-
ATTRA is the national sustainable agriculture information
service operated by the National Centerfor Appropriate Technology,
through a grant from the Rural Business-Cooperative Service,
U.S.Department of Agriculture. These organizations do not recommend
or endorse products, companies,or individuals. NCAT has offices in
Fayetteville, Arkansas (P.O. Box 3657, Fayetteville, AR
72702),Butte, Montana, and Davis, California.
By Lance Gegner, NCAT Agriculture SpecialistApril 2003
OTHER LIVESTOCK TOPIC
Beekeeping/Apiculture
Abstract: This publication discusses various aspects of
beekeeping or apiculture, including state inspectionprograms,
beginning basics, income sources and budgets, insurance,
Africanized bees, organic certification, andvarious bee pests and
diseases. Information on educational and training opportunities and
further resources arealso discussed.
IntroductionThis publication is intended as a guide for anyone
inter-
ested in beginning or expanding a beekeeping enterprise.Whether
the bees are kept as pollinators for crops or for theincome from
their products, producers need to be aware oftheir states apiary
laws concerning inspection, registration,and permits, as well as
labeling and marketing standards.Producers also need to be aware of
pesticide applicationlaws and pesticide notification laws relative
to bees. Bothbeginning and experienced beekeepers need to consider
li-ability insurance; the possibility of Africanized hybrid
beestaking over the hives; and all the pests and diseases
thatafflict bees and their colonies.
To maintain a healthy hive and guard against the newpests and
diseases that have been introduced in recent years,beekeepers need
to continually monitor new developmentsin apiculture. The Further
Resources section of this publi-cation lists many websites, USDA
Research Facilities, peri-odicals, associations, and books with
information on all as-pects of beekeeping.
State Inspection ProgramsIt is important that beekeepers have
their bees reg-
istered and inspected as required by law. The Ameri-can Society
of Beekeepers free on-line class, Intermedi-ate Beekeeping 201,
suggests some excellent steps tofollow when working with your
states apiary inspec-tion programs. Lesson Five states:All states
have laws regarding apiary inspection. Theregulatory body is
usually the Department of Agriculture
Related ATTRA Publications
Alternative Pollinators: Native Bees Phenology Web Links: (1)
Sequence
of Bloom, Floral Calendars, Whats inBloom; (2) Birds, Bees,
Insects andWeeds
Organic Farm Certification and theNational Organic Program
2003www.clipart.com
mailto:[email protected]?subject=Beekeeping/Apiculturehttp://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/nativebee.pdfhttp://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/phenology.htmlhttp://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/phenology.htmlhttp://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/phenology.htmlhttp://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/organcert.pdfhttp://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/organcert.pdf
-
//BEEKEEPING/APICULTUREPAGE 2
Table of Contents
Introduction
.................................................................................................1State
Inspection Programs
.............................................................................1Beginning
Beekeeping Basics
..........................................................................2Beekeeping
Income
Sources...........................................................................4Budgets
........................................................................................................4Beekeepers
Insurance
...................................................................................5Organic
Apiculture Standards
........................................................................5Africanized
Hybrid Bees
................................................................................6Honey
Bee Pests
...........................................................................................7Honey
Bee Diseases
....................................................................................13Educational
and Training Opportunities
........................................................14Summary
....................................................................................................15References
.................................................................................................15Enclosures
..................................................................................................17Further
Resources
.......................................................................................18Appendix
...................................................................................................22
and some division within it. Some states havefull time staff to
handle an apiary section andothers do not. When moving bees from
onestate to another, inspection of bees is regu-lated by the
receiving state. Many requireprevious inspection before arrival and
will dofollow-up inspections once the bees are lo-cated within the
new state. If you are plan-ning to make a business of selling
queens,bees, or moving bees for pollination, then itis very
important to understand the laws inthe states you are dealing
with....
It is important therefore to know who has theresponsibility to
inspect your bees and un-der what conditions the inspection is
done.Inspecting bees is a nice job. One must dealwith all kinds of
problems: First, angry bee-keepers (not their bees). Bee inspectors
arepeople just like you and me. If treated withrespect, they will
respect you as well. Theirjob is to find disease. If your bees have
dis-ease and you dont know it, then they havedone you a good
service by pointing the dis-ease out to you. On the other hand,
theymay require treatment of the bees, which youdo not agree with.
Make sure you under-stand the law before sounding off on the
beeinspector it is not his/her fault that he/shefound disease in
your bees. However, you
have a right to ask that samples be takenand sent to the
Beltsville USDA lab for con-firmation of the disease. (American
Societyof Beekeepers, No datea) [See instructionson how to ship
bees to Beltsville in Appen-dix: Beltsville Free Bee Diagnostic
Service].An all-state (and Canadian provincial) State
Apiarist Directory, which includes state bee in-spectors, other
regulatory officials with apicul-tural responsibilities, and other
professional api-cultural specialists, is available on-line at
.
Beginning BeekeepingBasics
It is usually wise to start small, learn efficientmanagement
techniques, and expand the bee-keeping operation as time,
experience, and fi-nances permit. Initial outlay can reach $200
perhive, and other equipment, such as a smoker,veil, gloves,
feeding equipment, honey extractor,etc., will add to the
expense.
Anyone interested in becoming a beekeeperneeds to study
published information (see Fur-ther Resources: Books, Websites,
Periodicals), but
http://www.mda.state.mn.us/ams/apiary/directory.htmhttp://www.mda.state.mn.us/ams/apiary/directory.htmhttp://www.mda.state.mn.us/ams/apiary/directory.htm
-
//BEEKEEPING/APICULTURE PAGE 3
many beekeeping skills are best learned by work-ing with an
experienced beekeeper. The AlbertaAgriculture, Food, and Rural
Development pub-lication Commercial Honey Industry states:
Onlythrough hands-on experience can new entrantsgain the basic
skills required for opening hives,removing frames, identifying
queens, recogniz-ing the difference between brood and
honeycappings, and recognizing the difference betweenhoney and
pollen in a cell (Dey, 2001).
The American Society of Beekeepers makethe following suggestions
in the final lesson oftheir Beekeeping 101 class:
One way to find other beekeepers who canhelp you with problems
you encounter is tojoin a local bee club or state organization.Bee
Culture Magazine publishes a Whos whoin beekeeping each spring. You
could checkthe listing for the state in which you live andcontact
the individuals listed. Ask them forinformation about bee clubs and
who youneed to contact. The person listed under theDepartment of
Agriculture responsible for in-spection should have a good idea.
They areoften called upon to speak at local meetings.The State
Extension service should also bea good source. If you purchase
either majorbee magazine each carries a calendar ofevents. You can
get an idea of where thenearest bee meeting is to you. These
aregenerally state or regional meetings. (Ameri-can Society of
Beekeepers, no dateb)Beekeeping can be labor-intensive during
cer-
tain times of the year. Working with bees re-quires a gentle
touch and calm disposition. Italso requires a basic understanding
of the honeybees behavior during the various seasons andduring
handling and moving.
Beekeeping can be undertaken by anyone whohas enough ability and
determination to lookafter the bees properly, enough courage towork
with bees, and enough money to buybees and equipment. Please note:
Beforeyou get into beekeeping, you should checkto make sure local
zoning laws allow you tokeep honey bees and what your reaction isto
bee stings. (American Society of Beekeep-ers, no datec)Beekeeping
is not a seasonal enterprise, but
requires year-round management. The beginningbeekeeper needs to
consider his or her availablelabor limitations, and keep the
enterprise at aneasily managed size. The enclosed
Mid-AtlanticApiculture Research and Extension Consortium(MAAREC)
publication Summary of Management
Practices Around the Calendar provides manage-ment suggestions,
and is also available at .
The Mississippi State University publicationGetting Started in
Beekeeping provides an excel-lent summary of what is required to
begin. Thepublication suggests:
If you decided that you wanted to get startedin beekeeping, you
would need the basic com-ponents of the hive, a source of bees,
pro-tective gear, ancillary gear, and equipmentfor handling the
honey crop. The hive is theman-made structure in which the honey
beecolony lives. New bee equipment is gener-ally unassembled when
purchased. Assem-bly directions furnished by bee supply deal-ers
are usually easy to follow. It is importantfor beginners to
purchase their equipmentearly so that it will be ready to use when
thebees arrive. Some beekeepers find they cansave money by making
their own equipmentor purchasing used equipment. With
bothapproaches, it is important that the equip-ment is standard
size. Purchasing used equip-ment can present problems and is not
rec-ommended for the beginner. Initially you mayhave problems
simply in locating a source ofused equipment and determining its
value orworth. In addition, secondhand equipmentmay be contaminated
with pathogens thatcause various bee diseases. Always ask foran
inspection certificate indicating that theapiary inspector did not
find any evidence ofdisease.
There are several different ways of gettingstarted in the bee
business: buying packagebees; purchasing a nucleus colony
(nuc);buying established colonies; collectingswarms; and taking
bees out of trees andwalls. Most beginners start with either a
pack-age or a nuc. Packages are the preferred way.In purchasing
nuclei and colonies you mightbe buying other beekeepers problems,
suchas mites or disease. Collecting swarms andtransferring bees is
difficult and not recom-mended for the beginner. The best time
tostart with bees [is] in the spring or early sum-mer.
Ancillary equipment includes the bee smokerand hive tool, which
are essential for work-ing bees. Bee veils should be worn at all
timesto protect the face and neck from stings. Be-ginners who fear
being stung should wearcanvas or leather gloves. Many
experiencedbeekeepers who find gloves too cumbersome
http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/bkCD/Startkeeping/Starting.htmlhttp://maarec.cas.psu.edu/bkCD/Startkeeping/Starting.htmlhttp://maarec.cas.psu.edu/bkCD/Startkeeping/Starting.html
-
//BEEKEEPING/APICULTUREPAGE 4
decide to risk a few stings for the sake ofeasier handling.
White or tan clothing is mostsuitable when working bees. (Collison,
1996)Some of the many other decisions that begin-
ning and experienced beekeepers need to con-sider are: Location
of hivesHives should not be lo-
cated near homes or areas used for recreation.Hives need to be
near nectar and pollensources and fresh water; protected
frompredators, vandals, and adverse weather con-ditions; and
accessible throughout the year.
Processing honey and other bee productsFollow state and federal
regulations for pro-cessing, labeling, and handling food
products.
Marketing honey and other bee productsTypes of products and
marketing strategies Will you market to consumers at farmersmarkets
or on-farm, to retailers, to a honeycooperative, or to honey
packers?
