, but
one of the most prominent was that a ter-
tiary degree, of some sort, is a pretty good
card to have in your deck. I returned to
QLVKPLQHIRFXVLQJLQJHRJUDSK\DQGEL-
ology. Then three years passed with stun-
QLQJXLGLW\DQG,IRXQGP\VHOIIDFLQJWKH
dreaded question that grows inversely to the
time remaining in a liberal arts degree:
What to do next?
My cohort at this time happened to be en-
thusiastic about nature and farming when
terms like organic and local began to
elbow their way into the mainstream. I was
among people who liked food both grow-
ing and cooking it -- and this may have been
WKHLQXHQFHWKDWZKHQWDNLQJVWRFNRISUH-
vious experiences thinking about the above
question, honey bees shone a bit brighter
than the rest.
Not bee research, however. Sitting in a lab
didnt propel my dreams. I wanted to be out-
,      
your veil at the shop, Australia
April 2016
side, among the laboring bees, sweating on a
sunny day. I wanted, in the midst of work, to
be able to scrape off a chunk of white honey-
OOHGZD[DQGVWLFNLWLQP\PDZ$OVRGXU-
ing my university years, the travel bug had
only burrowed deeper inside me, and I took
comfort knowing that bees could be found
nearly everywhere in the world.
As graduation approached (in March, for
me) I contacted a few different beekeepers
who maybe could offer some employ-
ment in the summer. But when I emailed
Danny Weaver of B.Weaver Apiaries, he
offered a real, paying job effective imme-
diately. New Englanders like myself have
some preconceptions of the state of Texas,
and the Texans that inhabit it, and I wasnt
quite sure what I was getting myself into,
but I said: why not? It might be interesting
and it wont kill me. So as the majority of
my classmates were deciding on which hip,
coastal megalopolis to reside in, I packed my
car and drove to a rural town of 7,000 in the t
Brazos Valley.
7H[DVLQDZD\IXOOOHGDOOH[SHFWDWLRQV dling oneself around them, from watching
both with beekeeping and society, while Binford work through the queen yard. You
at the same time tearing each asunder. My learn best through watching an experi-
previous experience, a one-man organic enced beekeeper.
honey show in New Zealand, stood in stark Another full-on lesson was that commer-
contrast to the operation I came upon at B. cial beekeeping is hard work and there is
Weaver. I quickly learned that honey was seemingly no end to tasks that need to get
not the only bee product of import. Queen done. Certainly my work in New Zealand
breeding, rearing and package production ZDVQWFXVK\EXW7H[DVUDLVHGWKHDJPXFK
took the front row here, while honey be- higher on the mast. Arriving in mid-spring,
came a third-tier byproduct, gathered only I jumped straight into the package-shaking
when necessary. But for this introduction crew. Its a job of non-stop motion -- crack-
into the US commercial beekeeping world, I ing off the top, lifting heavy boxes, levering
couldnt have asked for a better pair of men- out comb, analyzing and prescribing, fol-
tors than Binford and Danny Weaver. Danny lowed by a brutal pounding on the shaker
was the driver of the operation, the one who box, searching for the queen, then more
took a chance in hiring me and taught me lifting and pounding, dumping the leftover
the nuts and bolts of commercial beekeep- bees back into the hive, closing up and mov-
ing, but Binford, in his 80s then, showed me ing onto the next. After blazing through
the delicacy and individuality of each hive. one yard, wed have a short respite during
I learned volumes, both about bees and han- a drive, and then repeat the above, again and
Searching for a queen, Hawaii
449

Bee with cellphone, China
again, sometimes late into the night, until
we had the number of packages required to
make the weeks tally. We had to work hard
and fast, sending the bees on the defensive,
and it meant not only a full bee suit, but
d/^
/D
&&
450
WKLFN HOERZOHQJWK JORYHV D ZHOOIRUWLHG
mask, a long-sleeved shirt underneath, and
jeans tucked into ankle-high boots so no
bees came creeping up your leg (though
they often somehow found a way). As the
spring progressed it became hotter and hot-
WHUDQGWKHSOHDVDQWEHHOOHGVZHDWVRIP\
original dream were crowded out by the
full-core drenching the dreaded post-10AM
June hell-sun of Texas infamy.
However, I stuck it out, and it didnt
kill me. One of the things about the work at
B. Weaver that I appreciated only later was
the time we spent looking in the hives. At
other full-tilt commercial beekeeping plac-
es I have seen, whole yards are diagnosed
and prescribed by a head beekeeper, while
the grunt-workers get their orders and only
lift, medicate, feed or re-queen everything: a
specialized outdoor factory line. On this job
I, as a beginner, was able to develop hive
DQDO\VLV VNLOOV ZKLFK JUHDWO\ EHQHWHG PH
later.
In the middle of summer, when the Tex-
an furnace had baked all local nectaries to
a crisp, the bees were trucked up to bless-
edly cool Montana and North Dakota. I had
been to Montana a handful of times, but liv-
ing on the Dakota plains introduced me to a
new ecosystem in America: the contrast of
warm pockets of farmers (often gathered in
bars, it seemed) to the stark, vast plains they
tilled. The landscape offered no obstacles
for thoughts to bounce off of: they rolled
on into the uninhabited distance. Every-
thing was bigger, bolder and very real. Real,
meaning that the place actually existed. I felt
the same way when I traveled to New York
City, the opposite side of the spectrum. Its
easy to forget, sitting in your comfortable
chair of many years, that things are very
different elsewhere, and its a healthy idea
to every now and again take a cold-water
bath, per se, by seeing a different corner of
the country, or world. I pondered this while
sharing (more than a few) cold beers with
Barry Bigger, my housemate and coworker
in ND: a man who knew every good water-
ing hole within a half-days drive.
I stayed for a second season at B.Weaver,
but then it was time to move on. My next
gig was Kona Queen in Hawaii, where the
bees were as relaxed as the climate, but the
beekeepers certainly were not. Hawaii is re-
nowned for its beaches and laid back island
lifestyle, but Kona Queen had not subscribed
to the local program. I spent the majority of
my hours catching queens, celling hives,
American Bee Journal
 the late-morning sun threatened to get hot, a
soupy gray cloud would roll in to temper it.
In the nucs we could work in short sleeves
and rarely a veil, which meant a sting in the
face every so often, but the freedom from
gear was worth it. Here I learned, through
plenty of experience, that getting stung be-
QHDWK WKH QJHUQDLO LV WKH PRVW SDLQIXO
place in the body.
Hawaii was a lesson in the business of
American beekeeping. As B. Weaver was a
step up from New Zealand, Kona was further
into the realm of Big Beekeeping almost as
far as one can go, actually. It is a massive
queen factory. They have their operation
dialed in grafting, cell building, stocking,
celling, catching so that they can churn out
hundreds of thousands queens a year. Some
of these queens, which can be ready very
early in the season, are an important sup-
ply for beekeepers in the almond pollination
game, while the rest make their way across
An award winning pollen producer in North America as the spring progresses. Be-
   ^  E WZHHQ.RQDDQGWKHKDQGIXORIRWKHUSUROLF a way to cross cultural boundaries. True I
 US queen breeders, it seems the majority of had to accept the pay of the land and I had
bees in America descend from only a few
feeding, giving pollen: an unending cycle of dozen queens. Every now and then I had
stand up, move, sit down, repeat. Big time to pull myself out of the work haze and ask
commercial beekeeping can be pretty myself where this queen, that I am showing
dull. I did get pretty talented at catching KHDGUVWLQWRDFDJHZLOOHQGXS
queens and I like to tell new beekeepers During my time in Hawaii, I applied for
who have trouble spotting a queen, its not and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to
VRKDUGDIWHU\RXQGDIHZKXQGUHGRI Slovenia. I chose Slovenia essentially at ran-
them. And after a thousand, they prac- dom. I wanted to do a project with scale-hive
tically jump out at you. Plus, after a full data, and I knew that Central and Eastern
10 hours of catching, you get the bonus of Europe had strong beekeeping traditions. So
seeing bees crawl across the back of your after emailing a handful of people, a profes-
eyelids at night sor in Slovenia replied, saying, sure, come
As unexciting as the work was, it was on over. From the beaches of Hawaii I trav-
worthwhile by being in Hawaii. We lived eled back to the mainland and prepared for
a few minutes walk from the beach, ex- P\UVW(XURSHDQDGYHQWXUH
otic fruit grew around most bee yards (and It was at this point I began to write for the
frequently fell into my backpack) and you ABJ and if you go in the archives you can
could see the ocean from nearly everywhere. read about adventures from there: Turkey,
Every day had a high around 80, and just as Slovenia, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Austra-
&h
April 2016
lia, and China all found one or more articles
about them, but there were many stops in
between where I traveled to sniff out more
bee-interesting things, or just for myself.
It was fun beyond words. The cultures, the
spices, the foods, the landscapes, I admired
the differences in them all, and the similari-
ties. But the part that interested me the most
wasnt actually the traveling constant mo-
tion and living out of a bag is mighty tiring
but the staying. Prolonged stops allowed
me to meet people, local people, as well as
IHHOWKHRZRIDSODFHEHWWHUWKDQRQHFRXOG
during a whistle stop tour of a countrys top
attractions. If I have a piece of advice for
the would-be traveler it is thus: go with a
purpose, and stay for a longer period of
time. Traveling just for travelings sake is
QHIRUDVSHOOEXWKDYLQJDSXUSRVHWR
study abroad, learn a language, research,
ZRUNLVPXFKPRUHIXOOOLQJ%HHNHHS-
ing allowed me to do this; I had a skill that
was useful around the world, and also it was
to work hard. And for work I could really
only chose a handful of countries which had
larger commercial beekeepers. But this fac-
tor was more liberating than an impediment.
In this manner I traveled about the world.
Fun as it was, it also lacked something: well,
actually, it handicapped any activity that re-
quired nominal time, space and equipment.
Among these, keeping my own bees was at
the top of the list I had worked hundreds of
hours in hives, but had never been in charge
of my own. So one day, in some run-down
hole of a hotel in some small town in some
far-off country, I was once again charged
with the question that plagued me every year
or so in this uncertain lifestyle:
What to do next?
This day, however, a solid answer ap-
peared.
Continued in Part II
451
452 American Bee Journal
B
eekeepers point to the issue of dwin-
dling quality forage as one of the
critical inputs in the equation of
honey bee survival. Other factors impact-
ing honey bee survival include increased
use of chemicals, increased stress caused
by pests, pathogens, and predators, and the
diminished gene pool. As a beekeeper, bee-
NHHSLQJLQVWUXFWRURIFHULQORFDODVVRFLD-
tions, and the state beekeeping association,
I am constantly asked What are you doing
to help honey bees? To support our honey
bees we need to provide diverse, natural
forage. Even our bees working crops, need
more than one crop on which to feed, and
PRUHWKDQMXVWFORYHUDORQJHOGHGJHV$
natural diet for pollinators comprises the
RUDOVRXUFHVWKDWHYROYHGZLWKWKHP5H-
search has shown our honey bees need as
GLYHUVHDGLHWDVZHGROOHGZLWKHQ]\PHV
amino acids, carbohydrates, proteins, and
immune system boosters (propolis).
Grass
We know what bees do not eat: grass.
Now everyone replacing their grassy yards
with pollinator forage will not save our bees.
Yet, twenty million acres of pollinator habi-
tat where grass once was would feed a lot of
EXWWHULHVQDWLYHEHHVKRQH\EHHVDQGRWKHU
pollinators. Reducing the amount of grass
yards would reduce storm water run-off, re-
duce lawn chemical use, which then causes
water quality concerns. Less yards to mow
reduces carbon emissions. Less time mowing
means more time with your bees. You can
estimate the cost to mow your lawn at http://
www.homewyse.com/services/cost_to_
mow_lawn.html. If the cost to mow one acre
one time, including the direct labor to mow
the lawn, planning, equipment and material
acquisition, area preparation and protection,
April 2016
setup and cleanup equals $299-$797; tell me
again why we are mowing grass? Lawn care
companies could expand their business to
offer the service of planting and maintaining
pollinator habitat. Sure it is a lot less mow-
ing, but they keep a customer, and are proac-
tive and supportive businesses of a healthy
community. The U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency estimates that, hour-for-hour,
gas-powered lawn mowers produce 11 times
as much pollution as a new car. That adds
up, considering the average home owner
mows their lawn 22 times a year. Another
website will help you calculate the amount
of carbon emissions created by you mow-
ing your lawn. (http://science.opposing
views.com/calculate-carbon-footprint-
lawn-mower-24046.html). If you mow your
yard 22 times in a season for an hour, and
use a half gallon of gas for your mower you
are adding 194.7 pounds of carbon annually
by mowing your lawn. When lawn chemicals
run off into lakes and streams, insects and
VK DUH KDUPHG RU NLOOHG FDXVLQJ GLVUXS-
tion to the entire food chain. http://cfpub.
HSDJRYQSVWE[OHVPDUFBODZQFKHPLFDOV
pdf. And, home gardeners may use on aver-
age more fertilizer and pesticides per square
IRRWWKDQIDUPHUVGRLQWKHLUHOGV
What to Plant
,WLVQRWWKDWGLIFXOWWRGHWHUPLQHZKDW
bee forage to plant. The Honey Bee Net,
Bee Forage map is based on a map and
table produced by George S. Ayers and Jay
R. Harman, both of Michigan State Uni-
versity. The map can be found at http://
honeybeenet.gsfc.nasa.gov/Honeybees/
Forage.htm. Selecting the regions on the
map provides a list of bee forage plants
suitable for your area (crops, vine, trees,
shrubs, grasses, forbs). An internet search
RISROOLQDWRUDWWUDFWLYHGHSHQGHQWEHQH-
cial plants provides a plethora of resources
including:
Pollinator biology and habitat http://
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/
FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs144p2
_015043.pdf
Gardening for pollinators: choos-
ing smart plants to support pol-
linators http://msue.anr.msu.edu/
news/gardening_for_pollinators_
choosing_smart_plants_to_
support_pollinators
Attractiveness of Agricultural Crops
to Pollinating Bees for the Collec-
tion of Nectar and/or Pollen http://
www.ree.usda.gov/ree/news/At-
tractiveness_of_Agriculture
_crops_to_pollinating_bees_
Report-FINAL.pdf
Attracting Pollinators to the Garden,
2+,2 67$7( 81,9(56,7< (;-
TENSION, by Denise Ellsworth, De-
partment of Entomology https://u.
osu.edu/beelab/files/2015/02/
ENT_47_14_jan30-s4vma2.pdf
You can also check with your State
Beekeeping Association who may have
developed a pollinator seed mix for your
state. Ohio State Beekeepers Association
(OSBA) worked with Ohio Prairie Nursery
to develop an Ohio Pollinator Oasis Mix.
Beekeepers, gardeners, and homeowners
can purchase the Pollinator Oasis Mix
through the OSBA website at http://www.
ohiostatebeekeepers.org/ohio-pollinator-
oasis-seed-packet/. Purchasing seeds from
your State Beekeeping Association, and
business partners of beekeepers, is a great
way to expand support for honey bees.
453

