12.31.2008

CCD Update

Bee Culture just sent out the following announcement, entitled, Finally, A Complete Description Of Colony Collapse Disorder Across Time and Location. I'm reprinting it below in the hope that some of the info may be useful to beekeepers—though admittedly, a lot of this rehashes ground we've already covered in the past.


Jerry Bromenshenk has been involved with Colony Collapse Disorder from the very beginning. He and his colleagues at the University of Montana, the U.S Army’s Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center, his own company called Bee Alert Technology, and BVS, Inc. have ferreted out an amazing amount of information on this Disorder and are close to understanding the answers to this problem. Because of their work the beekeeping community i s more aware of the best management practices over time to combat the worst of the regular pests and diseases bees have, and this year the almond orchards should have an ample supply of bees for pollination, in part due to their efforts, and of course the work of many other researchers and scientists. Of course it’s only late December and bees are fickle, fragile creatures…and in bee time, it’s a long way to February.

Over the two years that Colony Collapse Disorder has been a recognized problem, this group has probably visited more beeyards suffering from CCD, in more locations, and over a longer a time than most of the people involved in this search. As a result, in a full report prepared by this team to be released in the February issue of Bee Culture magazine, Bee Alert’s Scott Debnam and Jerry Bromenshenk from Missoula Montana, David Westerveld from Florida’s Apiary Inspections Bureau, and Randy Oliver, a commercial beekeeper with significant honey bee research experience from Grass Valley, California detail the symptoms of CCD with respect to where it hits, and when it hits. This information is critical in making a diagnosis as symptoms do change as seasons progress and knowing what to look for and when to look for it is absolutely necessary in making correct decisions. So far, no better guidelines exist for diagnosing this disorder.

To review what’s commonly known:

The symptoms of the final stages of CCD have been oft repeated:
In collapsed colonies
· Complete absence of older adult bees in colonies, with few or no dead bees in the colony, on the bottom board, in front of the colony, or in the beeyard.
· Presence of capped brood in colonies during time of year when queen should be laying.
· Presence of food stores, both honey and pollen, unless a drought or time of year restricts availability of food resources.
· Absence of pest insects such as wax moth and hive beetle.
· Lack of robbing by other bees
· Robbing and return of hive pests is delayed by days or weeks.
In collapsing colonies
· Too few worker bees to maintain brood that is present.
· Remaining bee population predominately young bees.
· Queen is present.
· Queen may lay more eggs than can be maintained by workers, or is appropriate for the time of year.
· Cluster is reluctant to consume supplemental food such as sugar syrup and pollen supplement.

However, these are the terminal symptoms. By the time colonies reach this point it is far too late to do anything but bury the dead. Being able to spot colonies that are just becoming affected is a real plus because beekeepers can turn them around most times and keep them productive. Even though they still don’t know the cause, proper and appropriate management techniques go a long way in helping. Here’s what the team has found:

One year out:
Colonies are “just not doing well” with few other visible symptoms. They seem healthy, but have lackluster honey production.

Six months out:
Symptoms are vague and easily missed. Monthly inspections and careful comparisons are needed. Brood nests are slow to expand, with most in a single hive body. Mid-day inspections show bees dispersed in the colony, but this varies. Population growth slows to stops during growing season when compared to other colonies in the same yard. Honey stores remain untouched, bees are feeding on nectar recently collected. These symptoms are difficult to spot due to the careful comparisons needed.

Three months out:
CCD colonies appear slow to grow and are outpaced by non-CCD colonies in the apiary. There is a noticeable population decrease going from 3 to 2 boxes, or 2 to 1, and often the bees are on only a few frames in the bottom box…and they appear restless. Brood is shot gunned because of dead brood removal, and honey stores begin to diminish if it’s late in the season, but if early, the honey remains untouched. Routine maintenance goes undone and no propolis seals are noticeable.

One month out:
Usually 8 frames of bees or fewer remain and they decline rapidly. Brood is produced, but can’t be supported, queen replacement is often tried and abandoned brood is common. Stored honey depends on the season…in summer it may all be depleted, in winter untouched.

Finally:
Remaining bees fail to eat supplied food or medications, and it’s mostly young bees that remain now, as the older bees are gone. Queens continue to lay excessively, and the colony usually lacks any aggressiveness at all.

Visual Symptoms of a CCD Colony

Just days before its collapse the colony seemed to be strong and fully functional
Mostly young bees remaining in the hive
Bees are not aggressive
Queen is present
Eggs are present
Full frames of brood may be present
Brood may show signs of “shotgun” pattern
Capped honey and fresh nectar are often present, although not in summer collapses, which are uncommon
Fresh pollen has been stored in the hive recently, if external resources are available
Supplemental feed (syrup and extender patties) if supplied, are ignored
No robbing occurs
No secondary pests (small hive beetles, wax moths or ants) are found
No dead bees are noted around entrance of the hive
Bees do not show any signs of winglessness, paralysis or other adult bee diseases.
CCD tends to travel like a wave through a beeyard, and combining affected and unaffected colonies usually gives 2 dead colonies. Adding a package may help, and may not. There is a time until secondary pests will move in…using equipment before that time for more bees is risky and the colony may die again.
The Cause of Colony Collapse Disorder remains unknown, but the diagnosis, and thus the opportunity to administer remedial treatments is getting better all the time.