Beekeeping IncomeSources
Depending on the part of the country andother environmental
factors, a typical colony ofbees can produce 80 to 120 pounds of
surplus(harvestable) honey and 10 to 18 pounds of pol-len in an
average year (Deeby, 2002d). Besidesselling honey and other bee
productssuch asbeeswax, pollen, royal jelly, propolis, bee venom,or
queensbeekeepers can also provide pollina-tion services (hive
rentals) to farmers and orchard-ists (ERS/NASS, no date).
In 1999, commercial beekeepers in the PacificNorthwestaveraging
about 2,000 hiveseachwere charging from $20 to $40 perhive for
pollination services, dependingon the crop. In addition, they were
trans-porting and renting these hives aboutthree different times
during the year todifferent parts of the country. Those rent-als
provided roughly 65% of the commer-cial beekeepers incomes
(Burgett, 1999).
On a more modest scale, keeping justa few hives can generate
some income,especially with creative retailing of honey,honeycomb,
wax, and pollen. In addition,a bee colony can provide valuable
polli-nation on the producers own farm.
Small-scale beekeepers often ask howthey should determine a
price for their
honey. Prices around the country vary. In June2002, the
USDA/Agricultural Marketing Service/National Honey Report listed
prices for honeyranging from $0.83 per pound in Florida to $1.00per
pound in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Mon-tana (USDA/AMS, 2002) (See
Further Resources:Periodicals on how to obtain these monthly
re-ports). However, these reports reflect the priceof honey that is
being produced by large-scalebeekeepers and do not indicate what
small bee-keepers should charge for their honey (Wenning,1999). The
best sources of local price informa-tion will probably be other
local beekeepers. Andsome consumers are willing to pay more for
value-added productssuch as flavored honeys, honeywine, honey beer
(mead), and packaged honeygiftsthan for plain honey.
BudgetsThe Pennsylvania State University Coopera-
tive Extension Agriculture Alternatives publica-tion Beekeeping
(enclosed) contains an annual bee-keeping budget that summarizes
the receipts,costs, and net returns for 10 mature bee colonies.The
publication notes that successful side-lineoperations typically
maintain 50 to 500 colonies.It also states that There will be no
receipts froman operation until the second year (Frazier etal.,
1998). The sample Excel budget is availableat .
Several detailed commercial beekeeping bud-gets for honey and
pollination operations areavailable in the Alberta Agriculture,
Food, andRural Development Ministry publication Commer-
2003www.clipart.com
http://agalternatives.aers.psu.edu/other/bees/index.htmhttp://agalternatives.aers.psu.edu/other/bees/index.htm
-
//BEEKEEPING/APICULTURE PAGE 5
cial Honey Industry. It should be rememberedthat dollar amounts
are stated in Canadian dol-lars (about 64 cents to the U.S. dollar
at the timeof this writing). The publication can be viewedat .
These budgets were de-signed as aids for evaluatinga beekeeping
enterprise. Thesample budget presents aworkable combination of
in-puts that will produce a givenoutput. This combination ofinputs
probably doesnt rep-resent any given beekeepingoperation, and the
actual costsof inputs are likely differentfor each operation.
Whilethere may be hundreds ofcombinations of variable andfixed
costs, as well as incomepotentials, each budget givesonly one
combination. Different production andmanagement practices, as well
as various mar-keting opportunities, can make the beekeepersactual
budget quite different from these budgets.
Beekeepers InsuranceBeekeepers need to consider insurance
for
personal injury, property damage, and circum-stantial liability.
In an article in the American BeeJournal, the author comments:
Insurance! The very word sends shivers downthe readers spine. Or
if not shivers, at leastannoyance at putting out so much money
overso many years, and getting so little in return.But what does
insurance have to do with bee-keeping, you ask? Only thisas a
seller ofhoney, you are liable for injuries sustainedby your
customers. Moreover, as a keeperof bees, you incur negligent and
non-negli-gent risk from several different directions.(Scott,
2002)He goes on to suggest these areas of con-
cern: Customer injury, such as someone getting
sick (or claiming to) from eating honey orother bee products, or
someone injured by apiece of glass or other foreign object in
thehoney.
Property injury, such as a child playingaround the hives,
getting stung, and goinginto anaphylactic shock.
Circumstantial injury caused by the unfore-seen results of some
action the beekeepertakes. (Scott, 2002)The same author
continues:So you see, there may be a need for insur-
ance, especially if you are alarger commercial beekeeper.The
conventional wisdom isthat if anything happens on myproperty, my
homeowners in-surance will cover the liabil-ity. But that is
incorrect. Itdepends on whether the bee-keeping is a hobby or
businessand on the size of the claim.Moreover, it is an easy
argu-ment to make that any rev-enue generated is a business,not a
hobby....
The decision is not an easyone. Every beekeeper mustdecide what
level of risk he/she is willing to tolerate. But
every beekeeper should be aware that alongwith dead hives,
varroa mites, poorly layingqueens, and bad weather, he/she must
alsoendure some exposure to liability. (Scott,2002)Beekeepers
should check with their insurance
companies to discuss their specific needs. Dif-ferent insurance
companies have different con-cerns about the many aspects of
beekeeping li-ability. Bee and honey associations may be ableto
help their members with this type of protec-tion. In the past, the
American Beekeepers Fed-eration provided a liability insurance
program forits members. The Federations website states thatThrough
the Federations master policy you canobtain liability insurance to
protect your beekeep-ing operation in todays litigious society
(Ameri-can Beekeeping Federation, 1999). Beekeepersshould contact
their associations to see whetherthis type of coverage is available
(see Further Re-sources: Associations).
Organic ApicultureStandards
Beekeepers wanting to market organic honeyor other organic bee
products will need certifica-tion by a USDA-accredited organic
certificationagency. Please refer to ATTRAs Organic
FarmCertification and the National Organic Program forgeneral
certification information.
2003www.clipart.com
http://www.agric.gov.ab.ca/agdex/600/616_830-1.htmlhttp://www.agric.gov.ab.ca/agdex/600/616_830-1.htmlhttp://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/organcert.pdfhttp://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/organcert.pdf
-
//BEEKEEPING/APICULTUREPAGE 6
The National Organic Standards Board(NOSB) Apiculture Task Force
Report was re-leased September 15, 2001. The Draft
OrganicApiculture Standard recommendations, whileserving as
guidelines, are not regulations (stan-dards) until formally
implemented by USDA/National Organic Program. The NOSB
recom-mendations are available at the USDA/NOPwebsite, .
The NOSB report recommends that if prod-ucts from an apiculture
operation are to be soldas organic, the bees and hives have to be
man-aged in compliance with the organic livestockstandards for at
least 270 days prior to removalof products from the hive. This
includes devel-oping an organic apiculture plan for your
organiccertification agency and observing all the nationalorganic
provisions. For example: Origin of the livestockHives have to be
un-
der continuous organic management for noless than 270 days prior
to removal of honeyor other products, or hives need to be
pur-chased from organic sources.
Supplemental feedOrganic honey and or-ganic sugar syrup are
allowed up to 30 daysprior to honey harvest.
Forage areaHives have to be located at least4 miles from any
area using prohibited mate-rials listed in the standards or from
any con-taminated sites.
Living conditionsHives must be made ofnatural materials, such as
wood or metal, butnot with treated lumber.
Health care practicesMake sure all thera-peutic products are
listed on the National Listof Allowed and Prohibited Substances
asNOSB approved, or are approved by yourorganic certification
agency.
Record keepingNecessary for document-ing movement of hive,
health care, and saleof products, as well as for auditing.
Africanized Hybrid BeesSince 1990, Africanized honey beesthe
so-
called killer beeshave been a threat to bee-keepers in the
United States. These hybridshave invaded Texas, New Mexico,
Arizona,Nevada, and California, as well as Puerto Ricoand the
Virgin Islands (Information Staff, 2002).It is not known how far
north the Africanized
honey bees can live in the U.S., but they can livein the Andes
of South America. The limiting fac-tor to their spread seems to be
that they dontstore as much food as most other honey bees.This
means they may starve to death in winterwhen there are no flowers
blooming (Anon., c.2002).
Texas A&M University has a website that liststhe Africanized
Honey Bee Quarantined Coun-ties in Texas, as well as a USDA map
showingthe locations of Africanized honey bees in theUnited States.
As of July 10, 2002, Texas had 143counties quarantined for
Africanized honey bees.The quarantine allows beekeepers to move
beehives within but not out of the zone, in an effortto prevent the
assisted spread of Africanizedhoney bees. For additional
information onAfricanized honey bees, visit .
Africanized honey bees are impossible tophysically distinguish
from regular honey bees.The bees have to be analyzed in a lab to
deter-mine whether they are Africanized (Anon., c.2002).
Behaviorally, Africanized bees are typi-cally aggressive when
reacting to threats that non-Africanized bees would ignore. The
USDABeltsville Bee Research Laboratory provides freeauthoritative
identification of Africanized honeybees, as well as diagnosis of
bee diseases andpests, for Federal and State regulatory agenciesand
for beekeepers worldwide [See instructionson how to ship bees to
Beltsville in the Appen-dix]. Texass Honey Bee Identification Lab
atTexas A&M University allows Texas residents tohave samples of
honey bees identified free ofcharge. Texas residents should contact
their Ex-tension agent about this service (Anon., c. 2002).
2003www.clipart.com
http://www.ams.usda.gov/nosb/lscommRMR/reports/apiculture.htmlhttp://www.ams.usda.gov/nosb/lscommRMR/reports/apiculture.htmlhttp://agnews.
tamu.edu/bees/quaran.htmhttp://agnews. tamu.edu/bees/quaran.htm
-
//BEEKEEPING/APICULTURE PAGE 7
Honey Bee PestsDuring the past 15 years, tracheal mites and
varroa mites have become major bee pests thatseriously threaten
the industry in the UnitedStates. Mites have killed more than 90%
of wildhoney bees and 60% of commercial bees in theU.S. (Quarles,
1997). A new pest to U.S. bee-keepersfirst identified in Florida in
1998is thesmall hive beetle (Frazier and Steinhauer, 1999).The
following discussion focuses on least-toxicmethods of controlling
these pests.
TRACHEAL MITESMicroscopic tracheal mites (Acarapis woodi)
lay
eggs in the abdominal breathing tubes of the bee,and their
larvae feed on the bee after the eggshatch. The mites came to the
United States fromMexico in 1984 (Higgins, 2002).Alternative
control methods fo-cus on cultural and chemical ma-nipulations and
on mite-resistantbees.
Dr. Eric Erickson at the CarlHayden Bee Research Center
inTucson, Arizona, commented inan electronic question-and-an-swer
forum concerning trachealmites that Most colonies in theUnited
States are resistant to tra-cheal mites. This is largely dueto the
fact that we have neverhad a highly effective chemicaltreatment.