D
Pollinator Habitat on a City Lot
(Michele Colopy)
There are those who are concerned with
what the neighbors think, and those of us
who are busy simply living our lives. My
self-esteem is unrelated to the grass in my
yard or the number of dandelions thriving
there. I would rather spend time with my
bees, or walking my dogs, or photograph-
LQJWKHPDQ\SROOLQDWRUVYLVLWLQJP\RZ-
ers than mow a lawn . . . every week. Two
years ago I planted my front yard in pol-
OLQDWRU EHQHFLDO RZHUV 7KH KDELWDW UH
seeds itself annually. Not a single neighbor
KDVFRPSODLQHGDQGJURZLQJRZHUVLQP\
yard in the city is legal. I called the City
WR YHULI\ , FRXOG SODQW RZHUV LQVWHDG RI
grass. My city guidelines state grass can-
QRWEHPRUHWKDQHLJKWLQFKHVWDOOEXWRZ-
ers can be! So, I selected seed mixes that
contained NO grasses. I selected seeds of-
fered by a seed company such as bee res-
FXHPL[ELUGVDQGEXWWHULHVPL[DQG
honey source mix. I followed the direc-
tions for planting the seeds, and I now have
D RXULVKLQJ SROOLQDWRU KDELWDW 7KH EHHV
are not bothering my neighbors, as my yard
is the place to be! I have the food, I have
the habitat, I have the water. I even had a
dd>^WW,
a 5-acre farm.
454
tract. Make sure you completely understand
bumble bee nest underneath my steps the
UVW\HDU,I\RXEXLOGLW\HVWKHSROOLQDWRUV
will come! You can view a slide show of the
transformation of my city lot to pollinator
habitat at https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=BR5OsP6bKbI&feature=youtu.be.
Pollinator Habitat using the
CP42 program
(Terry Lieberman-Smith)
What are we doing to help honey bees?
My husband and I are fortunate to have a
property perfect for honey bees; woods, a
VPDOOPHDGRZDDFUHIDUPHOGWKDWZH
rent out to a local farmer, and a large sup-
ply of water just across the road. Each year
we improve our woods by cleaning out de-
bris and honeysuckle, and purchasing trees
from the local Soil and Water Conservation
District to help diversify the forage for both
honey bees and other wildlife. Some grassy
areas have been converted to clover and
buckwheat.
In 2014 we investigated transforming
WKHIDUPHOGIURPVR\FRUQSODQWLQJLQWRD
pollinator forage friendly oasis. A relatively
new program, CP42 Pollinator Habitat, was
DYDLODEOHDQGRXUSURSHUW\TXDOLHGIRUWKH
program. The purpose of the CP42 is to
the chemical, and upon recommendation
allow landowners and farm operators to
HVWDEOLVKSORWVRIZLOGRZHUDQGOHJXPHV
vital for the longevity of pollinator species.
In the literature, the program also provides a
whole slew of technical assistance for par-
ticipating property owners. The program
requires a 10 year commitment from the
property owner. We knew at the start, that
we would be more involved in the care of
WKHHOG,QVWHDGRIUHFHLYLQJLQFRPHIURP
our farmer, we would receive income from
a government program, and spend more
time caring for the land. We signed up for
the program, which was still relatively new
in our area in Southwest Ohio.
This CP42 has great potential, but just
as you would with any type of long-term
government program, you need to perform
your due diligence before signing the con-
what you are and/or are not allowed to do
with the land. As I stated previously, this
is a 10-year contract between you and the
government. Take notes during your meet-
ings, and ask questions.
The program comes with lots of paper-
work and lines to sign, but limited guidance
into the actual process. Since we are not
IDUPHUVZHQHHGHGWRQGVRPHRQHWRSODQW
WKHVHHGV7KHORFDO)6$RIFHSURYLGHGD
list of names of people who plant seeds, but
they could not offer any recommendations,
or how these people got their names on
the list. We chose someone who was rec-
ommended by a fellow beekeeper, on the
FSA list, and familiar with the new CP42
program. The program gave us guidelines
as to what to plant (and a long list of what
not to plant), and the main provider of CP42
seeds offered over 15 different blends. Im
a beekeeper, not a botanist! I made many
phone calls to the agencies listed on the bro-
chure, to ask about narrowing down the list
of blends. Each agency pointed me to the
next. The main agency that everyone sug-
gested would be helpful was undergoing a
FKDQJHLQVWDIQJ7KHUHIRUH,VSHQWPDQ\
hours on the internet researching the seeds
within each blend. We chose a blend with
minimal grass, and listed as being tolerant
RIDVSHFLFKHUELFLGH
One of the programs rules is that you
are not supposed to mow the property dur-
ing spring, due to nesting birds. The her-
bicide usage was a plan B should weeds
VWDUWWRWDNHRYHUWKHHOG*LYHQWKHFRVW
of the seeds, we wanted to ensure the suc-
cess of the program. Wasting government
money means we are wasting our money.
The FSA agent agreed to our seed selection,
and wrote in the contract that if we needed
to use the herbicide, we would be partially
reimbursed.
:KHQ VRPH DUHDV RI WKH HOG VWDUWLQJ
showing patches of invasive weeds, we
went in search of the herbicide. What no
RQH WROG XV ZDV WKDW VSHFLF KHUELFLGH LV
not readily available in retail stores. Since
ZHFRXOGQRWQGDORFDOVRXUFHHYHQDIWHU
FDOOVWRRXU)6$RIFHZHGHFLGHGWRIRUJR
IURP WKH )6$ RIFH DQG WKH SHUVRQ ZKR
American Bee Journal
planted our seeds, mowed (at 15 inches Hoffman, Yanping Chen, Carl Hayden Increased Resin Collection after Parasite
high) areas that were having issues with Bee Research Center, USDA-ARS, 2000 Challenge: A Case of Self-Medication
foxtail and some mares-tail. East Allen Road, Tucson, AZ 85719, in Honey Bees?, Michael D. Simone-
When the end of year paperwork was United States, Bee Research Laboratory, Finstrom, Marla Spivak, Published:
due, I received a call saying that by not USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705, March 29, 2012, DOI: 10.1371/journal.
XVLQJ WKH KHUELFLGH ZH KDG QRW IXOOOHG United States, Available online 3 June pone.0034601, http://journals.plos.org/
RXUFRQWUDFW:KDW"$IWHUDXUU\RISKRQH 2015, doi:10.1016/j.cois.2015.05.007, plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.
FDOOVWKHFRQWUDFWZDVPRGLHGWRUHPRYH http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ pone.0034601
the herbicide requirement and any associ- article/pii/S2214574515000863
ated money. When we signed the contract, RESIN COLLECTION AND SOCIAL
we were told that the money was to be used IMMUNITY IN HONEY BEES, Mi-
IF we applied the chemical, and that chemi- chael Simone, Jay D. Evans and Marla
cal use was an option, and therefore if we 6SLYDN $UWLFOH UVW SXEOLVKHG RQOLQH
didnt use the chemical, we would not re- 10 JUL 2009, DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-
ceive any payment. Not how that works, we 5646.2009.00772.x, http://onlinelibrary.
were told. Since the FSA does not recom- wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1558-
mend spraying herbicide in the second year, 5646.2009.00772.x/abstract
it all worked out. The lesson we learned is
ask questions and understand the rules and
options.
All new programs have associated learn-
ing curves. Paperwork is part of the equa-
tion, along with learning government
speak. The few bumps and bruises along
the CP42 path are hopefully worth the future
positive environmental impact of the pro-
gram. There are a number of programs that
may be able to assist you if you have current
or former agricultural land that you want to
transform into pollinator habitat; visit this
link for more information http://pollina-
torstewardship.org/?page_id=3711.
Beekeepers must be the example for oth-
ers by planting pollinator forage. It is all a
part of managing our bees. With quality, di-
verse, pesticide-free food our bees will have
a higher survival rate.

Resources
Honey Bee Net, Bee Forage map is based
on a map and table produced by George
S. Ayers and Jay R. Harman, both of
Michigan State University, and provided
in Chapter 11 (Bee Forage of North
America and the Potential for Planting
for Bees) of the book The Hive and the
Honey Bee, 1992, Graham, J. ed. Dadant
and Sons Inc. Hamilton, Illinois. The
map can be found at http://honeybeenet.
gsfc.nasa.gov/Honeybees/Forage.htm.
,QXHQFH RI 3ROOHQ 1XWULWLRQ RQ +RQH\
Bee Health: Do Pollen Quality and Di-
versity Matter?, Garance Di Pasquale,
Marion Salignon, Yves Le Conte, Luc
P. Belzunces, Axel Decourtye, Andr
Kretzschmar, Sverine Suchail, Jean-
Luc Brunet, Cdric Alaux, Published:
August 5, 2013, DOI: 10.1371/journal.
pone.0072016 http://journals.plos.org/
plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.
pone.0072016.
Honey bee Nutrition, MAAREC, the Mid-
Atlantic Apiculture Research and Exten-
VLRQ&RQVRUWLXPLVDQRIFLDODFWLYLW\RI
YHODQGJUDQWXQLYHUVLWLHVDQGWKH86
Department of Agriculture, MAAREC
Publication 1.4, February 2015, https://
agdev.anr.udel.edu/maarec/wp-
content/uploads/2010/05/Honey-bee-
nutrition-MAAREC.pdf
Nutrition, immunity and viral infec-
tions in honey bees, Gloria DeGrandi-

April 2016 455

456 American Bee Journal
T
here is a buzz on the rural Central Il-
linois campus of Salem4youth these
days. That buzz comes from the 8
hives they maintain on their 50-acre cam-
pus. Nearly 4 years ago one of Salems
staff, Steve Mac McNair, and his wife
Martha took a beekeeping class at the local
junior college. After completing the day
Martha said, Mac, you should set up some
hives on Salems campus. I think the boys
would enjoy beekeeping. Well, as they say,
the rest is history. A generous donor gave
Salem a gift in honor of her late husband.
That gift provided enough seed money to
get their apiary program started.
It was decided to start the program with
6 hives. After a call to Dadant in Hamilton,
IL, Mac made the drive to pick-up the hive
kits and visit with their friendly and helpful
staff. Once back on the Ranch, the students
helped to assemble the hives and frames
and they were ready for the nucs. The ini-
tial nucs came from Georgia. Recently, they
have ordered them from a beekeeper in Ar-
thur, IL. This past year they did some splits
and all but one took and prospered.
Central Illinois winters can be a chal-
lenge, however each year they have been
able to increase the survival rates on their
hives. Mac and his students are intentional
in supplying supplemental feed in the form
April 2016
of sugar cakes going into and through-
out the winter. Sometimes they may even
slather a bit of honey from that years har-
vest on the cakes as a treat for the over win-
tering bees.
A 6 foot wooden fence in the west pro-
tects Salems bee yard and during the winter
Mac and the students place temporary wind
blocks on the north side of the hives. This
FRQJXUDWLRQKHOSVFXWGRZQRQWKHIURVW\
breezes associated with a typical rural Cen-
tral Illinois winter.
Salem4youth or Salem Ranch is a faith-
based ministry that was founded in 1896
as an orphanage for girls and boys, infants
through teenagers. Over the years the min-
LVWU\HYROYHGWRZKHUHQRZLWLVVSHFLFDOO\
serving teenage young men ages 12 to 17
years old. These young men are experienc-
ing struggles at home that would facilitate
their coming to Salems campus for a sea-
son. A typical stay for a young man is 9-12
months. The mission of Salem is for resto-
ration and reconciliation of families with
their sons. Salem is a residential setting
where the students attend the on-campus
school, which includes both academic and
vocational opportunities. The school fea-
tures computer-based classrooms while the
vocational aspects include both a wood and
metal shop, working with Salems nearly 30
t^
horses and the opportunity to help tend to
the needs of several thousand bees.
The students have also manufactured
various hive components in their wood shop
there on their campusitems such as hive
boxes, bottom boards, lids and bee escapes.
The students were particularly impressed
with how their bee escapes worked during
harvest this year. Salems bee house is ad-
jacent to the wood shop and is a great spot
for storing their apiary equipment. In 2014
a local beekeeper donated his extractor and
other equipment to Salems apiary efforts.
Working with the bees is strictly optional,
but there is no shortage of volunteers! The
guys like to don the bee suit, a.k.a. HAZMAT
suit, and go help Mac with the bees. None
of the young men have ever had the op-
portunity to work with bees before coming
to the Ranch. Currently, Salem maintains
eight hives on their campus with thoughts
of expansion. The Salem students also are
involved in the harvesting of the honey.
They enjoy the opportunity to uncap the
comb and spin the frames. Prior to coming
to Salem, few if any, of the students ever had
the chance to have a piece of comb full of
fresh honey straight from the hive! Needless
to say, that was a big hit with the students.
Being in rural Central Illinois, Salem
is surrounded with row crops and with
457
 todays growers farming every bit of land
they can, forage for bees can sometimes be
a challenge, although much of their 50-acre
campus is lawn with lots of white Dutch
clover. They do have a variety of fruit trees
on campus and other forage opportunities
for the bees. This past year, through the
kindness of multiple organizations and indi-
viduals, Salem was able to plant nearly two
DFUHVRIZLOGRZHUV$JURXSRIVWXGHQWV
t     D   were involved in helping with the establish-
Our supporters and the community ^ LQJRIWKHZLOGRZHUSORW7KURXJKRXWWKH
not only love our honey, they also VSULQJDQGVXPPHUWKHZLOGRZHUVWKULYHG
       and many of the students would go to watch
 the bees and the multiple other pollinators
DVWKH\ZRUNHGWKHRZHUV,Q6DOHP
KRSHVWRDWOHDVWGRXEOHWKHZLOGRZHUSORWV
to four acres.
When the apiary program kicked off in
WKHUHZDVFRQFHUQRQWKHSDUWRIVRPH
of the staff regarding having six hives on
campus. They had visions of swarms of bees
WDNLQJ RYHU WKH FDPSXV 7KURXJK WKH UVW
\HDUQRWDVLQJOHVWXGHQWZDVVWXQJ$IWHU
that years harvest Mac gave each of Sa-
OHPVVWDIIDR]MDURI6DOHPKRQH\$IWHU
trying the Salem honey the staff became
some of the apiarys biggest fans!
Now entering their 4th season Salem
honey has become a favorite of the students
and their families, staff, donors and the local
community. For the local community there
is great interest in having a new source of
local raw honey.
When asked, Mac cannot say enough
about the positive effects on the students of
the apiary program. Our apiary has become
DVLJQLFDQWSDUWRIRXUSURJUDPVD\V0F-
Nair. Each year we sell out our honey and
folks rave about its taste. Beekeeping is also
Donning their beesuits a great way to teach and bond with the stu-
GHQWV,QLWLDOO\WKH\DUHDIUDLGRIWKHEHHV
but as they have the opportunity to work
with our bees, they overcome those fears
DQGQGJUHDWVDWLVIDFWLRQLQOHDUQLQJDQHZ
VNLOODQGLQKHOSLQJRXUKLYHVRXULVK,WLV
my hope that we are training our young men
WREHIXWXUHEHHNHHSHUV
Homemade Salem4youth was the inaugural recipient
bee escapes of the Bayer Bee Care Community Leader-
VKLS$ZDUGLQIRUWKHLUDSLDU\SURJUDP
efforts.
For more information about Salem4youth
you can check out their website at www.sa-
lem4youth.com or on their Facebook page
VDOHP\RXWK