For the full article with additional information see the February issue of Bee Culture on our web site www.BeeCulture.com after Feb 1.
Thanks to Scott, David, Jerry and Randy.

This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping

12.30.2008

Honeybee Yanks Caterpillar's Chain

In the latest entry from the "everything is connected" dept., here's an odd little piece in the NY Times: The Buzz of Bees, Though Benign, Halts Caterpillars' Munching. The illustration alone is worth the effort of clicking the link.

12.26.2008

Eartha Kitt, Queen Bee (1/17/27-12/25/08)

Sad to learn that Eartha Kitt no longer purrs upon this earth. In her honor, we're resurrecting this post from our blog entry of last spring.


Here's one for the Department of Delicious Surprises: Eartha Kitt collects hornets' nests.

“I think they’re fascinating, so intricate. I love all kinds of bees’ nests. I was a wild child, and I depended on the forest to find company when I was a kid, so I became very cognizant of how friendly nature can be.”—Eartha Kitt

12.25.2008

Earth Rise, Earth Set

12.12.2008

Bee-Defenders Unite!

British bee-defender Phil Chandler has posted an excellent piece on The Barefoot Beekeeper about the bizarre situation whereby the British Bee Keepers Association (BBKA) is endorsing certain highly questionable pesticides as "bee-friendly."

BBKA's agreement to endorse pesticides of any kind is at best an acute case of strange bedfellows...at worst...it's perverse, highly suspect, bonkers, and criminal in the Karmic sense. Something's very wrong here, and I'm glad Chandler is speaking out.

Read Chandler's Ten Reasons Why the BBKA Should Not Take Bayer's Money

And see Chandler speak on the issue here:

Is the BBKA too close to Bayer? from Gord Campbell on Vimeo.

12.10.2008

Gifts for Beekeepers

Great Depression notwithstanding, the holidays are coming and those who know and love bees and beekeepers will want to be on the lookout for beeky merch.

Possibilities to consider:Exceedingly handsome, retro-style, eco-friendly note cards.



A donation to the excellent Heifer International. Your gift can help Heifer provide a family with a package of bees, the box and hive, plus training in beekeeping.

Clan Apis—a fabulous graphic novel by scientist-artist Jay Hosler about the honeybee lifecycle, suitable for older kids and adults.



A lovely bee skep watering can...in solid copper!


Subscriptions to the leading beekeeping magazines in the U.S.: Bee Culture and American Bee Journal.

A mind-boggling array of bee-related shirts, messenger bags, thongs, and kids' stuff from Cafe Press.

Wood engravings and notecards from Kenspeckle Letterpress.




Beehive mixing bowls from Stonewall Kitchen.

And for the truly obsessed beekeeper, some excellent books:

Honey Plants of North America (A revelation! Highly recommended.)

Bee Pollination in Agricultural Ecosystems (I confess that I have not read this yet. It's pricey, but based on the recent review in Bee Culture magazine, I think it's worth a gander, though the writing may be a bit on the academic side.)

Eva Crane's beautifully illustrated classic, The World History of Beekeeping and Honey-Hunting, should bring a massive smile to the face of any book-wormish beeks in your life, especially those with an interest in the many ancient, cross-cultural expressions of beekeeping and honey-takin'. The book is expensive, but worth every penny.

And, last but most definitely not least, there are many wonderful possibilities offered by the non-material gift of donated labor. The reality is that most beekeepers have way too much to do and can use a helping hand with their beekeeping duties from time to time. Whether it's painting beehives, installing an electric fence, processing honey, constructing a solar wax melter, catching a swarm, or simply organizing the tool shed, your average beekeeper can always use some good-natured assistance. So why not gift your beekeeper friend or loved one with a "voucher" for a few hours of hard (or soft) labor around the bee yard when they need it most?


I hope this list helps you get a good start on finding just the right thing for the people in your life. Happy holidays, whatever you celebrate!

12.08.2008

Fire Ants

Hot, hot hive mind! The New York Times has a thingy about how fire ants wreak their havoc.

Syrian Honey!

A friend of Wren's was kind enough to bring us honey from his travels in Syria last month. I haven't tasted the honey yet, but fell in love instantly with the honeybee-related art on the bag.The jar on the bottom is from Syria. The jar on top (described on the label as containing "flower honey") is from Turkey.
See more jars of honey from around the world.