Hence, susceptiblecolonies died and resistant colo-nies survived
(Erickson, 2002a).
A common treatment for tra-cheal mites entails mixing 50grams of
menthol with 50 grams of vegetableshortening and spreading it
thinly on cardboardsheets that are placed on top of the frames for
atotal of 25 days (Bosisio, 1990). Since mentholhas to vaporize to
be effective, it must be used attemperatures of at least 60F. Also,
an entrancereducer should be used and set to the smallestopening,
because the fumes are heavier than airand will tend to settle out
through the hive en-trance (Tabor, 1990). With the smaller
entrance,hive ventilation may become a problem duringhot days when
bees gather at the entrance andvibrate their wings to ventilate the
hive. Somebeekeepers report that bees have an aversion to
the menthol and that large numbers will initiallyvacate the hive
but eventually return. Purifiedmenthol (from peppermint) and
instructions onits use are available from beekeeping supply
com-panies. Spring and fall treatments are recom-mended.
Information on the next technique, using veg-etable oil and
sugar, comes from Dr. Tom Websterat Kentucky State University. He
suggests mix-ing equal parts of vegetable oil and sugar into
apatty, placing it on a piece of hardware cloth,and resting the
hardware cloth on the top bars ofthe hive. The bees will crawl over
the patty andeat some of it. In the process they will gather asmall
amount of oil on their bodies. The oil willsmother the mites. The
patty should be replacedif it is consumed before the three-week
treatmentis over. Again, spring and fall treatments
arerecommended.
Several researchers haveshown that neem can controlboth tracheal
and varroa mites.The neem can be added to sugarwater or applied
directly on thebees. Dr. T.P. Liu, a Canadianresearcher, showed
that a con-centration of 3 ml of neem ex-tract per liter of sugar
syrup sig-nificantly decreased numbers oftracheal mites (Quarles,
1997).Dr. A. P. Melathopoulos foundthat a ten-percent
concentrationof neem oil placed directly onbees killed more than
50% ofvarroa mites (Grossman, 1998).Neem has also been shown tobe
effective against Americanfoulbrood (Grossman, 1998).[Nota bene: As
of June, 2000,neem is not registered as a
honey bee mite control.]There is some evidence that tracheal
mites
prefer new combs to older ones. A study con-ducted in North
Dakota in 1994 found that colo-nies on new combs were three to four
times morelikely to be infested with tracheal mites than colo-nies
on old combs (Erickson et al., 1998).
VARROA MITESVarroa mites came to the United States in 1986
and have spread through all 48 contiguous states.The mites live
in the hive, attach themselves tothe bees abdomens, and suck the
bees vital flu-
2003www.clipart.com
-
//BEEKEEPING/APICULTUREPAGE 8
ids. The bees become sick, and the hive slowlydies (Higgins,
2002).
How to DetectThe NebGuide publication Using the Sugar
Roll Technique to Detect Varroa Mites in Honey BeeColonies
states:
Globally, [the varroa mite] is the most impor-tant pest of honey
bees and it has causedextensive losses in feral and managed
colo-nies. Once introduced, varroa mites havenever been eradicated
from any country orregion, [and] beekeepers must adopt an
inte-grated pest management strategy to protecttheir colonies.
Early detection and assess-ment of infestation levels are important
com-ponents of a varroa management plan. Sincevarroa mites feed by
piercing the interseg-mental membranes on the underside of thebees
abdomen, they are not easily observedon bees until the colonies are
severely in-jured. Beekeepers need to use a detectiontechnique to
check their colonies for mites.In addition to detecting mites,
beekeepersneed to accurately assess the infection lev-els to
determine when control measures arewarranted....
The five most commonly used detection andassessment methods for
varroa are: 1) etherroll, 2) alcohol wash, 3) brood examination,4)
sticky boards placed on the bottom board,and 5) acaricides with
sticky boards.(Macedo, 2001)These five methods are discussed in the
en-
closed section Varroa Jacobsoni, from Diagno-sis of Honey Bee
Diseases (USDA), available at< h t t p : / / m a a r e c . c a s
. p s u . e d u / b k C D /Bee_Diseases/varroa.html>.
The enclosed NebGuide publication discussesthe alternative
technique of using powderedsugar to detect varroa mites, also
available at. Another detection method is de-scribed in the
publication Mite excreta: A new di-agnostic tool for detecting
Varroa mites! at theUSDA/Carl Hayden Bee Research Centerwebsite,
.
Chemical TreatmentFor years, the only control for varroa
mites
(Varroa jacobsoni) has been the miticide fluvalinate(Apistan), a
synthetic pyrethroid. However,beekeepers in Europe and several U.S.
states haveseen strains of mites resistant to Apistan. It is
only a matter of time before resistance becomesmore widespread.
It is also important to remem-ber that honey cannot be gathered
while Apistanis in use.
The May 2000 issue of Bee Tidings, a newslet-ter published by
University of Nebraska Exten-sion and the Nebraska Beekeepers
Association,discussed the use of Apistan strips:
Apistan strips are a highly effective controlfor susceptible
mite populations, but no longerprovide adequate control in some
beekeep-ing operations. Beekeepers who choose touse Apistan should
check to determine iftheir colonies will respond to the
treatmentprior to spending a lot of time and money ontreatment. Dr.
Jeff Pettis, a USDA Scientistat the Beltsville Bee Laboratory,
described aresistance monitoring procedure in an Ameri-can Bee
Journal article. To conduct the Pettistest, prepare a pint
wide-mouth jar by insert-ing a sugar cube and a note card that
hasbeen trimmed to fit the jar. Staple a 3/8" by1" piece of an
Apistan strip to the card nearthe top of the card. Prepare a
two-piece can-ning lid for the jar by replacing the centerportion
with screen wire that will allow mitesto pass but not the bees (8
mesh per cmworks well). Collect 250-300 mite infestedbees in the
jar and hold them for 24 hours ina cool and dark place. Invert the
jar andshake it several times to recover any deadmites on a sheet
of paper. After recoveringthe mites, place the jars in an oven at
lowheat (about 140 F.) until the bees are dead.Then, shake the jar
again to recover anymites that were not killed by the Apistanstrip.
This test will give you a good indica-tion of how effectively
Apistan will perform inyour colony. Apistan strips can be
pur-chased in any state and are available frommost bee supply
dealers. They have a Sec-tion 3, or general use, label. (University
ofNebraska Extension/Beekeepers, 2000)Apicure is a registered
miticide that con-
tains about 65% formic acid, a colorless liquidwith a
penetrating odor that is found in ants andin many plants. Formic
acid controls trachealmites and is used for the suppression of
varroamites. It has been used for years in Canada andEurope.
Apicure is a slow-release gel that issealed in plastic bags that
are sliced open andplaced in the hives. It should be removed
after21 days and 28 days before honey flow. It shouldalso be used
only when daytime temperaturesare between 45 and 95F, with the hive
entrancefully open (Apicure, Inc., no date).
http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/bkCD/Bee_Diseases/varroa.htmlhttp://maarec.cas.psu.edu/bkCD/Bee_Diseases/varroa.htmlhttp://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/INSECTS/g1430.htmhttp://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/INSECTS/g1430.htmhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/rf/detect/detect.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/rf/detect/detect.html
-
//BEEKEEPING/APICULTURE PAGE 9
A possible option for varroa control was men-tioned in the July
2002 American Bee Journal. Inthe article Varroa Control with Fungal
Patho-gens May Be an Option Soon, the authors dis-cuss their
research in isolating and screening sev-eral fungi that were highly
pathogenic to varroaat temperatures similar to average hive
tempera-tures. They state that they hope to offer bee-keepers this
option in the near future (Kanga andJames, 2002).
Several alternative solutions to Varroa con-trol have been
studied in Europe. They includelactic acid, oxalic acid, thymol,
essential oils, neemoil, and several bio-technical measures.
Thesecontrol measures are discussed in the Swiss BeeResearch Center
website publication at . However, according to BlaneWhite, Aviary
Inspector in Minnesota, lactic acidand oxalic acid have not been
tested in the UnitedStates and are not approved treatments. He
alsocomments that thymol has had limited testing inthe United
States, and that it does work undersome conditions. However, there
are no ap-proved thymol treatments in the U.S. at present(White, no
date).
Using essential oils to kill both kinds of miteshas been
researched. One of the problems withusing essential oils is that
many of the com-pounds are toxic to honey bees as well as
mites.Several herbal extracts and essential oils have beentested.
For the most current information on us-ing essential oils to
control varroa mite, visit WestVirginia Universitys web site at
.
One study tested thymol-based products inTexas, Virginia, and
Minnesota (Sanford, 1997).There were good results in Texas and
Virginia,but less mite mortality in Minnesota. One rea-son given
for this difference is that higher tem-peratures in the southern
states helped the thy-mol to diffuse into the colony. Another
variablethat may have affected the study was the num-ber of hive
bodiesin Minnesota, three broodchambers were used, while in Texas
only onebrood chamber was used. The most effectiveblend in the
study was thymol and citronella.
In the late 1990s, Swiss researchers tried todetermine whether
organic acids and essentialoils affect the taste of honey
(Bogdanov, 1999).They found that formic acid was easiest to
de-tect, followed by oxalic and lactic acids. Also,the weaker the
natural taste of the honey, the
easier it was to detect one of these acids. Of theessential
oils, thymol was easiest to detect, fol-lowed by camphor and
menthol.
More research needs to be conducted. In anAPIS newsletter, Dr.
Tom Sanford stated, Thetake-home message to the
would-beexperimenter...is that applying oils of essence andrelated
chemicals carries considerable risk andshould be approached with
extreme caution(Sanford, 1997).
Bio-technical Methods of ControlOne method of varroa control
involves chang-
ing the bottom board of a hive (Sanford, 1998).Often, mites fall
off of bees and land on the bot-tom board. They can then crawl back
up into thehive and reattach themselves to bees. A stickyboard that
has been sprayed with something oily(usually PAM) can be placed
over the hivesbottom board and covered with a screen. Whenmites
fall off the bees, they fall through the screenand land on the
sticky board and are unable toget back onto the bees. (The screen
prevents beesfrom falling onto the sticky board.) A twist onthis
method is to create bottom floors made en-tirely of screen. Not
only does this aid in varroacontrol, it also helps control fungal
diseases(Sanford, 1999). For more information on usingmesh floors,
go to . Blane White, ApiaryInspector in Minnesota, says that screen
bottomscan reduce varroa populations by 15% to 30%,and that once
the screens are installed, no fur-ther labor is needed (White, no
date).