Students uncapping frames of honey

458 American Bee Journal

 by DR. WYATT A. MANGUM
University of Mary Washington
Fredericksburg, Virginia
e-mail: wmangum@umw.edu
TBHSbyWAM.com

HONEY CROPS OF THE PAST APPEARED MUCH DIFFERENT THAN TODAY

A
s Spring draws near, beekeepers One of these beekeeping periodicals For Your Paper, one author known only
begin to anticipate the honey was in a short newspaper format. I collect by H. A. K. (which is probably H. A. King
season. The same was true in 1870. WKHVHROGEHHNHHSLQJSHULRGLFDOVDQGJXUH himself) noted the recent spread of the
Beekeepers of the past wished, planned, and the newspaper ones had an added survival movable comb (which was made public in
prayed for a bountiful season. While we disadvantage. As a wad of paper, they 1852) made the honey trade become vastly
share the same sentiments, their beekeeping ZHUH PRUH SURQH WR VWDUW D UH LQ D ZRRG important. He recognized beekeepers could
conditions were vastly different from ours stove in the early 1870s, and more likely make more money with less capital or labor
today. Movable frames were still spreading WREHFRQVLJQHGWRWKHDPHVWKDQDMRXUQDO by bee-keeping than most large fertile farms.
DFURVV WKH FRXQWU\ GLVSODFLQJ [HGFRPE format, which had the connotation of a He went on to state that some beekeepers
hives. Beekeepers debated the merits of the valuable book. UHDOL]HGWKHEHQHWVE\RZQLQJEXWDIHZ
new fangled honey extractor. Detractors The Bee-Keepers Journal and National acres of land, with light taxes, as their stock
ardently predicted its ultimate demise. Agriculturist for the Apiary, Farm and QGVWKHLURZQSDVWXUDJHIRUURDPDVWKH\
Old apicultural periodicals can reveal Fireside was published by H. A. King will, the whole region is their common.
rarely seen beekeeping conditions. In the & Company from New York, N. Y. I am (Common referred to common pastureland
history of American apiculture, about one working from the September 1870 issue (see where one had the right to graze animals on
hundred beekeeping periodicals began. Figures 1 and 2), which showed the results particular land tracts, along with others,
Virtually all failed. The American Bee of the honey production season, after all the by previous traditional arrangements or
Journal, starting in 1861, and Bee Culture planning, swarming, and worrying about the communal land ownership. By the authors
starting in 1873, are the two oldest survivors. weather. As we will see, their honey crop WKLQNLQJ DQ\ZKHUH D EHH IRXQG D RZHU
Nevertheless the obscure ephemeral ones, looked very different from todays. became common pasture.)
in their brief blooms, give glimpses of In the section of the paper where the While a progressive beekeeper would
beekeeping long gone, yet still with common publisher encouraged Bee-keepers Write have redesigned the hive to accept movable
connections to current beekeepers.
Today beekeepers prepare their supers for
WKH6SULQJQHFWDURZEXWZKDWLIVXSHUVKDG
not yet evolved? In the 1880s, comb honey
sections were in their golden age of glory,
but what about before J. S. Harbison made
them popular? Today beekeepers clean up
their bee smokers to be ready for the season
ahead, but what if Moses Quinby had not yet
invented the bee smoker (in 1873)?
Not knowing the future held these
valuable implements, a beekeeper running
what we would call a commercial operation
still planned to send some 10,000 or 20,000
pounds of honey to market in 1870, or even
before. That is where additional beekeeping
periodicals contributed more voices by
describing their conditions and pictures, as
wood cut engravings, which were expensive Figure 1. The ornate banner of the Bee-Keepers Journal and National
to produce. Agriculturist for the Apiary, Farm and Fireside, September 1870.

April 2016 459

Figure 2. The newspaper unfolded as
/

was not done. Some other bee &
newspaper periodicals, not nearly as />
d          
      recognized as the best wood for the more modern folded single-comb honey
I guess this paper is low acid with a            
scrap linen (cloth) component. The 
cloth fibers would help the paper K
     
historical record. 
frames based on the bee space in the brood wooden box was glass or had a small glass beekeeper stacked the glass honey boxes
chamber, the honey storage area above them window. The fancy ones going to market above the brood nest. (Most likely not too
VWLOO UHVHPEOHG WKH DQFHVWUDO [HGFRPE RXWHGWKHLUQHZVQRZZKLWHKRQH\FRPEV high, just one or two layers because the
hive. Beekeepers of the time produced from four glass sides with thin wooden outer hive body, the case, was not vertically
box honey, that is, honey in a glass and tops and bottoms (see Figure 3). Holes in expandable.) Depending on the hive design,
wooden box. At least one entire side of the the top and bottom let the bees inside. The glass honey boxes could also be situated on
the sides of the brood nest too, making use
of more of the surface area around the core
of the colony.
These honey boxes came in various
sizes, holding different honey weights.
Beekeepers discussed, at great length, which
size sold the best in a market (analogous to
jar sizes). They also debated how best to
build the boxes, because they made them
by the thousands and needed to cut costs.
A honey box size held from a low of two
SRXQGVWRYHSRXQGVZKLFKVHHPHGWREH
common, up to around ten pounds. H. A. K
told of a beekeeper who stacked his boxed
honey up at a market. The pile of honey
ER[HV ZDV WZHOYH IHHW ZLGH IWHHQ IHHW
long, and ten feet high. All that new snow-
white honeycomb under glass, I bet, was
impressive, and drew in customers. Above
the fold on the front page is Figure 4, the
main engraved picture of the September
1870 issue. The scene shows another way
to stack up boxed honey as two big eye-
catching triangular piles.
A beekeeper with a large honey crop in
Figure 4. A closeup of the main picture from the September 1870 issue from New York state, or in that region, would
& pack the honey boxes in crates and ship
/ them to New York City, or another large
</ city. (Typically shipment was by railroad.)
d The main engraved picture shows one
 method of packing honey in a large crate

460 American Bee Journal

 those crops in honey boxes looked nothing
like today. Now we recycle the honey jars.
Back then, the wood would get recycled,
probably as kindling for the stove. Maybe
the glass would get saved for some project.
But after all those tens of thousands of honey
boxes, their disposable nature has banished
virtually all of them to vanish from our
beekeeping history.

Acknowledgments
The author thanks Suzanne Sumner for
her comments on the manuscript.

Figure 5. A King beehive. Note the

gable roof and that the hive case
d


of the brood nest. Such a window
design might be on the honey shipping
d<
      
moths could not use the trash for a
>
&< &  d  
appears to have the same incline commission merchants wanting
tD to buy honey in the Fall of 1870.
         
 others desiring this form of honey
        
 
     
VHHQ RQ WKH OHIW FODLPHG WR ZHLJK IW\
pounds. The main feature of the crate was
a window so freight handlers could see
the contents were honeycombs, calling for
more gentle treatment.
The shipping crate resembled H. A.
Kings beehive, which appears more like
the crate on the right. H. A. King wrote
The Bee-Keepers Text Book, which went
through several editions. Figure 5 shows
a picture of his hive from the book. The
hive has a tall shape with a gable roof
cover, which now has returned to backyard
beehive fashion, except over a century ago
it functioned as a commercial cover. Look
closely at the far off landscape between the
box honey piles in Figure 4. What appear
as grave markers on the incline of land
leading to the farmhouse are numerous
King beehives with gable roofs. (Old hives
in apiaries can have different shapes.)
In the 1870 newspaper article, Moses
Quinby, who would invent the bee smoker in
three years (1873) and pass away in just two
more (1875), reported his close beekeeping
colleague Captain Hetherington would have
from 20,000 to 40,000 pounds of honey.
Captain Hetherington had produced at least
20,000 pounds of honey in past seasons
DQGUDQDQHIFLHQWFRPPHUFLDOEHHNHHSLQJ
operation. The apicultural community
regarded Captain Hetherington as running
one of the largest beekeeping operations
April 2016
various agricultural products. It was
noted in the September 1870 issue
    
beginning to ship honey to big city
 E   
supply could have pushed honey
prices down and would be a concern

at that time. He eventually managed at his
maximum about 3,000 colonies in some
twenty apiaries. Captain Hetherington
acquired his title in the Union army, starting
as a private in 1861 to his discharge in 1864
after being wounded three times. He spent
two more years convalescing at home when
it was not certain whether he would survive.
Eventually the zeal of beekeeping reclaimed
him as in his youth when he made honey by
the ton (when seventeen years old). The
article reported that Captain Hetherington
tried not to send too much honey to market
too early because that would cause a drop in
the honey price. Also he preferred to send
his honey in several smaller shipments.
Beekeepers of those times shipped their
honey to a broker, for example in New
York City, who resold the honey. In the
beekeeping newspaper, several agents
offered to buy large quantities of honey (see
Figure 6).
Even after almost a century and a half,
beekeepers still strive for a big honey crop;
461
462 American Bee Journal
A
s I write this in February, it is time
to feed bees this late winter. I am
using feeder boards with fondant
this winter. I knew some of the hives were
weak. I have lost a few colonies and this
winter is not over yet. There are at least two
more colonies in trouble. I will be able to
split the others this spring if the buildup is
good.
I made feeder boards for feeding the
bees. The easiest way to make them that
I have found is to use 1 x 2 boards and a
plastic queen excluder. I ordered the plastic
excluders from Dadant as you might expect.
The 1 x 2 boards came from the local lumber
shed. I buy the primed white ones because
they are easy to cut and seem to last lon-
ger. They are also light weight. The boards
for the frame are cut in pairs; 2 of 16
& two of 18 5/8 inches then glued and
screwed together on the ends. I have a
miter saw that cuts the square ends and I
do not cut 45 degree angles. I admit the 45s
DUHVWURQJHUDQGPRUHQLVKHG%XWXVLQJ
straight boards makes the process faster and
easier.
Once the frame is made, the plastic
queen excluders can be fastened with 1
inch screws. This helps to strengthen the
frame and makes the apparatus ready to go.
There is some weight to the sugar fondant.
The recipe is 15 parts sugar to one part
water. I add one tablespoon of vinegar to
help keep out mold and bacteria. Also, I
add just a pinch of sea salt. Finally, a bit
of honey makes the fondant more palatable.
One tablespoon of honey per gallon helps.
The sea salt seems to promote uptake and
health. The candy is a near solid mixture.
The feeder board allows bee access to the
sugar through the queen excluder.
It is desirable here in the middle of the
country to put these on when the weather
gets about 50 degrees and the wind is less
than 20 mph. This happens around Christ-
mas or by February here. It would be much
later in winter or earlier in fall from St.
Louis north or above 500 feet elevation.
The feeder board is placed directly over the
April 2016
brood chamber, queen excluder down. It is
best to put a patty of pollen substitute in the
center. I like to add a bit of real pollen to
the pollen substitute as the bees take it bet-
ter. The fondant is spread around the pollen
patty, directly over the bees.
The semisoft candy is not as accessible
as sugar syrup, but it has much more sugar
than any syrup. The bees will take it. The
fondant in large quantities will feed bees
for a longer period of time than syrup. Fon-
dant provides a lot more calories per unit of
volume than syrup. Having a large quantity
of fondant (2 4 quarts) above the brood
chamber enables bee access, even in cold
weather. The fondant is available because it
is next to the warm cluster of bees. Think of
this feeding system as an insurance policy
against starvation. If honey supplies run
low, the bees have sugar literally just above
them.
With the candy board open to the cluster,
most condensation from bee respiration will
be absorbed by the fondant above the warm
This is my homemade feeder board I
 on fall and spring.
cluster. Wet bees will die in winter. The
fondant absorption of condensation pre-
vents rain inside the colony. Warm air can
yet escape above the feeder board full of
fondant through the hole in the inner cover.
&RQGHQVDWLRQFRQWUROLVDQRWKHUEHQHW
of feeder boards. The long-term feeding is
another advantage. Instead of feeding colo-
nies once a week with a syrup feeder, it is
possible to feed them once a month. The ca-
loric value of sugar is the same, whether fed
dry or wet. Dry sugar is much more com-
pact than syrup sugar. This makes dry feed
PRUHHIFLHQWSHUXQLWRIYROXPH7KHEHHV
must make liquid out of the sugar paste in
order to feed it to brood and one another.
Condensation helps provide part of that
moisture.
The vinegar, honey and salt are best
added to the water before mixing. Two bags
of sugar weigh about 8 pounds. A pound of
water is about a pint. I put this into a large
mixing bowl and stir until the mix is uni-
form. I then put the mixture into a bucket.
The bucket goes out into the apiary and a
scoop is used to place the sugar fondant
onto the feeder boards. The feeder boards
are placed onto the colonies immediately
above the brood nest cluster. The pollen
patty is placed in the middle of the feeder
ERDUG DQG WKH IRQGDQW LV XVHG WR OO WKH
board. Fifty degrees is the magic tempera-
ture because the bees will be only partially
active and easily contained with the queen
excluder.
In reality, I mix several batches of fon-
GDQWWROOWZRJDOORQEXFNHWV7KHIHHGHU
boards are taken to the apiary. The fondant
is moved from hive to hive. The feeder
ERDUGLVDGGHGWRDFRORQ\DQGWKHQOOHG
with pollen patty and fondant. The inner
cover and lid are replaced and secured. The
day in winter to do this must be chosen
carefully. My thoughts include putting these
on in the fall for places farther north. Early
spring or late winter in the southern half of
the country would be more appropriate. Pol-
len is best fed in the spring, but sugar can go
463

