Letters to the Editor – February 2017

Posted February 1, 2017

Letters to the Editor – February 2017

Response to “Beekeeping Stakeholder” Article In an article published in this magazine’s December 2016 edition (“Beekeeping Stakeholder”), author Luke Goembel makes several inaccurate and potentially damaging statements regarding the Maryland Department of Agriculture and its Managed Pollinator Protection Plan (MP3). In the interest of promoting pollinator health—and collaboration amongst stakeholders—we felt it necessary to clear-up …

Posted February 1, 2017

The Uncertain Evolution of Social Immunity

We are continuing a short series on social immunity – individual behaviors and situations inside a bee nest that collectively discourage the entry, establishment, and proliferation of a parasite in the nest. The term “social immunity” is used in distinction to “innate” or “personal” or “individual” immunity of the kind that occurs in single organisms …

Posted February 1, 2017

The Classroom – February 2017

Q Bee House or Bee Hive? A group in the UK is selling a frameless bee house. It would not be legal in the USA. It is something between a managed colony and a truly feral colony. My question for you: What would be the ethical, i.e., good for bees and people (& legal) version …

Posted February 1, 2017

U.S. Honey Crops and Markets – February 2017

UNITED STATES February signals the beginning of the pollination season for migratory beekeepers who start the season with the largest crop pollination event in the country—California’s almond crop. An estimated 1.7 million colonies will be needed to pollinate California’s most valuable crop. Early indications are that demand and prices for almond pollination will be similar …

The first unknown smoker, which I am calling the John Doe smoker. This smoker is made from copper, a soft metal easy to bend, but also delicate and easy to destroy.

Posted February 1, 2017

Unknown Smokers

Since the mid 1970’s, I have collected bee smokers. Along with acquiring smokers, I try to identify who or what company made them. Over the years, I have managed to identify many of my manufactured smokers. To identify old smokers, I search through the historical beekeeping literature. In the past, numerous small bee supply companies …

Posted February 1, 2017

Supering Your Colonies for the Honey Flow

First I must thank Jerry Hayes. His Classroom questions and answers often inspire my Beekeeping Topics and that will be the case this time. At some point in the Comb Honey Corner, I touched on this topic. At that writing we covered the topic but only as it related to comb honey production. The topic …

Posted February 1, 2017

Elm (Ulmus americana)

Scientific name: Ulmus americana (Ulmaceae) Synonyms: Ulmus floridana Origin: North America The USDA Plants Website[18] lists five native Ulmus species. I have chosen to write primarily about Ulmus americana for several reasons. In the beekeeping literature where the full species name is provided, it is this species that seems the most often mentioned. It is …

map of geographical distribution of honey bees

Posted February 1, 2017

Improved Stock

More beekeepers need to use bee stocks that do not require miticides to control varroa mites. There may be a different race, selected stock or improved queen strain that meets your needs to mate with the best of your localized survivor bees. My intention is not to eliminate anyone’s locally adapted, survivor stock. If you …

LeFore Honey Farms Crew placing pallets of bees in blooming California almond groves

Posted February 1, 2017

February ABJ Cover

This great photo was taken by Clarke Sutphin of Billings, Montana. It shows a LeFore Honey Farms Crew placing pallets of bees in a blooming California almond grove near Hughson, CA. This scene is typical of hundreds of beekeeping operations placing nearly two million colonies in the California almond groves this month.

Posted February 1, 2017

February 2017

The Varroa Problem—Part 5—Striking a Deal with Varroa Randy Oliver…………………………………………………………………………………..147 Improved Stock Lawrence John Connor………………………………………………………………………155 Surveying and Reporting Bee Losses William Blomstedt……………………………………………………………………………..167 Pesticide Policy Proposal for Pollinators Michele Colopy…………………………………………………………………………………173 Building Decorative Hive Tops Andy Hemken………………………………………………………………………………….181 Experimenting with Bees Successfully Tina Seybestyen………………………………………………………………………………..189 Hobby Beekeeping and the Law—Issues to Consider Rich Schell………………………………………………………………………………………193 Exclusivity [or Not] Howard Scott…………………………………………………………………………………..197

Letters to the Editor – February 2017

Posted February 1, 2017