Thomas Deeby at the Carl Hayden Bee Re-search Center, in an
electronic question-and-an-swer forum, made the following comments
aboutsmoker fuel to knock varroa mites off of beesand screened
bottom boards to reduce mites inthe hive:
Products that have been tried range frommenthol, to tobacco,
grapefruit and other cit-rus leaves, and creosote leaves. High
heatitself stuns them. Sticky boards and slottedbottom boards also
seem to have some mea-sure of success....
Natural Products Smoke - Beekeepers rou-tinely use smoke to calm
their bees beforeopening the hive. Tobacco smoke increasesmite fall
and has been used for both detec-tion and control of varroa. More
recently, Dr.Frank Eischen, USDA bee research scien-tist,
demonstrated that creosote bush andgrapefruit leaves produce a
smoke that can
http://www.apis.admin.ch/english/Themes/Varroa.htmhttp://www.apis.admin.ch/english/Themes/Varroa.htmhttp://www.apis.admin.ch/english/Themes/Varroa.htmhttp://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/varroa.htmhttp://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/varroa.htmhttp://apis.ifas.ufl.edu/apis99/apjun99.htm#4http://apis.ifas.ufl.edu/apis99/apjun99.htm#4
-
//BEEKEEPING/APICULTUREPAGE 10
knock down 90% of the mites in test cages.However, excessive
exposure to natural prod-uct smoke can harm bees. Also, mites
arenot usually killed by the smoke and may re-cover if not removed
from the colony by asticky board or other mite trapping
device.Mites in brood cells are not affected by natu-ral product
smoke. While natural productsmoke is not an approved treatment
forvarroa, there is no legislation prohibiting theiruse as smoker
fuel. With careful attentionto bee safety, the smoke of some
natural prod-ucts may be helpful in retarding varroa popu-lation
growth in colonies.
Anti-varroa bottom boards - A French bee-keeper, Jean-Pierre Le
Pabic, has devised abottom board that may help reduce varroainjury.
He suggests that in a standard bot-tom-board-equipped colony, mites
that fallfrom bees are able to easily reattach them-selves to
another host bee. He designed abottom board consisting of 12 tubes
that runlengthwise with a space between them thatpermits mites to
fall to the bottom, but throughwhich bees cannot pass. He reports
thatmite populations remain low in hives fittedwith this bottom
board due to the inability ofvarroa mites to climb back up to where
theycan reattach to a new host. Anyone who hasworked with sticky
boards knows that nu-merous mites drop to the sticky traps
when-ever colonies are examined or smoked. Thisnovel approach to
varroa control may helpreduce beekeepers dependence on chemi-cal
treatments. (Deeby, 2002c)For more information on the Le Pabic
anti-
varroa bottom board, see the enclosed article orvisit .
Dr. Pedro Rodriguez has had success usingfood-grade mineral oil
(FGMO). Test results showthat FGMO is highly efficient for control
of varroainfections. It is economical, non-contaminating,and gentle
to the environment. It can be appliedevery two weeks or so for the
entire year. It isused in conjunction with screened bottom boardsto
prevent mites from re-attaching themselves tobees after falling
off. Food-grade mineral oil doesnot alter the quality of the honey
(Arias Martinezet al., 2001). While the use the FGMO is
stillunregulated and in a testing phase, the potentialuse of FGMO
for control of varroa mites deservesto be considered. Much of the
latest informationon the use of FGMO and methods of applicationis
located at the website .
Research indicates that smaller starter cellshelp control varroa
mite infestations (Senft, 1997).Foundation sheets (sheets of wax
imprinted withbase cell sizes) with cells 22% smaller in diam-eter
provided higher winter survival rates forbees.
Another cultural control method is to encour-age worker bees to
make drone brooder combs.Varroa mites prefer drone brood to worker
brood.After the drone pupae have been capped, thedrone comb is
removed from the hive and dis-carded. Blane White, Apiary Inspector
in Min-nesota, states that removing two to three combsof drone
brood can reduce varroa population byabout 50%. For more
information on thismethod, White recommends the website (White, No
date).
Tolerant Strains of Honey BeesSince varroa mites became a major
problem,
various strains of honey bee have been testedand crossbred in
the hope of finding bees thatare tolerant to miteswhether through
selectivebreeding for grooming behaviors or for cell-build-ing
tendencies. Currently there are at least fouroptions for beekeepers
to consider. They are thehygienic bees, Russian bees, SMR
(SuppressedMite Reproduction) Smart bees, or local varroa-tolerant
bees.
Hygienic bees spend more time cleaningthemselves and their
hives, which promotes someresistance to varroa mites. Research has
shownthat hygienic behavior is heritable, and research-ers Marla
Spivak and Martha Gilliam have beenbuilding up populations of
hygienic bees fromthe ten percent or so that occur naturally.
Theseare now commercially available. Hygienic beesdetect and remove
diseased bees quickly, beforethe pest organisms can move to other
bees. Hy-gienic bees are also more resistant to Americanfoulbrood,
European foulbrood, and chalkbrood(Sanford, 1998b). The publication
The HygieneQueen provides information on some of the traitsthat are
selected for and also provides the stan-dard quantitative test
used. The publication isavailable at .
Russian bees are a resistant strain of honeybees being developed
and tested by the USDABaton Rouge Bee Lab. These bees evolved
inRussias Far East, where mites and honey beeshave co-existed for
decades. Commercial evalu-
http://www.apiservices.com/happykeeper/index_us.htmhttp://www.apiservices.com/happykeeper/index_us.htmhttp://www.beesource.com/pov/rodriguez/http://www.beesource.com/pov/rodriguez/http://www.xs4all.nl/~jtemp/dronemethod.htmlhttp://www.xs4all.nl/~jtemp/dronemethod.htmlhttp://www.beekeeping.com/articles/us/hygiene_queen.htmhttp://www.beekeeping.com/articles/us/hygiene_queen.htm
-
//BEEKEEPING/APICULTURE PAGE 11
ations of Russian bees have shown good miteresistance and
exceptional winter hardiness. Intests comparing domestic honey bees
with theRussian bees, the varroa mite reproduction wastwo to three
times lower with the Russian bees(Suszkiw, 2001). Contact Dr.
Thomas E. Rindererat the USDA Baton Rouge Bee Lab for informa-tion
on where to get Russian queen bees (see Fur-ther Resources: USDA
Research Facilities, forcontact information). For additional
informationon Russian honey bee research, see the Agricul-tural
Research article Russian Honey Bee Earn-ing Its Stripes at .
The USDA Baton Rouge Bee Lab found a traitof the honey bee that
prevents the varroa mitefrom reproducing and thereby provides
geneticresistance to it. This trait is called suppressionof mite
reproduction or SMR (commonly pro-nounced SMART). The USDA lab has
bred a lineof honey bees that carry this trait and have re-leased
them for commercial sale with severalqueen bee producers. The SMRD
Project at Ba-ton Rouge is described in the publication Breed-ing
Honey Bees that Suppress Mite Reproduction at. In this publication
the au-thors state:
We now have varroa-resistant stocks of beesinbred for the SMR
trait, and these coloniesgreatly limit mite growth. The U.S.
queenrearing industry is geared toward the produc-tion of naturally
mated queens, which makesthe production of commercial inbred
resis-tant queens very unlikely (unless queens aremated in an
isolated area such as an island).However, queen producers can
readily pro-duce hybrid queens. We found mite growthto be
intermediate between resistant beesand susceptible bees when
resistant queensare free-mated with susceptible drones (Fig-ure 6).
Although colonies with hybrid queens(resistant x control) had
intermediate popu-lations of mites, they had half the mites foundin
the susceptible controls. Hence, even hy-brid queens should provide
beekeepers a tan-gible level of resistance. (USDA/Honey
BeeBreeding, c. 2001)The Carl Hayden Bee Research Center has
demonstrated that it is relatively easy for bee-keepers to
produce varroa-tolerant bees withtheir own locally adapted bees,
though it doesrequire an elevated level of hive management.The
enclosed publication Producing Varroa-tol-erant Honey Bees from
Locally Adapted Stock: A
Recipe provides information on what to do andhow to do it. This
publication is also available at.
SMALL HIVE BEETLESIn 1998, the small hive beetle, a native of
South
Africa, was found in Florida. As of October 2001,the small hive
beetle had been found in 24 states,most of them east of the
Mississippi River. Mi-gratory beekeepers transport bee colonies
fromareas known to be infested with the small hivebeetle, and the
probability that this pest is morewidespread is very real due to
the migratory pol-lination demands within the United
States.(USDA/BARC, c. 2001)
In an on-line question-and-answer sessionabout small hive
beetles, Thomas Deeby stated:
These are extremely tough beetles and verydifficult to stop or
control. They will eitherburrow through soft mulch or crawl to a
loca-tion that is easier for them to access. Thereare soil
conditioners, soil fungus and insectpredators that are being
currently tested. Bythe time the beetles pupate, the larvae
havecaused much damage in the hive, which willnot be cleaned up by
the bees, and it justescalates from there. This is going to be
avery difficult pest to deal with. Pesticides inthe hive, in the
soil, corrugated cardboard onthe bottom board, and other traps seem
tobe the methods of treatment to date. Keep-ing strong colonies
will help, but not guaran-tee SHB will not pay you a visit. Moving
yourhives to break the reproductive cycle of thebeetle may work,
assuming you have alter-nate locations for your colonies.
These are some of the things we know aboutSHB. Two weeks after
decimating the combin a hive, the mature larvae of the small
hive
2003www.clipart.com
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/oct01/bee1001.htmhttp://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/oct01/bee1001.htmhttp://msa.ars.usda.gov/la/btn/hbb/jwh/SMRD/SMRD.htmhttp://msa.ars.usda.gov/la/btn/hbb/jwh/SMRD/SMRD.htmhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/publ/tolerant2.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/publ/tolerant2.html
-
//BEEKEEPING/APICULTUREPAGE 12
beetle seek the soil under the hive to con-tinue their life
cycle. They seem to prefersandy soil and burrow in 68 inches
wherethey pupate and later emerge as beetles.Hard ground only slows
the larvae down asthey radiate out searching for softer
ground.Strong colonies of honey bees can removesome of the larvae
in the hive but accordingto Garth Cambray, in South Africa, the
beesdo not kill the larva and they drop them up to50 m from the
hive, which allows them tocontinue their cycle and pupate in the
ground.