Bees gathering fondant from my
homemade feeder board.
There has recently been some controversy
over feeding sucrose to bees. The majority
of sugar within nectar is sucrose. The bees
break down the sucrose into mostly fruc-
tose and glucose. High fructose corn syrup
is more often used as a feed by commercial
beekeepers because it is inexpensive com-
pared to granulated sucrose in sugar form.
There is evidence that bees prefer sucrose
over fructose for making honey. They take
sucrose more readily than high fructose corn
syrup. For most hobby and sideline bee-
keepers the cost difference may not be that
great. Waste sugar from the food industry is
available from International Ingredient of
St. Louis, Missouri. This is an inexpensive
source of sucrose. It can be purchased in 5
gallon buckets or 55 gallon drums. I would
suggest you look into that source.
There are some beekeepers who wish to
feed honey in the winter as a natural food
for their bees. There is no logical argument
against this practice because honey is the
natural food for bees. However, there is an
economical argument. Honey is the most
expensive feed you can put on your bees.
Your local honey sells for much higher
prices than sugar. It would be cheaper to
feed high fructose syrup or granulated sugar.
However, I am not opposed to the practice
of feeding honey to bees in winter as long
as you know it comes from foulbrood-free
bees. As I mentioned earlier, adding even
small amounts of honey to any feed source
will increase its consumption by the bees. It
is simply a matter of economics to use less
expensive sugar sources than honey.
A two-queen system will require extra
feed, at least enough feed for two standard
colonies. A feeder board made over a queen
excluder placed in center of a horizontal
two-queen hive is a likely solution. This
two-queen system requires a queen excluder
in the center spanning both brood nests to
allow both colonies access to the supers. I
am not suggesting that a feeder board be
XVHGGXULQJWKHKRQH\RZ,XVHPHWDOH[-
464
FOXGHUVGXULQJWKHRZ,QWKHIDOO,VXJJHVW
a switch to the feeder board.
A feeder board full of pollen substitute
and fondant should be enough to feed a two-
queen system for at least two weeks. Half
gallon entrance feeders will not last even a
week. There is also a need for pollen patties
on top of each brood nest. My hypothesis
is that a feeder board will require less work
and provide more bee feed. The hypothesis
is under testing, even as this present article
is under composition.
This type of feeding system can be
adapted to my experimental horizontal two-
queen system. With a queen excluder used
in the center of the two conjoined hive bod-
ies, the beekeeper can add supers above the
metal excluder or put a standard cover over
the feeder board made with a plastic queen
excluder. As you may surmise, I have a bias
regarding the metal queen excluders for
comb honey production. There will need to
be a half inner cover and half outer cover on
each side of the excluder. A standard size
inner cover for the center of a horizontal
two-queen system will also be needed. The
whole apparatus can be covered with a long
telescoping cover. These cover systems must
be thought through and designed and that
will be the topic of this column next month.
The current situation with our bee losses
is reminiscent of the Isle of Wight disease
RRTHHEERRNN CCAALLIIFFOORRN
T
NNOOPPACKAGE
that attacked bees on that Island. We still
NIIAA
ACKAGE B BEES
do not know positively what it was, but it
wiped out 95% of bees on that small Island, EES
which is part of the United Kingdom. The QUALITY ITALIAN AND
surviving bees were bred up to replace the CARNIOLAN QUEENS
lost ones. The result was resistant bees. All bees fed Fumagilin Fall & Spring
Currently, we do not know exactly what is
causing CCD. We do know that disease is POWELL APIARIES
involved. I will also suggest that any colony 4140 Co. Rd. KK
infected with disease will be much more Orland, CA 95963
susceptible to even small amounts of any Phone: 530-865-3346
insecticide. Our best long-term solution will
Fax: 530-865-3043
be breeding bees that are resistant to the dis-
ease or diseases involved. This is a world- Package Delivery Available
wide problem. Member:
California Bee Breeders Assoc.
American Honey Producers Assoc.
P.O. BOX 512
MOREAUVILLE, LA 71355
(318) 359-4615 OR (318) 305-4245
loreymayeaux@yahoo.com for orders
OWNER JEREMY BORDELON
2016 QUEEN PRICES MINNESOTA HYGIENIC ITALIAN
1-9 10-24 25-99 100 Up
Queens $21.00 $20.00 $19.00 $18.00
QUEENS SHIPPED PRIORITY OR EXPRESS MAIL ARE INSURED, UPS
OVERNIGHT IS NOT INSURED. ALL POSTAL CLAIMS ARE TO BE
MADE BY CUSTOMERS. 25% DOWN PAYMENT TO BOOK ALL OR-
DERS. WE ACCEPT ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS.
American Bee Journal
I
just delivered 15 jars of honey to one of
my urban customers. We met at a pre-
assigned spot on the steps of a theater,
where my wife and I were attending a play
that night. Waiting for him to show up, I an-
nounced myself by carrying a honey jar. We
had never met. Last year, he sent a friend
to my house to pick up his years supply.
Vlad drove up, double-parked, and blinked
his lights. I didnt spot him, so he called me
on my cell phone. Hello, he said, This
is Vlad, in a thick Russian accent. I went
to my nearby parked car, and opened the
trunk. Inside was a carton containing the 15
jars he had ordered. He got out of his car
and approached. Looking into the trunk,
he said, These not altered, not heated at
all, right? Completely unprocessed, I
assuaged his fears. He took the carton and
handed me a roll of bills. We shook hands
and said, See you next year, and he drove
off. In my sometimes overactive imagina-
tion, I imagined that the two of us were
spies, making a document exchange. Inter-
estingly, Vlad didnt look like a tough KGB
agent. Rather, he was friendly, balding, and
middle-aged.
Which dawned on me: this example
demonstrates a great marketing strategy.
Actually Id been doing it for a few years,
but only realized it was a unique approach
after delivering to Vlad. Find three, four,
six or eight urban residents who love local
honey and want to deal directly with country
sources, and arrange for them to purchase
a years worth of product. With three cus-
tomers, you sell approximately 45 pounds
a year, or $450 dollars worth. With six
customers, you sell 90 pounds at full retail
($900), with minimal delivery/ servicing.
In fact, I currently have one other urban
customer who buys a dozen bottles a year
April 2016
to take care of all his needs. The only rea-
son I dont go after more of this business is
because I dont have enough honey to go
around.
Think about it. Picture an urban city
dweller who loves local honey. He/she con-
sumes a lot of it because he knows its health
EHQHWV%XWKHZDQWVWRGHDOGLUHFWO\ZLWK
the source from the country. No intermedi-
aries. No middleman. He is willing to pay
the going price, but he wants to make sure
the honey he consumes is unprocessed
no heating, no combining, no chemical
treatment. Sure, he could buy honey in the
cityat upscale grocery stores, city farmer
markets, organic food coops, health food
shopsbut hes never sure where it comes
from and hes dealing with clerks, who can
be unreliable. So he searches for someone
in the country to be his supplier. Call it the
urban-country connection.
:KHUH GR \RX QG WKHVH 9ODGV" <RX
FRXOGPDNHXSD;FDUGDQGVWLFNWKHP
on bulletin boards. The cards might say
something like: Local honey from the
country. Minimum 12 bottle order. Will de-
liver at mutually-convenient location in the
city. You would be surprised how effective
these advertisements can be. City dwellers
scan these bulletin boards, and your offer
would kindle interest. Another option is to
attend an urban fair, renting a booth to tout
your products. Often, these fairs cost $20 or
$30 to enter. A third strategy is to put an ad
on Craigslist, under foodstuffs. Its free. A
lot of urban dwellers peruse these lists all
WKHWLPH$QDOVWUDWHJ\LVWRVFRXWRXWRU-
ganizations in the city who will have you as
a guest speaker. Along with your talk about
beekeeping, promote your local honey offer.
Dont neglect contacts. Perhaps a cousin
is a metro resident. Or possibly a few co-
workers live in the city. Call the co-worker
and suggest that if she comes across any-
one who really likes local honey to obtain
their phone number for you to contact. You
might even suggest that the cousin or co-
worker put on a presentation at their house.
They invite a few friends, provide snacks,
and provide a honey tasting. You could pres-
ent your case why procuring local, country
honey is good for you, and at the same time,
offer your program of bulk delivery at a mu-
tually agreed-on spot in the city. As a matter
of fact, I obtained Vlad through contacts. A
Boston pal of mine was listening to a neigh-
bor prattle on about his love of fresh honey,
and the buddy mentioned me. A phone call
later, I was his supplier. Another friend di-
rected my second customer to me.
$VLJQLFDQWSHUFHQWRIORFDOKRQH\XVHUV
it seems, are from immigrant communities.
Why is that? Possibly they come from more
rural backgrounds. Perhaps they have more
appreciation of healthy foodstuffs. Visit
a meeting of these minorities and see how
you can promote your offering. Perhaps they
have a bulletin board. Maybe they put out
a monthly newsletter. Another option is to
become a speaker at their monthly meet-
ing. Everything from the Polish Community
Club, the Greek Orthodox Church, and the
French Bastille Day celebration committee
are fair game.
Of course, not everyone will become a
convert. Only a portion of the people like
honey. Of those, perhaps one-third demand
local honey. Perhaps only half of those con-
sume enough honey to make it worth your
while. But you only need three of four cus-
tomers to make this strategy work. Besides,
once you get a core, more will follow. Think
of yourself as a hero bringing the country
into their lives.
465
 If they buy into your annual purchase
program, you want to educate these urban
customers. You want to explain granula- Browning Cut Stock
tionthat it is a normal processand de- Boxes are Ponderosa Pine
scribe your chosen method of liquefying
honey. Another point is to describe the 9-5/8 Com. Boxes $10.50 / Budget Boxes $9.00
coordinates of local honey. In my circum- 7-5/8 Com. Boxes $8.20 / Budget Boxes $7.95
stance, I am 30 miles away from the city, but
6-5/8 & 5-11/16 Com. Supers $7.50 / Budget $6.85
WKHRUDOVRXUFHVLQWKHFRXQWU\DQGFLW\DUH
pretty much the same, so my honey quali- All #1 frames $.70
HVDVORFDO)LQDOO\H[SODLQWKHQHFHVVLW\ 1-3/4 Cleats $.22
of bulk orders (12 bottle minimum). It could
be that you just dont go into the city much, +Z\-XOLDHWWD,'
and thus want customers who will buy bulk. Phone 208.276.3494 FAX 3491
As for price, charge full retail. You dont
have to discount. No one is purchasing your
honey to save money. They want your prod-
uct because it comes from the country. In my
case, my price range is between $8 and $9
dollars for a one-pound jar to all customers,
but urban accounts always pay the higher
rate--$9. Whatever you do, be consistent
with all urban accounts. Dont charge one
customer one price and another customer a
different price. I also have a 12-jar minimum
with delivery. It would be unreasonable to
expect delivery at a lesser quantity. On the
other hand, if the urban resident wants to
make a trip down to your place, then he can
buy any quantity he wants.
How to arrange a transfer point? When
you go in town, contact one or two custom-
ers and see if they want their annual order.
Suggest meeting at a designated spot in the
center of the city. Carrying a cell phone is
helpful. Wearing a yellow suit would be
ideal, but impractical!
To bunch orders, you might call all your
customers a month after the fall harvest, and
announce that you have fresh honey to sell.
The word fresh is an attention-getter. It
suggests, order me now, for later, it wont
be fresh. Perhaps you could meet all four
customers at one spot in town.
The buyer imagines you are a country
farmer. Dont diminish his vision. For ex-
ample if you met at a designated spot, and
you arrived in a fancy sports car, that would
not bode well for future transactions. At the
same time, if your customer picks up his
annual order at your house, hopefully you
dont live in a mansion.
Do the above, and you will win a nice,
manageable urban following.

Scott, a thirty-year Pembroke, Mass.

Beekeeper, is the author of the best-sell-
ing BEE LESSONS. He has published
over 160 articles for ABJ. Contact him at
dancinghill@gmail.com.

High Quality Beekeeping

Equipment & Bottling
Machines at swienty.com

... for better honey

466 American Bee Journal

H
oney bees hate him. Thats what EHHNHHSHUVFDQVWDQGLQWVKLUWVDQGVKRUWV
my wife says, and shes got a point.
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shed at night and had several bees who had
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470 American Bee Journal

 Dont Select A Bad Location for Bees
A
t a recent meeting, a beekeeper
considering setting up bees in his
backyard outlined a long list of rea-
sons why he didnt think the bees would
do very well. He clearly wanted me to give
him permission to keep bees in his back-
yard in spite of all the challenges. Without
being too tough on the guy, I gently sug-
gested he look at somewhere else to locate
his colonies. He had many reasons why his
bees would fail in his backyard, and had
the good sense to realize that, having done
some homework in advance.
For starters, he was a Midwest-based
EHHNHHSHU VXUURXQGHG E\ HOG FRUQ DQG
soybeans. He was not in an area of the
country (often more southern locations)
where soybeans are known to yield nectar,
and the corn posed the potential of expo-
sure to insecticides from seed treatments
a serious situation that has not been re-
VROYHG7KHXVHRIKHUELFLGHVRQPDQ\HOG
FURSVKDVUHGXFHGWKHVXPPHUDQGIDOORUD
that ordinarily grow as weeds in the corn
DQGEHDQHOGV&URSVDUHSODQWHGHGJHWR
edge from the edge of one road to the edge
of the next, with no unplanted fencerows
where a few trees producing nectar and pol-
len might grow. It is a pretty desolate place
for man and bee.
His home was on the edge of town,
which is often a good thing because town
JDUGHQV VKUXEV DQG WUHHV DOO LQFUHDVH R-
ral diversity, but he had a large golf course
literally across the road from his home.
There are some unproven concerns about
golf courses due to all the chemicals they
use and the potential use of growth regula-
tors for many insects, especially to control
mosquito larvae development. Golfers like
to swat at golf balls, not at pesky mosqui-
April 2016
toes! Bees are attracted to golf courses be-
cause there are water hazards that provide
a source of water. Of course, the beekeeper
should consider offering water in a rock
OOHG FKLOGUHQV VZLPPLQJ SRRO EOXH FRO-
ored works best) when there are no children
around who will be tempted to play in them.
Kids and bees dont always mix either.
Of course, there are other potential rea-
sons not to keep bees in an area. There may
be someone who will complaina family
member, a neighbor, the prized hunting dog,
RUWKHWRZQ]RQLQJRIFHUZKRLVIROORZLQJ
the letter of the law. Anyone with integrity
will avoid potential problems, especially if
there is a pretty good chance that the prob-
lem will develop into a full-blown issue.
Swarms rest as their scout bees search
for a new home away from the parent
hive (Repasky photo).
Select a location with diverse forage,
minimal presence of pesticides, a fresh wa-
ter supply, and no human hazards. If any
of these are not possible, put the word out
that you are looking for a good location.
Perhaps you can rent or barter a location for
a gallon or two of honey every year. Then
you need to develop a relationship with a
trusted landlord. This should be someone
who will support you and your beekeeping
efforts, and whose employees will do the
same. Otherwise avoid the location. It is not
always easy.
Few beekeepers have written arrange-
ments with their landlords, and perhaps they
should, just in case something goes wrong.
Having an agreement about calling before
spraying, sealing the bees in with irrigation
equipment, or letting cattle run free around
the colonies are all items the beekeeper must
consider before moving into a leased loca-
tion. Road or farm path access to the bees is
needed 12 months out of the year. You may
need to use a snowmobile or snowshoes in
the winter, but there is no reason why you
should not be able to check your bees during
certain times of the year, and many reasons
why you should. The location should also
not be somewhere that will be subject to
vandalism because it is too close or too far
from civilization.
If all goes well, remember to thank the
landowner with a rent check, cases of honey
or whatever will be appropriate for the lo-
cation. If the owner does not want honey,
donate the honey to a local food kitchen in
both of your names.
Chemicals You Add to the Colony
North American beekeepers have a long
tradition of adding chemicals to their hives
rather than using one of the many non-
471