The small hive beetle is a tough customer.Not only is its
exoskeleton hard, providing asolid armor of protection but also it
has well-developed wings and can fly at least 5 miles.David
Westevelt, state inspector in Floridareports a beetle infestation
in a colony 14miles from the nearestapiary and he has foundbeetles
in feral swarmsliving in trees. Coldweather has no ill effectas
Bill Wilson, Agricul-tural Research Service,Weslaco Bee
Labora-tory, Texas, reports thatthe beetles were foundin the center
of clustersof honey bees in NorthCarolina where the
nighttemperature was con-sistently below freezing. Dr. Lundie who
firststudied the beetle in 1940 found that adultbeetles live up to
6 months. It is known thatthe beetle can survive days without food
sothe chance of live beetles being transportedin colonies or on
equipment is very high.
There is one insecticide currently registeredfor use on soil in
an apiary. It is Gardstar40% EC, a permethrin. Beekeepers haveused
soil drenches of insecticides they mightuse on ants, such as
chemicals approvedfor fire ants. This is not a legal use.
Resultsare variable and use of permethrin or otherinsecticides may
do more harm via acciden-tal contamination of bee equipment
and/orkilling of the bees themselves.
Please contact the USDA scientists workingin Beltsville and
Weslaco for follow-up infor-mation. (Deeby, 2002a)The USDA/BARC Bee
Research Laboratory
provides the following information concerning thesmall hive
beetle on their website .
Nature of the problemThe small hive beetle is considered a
second-ary pest in South Africa, attacking small orweak hives but
rarely affecting strong hives.The honey bees in South Africa are
primarilyApis mellifera scutelata, an aggressive beethat has
excellent housecleaning and defen-sive traits. In contrast, the
bees kept in NorthAmerica are predominately A. m. ligustica orA. m.
carnica and differ in behavior from Afri-can bees. The difference
between races ofbees coupled with different climatic and
colonymanagement styles between South Africa andthe United States
make it difficult to predictthe impact of this new pest on the U.
S. bee-
keeping industry. Reportsfrom states with SHB haveindicated
occasional prob-lems with beetles infestingand destroying hives in
theapiary. However, more prob-lems have been reportedfrom damage by
SHB tostored honey.
Damage to colonies andstored honey
Small hive beetle larvae af-fect combs of stored honeyand pollen
and will also in-
fest brood combs. During the feeding actionby larvae an
associated repellent sticky sub-stance is laid down on the combs
and this canresult in bees abandoning the hive. Whenhoneycombs are
removed from colonies, beesthen no longer protect the combs
allowing lar-vae to feed uninhibited. The managementpractice of
removing honey and then storing itin warehouses prior to extraction
will need tobe changed with the introduction of this
beetle.Additionally, the handling of wax cappings andhoney in areas
known to have the small hivebeetle will require increased
sanitation. Ourresearch has shown that reducing relative hu-midity
below 50% where honey is stored willinhibit SHB eggs from hatching
and thus re-duce or eliminate larval damage in honey.(USDA/BARC, c.
2001)
The only known chemical treatment is a prod-uct called Bayer Bee
Strips or CheckMite+,which contains the organophosphate
coumaphos.
2003www.clipart.com
http://www.barc.usda.gov/psi/brl/bd-shb.htmhttp://www.barc.usda.gov/psi/brl/bd-shb.htm
-
//BEEKEEPING/APICULTURE PAGE 13
Under the Section 18 authority of the EPA, manystates have been
granted use of these strips forcontrol of varroa mites and small
hive beetles.Maryanne Frazier and James Steinhauer in theNewsSmall
Hive Beetle Pest Sheet state:
The section 18 registration for Bayer BeeStrips is for non-food
use. There is no allow-ance for any coumaphos residue in honey
orwax. All surplus honey supers must be re-moved before treatment
and not be replaceduntil after the treatment has been
removed.Coumaphos is in a group of highly toxic ma-terials called
organophosphates. The der-mal (absorption through the skin)
toxicity ofcoumaphos to mammals is approximately 20times greater
than that of Apistan. It is there-fore imperative that beekeepers
follow all la-bel instructions, including wearing gloves,when using
Bayer Bee Strips....
...Under the section 18 registration, the soledistributor of
Bayer Bee Strips is Mann LakeLtd., 501 S First Street, Hackensack,
MN56452-2001, orders 1-800-233-6663, office218-675-6688. They will
be required to keeprecords of the number of strips sold in
eachstate. (Frazier and Steinhauer, 2000)
WAX MOTHSGreater wax moths (Galleria mellonella) are a
common pest of honey bees and usually occuron stored honey comb.
One simple and effectiveway to rid a comb of all stages of wax
moths is tofreeze it. Freezing the comb at 20F for a mini-mum of
4.5 hours or 5F for 2 hours is recom-mended. After freezing, the
comb needs to bestored where no adult wax worm moths can getto it,
but the beekeeper will still need to checkthe comb at least monthly
for any signs of re-infestation (Tew, 1997).
Heat can also kill all stages of wax moths.The combs need to be
heated to 115F for 80 min-utes or 120F for 40 minutes, but never
hotterthan 120F. Make sure all combs reach the re-quired
temperature before starting to time them.Adequate air circulation
is important to evenlyheat the combs. Remember that combs are
soft-ened by high temperatures and may sag and be-come distorted.
Heat treat only combs with nohoney in them (Tew, 1997).
A chemical method for control of wax mothsis paradichlorobenzene
(PDB or mothballs). Thetreatment procedure is to place 6
tablespoons or3 ounces of PDG crystals on stacks of 5 supers.The
stack should be as air tight as possible, so
close all openings and seal the cracks betweensupers with
masking tape. The crystals are placedon a paper positioned on the
frames top bars.More crystals should be added every 2 to 3weeks. DO
NOT use PDB on honeycombs con-taining honey intended for human use
(Tew,1997).
A Swiss study conducted in 1997 showed thatTrichogramma wasps
could be used to control waxmoths. In the study, five hatches of
Trichogrammaeggs were released at 3-week intervals duringthe summer
and were effective even under heavywax moth infestation
(Trichogramma wasps aresolely egg parasites, meaning that they are
inef-fective on any stage of wax moths except eggs)(Bollhalder,
1999).
Honey Bee DiseasesThe two most common bee diseases are
American foulbrood (AFB) and European foul-brood (EFB). American
and European foulbroodskill bees during the pupal stage. The dead
puparots and begins to smell, hence the name of thedisease.
Foulbrood is worse in high humidity.
In an on-line forum, Thomas Deeby stated:Terramycin
(oxytetracycline HCL) is theonly drug approved for use as a
preventivetreatment against American foulbrood. Thisantibiotic does
not kill Bacillus...spores, butprevents or delays their growth when
presentin low concentrations in the food fed by work-ers to
susceptible larvae. While this treat-ment allows individual larvae
to survive, itdoes absolutely nothing about the virulentspores in
the contaminated equipment. Thusthe disease usually reappears once
drugfeeding stops. There has been recent evi-dence in this country
for bacterial resistanceto Terramycin. One of the suspected
causesfor this development is the sharp increase inuse by
beekeepers of the medicated veg-etable oil extender patty. Bees do
not al-ways consume the patties rapidly which leadsto a situation
in which antibiotic lingers in thehive for weeks or even months.
Resistancewas not a problem in this country prior to thewidespread
use of extender patties in the1990s. For these reasons it is
recommendedthat beekeepers remove all uneaten portionsof medicated
extender patties after pattieshave been in the hive for one
month.
There are alternative treatments to AFB with-out using TM
[Terramycin ]. Queens arebeing bred that create more resistan[ce]
to
-
//BEEKEEPING/APICULTUREPAGE 14
brood diseases in the introduced hives.Check the Journals for
these HygienicQueens. Lincomycin Hydrochloride is a pos-sible
alternative antibiotic to TM, but is stillawaiting FDA approval.
Essential oils likerosemary and tea tree oils have been triedwith
some limited success. Sulfa and Ethyl-ene Oxide Gas (ETO) have been
used suc-cessfully in the past, although I am not sureif you can
find them or in which states theyare allowed. Keeping your
equipment clean,sanitizing your extracting equipment lookingfor
scale and destroying those frames, notallowing bees to rob a dead
colony and notfeeding honey to colonies other than thoseproducing
it are some of the ways you canprevent the spread of AFB to your
other colo-nies. Please contact our Beltsville Bee Labfor follow-up
information. (Deeby, 2002b)In most states, if a colony is stricken
with AFB
or EFB, it must be killed and burned. This isdone to prevent
further infections in nearby colo-nies. In an on-line forum, Dr.
Eric H. Erickson,commenting on whether soaking frames andboxes
infected with AFB with a bleach solutionwould sterilize them,
stated:
Unfortunately, bleach will not killthe spores of afb. They
haveouter shells that are imperviousto almost all chemicals
unlessthey are applied using heat andpressure. You should
considerrendering the wax and selling it,and burning the equipment.
Al-ternatively, you could reinstallbees in the equipment and
treatwith antibiotics if your state regu-lations allow this
procedure.(Erickson, 2002b)According to an article in the
American Bee Journal, cleaning beeboxes and frames in boiling
lye wa-ter is an effective method of removing the waxand propolis,
as well as stripping the old paint.The article states that boiling
lye water remainsan inexpensive treatment for destroying Ameri-can
Foulbrood spores by subjecting them to thescarification necessary
to breakdown the sporesseed coat as the heat of 212F alone is
inadequateto do this. The article calls this a dangerousenterprise
that requires safety equipment becauselye is a caustic chemical,
which will eat throughclothing, chemically burning the skin
under-
neath. An addition warning is also included:IMPORTANT SAFETY
TIP: DO NOT ADD LYETO HOT WATER! (Sollenberger, 2002).
Educational and TrainingOpportunities
Educational and training opportunities areavailable from some
state universities. Some ofthese universities sponsor beekeeping
workshopsor specialized training for both beginning and mas-ter
beekeepers. Check with your local Extensionoffice or your state
Apiarist.
Pennsylvania State Universitys Departmentof Distance Education
offers a correspondencecourse entitled AG 5126Introductory
Beekeep-ing. It provides basic information needed tomanage a small
number of honey bee colonies.It has 10 lessons, with no
examination, and costs$74.00, including materials and tuition. For
in-formation and registration procedures, contact:
The Pennsylvania State UniversityDepartment of Distance
Education
Independent Learning Center207 Mitchell BuildingUniversity Park,
PA 16802(800) 2523592
The American Society of Bee-keepers provides free on-lineclasses
including Beginning Bee-keeping 101, Intermediate Bee-keeping 201,
and Advanced Bee-keeping 301. Each class has les-sons in different
aspects of bee-keeping. The classes are all free,but anyone
interested in gettinga certificate of achievement willneed to pay
$25.00 to take a test.
For additional information on any of these classes,visit .