^- is to give the beekeeper the ability to sample
d- mite numbers as well as initiate a low-level
less removed.
chemical options for pest control. Now
there is a strong nutrient and supplement
market that is like the similar market for
humans, operating and promoting products
without any government supervision or
guidelines unless a human dies. Dead bees
do not count in getting government regula-
tion of supplements and nutrients.
I have written about IPM programs in the
past, but I want to review some of the basics
of the IPM pyramid that show the relation-
ships of the components of contemporary
pest control. These were Cultural (the base),
with Physical-Mechanical second, Bio-
logical Control third and Chemical Control
fourth. Beekeepers are asked to sample a
pests level in a hive PRIOR TO chemical
treatment.
When we look at these parts of the pyra-
mid, we start with Cultural Control in the
bee colony. Two of the biggest cultural con-
trol methods for mite management include
apiary location and genetic stock. Both of
t              to use these chemicals in rotation so that
 different molecules are used in alternative
472
these methods focus on prevention of mite
buildup at zero or nearly zero toxicity to the
bees. I have considered cultural control of
mite pests to be the best and ultimately the
only means of controlling tracheal mites,
varroa and potential future pests like Tropi-
laelaps clareae and T. koenigerum. The lat-
ter are not yet found in North America, but
as natives to Asia, they have spread from
their original host, the giant honey bee (Apis
dorsata), to the European honey bee (Apis
mellifera). If prior practice is followed,
when Tropilaelaps arrives in the United
6WDWHVWKHUHZLOOEHDUXVKWRQGDFKHPL-
cal that will control it (some of the varroa
controls chemicals are reported to work in
that regard).
Apiary location impacts the temperature
and ventilation of a hive. With the appear-
ance of varroa mites, it was discovered that
colonies in full sun generally had a lower
varroa mite population growth, apparently
because the mites themselves were more
sensitive to very warm temperatures. Today
many beekeepers keep their colonies in the
full sun, without shade. Where Small Hive
Beetles (SHB) are a problem, it has been
shown that the beetles also do not reproduce
as quickly in hot, dry conditions.
The second slice of the Pyramid of Con-
trol is the Physical and Mechanical meth-
odology many beekeepers employ. I am
not aware of any successful varroa traps,
functioning like the many small hive beetle
traps that have been shown to be success-
ful in reducing beetle numbers by drawing
the beetles into them. But the growing use
of screened-bottom boards has been useful
in all sized beekeeping operations. These
screens work in several ways, but the most
obvious is the elimination of mites as they
fall or are groomed from the worker bees
and fall to the bottom of the hive and
through the hardware cloth screen. Many
beekeepers leave their screened bottom
boards open year-around, while others in-
sert a tray on the bottom during the fall and
leave them there for winter. One useful as-
pect of the tray in the screened bottom board
control of the mites via repeated powdered
sugar treatments.
The third slice of the IPM pyramid is the
use of biological control agents to control
pests. There we have a long way to go be-
fore we have a bio control agent that con-
trols varroa mite numbers and does not in-
crease the mortality of the bees themselves.
As Dr. Dewey Caron states in the revised
edition of Honey Bee Biology and Beekeep-
ing, beekeepers lack a Lady Beetle-type
organism for bio control of varroa mites in
WKHEHHKLYH$WWHPSWVWRQGFRQWURODJHQWV
have focused on fungi and other microbes
that must kill mites and not negatively im-
pact bees.
The fourth slice is for Chemical con-
trol of mites. We will divide these into two
groups: the miticides and a general group
of lower-risk materials that includes the es-
sential oils, powdered sugar, repellants and
desiccants. Here there is a trade off between
prevention and various levels of toxicity.
The miticides are often considered the most
toxic, but this does not necessarily follow
true with all chemicals. Theoretically, there
could be a chemical miticide that controls
only varroa mites, but does not have a nega-
tive impact on the bees or leave residues in-
side the hive, the honey, beeswax or propo-
lis. Unfortunately, that miticide has not been
found.
Resistance develops against many chem-
icals when the mites are subjected to the
molecules for a long period of treatment.
Eventually, the small percentage of mites
that are not controlled by the chemical re-
produce and grow in numbers, leading to
the eventual replacement of susceptible
mites with chemically resistant ones. Cer-
tain miticides have had high levels of re-
sistance develop to them. One solution is
American Bee Journal
W^/WD

treatments. As long as the miticides are not
closely related chemically, different popula-
tions of mites are controlled and die with
each treatment, prolonging the use of the
chemical in an operation.
Certain miticides have been shown to
contaminate combs, pollen, propolis and
even honey. This has led to the routine re-
placement of comb by many beekeepers.
Recent studies have shown that miticides
in combination with other agricultural
XVLQJ HWKHU ZLQGVKLHOG XLG RU DOFRKRO
and other methods kill the bees. The lethal
methods are great for collecting a sample
of beesabout 1/2 cup or 300 worker bees
from brood combsso that the bees may
be further sampled to see how effective the
sampling technique really is. But this is a
research focus.
For most beekeepers, a sample of 300
bees from the brood nest bees (where the
feeding or phoretic mites accumulate when
chemicals, like fungicides, increase the
risk to colony health through a synergistic
reaction, where 1 plus 1 produces a result
greater than 2.
Most beekeepers who actually do sample
seem to prefer the use of powdered sugar
in a shaker jar as a means of sampling
mites without killing the bees. Systems
Honey found in and around the brood
nest may be stored sugar syrup, honey
& contain
 www.dadant.com
of honey storage.
April 2016
WKH\HPHUJHIURPWKHFHOOVVKDNHQIRUYH
minutes with a few tablespoons of confec-
tionary (powdered) sugar following a stan-
dard technique should provide a successful
comparison of mite population trends for
that one colony, the trend for the entire api-
ary or operation, and the response to the
mite level following any of a number of
management manipulations: Replacing the
queen; removing three frames of bees and
two frames of brood to make a new nucleus
or increase colony; a biological pesticide
treatment such as powdered sugar dusting
(entire colony); or an essential oil applica-
tion (entire colony) or other manipulation.
For any IPM process to work, sampling
is essential. The sole use of one component,
such as screened bottom boards or resis-
WDQWEHHVWRFNPD\SURYLGHEHQHWVWRWKH
colony and the entire operation, but without
data, how do you really know? If you are
attempting to keep and manage bee colonies
with integrity, it is important that you try to
do your best.
Bee-sentials: A Field Guide is Dr. Con-
nors introductory book that recom-
mends the keeping of more than one hive
RIEHHVWKHUVW\HDURIEHHNHHSLQJ,WDOVR
UHFRPPHQGV WKDW UVW\HDU EHHNHHSHUV
set up a nucleus colony to ensure a re-
placement queen is ready to take over a
failed hive. Check out www.wicwas.com.
oney
Need h
ers?
1-888-922-1293
473
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474 American Bee Journal

T Supplejack, Alabama
he Rhamnaceae consists of about 58 genera (10 native to the
US) and 900 species, which consist of trees, shrubs and vines,
and only rarely, herbs. The family is found in many parts of
the world.
The leaves are simple (not compound) can be placed either
supplejack, rattan vine
alternately or oppositely on their stems and come with a pair of
stipules.1 6FLHQWLFQDPHBerchema scandens
7KHRZHUVDUHELVH[XDOKDYHERWKPDOHDQGIHPDOHSDUWVDUH
relatively small, radially symmetrical,2 and the stamens, petals and Origin: Native to North America.[12]
sepals are borne on a cup or tube-like structure that surrounds the
IHPDOHSDUWRIWKHRZHUSHULJ\QRXV7KH\FDQEHHLWKHUJUHHQLVK Plant description: The stems of the plant are high climbing,
or brightly colored. The calyx3 generally breaks into 5 but occasion- WRXJK DQG H[LEOH 7KH OHDYHV KDYH OHDI VWHPV SHWLROHV
ally 4 parts, the sepals. There are generally 5 separate petals but and range in shape through ovate, oval and oblong6 (see
occasionally there are 4 and sometimes none. There are usually 5 Kennon Loricks Leaf Basics Glossary in the October 2013
stamens, but occasionally only 4, and are located opposite the pet- ABJ). The leaves range 3-6 cm (~1.2-2.4 in) in length and
DOV7KHSLVWLOIHPDOHSDUWRIWKHRZHUFRQVLVWVRIRUSDUWV
(carpels), which often can be detected by the number of parts into
which the head of the pistil (stigma) is divided. The seeds form at
the bottom of the ovary (basal placentation). The fruits are capsules4
or drupes.5
The family has little economic importance. It provides a few ed-
ible fruits and a few ornamentals.[13]
can taper to a point with more or less straight sides or be
more rounded. The leaf edges are entire (without teeth or
other indentations) are glabrous (smooth and hairless) and
can have a wavy edge. There are several conspicuous parallel
ascending7 veins.
7KHLQGLYLGXDORZHUVDUHJUHHQLVKZKLWH[6], arranged in 1-5 cm
(~0.4-2.0 in) long panicles.8 The sepals and petals of the individual
References:
Smith. J. P. Jr. 1977. Vascular Plant Families. Mad River Press.
Eureka, California.
1
Stipules. A pair of small leaf-like structures found at the juncture of
the leaf stem and the stem to which it is attached.
2
Radially symmetrical: where any line drawn through the center of a
RZHUGLYLGHVWKHRZHULQWRWZRHTXDOSDUWV
3
 &DO\[ 7KH SDUW WKDW RULJLQDOO\ FRYHUHG WKH RUDO EXG EHIRUH LW
opened at which time it is split into sepals.
4
Capsule: A dry fruit that is derived from more than a single carpel
and usually splits open along seams.
5
 'UXSH$ HVK\ IUXLW WKDW KDV D VWRQ\ OD\HU DURXQG WKH VHHG  ([-
ample: a peach or cherry.
6
Ovate:egg-shaped in outline with the stem attached at the broad
end; Oval:more or less oval; Oblong: 2 to 4 times longer than broad
with nearly parallel sides. See Kennon Loricks Leaf Basics Glos-
sary in the October 2013 ABJ.
7 found along ravines and low woodlands. Berchemia scandens
Ascending: Curving upward
8
 3DQLFOH$QLQRUHVFHQFHZKHUHWKHFHQWUDOVWHPLVEUDQFKHGDQG
WKHVHEUDQFKHVWKHPVHOYHVEUDQFK7KHLQGLYLGXDORZHUVDUHGLV-
SOD\HG RQ WKHVH VHFRQGDU\ EUDQFKHV WKH RZHUV PDWXULQJ IURP
WKHERWWRPXSZDUGLQWKHLQRUHVFHQFH6HHDOVR.HQQRQ/RULFNV
Flower Basics in the December 2015 ABJ; page 1352.
April 2016
RZHUVDUHPPaLQ+DUYH\/RYHOO[4]GHVFULEHVWKHRZHUV
DV EHLQJ GLVWULEXWHG DV FOXVWHUV RI JUHHQLVK RZHUV JHQHUDOO\ LQ
the tops of trees, but at times they are found in much drier upland
limestone glades where they become sprawling vines that trail along
the ground.
The bluish fruits[6] are oval or oblong, slightly compressed, and
6-8 mm (~0.24-0.31 in).[3] The fruits should not be eaten since they
are mildly toxic to humans.[6]
Distribution: The species is found in swamps,
wet woods, wet hammocks, floodplains,
IRUHVWV DQG ZHW DWZRRGV ,Q WKH (DVWHUQ
6HDERDUG 6WDWHV LW LV IRXQG FKLH\ RQ WKH
coastal plain.[3] In the Gulf, its distribution
extends farther inland and even follows
the Mississippi River to the tip of Illinois.
Wunderlin[13] indicates that the plant is found
nearly throughout Florida. In Texas it is

[12]
[10] See also the provided distribution
map.
Blooming period: Gleason and Cronquist[3], which covers only the
northern portion of the plants distribution, provides a blooming
475

WdD 1. Arnold, L. E. 1954. Some Honey Plants of Florida. University
Arboretum located in Lisle, IL on 6/6/2004.
date of May. Wunderlin[13], writing about the vascular plants of
Florida, states simply that it blooms in spring. In Texas, Sanborn
and Scholl[10] indicate it blooms in April. John Lovell[5] reports in
Southeastern Texas it blooms April to July and sometimes, if there
are summer rains, it might bloom again.
Importance as a honey plant: From his extensive set of
questionnaires Oertel[8] found the species to be important in: LA,
7;$/$5061&6&DQG71
Ayers and Harman[2] from their questionnaires found the plant to
EHYHU\LPSRUWDQWLQ2.067;/$DQG06DQGWREHLPSRUWDQW
in AR.
While the standard references listed above provide information
about the plant as a bee forage, there are a number of publications
that enumerate the bee forages of the area in which Berchemia
scandens is native that do not mention the species. These include:
Julia Mortons Honeybee Plants of South Florida[7], Sanfords 8. Oertel, E. 1939. Honey and Pollen Plants of the United States.
Florida Bee Botany[11], Lillian Arnolds Some Honey Plants of
Florida[1], and Dale Pollets Louisiana Honey Plants.[9] This
suggests that there is some geographical variation in the species
LPSRUWDQFH RU DOWHUQDWLYHO\ EHFDXVH WKH RZHUV DUH VPDOO DQG
generally located in the tops of wooded canopies, it may simply be
overlooked.
Honey potential: Harvey Lovell indicates that averages surpluses
PLOGDJUHHDEOHDYRU6DQERUQDQG6FKROO[10] describe the honey as
dark amber colored, and used in manufacturing-houses. Harvey
Lovell[4] GHVFULEHVWKHKRQH\DVDPEHUZLWKDJRRGDYRUDQGERG\
LQ7H[DVLVVROGXQGHULWVRUDOQDPHDQGLVORFDOO\SRSXODUGHVSLWH
its dark color.
Pollen: There is very little in the literature about the pollen potential
of the species.
Additional information: The fruits should not be eaten since they
are mildly toxic to humans.[6] The vines from the plant apparently
are used for making pliant walking sticks that are sometimes called
supple-jacks. The vine stems can also be used to make wicker
products, hence the common name rattan vine.[6]
References
of Florida Agricultural Experiment Stations Bulletin 548. Uni-
versity of Florida, Gainesville, FL. All checked
2. Ayers, G. and J. Harman. 1992. Bee Forage of North Amer-
ica and Potential for Planting for Bees. Inventory and Relative
Importance of Nectar and Pollen Plants of North America. In:
The Hive and the Honey Bee. J. M. Graham Editor. Dadant and
Sons. Hamilton, IL.
3. Gleason, M. H. and A. Cronquist 1991. Manual of Vascular
Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada (2nd
Edition). The New York Botanical Garden.
4. Lovell. H. B. 1966. Honey Plants Manual, A Practical Field
Handbook for Identifying Honey Flora. A. I. Root Co. Medina,
OH.
5. Lovell, J. 1926. Honey Plants of North America. A. I. Root Co.
Medina, OH.
6. Missouri Botanical Garden 2015 Website
7. Morton, J. 1964. Honeybee Plants of South Florida. Proeedings
RULGD6WDWH+RUWLFXOWXUDO6RFHW\
86'$&LUFXODU86*RYHUQPHQW3ULQWLQJ2IFH:DVK-
ington D. C.
9. Pollet, D. 2011. Louisiana Honey Plants. Publication 3162, Lou-
isiana State University Agricultural Center.
10. Sanborn, D.E. and E. E. Scholl. 1908. Texas Honey Plants.
Texas Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 102. Texas Ag-
ULFXOWXUDO([SHULPHQW6WDWLRQ&ROOHJH6WDWLRQ7;
11. Sanford, M. T. 1988. Florida Bee Botany. Florida Cooperative
SUREDEO\LQ7;DUHWROEV6DQERUQDQG6FKROO[10] describe
the honey yield as being good and gives surpluses in favorable
years.
Honey: There is some variation in the literature concerning the
description of supplejack honey. John Lovell[5] reports from a Bay
City, Texas beekeeper that the honey is a light lemon yellow with a
476
Extension Service/Institution of Food and Agricultural Sciences
Circular 686, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL.
12. USDA, NRCS. 2015. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.
usda.gov, 28 December 2015). National Plant Data Team,
Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
13. Wunderlin, R. P. 1998. A Guide to the Vascular Plants of Flor-
ida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
American Bee Journal
 &DOLIRUQLDJZRUW
California figwort,
California honey plant,
heal-all, square stem
6FLHQWLFQDPHScrophularia californica
Synonyms: names once called S. californica: S. desertoruim and
S. oregana
Origin: Native to California
Plant description: Scrophularia californica is a perennial
with stems that are 80-120 cm (~31.5-47.2 in) long. The
larger leaves are 8-17 cm (~ 3.1-6.7 in), and range in
color from dark to light green and can be heart-shaped
or more truncate as if the end with the stem appears more
or less cut off. It can also occasionally be wedge-shaped.
7KHPDLQVWHPRIWKHLQRUHVFHQFHDQGWKHVWDONVRIWKH
Distribution: within the area shown in the
included map, it is common in damp places,
chaparral2, roadsides at under 2500m
(~8202 ft).[3] Richter[6] describes the species
as being common in moist places, mostly
along gulches in the hills, Coast ranges, Sierra
Nevada and Southern California. Vansell and
Eckert[8] state that it is found mostly in 
partial shade. Scrophularia californica[7]
Blooming period: Richter[6] provides a blooming range of May-
June and also states that Jepson claimed in southern California that
it blooms as early as March. The 2012 Jepson Manual[3] indicates
a blooming period of March to July]. Vansell and Eckert[8] in their
summarizing table indicates that it blooms May-June.
Importance as a honey plant: Richter[6] places the species in his
secondary honey plant list, indicating that occasionally the species
yields a surplus. Later in his publication he states that it is an
excellent honey plant, and although it is never abundant, there is no
GRXEWWKDWVRPHJZRUWKRQH\LVVWRUHG
,QGQRPHPEHUVRIWKH6FURSKXODULDFHDHPHQWLRQHGE\3URIHVVRU
George Coleman[2] in his 1921-1922 monthly enumerations of the
RZHUV DUH JODQGXODU SRVVLEO\ LQGLFDWHG E\ EHLQJ VWLFN\
DQG DUH FRYHUHG ZLWK QH VKRUW KDLUV 7KH FDO\[ OREHV1 are
3-4 mm (~0.12-0.16 in), are a triangular egg shape, green, with the
unattached end pointed or rounded and the edges generally thin, dry
and membranous and not green. The corolla (all the petals) is 8-12
mm (~0.2-0,47 in) and bulky. The mouth is more or less constricted,
with the upper lobes a reddish to maroon color the lower petals a
paler and more or less a yellowish green. There is a sterile stamen
(staminode) that has a tip that is club shaped or expanded and
attached at the small end. The stigma of the pistil that receives the
pollen during pollination is headlike.[3]
1
 &DO\[7KHPRVWRXWHUZKRUORIDRZHUWKDWRULJLQDOO\FRYHUHGWKH
bud. See Kennon Loricks Glossary page 1352 December 2015 of
ABJ.
2
Chaparral: a vegetation type characterized by mostly evergreen
shrubs that have thick, leathery leaves and stiff branches.
Scrophularia californicaWW
obtained from the Las Pilitas Nursery in Santa Margarita, CA.
April 2016
bee forage of the California National Forests.
Oertel[5], from his extensive set of questionnaires, found the
species to be important in CA and WA. From the distribution
map, it seems likely that the one from Washington was possibly
a closely related species, which at the time might have been called
Scrophularia californica by one or more of the questionnaire
respondents, or might have actually carried that name in the
VFLHQWLFOLWHUDWXUHRIWKHWLPHDQGODWHUZDVJLYHQDGLIIHUHQWVSHFLHV
epithet (second name in the species name).
Ayers and Harman [1] who partitioned North America
more from an ecological perspective rather than by political
boundaries, from their questionnaires found the species to be of
some importance in what they referred to as south and central
California.
John Lovell[4] describes Scrophularia californica as having the
potential to be of great value in the California mountains if it were
more common.
Vansell and Eckert[8] in their text state that It is a heavy yielder
477
and in their summarizing table credit the species as being a fairly
important honey producer.
Honey: Vansell and Eckert[8] claim that the species is a heavy
yielder of water-white bland honey. In their summarizing table
however, they call it white to light amber.
Pollen: In their summarizing table Vansell and Eckert[8] consider it
to be of only of minor importance for pollen production.
The author is grateful to the Michigan State University
Herbarium for the use of its library and the permission to see
and photograph parts of its collection.
References
1. Ayers, G. and J. Harman. 1992. Bee Forage of North America
and Potential for Planting for Bees. Inventory and Relative Im-
portance of Nectar and Pollen Plants of North America. In: The
Hive and the Honey Bee. J. M. Graham Editor. Dadant and Sons.
Hamilton, IL.
478
2. Coleman, G. A. 1921-1922. Beekeeping in our California Na-
tional Forests. No. II. Honey Flora. This is a series of very short
monthly articles that appeared in the Western Honey Bee of the
period shown.
3. Kersh, K. R. 2012. 6FURSKXODULD JZRUW 7KH -HSVRQ 0DQXDO
Vascular Plants of California (2nd edition) Page 1246. University
of california Press. Berkeley, CA.
4. Lovell, J. 1926. Honey Plants of North America. A. I. Root Co.
Medina, OH.
5. Oertel, E. 1939. Honey and Pollen Plants of the United States.
86'$&LUFXODU86*RYHUQPHQW3ULQWLQJ2IFH:DVK-
ington D. C.
6. Richter, M. C. 1911. Honey Plants of California. Colege of Ag-
riculture, Agricultural Experiment Station (Berkeley, CA.) Bul-
letin 217.
7. USDA, NRCS. 2015. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.
usda. gov, 28 December 2015). National Plant Data Team,
Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
8. Vansell, G. H. and J. E. Eckert. 1941. Nectar and Pollen Plants
of California. Bulletin 517. University of California. Berkeley, CA.
American Bee Journal
 LLC

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MAY GOD BLESS YOUR
ENDEAVORS THIS YEAR
April 2016 479
480 American Bee Journal
 American Bee Journal
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BROKER OF BEES AND BEE EQUIPMENT:
Find out what is for sale or request a listing agree-
ment at www.morrisweaver.com Morris Weaver
Enterprises, 11625 Princess Margaret Ct.,
QUEENS available April thru September.
5-Frame Nucs also available. Credit cards ac-
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DOUBLES FOR SALE. 100 LOTS ONLY.
(903) 450-5734.
5-frame nucs, natural drawn comb frame - $120
in your own box www.vaughnsbees.com
Call Vaughn Longmire, (813) 315-0494
rockwell180@rocketmail.com
For Sale 3000 10-frame singles. 2015
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6025.
PACKAGED BEES AND 5-FRAME NUCS.
TAKING ORDERS NOW FOR 2015. CALL
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1000 hives 10-frame two-story on 4-way pallets,
QHZRXWW TXHHQVH[FHOOHQWFRQGLWLRQDYDLODEOH
in May in California. (530) 671-6188.
)RU6DOH1HZ+XPPHUEHH7XUERDQG;/PRGHO
beekeeper forklifts with more performance en-
hancements. Used beekeeper forklifts. Our full
time knowledgeable staff offers more to you in
parts, service, and advice. View our website:www.
hummerbeeforklift.com or call A & O Forklift at
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8061, Mobile (936) 825-4738. rmorrisweaver@
gmail.com
Cowen Heated top and bottom bar cleaner with extra
SS tub and hot water supply unit purchased in 2009
less than 40 hours, asking $6000.00. Item available
for pickup in Lewistown, PA or Dade City, Florida.
For more information call 800-736-6205.
We have purchased Tom Industries.
We have hand crank and motor-
L]HG HPERVVHG UROOHUV   GURQH
cells etc. We have sheeters that make
(231) 735-1203.
NUCS FOR SALE, TAMPA FLORIDA. ASK
FOR JACOB. (813) 770-9465, (813) 451-6334.
For Sale: 200 5-frame nucs and 400 single hives
in Florida. (772) 633-1134.
For Sale: 20,000 6 5/8 supers. Good tight
equipment. Semi-load lots. Call Ron (909) 754-
2555.
N.W. Colorado bee operation for sale. Hives,
trucks, swinger forklifts, etc. Info: email
jonescherry2000@yahoo.com
FOR SALE: 1500 Double Deep Hives after
or leave a message.
Heavy Duty Clear View Masts for Bobcats
12 lift - double action cylinders - 42 forks (48
 SHU KRXU &DOO   RU
Almonds. Also, 1 story hives for sale. Good
email: madelinecooper@sbcglobal.net
equipment and healthy hives on four-way pallets.
You can inspect these hives in the almonds. Call
RSWLRQDODOOUROOHUEHDULQJVQRVOLGHUVWV%RE-
cat 743 - 763 & S130 - S150. Call A & 0 Forklift,
Inc. (800) 943-8677.
Top Bar Hive handmade, plans, info, pictures,
video, community: www.NetShed.com
PRICE REDUCED: Large Montana beekeeping
operation. Includes: registered locations, ware-
house, extracting equipment, trucks, forklifts, re-
lated equipment, some acreage with option on other
acreage. Serious inquires only. Phone 406-683-
4973 or 406-683-5736 prior to 7PM Mountain time.
FOR SALE: Singles and 1 1/2 story hives for sale.
1000 available. Call for Pricing, Jon@(208) 412-
1092 or Golden @ (208) 250-8420. www.golden
beeinc.com
Nucs - $96. Deep or Medium single beehives.
Buckets of Honey - $175. Pollen - $300. John
Pluta Milledgeville Georgia (478) 452-2337
Singles for sale, delivery possible on orders over
200. For pricing and availability call: 800-736-6205.
FIVE FRAME NUCS AND TEN
FRAME HIVES FOR SALE. CALL
JEROME @ (352) 406-4938 OR EMAIL:
TRAILHEADRANCH@GMAIL.COM
HONEY PRICE UPDATES. Call Honey Hot
Line. (763) 658-4193.
2000 10-frame hives, new queens, on 4-way pal-
lets, very good equipment in FL. Now or after al-
monds in CA. Limited numbers of 4 and 5-frame
deep nucs. Also available in FL starting in March.
Call NOW!! (262) 689-1000.
140,000 pounds sugar and syrup in like new 55
gallon drums $150 each or $140 ea. for 10 or
more. 200 like new barrels - $10 each. Honey
5 gallon buckets, new and used bee equipment.
Can deliver to KC, Joplin MO, Tulsa, Wichita,
Dave (760) 310-0005.
FOR SALE: Queens, Bulk bees, brood (new
drawn comb exchange only), singles, southeast
Texas, March and April. 507-273-4359.
Early 5 frame nucs w/new queen. Ready APRIL
thru MAY. Shipping available - call for pricing
(601) 788-7717 email: ty.freeman68@yahoo.com
5-frame nucs for sale in NW Wisconsin. 2016
queens, nice equipment, no frame exchange. Will
EHUHDG\IRUSLFNXSHQGRI$SULORUUVWRI0D\
$125.00 each, quantity discounts on 50 or more.
(772)215-2734. Sunnydellbees.com
HIVES FOR SALE: 2,000 Singles on 4-way pal-
lets in CA after Almonds. Lots of 100 @ $155.
Semi-loads @ $145. Ray 229-921-8776. Email:
ray@weekshoneyfarm.com
5-frame nucs for sale. Proven laying Italian
Queen. $120.00 each. 500 available now. (321)
www.georgiabees.blogspot.com
Five frame NUCS for sale mid-April through Fall.
Price dependent on season and quantity of order.
Minimum order of 24 NUCS. No frame trade,
only return of our boxes. Call early to secure your
order. FOB Lewistown PA or Dade City, FL.
Please call W. Fisher Bee Farm for more infor-
mation. 1-800-736-6205. Ask for Aaron.
For Sale: singles, 1 stories and nucs. 4-frame
nucs and 5-frame nucs available. Truck loading
and unloading in California. (559) 665-1759 or
(209) 769-2546.
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING-Net price 95 cents per word per insertion. Initials, letters as in street address, counted as individual words. No advertisement accepted for less than
6SULQJHOG&DOO7UDGH+RQH\
Open head steel 55-gallon drums, like new and
new condition. Central Florida. $16.00 Each.
863-559-0074 David Adams
Make your own Honey Sticks. Complete sys-
tem to start putting your honey in your own
VWLFNVIRUSHQQLHVSHUVWLFN.HHSWKHSURWV
for yourself. www.honeystickmachine.com
Strong, healthy 5 frame Nucs (deep or medium)
available in South Florida starting in April of
2016. Limited quantities of mated queens are also
available. Call Joseph at (561) 715-5715 to place
your order.
231-0484.
FOR SALE: 8-frame doubles, heavy, 2015
queens, on 4-way pallets. Newer equipment.
$300.00 before almonds, $165.00 after. $140.00
UVW DQG VHFRQG ZHHN RI 0D\ &RWWRQZRRG
CA. Sam & Joyce Van Vleet (530) 347-1987.
For Sale: Boxes of deep brood comb with 9
frames per box. 500 plus boxes in Idaho. Call
Gary (208)431-0630.
For Sale: 500 hives, 10-frame, two-story on 4-way
pallets available after almond pollination in CA.
Very good condition. Contact 510-731-7801.
ZRUGV3D\DEOHFDVKLQDGYDQFH%OLQG&ODVVLHGDGGLWLRQDO$EOLQGDGLVRQHLQZKLFKUHVSRQVHVDUHDGGUHVVHGWRWKH$%-DQGWKHQIRUZDUGHGWRWKHDGYHUWLVHU([WUHPH
care always is exercised in establishing the reliability of all advertisers, but the publishers do not guarantee advertisements. Orders close the 20th of the second month preceding
cover date. Send typed copy to : Advertising Dept., American Bee Journal, 51 S. 2nd6W+DPLOWRQ,/RU)$;WRRUHPDLOWRabjads@dadant.com.