Three specialized beekeeping short coursesdevoted to stock
improvement are offered everysummer at The Ohio State
UniversityRothenbuhler Honey Bee Laboratory, in Colum-bus, Ohio.
The classes are the Art of Queen Rear-ing, Instrumental
Insemination & Breeding, andAdvanced Insemination Instruction.
Thesecourses are designed to advance the beekeepingindustry as well
as provide training for research
2003www.clipart.com
http://www.gobeekeeping.com/
-
//BEEKEEPING/APICULTURE PAGE 15
personnel. For additional information about theseannual classes,
contact:
Susan W. CobeyRothenbuhler Honey Bee Lab1735 Neil
AvenueColumbus, OH 43210(614) 2927928, Fax: (614) 2925237Email:
[email protected]://www174.pair.com/birdland/Breeding/classmain.html
SummaryFortunately, bee diseases are not as wide-
spread as the tracheal and varroa mites are, butbeekeepers
should be aware of the symptoms ofthe various diseases and pests
and be preparedto act accordingly. The pests and diseases
men-tioned above, and other diseases such as nosema,chalkbrood, and
stonebrood, are covered in mostgood bee books (see Further
Resources: Books).Beekeepers need to remember that the
USDABeltsville Bee Research Laboratory provides freeauthoritative
diagnosis of bee diseases and pests,as well as identification of
Africanized honey bees[See instructions on how to ship bees to
Beltsvillein the Appendix].
Anyone interested in keeping bees for polli-nating plants or for
producing additional incomefrom bee products should first
investigate allavailable sources of information. County
Coop-erative Extension offices are a good source of in-formation on
beekeeping, as are entomologistsand apiculturists at your local
land-grant univer-sity. State apicultural inspectors, usually
withthe Department of Agriculture, are another goodsource of
information. These sources should beable to provide contact
information to local bee-keepers.
Hobbyists are often very willingto discuss their management
tech-niques, problems, and solutions.These contacts will indicate
success-ful techniques that have been used ina specific climatic or
geographic area.
It would also be a good idea tovisit several different websites
andstudy the on-line publications (seeFurther Resources: Websites)
on be-ginning beekeeping to learn about beemorphology, strains,
pests, and bee-keeping equipment. Periodicals arean excellent
method for keeping cur-
rent with all the new research and products avail-able to assist
beekeepers (see Further Resources:Periodicals).
ReferencesAmerican Beekeeping Federation. 1999. Mem-
bership benefits. 2 p. .
American Society of Beekeepers. No datea.Bee law and what you
should know.Intermediate Beekeeping 201LessonFive. 6 p. .
American Society of Beekeepers. No dateb.Final thoughts.
Beginning Beekeeping101Lesson Ten. 2 p. .
American Society of Beekeepers. No Datec.Getting started.
Beginning Beekeeping101Lesson Two. 3p. .
Anon., c.2002. Downloaded August 2002.Frequently asked
questions. AgNews.Texas A&M University. 8 p. .
Apicure, Inc. No date. Formic Acid Gel label.Midnight Bee
Keepers Home. 3 p..
Arias Martinex, Agustin et al. 2001. Use offood grade mineral
oil and integratedbeekeeping practices in the control ofvarroa
infections in Apis mellifera colo-nies. Beesource.com. 14 p. .
Bogdanov, Stefan et al. 1999. Influ-ence of organic acids
andcomponents of essential oils onhoney taste. American BeeJournal.
January. p. 6163.
Bollhalder, Franz. 1999.Trichogramma for wax mothcontrol.
American Bee Journal.September. p. 711712.
2003www.clipart.com
mailto:[email protected]://www174.pair.com/birdland/Breeding/classmain.htmlhttp://www174.pair.com/birdland/Breeding/classmain.htmlhttp://www.abfnet.org/Membership/benefits.htmlhttp://www.abfnet.org/Membership/benefits.htmlhttp://www.abfnet.org/Membership/benefits.htmlhttp://www.gobeekeeping.com/http://www.gobeekeeping.com/http://www.gobeekeeping.com/http://www.gobeekeeping.com/http://www.gobeekeeping.com/http://www.gobeekeeping.com/http://agnews.tamu.edu/bees/FAQ.htmhttp://agnews.tamu.edu/bees/FAQ.htmhttp://www.mainebee.com/tips/formicacid.phphttp://www.mainebee.com/tips/formicacid.phphttp://www.beesource.com/pov/rodriguez/fgmo2001report.htmhttp://www.beesource.com/pov/rodriguez/fgmo2001report.htmhttp://www.beesource.com/pov/rodriguez/fgmo2001report.htm
-
//BEEKEEPING/APICULTUREPAGE 16
Bosisio, Matt. 1990. Faster-acting menthol forbees. Agricultural
Research. January. p.22.
Burgett, Michael. 1999. 1999 Pacific Northwesthoney bee
pollination survey. OregonState University Bee Lab. 6p. .
Collison, Clarence H. 1996. Getting started inbeekeeping.
Mississippi State University,Beekeeping Tips. 2 p. .
Deeby, Thomas. 2002a. Expert Forum onHoney Bee reply on small
hive beetle.Carl Hayden Bee Research Center website.March 8. 1 p.
.
Deeby, Thomas. 2002b. Expert Forum onHoney Bee reply on American
foulbrood.Carl Hayden Bee Research Center website.February 12. 1 p.
.
Deeby, Thomas. 2002c. Expert Forum onHoney Bee reply on smoker
fuel forvarroa. Carl Hayden Bee Research Centerwebsite. February 9.
1 p. .
Deeby, Thomas. 2002d. Expert Forum onHoney Bee reply on amount
of surpluspollen from colony in 1 season. CarlHayden Bee Research
Center website.January 3. 1 p. .
Dey, Dennis, revised by Lori-Jo Graham. 2001.Commercial honey
industry. AlbertaAgriculture, Food, and Rural Develop-ment
Ministry. 23 p. .
Erickson, Eric H. 2002a. Expert Forum onHoney Bee reply on
tracheal mites. CarlHayden Bee Research Center website.July 9. 1 p.
.
Erickson, Eric H. 2002b. Expert Forum onHoney Bee reply on AFB.
Carl HaydenBee Research Center website. July 6. 1 p..
Erickson, Eric, Anita Atmowidjojo, Alan King,and Joanne King.
1998. Effect of newvs. old wax brood combs on honey beetracheal
mite populations in North Da-kota. American Bee Journal.
September.p. 672673.
ERS/NASS. No date. A look at the U.S.beekeeping industry.
Economic ResearchService/National Agricultural StatisticsService. 6
p. .
Frazier, Maryann, and James Steinhauer. 1999.NewsSmall hive
beetle pest sheet. MidAtlantic Apiculture Research and Exten-sion
Consortium. 5 p. .
Frazier, Maryann, George Greaser, TimothyKelsey, and Jayson
Harper. 1998. Bee-keeping. Agricultural Alternatives, PennState
Cooperative Extension. 6 p. .
Frazier, Maryanne, and James Steinhauer. 2000.News Small Hive
Beetle Pest sheet.MidAtlantic Apiculture Research andExtension
Consortium. February. .
Grossman, Joel. 1998. Neem for honeybeepests. The IPM
Practitioner. September.p. 1011.
Higgins, Adrian. 2002. Honeybees in a mitemore than
troubleParasites, an exodusof apiarists and budget cuts imperil
vitalinsect. Washington Post. May 14. p. A1.
Information Staff. 2002. Locations ofAfricanized honey bees in
U.S. USDA/Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville,Maryland.
February. 2 p. .
http://members.aol.com/beetools/99polin.htmhttp://members.aol.com/beetools/99polin.htmhttp://www.msstate.edu/Entomology/Beekeeping/Beekeeping001.htmlhttp://www.msstate.edu/Entomology/Beekeeping/Beekeeping001.htmlhttp://www.msstate.edu/Entomology/Beekeeping/Beekeeping001.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/expertforum/index.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/expertforum/index.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/expertforum/index.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/expertforum/index.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/expertforum/index.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/expertforum/index.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/expertforum/index.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/expertforum/index.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/expertforum/index.htmlhttp://www.agric.gov.ab.ca/agdex/600/616_830-1.htmlhttp://www.agric.gov.ab.ca/agdex/600/616_830-1.htmlhttp://www.agric.gov.ab.ca/agdex/600/616_830-1.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/expertforum/index.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/expertforum/index.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/expertforum/index.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/expertforum/index.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/dept/abf.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/dept/abf.htmlhttp://maarec.cas.psu.edu/BeetlePestSheet.htmlhttp://maarec.cas.psu.edu/BeetlePestSheet.htmlhttp://maarec.cas.psu.edu/BeetlePestSheet.htmlhttp://agalternatives.aers.psu.edu/other/bees/bees.pdfhttp://agalternatives.aers.psu.edu/other/bees/bees.pdfhttp://agalternatives.aers.psu.edu/other/bees/bees.pdfhttp://maarec.cas.psu.edu/BeetlePestSheet.htmlhttp://maarec.cas.psu.edu/BeetlePestSheet.htmlhttp://maarec.cas.psu.edu/BeetlePestSheet.htmlhttp://agnews.tamu.edu/bees/quaran.htmhttp://agnews.tamu.edu/bees/quaran.htm
-
//BEEKEEPING/APICULTURE PAGE 17
Kanga, Lambert H. B., and Rosalind R. James.2002. Varroa control
with fungal patho-gens may be an option soon. AmericanBee Journal.
July. p. 519.
Macedo, Paula A., and Marion D. Ellis. 2001.Using the sugar roll
technique to detectvarroa mites in honey bee colonies.NebGuide.
University of NebraskaLincoln. G01-1430-A. June. 4 p. .
Quarles, Bill. 1997. Neem controls bee mites.Common Sense Pest
Control. Winter. p.4.
Sanford, M. T. 1998. The sticky board: Anew apicultural tool.
APIS. May. p. 3.
Sanford, M. T. 1998b. The case for hygienicbees: A little-used
technology. APIS.September. p. 12.
Sanford, M. T. 1999. More on open meshfloors for varroa control.
APIS. August.p. 13.
Sanford, Malcolm T. 1997. More on oils ofessence in mite
control. APIS. November.p. 4.
Scott, Howard. 2002. Do you need beekeepersinsurance. American
Bee Journal. July. p.484485.
Senft, Dennis. 1997. Helping honey bees fightmites. Agricultural
Research. May. p. 22.
Sollenberger, TLee. 2002. Bathing, buying,buildingIngredients
for better beeware.American Bee Journal. August. p. 581584.
Suszkiw, Jan. 2001. Mite-resistant Russianbees also have winter
hardiness. ATSNews & Information. June 15. 2 p..