April 2016 481

For Sale: 1000 hives; 10-frame doubles or singles
on 4-way clipped pallets available after Almond
Pollination 2016, very good condition. 5-frame
nucs available May 13th. Call (559) 974-4042.
Madera, CA.
Bee truck, 02 chev c-6500, cat diesel, a/c, 21 bed
set up to haul bees, runs great, auto trans, original
owner, 140000k miles, $29000, Chowchilla, CA,
559-930-1476.
Bee truck, 94 Chev Kodiak, class 6, cat diesel,
a/c, 21 bed, set up to haul bees, runs great, 6
speed man tran, original owner, 200,000k miles,
$20,000, Chowchilla, Ca, 559-930-1476.
1,000 strong, two story, ten frame hives on four
way pallets. Good equipment. After almonds in
%DNHUVHOG&$DUHD&DOO&KDGDW
2,000 ten frame hives on four way pallets. Ready
to split after the almonds. New equipment. Call
Ray 909-709-9192.
500 two story hives on four way pallets in south-
ern California. Good equipment. Call Steve 951-
551-7150.
1,000 Deep Supers ready for bees or supers.
The boxes are painted and frames drawn. Su-
pers located in South Dakota. Will ship if buyer
pays freight. $32 per box/on pallets and shrink
wrapped for easy transporting. Call Tom @
605-490-2651 or email tom_maxwell@hotmail.
com
10,000 acres of tallow trees for 2016, Jefferson
County, Texas. Many sites. 3,000 acres available
in Hardin County, many locations. Possibly will
have more land in Orange County by March. Start
taking reservations February 15. Call 409-504-
7073. Ask for Brett.
1,000 Beehives for sale after almond bloom. 100
hive minimum. (530) 476-3211, (701) 226-6202.
Either 8 frame or 10 frame.
5 Frame Nucs. (708) 602-6764 Chicago , Fond
Du Lac, WI. Now taking orders for pick up
$120.00 10% down. Smith Talbot Apiaries
available Mid May, 2016
2500 10-Frame hives, 5-frame nucs. After 2016
almonds. Available in CA and CO. (970)856-
6710 or irishtemperbees@yahoo.com
Single story hives $185 available mid-May
Min:10. Four frame nucs $135 late April Min: 10.
All units graded for size & brood pattern. Pickup
only in Missouri. Quantities Limited. Order nucs
by April 1. Phone 417-882-8008 (early A.M best)
Single hives after May 1st. New queens with 8 or
10-frame equipment. Central California. Phone
For Sale: 150 double deep 10-frame hives, with
2015 queens, in above average condition! Located
in California. Joe Grimson (701) 391-4703.
1000 single 10-frame hives w/feeders on 4-way
pallets 2016 queens. Available end of April in
SC or NY. Min. order 100. $180.00 each. (315)
717-7065.
150 4-way pallets $8.00 each, 600 deep feeders,
$1.00 each, 600 plywood lids, $.50 each. Call
(209) 769-0442.
FOR SALE: 500 supers, drawn comb, 5 11/16 -
$20 each, Honey Buckets, food grade w/lids, $4
each, 60 year collection ABJs and Bee Culture,
make offer. Smoker collection and beekeeping
antiques. (309) 359-8600.
For Sale: Hives of bees after almonds in CA.
Doubles - $160 each. Singles - $100 each. Call
(701)220-0166 for more information.
Double deep colonies of bees for sale after Al-
monds. Also, singles available. Equipment is ten-
frame, newer equipment. Contact (701) 226-2907.
Bobcat, Hummerbee and Superbee Trailers cus-
tom built. New S450 Bobcats, set up with masts
DQG IWK ZKHHOV FRPSOHWH )LIWK :KHHOV VROG
separately. Used Bobcats bought, sold and trade-
ins welcome. Custom truck bodies and Custom
smoker boxes, all built by a beekeeper FOR bee-
keepers. www.tropictrailer.com - Eli Mendes
239-340-0484, eli@tropictrailer.com
com .
Irrigated South Dakota farm coun-
try. Western South Dakota Bee
operation, capable of running up
to 3600 colonies, more on clover
years. One semi \ two 2-tons \ two
1-tons \ one Hummerbee forklift ,
one repowered swinger \ 90 regis-
tered bee yards \ two houses, two
warehouses \ two missile sites, 7000
deep newer honey supers bees av-
erage between 100-150 pounds of
honey. Price reduced due to medi-
cal reasons. Contact Cliff at 605-
641-9719.
2015 Chevrolet 3500 hd, 1500 brood boxes for
sale. Call/text 785-282-1106 for more information
and pricing.
500 story and a half hives for sale with 1 year old
queen and mostly newer equipment. Also have
frames of brood, nucs, and also singles for sale.
Located in Madera, CA area contact Allen @
(701)721-1773 for more information and prices.
Bee Box machine (Woodman) and frame machine
(top & bottom bar machine with end bar ma-
chines). Used but fully functional. Up to 800 boxes
a day, and 5000 frames a day capabilities -$300k.
Email inquiries to: markone67@yahoo.com
The Shizel-the Super Hive Tool at www.shizeltool.
com
600 plus hive bodies with 10-frame foundation
to sell. Phone (863)632-5813.
Stainless Steel Bulk Tank, approx. 6000 gal-
lons, custom factory made. (701) 626-7635.
2-2008 Hummerbee Turbo, $25, 500. 2 Forklift
trailers, $4400, 2003 Peterbilt 300 HP, auto, 10
aluminum wheels, pusher axle, 26 aluminum bed,
180,000 miles - $33,000. U style clips $.50. Frame
feeders - $1.00.
HONEY FOR SALE
Excellent clover honey in drums and light beeswax
available. Mark Gilberts Apiaries, (608) 482-1988.
U.S. sweet clover, alfalfa, thistle mix, (9 drums of
black locust-limited supply), white honey, melter
KRQH\OWHUHGQHZGUXPVH[FHOOHQWKRQH\IRE
several loads available. Produced by Baldwin Api-
aries, Darlington, WI (608) 776-3700.
Very nice looking & good tasting Nebraska bot-
tling honey. (402) 319-5125.
CLOVER Buckwheat, Orange, Tupelo, and
:LOGRZHU  SDLOV RU GUXPV 385( 6:((7
HONEY FARM, 514 Commerce Parkway, Ve-
rona, Wisconsin 53593. (608) 845-9601.
&ORYHU%DVVZRRG:LOGRZHUKRQH\DYDLODEOHLQ
drums in WI. Great tasting! Light beeswax avail-
able. Call (262) 689-1000.
Honey and beeswax for sale. Clover, Orange Blos-
VRP:LOGRZHU0DQ\YDULHWDOVDYDLODEOH6PLWW\
Bee Honey (712) 748-4292.
PREMIUM HONEYS Summer: Michigan
Blueberry, Thistle (Knapweed) excellent for
creamed honeys, plus FL premium fall pepper
and FL spring orange blossom honeys. Call Ed
(231) 418-7485. Email: edeisele@gmail.com
North Dakota white clover/alfalfa semiload lots.
Mackrill Honey, (701) 650-0200, (701) 984-2696.
20 barrels melter honey (make offer) (559) 350-
3066.
QUALITY HONEY, barrels, your buckets. Hol-
lenbeck, Kirksville, Missouri. (660) 665-2542
evenings.
HONEY AND
BEESWAX WANTED
RU)$;
Complete Cowen 60 frame extracting system.
Cowen 60 frame extractor with large uncapper
DQGGHER[HURRUOHYHOVXPSFDSSLQJVDXJHU
Dadant electro-melt with slum rake, honey pump
Queens for Sale. Limited. Telephone number
(352) 455-4317.
3000 double deep hives, four-way pallets for HONEY WANTEDExtracted or comb.
LEIGHTONS HONEY, INC., 1203 Commerce
sale after the almonds. Equipment all fairly new.
Ave. Haines City, Florida 33844. (863) 422-1773.
and stainless bulk tank. Delivery available. 760-
390-5664
For Sale: Quality Assembled Hive Bodies and
Supers cut to order from Minnesota Pine. Deliv-
ery of truckloads available. Pallets, lids and lim-
ited numbers of deep frames also available. Bob
Dahlen, Bjorndahl Apiaries, Goodridge, Minne-
sota. Phone: (218) 378-4188 or (218) 684-1484.
For Sale After Almonds and Beyond: 8-frame
Hives - Singles $100; One-and-a-Half $110;
Double Deeps $140; 4-Frame Nucs $90. 2000
available; Newer equipment; Fall-Winter 2015
Queens. (925) 626-7800 lendelta@hotmail.com
Prince Edward Island, Canada, beekeeping opera-
tion for sale. Includes: 200 hives, related equip-
ment, honey house with extracting and bottling
equipment, trucks, loader tractor, tilt-deck trailer,
4 bedroom house on 8 acre ocean view property,
pollination contracts, well established customer
base. Can. $650,000.00. Serious inquiries only.
peihoneywine@gmail.com
FOR SALE: 9 Hive Bodies with drawn comb,
200@ $30.00 each. 400 queen excluders @$2.00
each., Wichita, KS (316) 644-4985.
482
$225.00 each. Brandon Buoye (909) 583-7264.
For Sale: Two Dakota Gunness Uncappers. Fur-
ther details, email: cferguson@sasktel.net or
phone (306) 874-5552. Retirement Sale.
200 strong 5 frame nucs for sale. Full of bees and
brood, 16 queens. 50% deposit when ordered
50% 2 weeks before pick-up. No frame exchange
- $120.00 each. Available after April 25th. (661)
QHDU%DNHUVHOG&$
150 8-frame palletized hives for sale after Al-
monds in California or Oregon. (971) 645-9150.
For Sale: Adirondack Mountain Italian Queen
cells and virgin queens. Jurica Apiaries, 111 Hall
Ave., Johnstown, NY 12095.
Used Pollen traps $15 pz Silt Co. About 200 left,
call-text for pictures, 970-640-4192. Also several
honey comb supers available.
Small southern Oregon business for sale. Plenty
of room to grow. 400 colonies, 92 Int 8200 24
ft bed, 2001 F550 12ft bed with Payne loader
forklift, trailer, Cowen extractor, and much more.
(541) 659-7184.
5000 5 11/16 shallows for sale - $8 each. 1500
cedar bottom boards - $5 each. (559) 350-3066.
)$;
Need Sage honey and Sage comb honey. Need
good sage locations in Southern California.
Will consider small operation with or without real-
estate. Will pay top dollars. Call (818) 355-3339.
HONEY WANTED all grades. Also, honey
barrels for sale. Contact Pure Sweet Honey Farm
Inc., 514 Commerce Parkway, Verona, WI. (608)
845-9601.
Round comb, Fresh, good tasting
Pollen, Varietal Honeys. 800-678-1226.
tasty@zspecialtyfood.com
HONEY PRICE UPDATES. Call Honey
Hot Line. (763) 658-4193.
ROYAL JELLY
BEST 100% PURE FRESH ROYAL JELLY.
$59.00 per kilo plus shipping. HIGHEST PO-
TENCY. LOWEST PRICES guaranteed on
larger orders. CERTIFIED TOP QUALITY.
Stakich, Inc. (248) 642-7023 ext. 301
American Bee Journal