Tabor, J. 1990. Combating tracheal mites.Maine Organic Farmer
and Gardener.JulyAugust. p. 22.
Tew, James E. 1997. Wax moth control in beehives. Ohio State
University Horticultureand Crop Science. HYG-2165-97. 3 p..
University of Nebraska Extension/Beekeepers.2000. Varroa control
options for 2000. Bee
Tidings. May. p. 12. .
USDA/AMS. 2002. Honey market for themonth of June 2002. National
HoneyReport. July 10. 8 p.
USDA/BARC Bee Research Laboratory. c.2001.Downloaded July 2002.
The small hivebeetle. 1 p. .
USDA/BARC Bee Research Laboratory. Nodate. How to submit samples
for diagno-sis. 1 p. .
USDA/Honey Bee Breeding. c.2001. Down-loaded August 2002.
Breeding honey beesthat suppress mite reproduction. HoneyBee
Breeding, Genetics & PhysiologyLaboratory SMRD Project. 7 p.
.
Wenning, Carl J. 1999. What price honey?American Bee Journal.
August. p. 597601.
White, Blane. No date. Varroa mite detection.Minnesota
Department of Agriculture. 2p. .
EnclosuresErickson, E. H., L. H. Hines, and A. H.
Atmowidjojjo. c.2000. Downloaded July2002. Producing
varroa-tolerant honeybees from locally adapted stock: A recipe.Carl
Hayden Bee Research Center..
Frazier, Maryann, George Greaser, TimothyKelsey, and Jayson
Harper. 1998. Bee-keeping. Agricultural Alternatives, PennState
Cooperative Extension. 6 p. .
Le Pablic, Jean-Pierre. 2002. Happykeeper.Anti-Varroa bottom
board. Virtual Bee-keeping Gallery. 5 p. .
http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/INSECTS/g1430.htmhttp://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/INSECTS/g1430.htmhttp://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/INSECTS/g1430.htmhttp://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2001/010615.htmhttp://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2001/010615.htmhttp://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2165.htmlhttp://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2165.htmlhttp://entomology.unl.edu/beekpg/tidings/btid2000/btdmay00.htmhttp://entomology.unl.edu/beekpg/tidings/btid2000/btdmay00.htmhttp://entomology.unl.edu/beekpg/tidings/btid2000/btdmay00.htmhttp://www.barc.usda.gov/psi/brl/bd-shb.htmhttp://www.barc.usda.gov/psi/brl/bd-shb.htmhttp://www.barc.usda.gov/psi/brl/bd-shb.htmhttp://www.barc.usda.gov/psi/brl/directs.htmhttp://www.barc.usda.gov/psi/brl/directs.htmhttp://msa.ars.usda.gov/la/btn/hbb/jwh/SMRD/SMRD.htmhttp://msa.ars.usda.gov/la/btn/hbb/jwh/SMRD/SMRD.htmhttp://msa.ars.usda.gov/la/btn/hbb/jwh/SMRD/SMRD.htmhttp://www.mda.state.mn.us/ams/apiary/varroa.htmhttp://www.mda.state.mn.us/ams/apiary/varroa.htmhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/publ/tolerant2.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/publ/tolerant2.htmlhttp://agalternatives.aers.psu.edu/other/bees/bees.pdfhttp://agalternatives.aers.psu.edu/other/bees/bees.pdfhttp://agalternatives.aers.psu.edu/other/bees/bees.pdfhttp://www.apiservices.com/happykeeper/index_us.htmhttp://www.apiservices.com/happykeeper/index_us.htmhttp://www.apiservices.com/happykeeper/index_us.htm
-
//BEEKEEPING/APICULTUREPAGE 18
Macedo, Paula A., and Marion D. Ellis. 2001.Using the sugar roll
technique to detectvarroa mites in honey bee colonies.NebGuide.
University of NebraskaLincoln. G01-1430-A. June. 4 p. .
Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Exten-sion Consortium. No
date. Summary ofmanagement practices around the calen-dar. 2 p.
.
USDA. No date. Varroa Jacobsoni. Diagnosisof Honey Bee Diseases.
.
Further ResourcesWebsites
BeeCulture
Magazinehttp://bee.airoot.com/beeculture/index.htm
On-line listing of Whos Who in the Beeyard foreach state.
On-line publication Insect Pollina-tion of Cultivated Crop Plants.
On-linemonthly column Beekeeping in the Digital Agedescribing how
communications in the digitalage affect production and
dissemination ofbeekeeping information, by Dr. Malcolm T.Sanford,
Former Extension Beekeeping Specialistat the University of Florida.
Weekly updatedCatch the Buzz with the very latest informationfrom
the world of beekeeping. Also providesmany excellent links to other
sources of informa-tion, as well as some articles from
BeeCultureMagazine.
The American Society of
Beekeepershttp://www.gobeekeeping.com/
Three free on-line beekeeping classes, a listing ofNational and
regional bee organizations, amonthly newsletter, and additional
beekeepinginformation.
Beekeeping: The Beekeepers Home
Pageshttp://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/
beekeeping/Beekeeping website links with hundreds of
otherbeekeeping resources. It also has an extensivelisting of
companies that sell bee equipment.
Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and ExtensionConsortium
(MAAREC)
http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/index.htmlA regional effort to address
the pest managementcrisis facing the beekeeping industry in the
Mid-Atlantic Region. On-line newsletter and manyexcellent
publications on all aspects of beekeep-ing, including pests and
diseases.
The Bee Workshttp://www.beeworks.com/index.htm
Canadian website with a good informationcenter on various
aspects of beekeeping.
George Imirie Certified Master
Beekeeperhttp://www.beekeeper.org/george_imirie/
index.htmlOn-line monthly pink pages on many aspectsof
beekeeping.
The Pollinator Home Pagehttp://www.pollinator.com/index.htm
List of beekeepers who provide pollinationservice, and good
information on pollination.
Worlds Beekeeping Directoryhttp://www.beehoo.com/
Worldwide listings of sources of information,training, and many
other items of interest tobeekeepers.
Top Bar Hive Beekeepinghttp://www.gsu.edu/~biojdsx/main.htm
Website devoted exclusively to collecting anddistributing
information about beekeeping withtop-bar hives.
Pennsylvania State
Universityhttp://agalternatives.aers.psu.edu/other/
bees/bees.pdfPublication Beekeeping and sample bee budget.
Texas A&M
Universityhttp://agnews.tamu.edu/bees/quaran.htm
Map of areas of known African honeybee quar-antine.
Food and Agriculture Organization of theUnited Nations Rome
http://www.fao.org/docrep/w0076e/w0076e00.htmOn-line publication
Value-Added Products fromBeekeeping.
http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/INSECTS/g1430.htmhttp://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/INSECTS/g1430.htmhttp://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/INSECTS/g1430.htmhttp://maarec.cas.psu.edu/bkCD/management/summary_mangt.htmlhttp://maarec.cas.psu.edu/bkCD/management/summary_mangt.htmlhttp://maarec.cas.psu.edu/bkCD/management/summary_mangt.htmlhttp://maarec.cas.psu.edu/bkCD/Bee_Diseases/varroa.htmlhttp://maarec.cas.psu.edu/bkCD/Bee_Diseases/varroa.htmlhttp://maarec.cas.psu.edu/bkCD/Bee_Diseases/varroa.htmlhttp://bee.airoot.com/beeculture/index.htmhttp://www.gobeekeeping.com/http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/beekeeping/http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/beekeeping/http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/index.htmlhttp://www.beeworks.com/index.htmhttp://www.beekeeper.org/george_imirie/index.htmlhttp://www.beekeeper.org/george_imirie/index.htmlhttp://www.pollinator.com/index.htmhttp://www.beehoo.com/http://www.gsu.edu/~biojdsx/main.htmhttp://agalternatives.aers.psu.edu/other/bees/bees.pdfhttp://agalternatives.aers.psu.edu/other/bees/bees.pdfhttp://agnews.tamu.edu/bees/quaran.htmhttp://www.fao.org/docrep/w0076e/w0076e00.htmhttp://www.fao.org/docrep/w0076e/w0076e00.htm
-
//BEEKEEPING/APICULTURE PAGE 19
University of California Small Farm
Centerhttp://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/pubs/SFNews/
archive/94032.htmOn-line publication Starting a Small
BeekeepingOperation.
University of
NebraskaLincolnhttp://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/insects/
g1104.htmOn-line publication Getting Started in Beekeep-ing.
University of
TennesseeKnoxvillehttp://web.utk.edu/~extepp/redbook/
bee2000.pdfOn-line publication Apiculture
University of
MissouriColumbiahttp://muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/
agguides/pests/g07600.htmOn-line publication Beekeeping Tips for
Begin-ners.
University of
Georgiahttp://www.ces.uga.edu/pubcd/b1045-w.html
On-line publication Honey Bees and Beekeeping.
Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization(ECHO)
http://www.echonet.org/tropicalag/technotes/BeehiveD.pdfOn-line
Tech Note Beehive Designs for theTropics.
USDA Research FacilitiesFive USDA laboratories are studying
breed-
ing, behavior, and benefits of wild and domesti-cated bees.
Check these sites regularly to moni-tor current research into
controlling many of thehoneybees parasites and diseases.
USDA/BARC Bee Research LaboratoryBuilding 476,
BARC-EASTBeltsville, MD 20705(301) 5048205, Fax: (301)
5048736http://www.barc.usda.gov/psi/brl/brl-page.html
Studies bee diseases, pests, and nutritionalneeds. Provides bee
diagnostic services.
Carl Hayden Bee Research Center2000 E. Allen RoadTucson, AZ
85719(520) 6706380, Fax: (520)
6706493http://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/
Research explores pollination, mites, and control
of Africanized honeybees. They also have ExpertForum on Honey
Bees, a state-of-the-art, user-friendly, Internet
question-and-answer informa-tion resource available at no cost.
Anyone canuse this service to ask any and all questionsabout bees
and get answers directly from theexperts at the Carl Hayden Bee
Research Center.
Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and PhysiologyResearch1157 Ben Hur
RoadBaton Rouge, LA 708205502(225) 7679280, Fax: (225)
7669212http://msa.ars.usda.gov/la/btn/hbb/
Research on breeding honeybees that tolerateharsh climate,
disease, insects, and other haz-ards.
Bee Biology and Systematic LaboratoryUtah State University5310
Old Main HillLogan, UT 843225310(435) 7972524, Fax: (435)
7970461http://www.loganbeelab.usu.edu/
Research involves alternatives to honey bees aspollinators, and
wild bees.
USDA/ARS Beneficial Insects Research Unit2413 E. Highway
83Weslaco, TX 78596(956) 9694852http://weslaco.ars.usda.gov
Studies mites that infest breathing tubes (tra-chea) of
honeybees. Designs mite controlmeasures and tracks spread of
mites.
Computer SoftwareCarl Hayden Bee Research
Centerhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/soft/bke/index.html
The new release: BK-Economics 1.34 is availablefor Windows and
Macintosh. BK-Economics isa software package that was developed by
a teamof scientists at the Carl Hayden Bee ResearchCenter in
Tucson, Arizona, to assist commercialbeekeepers in streamlining
their businesspractices. This software allows beekeepers tosimulate
years of business, taking into accountfactors like equipment
purchases, labor force,transportation, marketing strategies,
loans,honey flow, and other hive products. Thissoftware, when used
in combination with themarketing strategy information in the
publica-tion, can help beekeepers formulate a successfulbusiness
plan.
http://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/pubs/SFNews/archive/94032.htmhttp://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/pubs/SFNews/archive/94032.htmhttp://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/insects/g1104.htmhttp://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/insects/g1104.htmhttp://web.utk.edu/~extepp/redbook/bee2000.pdfhttp://web.utk.edu/~extepp/redbook/bee2000.pdfhttp://muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/agguides/pests/g07600.htmhttp://muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/agguides/pests/g07600.htmhttp://www.ces.uga.edu/pubcd/b1045-w.htmlhttp://www.echonet.org/tropicalag/technotes/BeehiveD.pdfhttp://www.echonet.org/tropicalag/technotes/BeehiveD.pdfhttp://www.barc.usda.gov/psi/brl/brl-page.htmlhttp://www.barc.usda.gov/psi/brl/brl-page.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/http://msa.ars.usda.gov/la/btn/hbb/http://www.loganbeelab.usu.edu/http://weslaco.ars.usda.govhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/soft/bke/index.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/soft/bke/index.html
-
//BEEKEEPING/APICULTUREPAGE 20
This software is downloadable on-line in netinstaller versions.
If downloading BK-Econom-ics off the web is not a viable option,
you maychoose to receive a copy by mail. This software isa product
of USDA research and is offered ATNO COST to anyone. Address and
phonenumbers for Carl Hayden Bee Research Centerare listed above in
the USDA Research Facili-ties.
PeriodicalsAmerican Bee JournalDadant & Sons, Inc.51 South
Second StreetHamilton, IL 62341(217) 8473324, Fax: (217)
8473660http://www.dadant.com/journal/index.html
Monthly magazine for hobbyists and profes-sional beekeepers.
Subscription: $20.95 peryear.
Bee CultureA. I. Root CompanySubscription Dept., Dept. W623 W.
Liberty StreetMedina, OH 44256(800) 2897668, ext.
3255http://bee.airoot.com/beeculture/
Monthly apiculture magazine. Subscription:$21.50 per year.
The Speedy BeeP.O. Box 1317Jesup, GA 315451317(912) 4274018,
Fax: (912) 4278447
Monthly newspaper for the beekeeping andhoney industry.
Subscription: $17.25 per year.
National Honey Market NewsUSDA/AMS/Fruit and Vegetable
Division21 N. First Avenue, Suite 224Yakima, WA 989022663(800)
4878796http://www.ams.usda.gov/search/index.htm
Search for National Honey Report for thelatest reports. Catalogs
monthly honey pricesfor the country. Subscription: $36 for 12
issues.
AssociationsAmerican Beekeepers FederationP.O. Box 1038Jesup, GA
315981038(912) 4278447http://www.abfnet.org
Members include commercial beekeepers, re-searchers, and
hobbyists. Encourages develop-ment of better bees through better
queens. Seeksto maintain uniform trade practices and prin-ciples in
production/sale of packaged bees andqueens. Annual meeting.
Apiary Inspectors of AmericaBlane White(651)
2960591http://www.mda.state.mn.us/ams/apiary/aiahome.htm
Members include state/provincial apiarists,inspectors,
researchers, and individuals. Activein research meetings and
publishes a newsletter.Has an on-line directory of all state and
provin-cial apiarists.
National Honey Board390 Lashley StreetLongmont, CO
805016045(303) 7762337, Fax: (303) 7761177http://www.nhb.org
The National Honey Board administers anindustry-funded national
research, promotion,and consumer information program to
increasehoney consumption in the United States andabroad. Excellent
website with many marketingideas and suggestions.
American Honey Producers Association536 Ashmont RoadMadison, SD
57042(605) 4852221http://www.americanhoneyproducers.org
Membership is mostly for commercial honeyproducers, but
membership ranges in scale from1 to 40,000 hives owned. They hold
an annualconvention and publish a quarterly newsletter.They have a
varying dues structure according tosize of honey operation.
Eastern Apicultural Society of North America, Inc.John
TullochEAS TreasurerP.O. Box 473Odessa, DE 19730(302)
3781917http://www.easternapiculture.org
The largest non-commercial beekeeping organi-zation in the U.S.
Has an annual conferenceevery summer with lectures, workshops,
vendordisplays, and short courses for beginning andadvanced
beekeepers in one of its 26 memberstates or provinces in the
eastern U.S. and
http://www.dadant.com/journal/index.htmlhttp://bee.airoot.com/beeculture/http://www.ams.usda.gov/search/index.htmhttp://www.abfnet.orghttp://www.mda.state.mn.us/ams/apiary/aiahome.htmhttp://www.mda.state.mn.us/ams/apiary/aiahome.htmhttp://www.nhb.orghttp://www.americanhoneyproducers.orghttp://www.easternapiculture.org
-
//BEEKEEPING/APICULTURE PAGE 21
Canada. EAS also publishes a quarterly news-letter, The EAS
Journal.
BooksEducational Concerns for Hunger Organization(ECHO) on-line
Book Store:
Beekeeping: A Practical Guide. 1993. ByRichard E. Bonney. 192 p.
$18.95.
Keeping Bees. 1986. By John Vivan. 238 p.$10.95.
Golden Insect. 1989. By Stephen Adjare.103 p. $14.50.
Hive Management: A Seasonal Guide forBeekeepers. 1990. By
Richard Bonney. 145p. $14.95.
Order from:Educational Concerns for Hunger Organiza-tion
(ECHO)17391 Durrance RoadNorth Fort Myers, FL 33917(239) 5433246,
Fax: (239)
5435317http://echonet.org/shopsite_sc/store/html/foodprocessing.html
Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA) publica-tions (see
their complete catalog at
http://www.vita.org/publications/pubcat.htm).
A Beekeeping Guide. 1989. By HarlanAttfield. VITA Technical
Bulletin #9. 45 p.$7.25.
Centrifugal Honey Extractor. No date. VITATechnical Bulletin.
VIT009-1. 9 p.$5.25.
Order from:PACT Publications1200 18th Street, NWWashington, DC
20036(202) 4665666, Fax: (202) 4665669Email:
[email protected]://www.pactpublications.com
Other Books:
The following books are available from book-stores and on-line
booksellers. If a book is listedas out-of-print, you may be able to
obtain itthrough Interlibrary Loan; check with your locallibrarian.
You may also be able to buy a copy
through an on-line used-book search site, suchas .
The ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture. 1990. ByRoger Morse. 516 p.
$32.00.
The Beekeepers Handbook. 1998. By DianaSammataro, Alphonse
Avitabile, and RogerMorse. 224 p. $24.95.
Beekeeping for Dummies. 2002. By HowardBlackiston and Kim
Flottum. 336 p. $19.99.
Beeswax: Production, Harvesting, Process-ing, and Products.
1982. By William L.Coggeshall and Roger A. Morse. 192 p. Outof
Print.
The Hive and the Honey Bee. 1992. Joe M.Graham, editor. 1324 p.
$36.00.
Honey Bee Pests, Predators and Diseases.1997. Roger Morse and
Kim Flottum (edi-tors). 575 p. $40.00.
How to Keep Bees and Sell Honey. 1993.By Walter T. Kelley. 144
p. $9.00.
The New Complete Guide to Beekeeping.1994. By Roger A Morse. 207
p. $17.00.
The New Starting Right with Bees. 1990.By Kim Flottum and Diana
Sammataro. 136p. $7.99.
Rearing Queen Honey Bees. 1997. By RogerA. Morse. 128 p.
$14.95.
The electronic version of Beekeeping/Apicultureis located
at:
HTMLhttp://www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/beekeeping.html
PDFhttp:/ /www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/beekeeping.pdf
By Lance GegnerNCAT Agriculture Specialist
Edited by Paul WilliamsFormatted by Gail Hardy
April 2003
IP229/24
http://echonet.org/shopsite_sc/store/html/foodprocessing.htmlhttp://echonet.org/shopsite_sc/store/html/foodprocessing.htmlhttp://www.vita.org/publications/pubcat.htmhttp://www.vita.org/publications/pubcat.htmmailto:[email protected]://www.pactpublications.comhttp://www.bookfinder.com/http://www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/beekeeping.htmlhttp://www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/beekeeping.pdfhttp://www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/beekeeping.pdfmailto:[email protected]?subject=Beekeeping/Apiculture
-
//BEEKEEPING/APICULTUREPAGE 22
Appendix
Beltsville Free Bee Diagnostic ServicesThe USDA/BARC Bee
Research Laboratory staff at Beltsville, Maryland provides free
authorita-tive identification of Africanized honey bees and
diagnosis of bee diseases and pests for Federaland State regulatory
agencies and for beekeepers worldwide.
HOW TO SUBMIT SAMPLES FOR DIAGNOSIS
Samples of Adult Honey BeesSend at least 100 bees. If possible,
select bees that are dying or have died recently. Decayedbees are
not satisfactory for examination. Bees should be placed in 70%
ethyl or methyl alcoholas soon as possible after collection and
carefully packed in leak-proof containers. Alternatively,bees can
be placed in a paper bag or loosely wrapped in a paper towel,
newspaper, etc. and sentin a mailing tube or heavy cardboard box.
AVOID using plastic bags, aluminum foil, waxedpaper, tin, glass,
etc. because they promote decomposition.Samples of Brood
The sample of comb should be at least 2 X 2 inches and contain
as much of the dead ordiscolored brood as possible. NO HONEY SHOULD
BE PRESENT IN THE SAMPLE. Thecomb can be in a paper bag or loosely
wrapped in a paper towel, newspaper, etc. and sent in aheavy
cardboard box. AVOID wrappings such as plastic, aluminum foil,
waxed paper, tin,glass, etc. because they promote decomposition. If
a comb cannot be sent, the probe used toexamine a diseased larva in
the cell may contain enough material for tests. The probe can
bewrapped in paper and sent to the laboratory in an envelope.
How to Address SamplesSend