POLLEN
QUALITY, CLEAN, LOW MOISTURE POL-
LEN $5.40/lb. Min. 10 lbs. + shipping. LOW-
EST PRICES guaranteed for large orders.
STAKICH, INC. Phone (248) 642-7023 ext. 301
Fresh, never dried, clean Bee Pollen for sale.
:LOGRZHU EOHQG IURP &DOLIRUQLD SURGXFHG E\
3rd generation beekeeping family. Available in
25 pound pales and 300 pound drums. Call 916-
769-0900.
Pollen supplement and pollen substi-
WXWH SDWWLHV PDGH WR \RXU VSHFLFD-
tions and delivered anywhere. Fast
service. Visit www.globalpatties.com
or call. Toll free (866) 948-6084.
Fresh 2016 Northern California raw bulk pollen
available. Available raw uncleaned and semi-
dried and cleaned. Call for pricing at (916) 224-
2211.
POLLINATION
Bees wanted for the Almonds. Art Harris, 6301
PACKAGE BEES (Queenless only) Febru-
ary June. Pick up only. Metter, Georgia. Pat-
rick Wilbanks, (912) 286-7789 or pwilbanks@
hotmail.com
Minnesota Hygienic Italian Queens and
5-frame nucs for sale. Proven 2016 lay-
ing queens. Call for pricing and avail-
ability. Madison Belle Honey Co. 1251
Schexnyder Road, Mansura, Louisiana
71350. (225) 936-8333. Email: karl@
madisonbellehoney.com
Package bees and NUCs available
for pick up in Spring 2016 in Western
Kentucky at The Bee Barn. Visit www.
beebarnshop.com for details. Queens
available April through September. The
Bee Barn offers beekeeping supplies,
equipment, and bees and is located in
Paducah, KY. Reach us at (270) 519-
4772, thebeebarn@ymail.com or at www.
facebook.com/thebeebarn
BEES & QUEENS: Italian package bees, 3# -
$75.00, plus cage. Pick up only. 50 minimum.
WANTED: Retiring? Want to buy a small
FRPPHUFLDORXWWLQ1RUWKZHVWHUQVWDWHV6DP
& Joyce Van Vleet. (530) 347-1987.
Fourth generation Beekeeping family looking to
purchase commercial beekeeping operation (500-
2000 hives) in the Midwest or Lake States region.
Contact Kevin Blair (559) 916-8873.
HELP WANTED
Full time position available in Oregon. Bee-
keeping experience and CDL required. Contact
Ryan@sweetbeehoneyco.com PO Box 558,
Milton Freewater, OR 97862 (360)907-0842.
Seasonal and full-time help needed at our mi-
gratory bee operation. We are located in FL and
WI. We do pollination, queen rearing and honey
production. Some experience preferred, team en-
vironment, wages dependent on experience, good
opportunity or advancement. Prior work history
and references required. Contact Gary at (262)
689-1000.
Olivarez Honey Bees/Big Island Queens is seek-
ing motivated beekeepers to join our Hawaii
team! Experience preferred. Self-motivator and
ability to work in a team environment a plus. Po-
9LFWRU6W%DNHUVHOG&$
1470.
Bees Wanted for 2016 Almond Pollination. We
will need an additional 5,500 hives this year. We
Provide the Following: Hives are placed behind
locked gates. 24/7 security with nightly patrols.
Fungicide spraying only and only at night. Win-
tering yards with full service hive maintenance,
feeding, and medication. We have forklifts and
crew to place hives in orchards. You are paid 50%
on or before February 20th and 50% on or before
April 20th. Visit www.almondbeepollination.
com for more details. Please Call: California Al-
mond Pollination Services, Inc. (209) 202-8915 E
Mail: shousebee@gmail.com
BEES AND QUEENS
JERRY FOSTER QUEENS quality Carniolan and
hybrid Italian queens at competitive prices. Nucs
and packages also. Jerry Foster Apiaries, 937 9th
St., Colusa, CA 95932. Phone (530) 458-4234.
3DFLF1RUWKZHVWPDWHGTXHHQV2UGHUVRIRU
more. Treasure Valley Idaho. Call for Pricing, Jon
@ (208) 412-1092. www.goldenbeeinc.com
Package bees in Ohio. Taking orders now for
spring 2016. Waldo Ohio Apiaries, George Tay-
lor, P.O. Box 122, Kilbourne, OH 43032. (740)
524-6241. Email: WALDOBEE@MSN.com
Website: www.waldobees.com
California Queens for Sale: Well mated Italian
queens available April. KingBee Apiarys (760)
417-1810.
QUALITY QUEENS from HAWAII, available
year round. Call KARRUS QUEENS (808)
854-5308.
Queen Haven Apiaries is taking orders for Ital-
ian VSH and Carniolian VSH queens for the 2016
season. Please call Ray and Klarene Olivarez at
(530) 526-7034.
3 lb Packages Bees for sale, for pick up in
Wisconsin. Contact: Mark Gilberts Apiaries 608-
482-1988.
QUEENS available April thru Septem-
ber. 5-Frame Nucs also available. Credit
cards accepted. Rabbit Creek Bee
Company - Franklin, NC. (828) 634-1233.
Let us put bees into your equipment with enough
time to feed them up for the almonds. May be
ZLOOLQJWRGRWKHIHHGLQJ$OVRZLOOLQJWROO\RXU
equipment in the spring. Call Rick Riggs (661)
204-2631.
April 2016
Cottonwood, CA - Sam & Joyce Van Vleet (530)
347-1987.
Brown Honey Co. Inc., - 2016 Queens For Sale.
Starting April 1st, Jason Sweat (912) 218-1128.
CISNEROS AND SONS HONEY BEES tak-
ing orders for Italian & Carniolan queens for 2016
season. Corning, CA David Cisneros, (530) 592-
7762 or alex-Cisneros@live.com
Olympic Wilderness Apiary WILD
SURVIVOR QUEENS Disease and Mite
5HVLVWDQW3DFLF1:,VRODWHG0DWLQJ
Yards Available July-Sept. (360) 928-
3125. www.wildernessbees.com
20 beehives for sale following almond pollina-
tion near Manteca, California or late March near
Portland, Oregon. Hives are 10-frame boxes on
pallets. $200 each. (503) 679-8032.
For Sale: 5-frame nucs - $175, 2 lb. packages
- $115.00, 3 lb. - $140.00. Queens - $25 plus
shipping. Please call or email: (910) 290-4186,
pennyapiaries@gmail.com
Doubles, singles, brood for sale
year round. FOB Jan-April, Oak-
dale, CA. April-Dec., Milton Freewa-
ter, OR. Queens less than 6 months,
great equipment. Ryan@sweetbee
honeyco.com (360) 907-0842. $5k
min. purchase.
L & L APIARY. QUEENS AND PACKAGE
BEES AVAILABLE. (912) 281-6925.
Texas Queens. $22.00 each. 21 or more, $21.00
each plus shipping. Call (361) 362-1408. Ask for
David.
Bee Wildes QUALITY Texas Queens. Do the
queens youve been buying disappoint you.
Temperament, production issues? We are now
offering select mated queens for sale. Carniolan/
Italian Hybrids. Available: April-July. Prices:
1-49 - $25.00, 50+ - $20.00. Pickup available,
0RQWJRPHU\7;6KLSSLQJFKDUJHVH[WUD(PDLO
or call for details: reedfamilyhoney@yahoo.com
(281) 620-7350. www.beewilde.com
1 story hives after tallow crop. Available May-
June in semi-load lots. Call for pricing. (605)
680-0156.
WANTED
Honey and Beeswax wanted. All colors and va-
rietals. Send samples or call Smitty Bee Honey
(712) 748-4292.
sitions are full time, salary based on experience.
*UHDW%HQHWV3DFNDJH3ULRUZRUNKLVWRU\DQG
references required. Advancement opportunities
available. Submit resume to info@ohbees.com
or Olivarez Honey Bees Inc/Big Island Queens,
P O Box 847 Orland Ca 95963, Fax: 530-865-
5570, Phone 530-865-0298
Full or part time experienced Beekeeper needed
in Southern California. Please send your resume
to: info@lilihoneyfarms.com
FEED
Sunrise Feed and Supply 1872 Ackley Cir. Ste
13, Oakdale, CA 95361 (209) 627-8114. Ryan@
sunrisefeed.com HF-CS 55 & supplies.
LABELS
Custom Labels. FREE BROCHURE.
(319) 759-0161 leave message or
amysbeelabels@hotmail.com
TRANSPORTATION
BEE TRANSPORTATION local and long
distance bee hauling. Have all equipment needed
for the task. Competitive pricing. Call Robert
anytime for more information @ 563-581-1864.
MISCELLANEOUS
The AMERICAN BEEKEEPING FEDERA-
TION KDV PDQ\ EHQHWV WR RIIHU LWV PHPEHUV
Send for a membership packet of information
today! We also offer a free Beginning Beekeeping
Packet. Contact the AMERICAN BEEKEEPING
FEDERATION, 3525 Piedmont Rd. NE, Bld. 5.
Suite 300, Atlanta, GA 30305-1509, Phone (404)
760-2875, Fax 404-240-0998, or email info@
abfnet.org.
HONEY BEE INSEMINATION SERVICE
(HBIS) Susan Cobey Specializing: Equip-
ment; Training; Consulting; Custom II; Speak-
ing. Message: (530) 554-2527 Facebook.com/
HBIService, honeybeeinsemination.com
WAX FOR SALE
Slum gum for sale. Call (559) 350-3066.
483

WAX RENDERING
DONT THROW YOUR SLUM-GUM AWAY.
Get cash for your slum. We offer a pick-up ser-
vice. For more information call: Beeswax Recov-
ery Service (Tim Trescott) Burnsville, NC (828)
284-7790. Email:busybee@beelitecandles.com
Wax cappings, slumgum and frames rendered. If
youre not getting medium color and price on your
slumgum wax, you should be using our service!
Shipping assistance on large lots. (863) 559-0074.
PERIODICALS
LABEILLE DE FRANCEThe most important
of the monthly publications in France - for all
beekeepers, from the amateurs to the professional.
Each month: an article for beginners, reports from
specialists, a review of the latest information all
over the world. Ask for a sample Annual subscrip-
tion: 40$ US. ABEILLE DE FRANCE- 5, rue du
Copenhague-F 75008 PARIS.
APIACTAAn international magazine of technical
and economic information on beekeeping, Quarterly
issues in four versions: English, French, German and
Spanish. Current year (surface mail): US $24.00;
back years: US $28.00; Air mail surcharge: US
$4.00. For subscriptions and list of publications:
APIMONDIA, Corso VittorioEmanuele II, 101,
I-00186 Rome, Italy. Tel. +39-6-6852286 - Telex
623254 - Fax +39-6-6852286/6852265. Postgiro ac-
count no. 57499006.
THE AUSTRALASIAN BEEKEEPER
Senior Beekeeping Journal of the Southern
Hemisphere. Complete coverage of all bee-
keeping topics in one of the worlds largest
beekeeping countries. Published by Pender
Beekeeping Supplies Pty. Ltd., Bilga 79 Nay-
lor Road, Urila, N.S.W. 2620, Australia. Annual
subscription paid in advance $160 AUD.
THE AUSTRALIAN BEE JOURNAL
Caters to both amateur and commercial
apiarists. Subscription $120.00 Australian
currently for all overseas subscribers per annum.
Published monthly. Victorian Apiarists Asso-
ciation, Inc., P.O. Box 40, California Gully,Vic.
Australia 3556 Ph: 03 5446 1543, Email: vaa@vic
beekeepers.com.au.
BEECRAFT The UKs leading monthly beekeep-
ing magazine. View a digital copy and subscribe on
line at www.bee-craft.com.
DIE BIENE ALLGEMEINE DEUTSCHE IM-
KERZEITUNG (ADIZ) IMKERFREUND The
Bee magazines with special publications in bee
science and management for the hobbyist as well
as for the sideliner and professional beekeeper.
Three regional titles but same content today for
Germany except partly Imkerfreund for Bavaria.
Monthly publications with 64 pages. Subscription
Euro 44.50 per year Deutscher Landwirtschafts-
verlag GmbH, Postfach 870324, 13162 Berlin, Tel.
+49(0)30/293974-87, Fax +49(0) 30/293974-59,
www.diebiene.de
HIVELIGHTS, National magazine of the Cana-
dian Honey Council. Published quarterly. Free
sample on request, write to Canadian Honey
Council, Suite 236, 234-5149 Country Hills
Blvd. NW, Calgary AB T3A 5K8, CANADA.
Subscription information available at www.
honeycouncil.ca.
HONEYBEE NEWS, The Journal of the New
South Wales Apiarists Association, Inc., Inter-
national Subscription AUS$50.00 (Airmail) Bank
Draft, Visa or MasterCard payable to NSW AA.
Published bi-monthlyFor more information
contact: The Editor, PO Box 352, Leichhardt
NSW 2040 Australia. E-mail: honeybee@
accsoft.com.au
484
IBRA is the information service for beekeepers, ex-
tension workers and scientists. Our members sup-
SRUWWKLVVHUYLFHDQGHQMR\WKHEHQHWVRIEHORQJLQJ
to IBRA, which includes Bee World. We need your
involvement - join IBRA - support this important
information network and extend your beekeeping
horizons. For more information contact: IBRA, 18
North Road, Cardiff CF1 3DY, UK. Telephone
(+44) 1222 372409. Fax (+44) 1222 665522.
IRISH BEEKEEPINGRead An Beachaire (The
Irish Beekeeper). Published monthly. Subscription
$50.00 per annum post free. Dermot OFlaherty,
Journal Manager, Rosbeg, Westport, Co. Mayo,
Ireland
ATTENTION LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS
Ranch Magazine is your monthly information
guide for Angora, Cashmere and meat goats, as
well as sheep and cattle. Comprehensive Breeder
Directory. 1-Yr $24, 2-Yrs $44. Foreign &
Canada add $15 per yr. postage. Subscribe today!
%R[$%-6DQ$QJHOR7;&DOOIRU
free sample.
THE SCOTTISH BEEKEEPERMonthly Maga-
zine of the Scottish Beekeepers Association. Inter-
national in appeal, Scottish in character. View back
numbers and Subscription rates at: http://scottish
beekeepers.org.uk
SOUTH AFRICAN BEE JOURNALThe of-
FLDORUJDQRIWKH6$)HGHUDWLRQRI%HH)DUP-
ers Associations. Published Bimonthly in
English and Afrikaans, primarily devoted to the
African and Cape Bee races. Subscriptions incl.
postage (six copies). All subscribers outside of GOT WAX? GET PAID!
South Africa R100-00 surface mail, payment
to be made in S.A. Rands. NB. Sample cop- Its that simple!
ies only available on receipt of a donation. P.O. Light and dark.
Box 41 Modder-fontein, 1645, South Africa. Rendering services available.
ULADAG BEE JOURNAL - Publication of
Uludag Beekeeping Association, published quar-
terly in Turkish (with English titles and sum- BEE EXCELLENT
maries of all articles) and English in all aspects
of beekeeping; beekeeping news, practical bee- Phone (218) 776-3593
keeping, and research articles, and considered a
link between Turkish beekeeping and the world. Fax (218) 776-3502
Gazcilar Cad. No. 9/2 16220 Bursa-TURKEY E-mail bexcel@gvtel.com
Fax:+90 224 224 3964 http://www.uluda
garicilik.org.tr
Global inquiries welcome.
American Bee Journal
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April 2016 485

 Advertising Index
A.N. Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .470
A & O Forklift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .368
Acorn Beekeeping Equip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .396
American Bee Journal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .466, 470
American Beekeeping Federation . . . . . . . . . . . . .478
American Honey Producers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .474
Augies Ag Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .446
Avoyelles Honey Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .442
AwesomeBeePics.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .484
BEDILLIONHoneyBeeFarm.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .485
BeeCulture.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .404
Bee Excellent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .484
Beekeepingins.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .487
BeeInformed.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .485
Beeline Apiaries & Woodenware . . . . . . . . .395, 428
Bee Smart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .461
Bees For Sale - Fresno, CA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .428
Beeswax Recovery Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .478
BeeVee-collector.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .468
BetaTec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .455
Betterbee, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .390
Big Island Hawaii Queen Rearing . . . . . . . . . . . . .385
BlissHoney.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .413
Blue Sky Bee Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .371
Bordelon Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .428
Bordelons Honey Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .464
Brand New Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .468
Browning Cut Stock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .466
Brumley Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .470
Brushy Mountain Bee Farm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .462
Buzzs Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .452
Carbolineum Wood Preserving Co. . . . . . . . . . . . .473
CC Pollen Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .474
Complete Bee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .430
Contract Pros Mfg.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .452
Cook & Beals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .478
Cowen Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .435
Dadant and Sons, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .369, 428,442,
473 & Back Cover
Dakota Gunness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .466
Delvecchio, Dominick Nucs for Sale. . . . . . . . . . .414
Drapers SuperBee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .402
Drew Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .435
Eastern Apicultural Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .470
Ernst Seeds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .485
486
EZ-Pry Hive Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .452
Florida Apiaries, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .442
Gardners Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .479
Globalpatties.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .386
GloryBee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .462
Hardeman Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .402
Harris Honey Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .473
Hawaiian Queen Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .446
Heilyser Technology Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .485
Heitkams Honey Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .478
Hilberts Honey Bees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .436
Hogg Halfcomb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .485
Honeyacres.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .480
Honey B Healthy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .435
Honey Land Farms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .428
Horace Bell Honey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .436
JJs Honey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .377
Jester Bee Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .446, 478
K & K Honey Bee Farms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .480
Koehnen, C.F. & Sons, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .480
Kona Queen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .442
Lohman Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .436
LorAnn Oils and Flavors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .436
M & N Apiary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .417
Malka Queens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .434
Mann Lake Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .424
Maxant Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .435
McKenna Boiler Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .398
Medivet Pharmaceuticals Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .418
Meyers, A.H. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .398
Miksa Honey Farms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .414
Miller Bee Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .479
Mother Lode Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .456
NMC Super Bee Fork Truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .486
Nodglobal.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .403
Old Sol Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .428
Olivarez Honey Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .430
Olympic Wilderness Apiary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .473
Park-Burris Queens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .435
Pendell Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .484
Pierco, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .372
Plastic Packaging Concept. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .377
Powell Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .464
Premier1Supplies.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .417
Queen Right Colonies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .389
R.M. Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .464
Roberts Bee Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .474
Ross Rounds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .418
Rossman Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .378
Seed-O-Sphere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .412
Selby Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .476
Shastina Millwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .469
Sherriff, B.J.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .451
Simpsons Bee Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .461
Smith Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .414
South Georgia Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .414
Spell Bee Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .474
Strachan Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .485
Stayers Quality Queens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .470
Suhre, Adam Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .470
Suhre, E. Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .446
Sunshine Honey Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .442
Superior Bee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .484
Swienty Beekeeping Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . .466
Tabers Honey Bee Genetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .402
Texas Insurance & Financial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .436
Timber Ridge Barrels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .398
TimelessMicroscope.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .436
T.R.S. Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .414
Velazquez Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .455
VP Queen Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .414
Vermont Flexi Pumps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .430
Weaver, R. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .456
Wellmark International-Apistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . .429
Western Bee Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .366
Wicwas Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .370
Wilbanks Apiaries Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .446
Wilbanks, Patrick. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .414
Wintersun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .485
Wootens Golden Queens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .414
Zs Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .398
Z Specialty Food, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .446
American Bee Journal