1 www.meckbees.org the Ommatidia June 2013 The monthly newsletter of the Mecklenburg County Beekeepers Association President’s Buzz by George McAllister Paracelsus, a 16th century Swiss phySummer is the time when beekeepers party. The Clements’ host the club’s summer Solstice get together later this month. You don’t want to miss it. Besides our annual summer picnic many beekeepers turn extracting honey into a party by inviting fellow club members. Or course it doesn’t take much of an excuse to throw a party; especially if beekeepers are involved. Why a party? Extracting honey is work. Supers full of honey can weigh 30 pounds or more. You don’t want to move them vary far or often. Uncapping a frame full of honey is like cutting a piece of steak 17 inches thick and doing this multiple times. After you uncap the frame, it goes into the extractor to spin out the honey. Turning the extractor crank takes effort and stamina as the honey slowing leaves the cells. I am not saying it’s a task for the most physically fit person. Rather, it’s good to take a break every now and then without the entire operation coming to a standstill. The time also goes by much faster as people share their favorite bee stories. The new beekeepers learn how to extract honey and can pick the brains of the more seasoned beekeepers in the group. Rarely is there a pause in the conversation. To make your honey extracting party go as smoothly as possibly here are a few planning tips. Extracting honey can be a messy process if you are not careful. First, make sure you have enough room to operate the equipment and accommodate spectators. You don’t want anyone knocking over the equipment or spilling honey on the floor. Be sure to put down plastic or some other covering to protect your floor from dripping honey. If you use newspapers you will need to lay additional layers of newspaper over spills as they happen otherwise the newspaper will stick to your shoes. I like to stack all my supers, full and empty, in trays on the floor so honey does not drip down the supers onto the floor. I keep a bucket of water and a dry towel close by so people can wash the honey off their hands. Be sure to dry your hands thoroughly because excess water can ruin your honey. Depending on where you setup your extracting area, people may need to remove their shoes when leaving the extracting area. You don’t want honey tracked around your house. You will want to extract in a warm place but not outside where the bees can get to you. Extracting honey in an air conditioned room is a lot harder because the honey does not flow very well. Because of the heat either have water available for everyone or ask them to bring some. Everyone will work up a sweat. Now you know everything there is to know about throwing a honey extracting party. Start planning. Have fun with the bees, ~ George June 20 meeting This month our very own master beekeeper Greg Clements will speak on “Taste Receptacles in Honey Bees”. Greg is one of our Bee School instructors and mentors and runs the North Carolina Beekeepers’ certification program. He has been VP for Mecklenburg for several years, then President of several years, and served two years each as regional director for NC State Beekeepers Association, second VP and first VP for the State, and lastly the president of the state organization. Greg started the Lincoln County club and currently is program chair there. He is a regular speaker at clubs throughout the state, sometimes 2 or 3 times a month. And Greg is proud with the newest addition to his family, grandson Oliver Henry (O. Henry), who was born April 10. Join us with our very own special guest 7 p.m., June 20, at Mouzon United Methodist Church, 3100 Selwyn Avenue, Charlotte. See you there!
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1www.meckbees.org
the OmmatidiaJune 2013 The monthly newsletter of the Mecklenburg County Beekeepers Association
President’s Buzzby George McAllister
Paracelsus, a 16th century Swiss phySummer is the time when beekeepers party. The Clements’ host the club’s summer Solstice get together later this month. You don’t want to miss it.
Besides our annual summer picnic many beekeepers turn extracting honey into a party by inviting fellow club members. Or course it doesn’t take much of an excuse to throw a party; especially if beekeepers are involved.
Why a party? Extracting honey is work. Supers full of honey can weigh 30 pounds or more. You don’t want to move them vary far or often. Uncapping a frame full of honey is like cutting a piece of steak 17 inches thick and doing this multiple times. After you uncap the frame, it goes into the extractor to spin out the honey. Turning the extractor crank takes effort and stamina as the honey slowing leaves the cells. I am not saying it’s a task for the most physically fit person. Rather, it’s good to take a break every now and then without the entire operation coming to a standstill.
The time also goes by much faster as people share their favorite bee stories. The new beekeepers learn how to extract honey and can pick the brains of the more seasoned beekeepers in the group. Rarely is there a pause in the conversation.
To make your honey extracting party go as smoothly as possibly here are a few planning tips. Extracting honey can be a messy process if you are not careful. First, make sure you have enough room to operate the equipment and accommodate spectators. You don’t want anyone knocking over the equipment or spilling honey on the floor. Be sure to put down plastic or some other covering to protect your floor from dripping honey. If you use newspapers you will need to lay additional layers of newspaper over spills as they happen otherwise the newspaper will stick to your shoes. I like to stack all my supers, full and empty, in trays on the floor so honey does not drip down the supers onto the floor. I keep a bucket of water and a dry towel close by so people
can wash the honey off their hands. Be sure to dry your hands thoroughly because excess water can ruin your honey. Depending on where you setup your extracting area, people may need to remove their shoes when leaving the extracting area. You don’t want honey tracked around your house.
You will want to extract in a warm place but not outside where the bees can get to you. Extracting honey in an air conditioned room is a lot harder because the honey does not flow very well. Because of the heat either have water available for everyone or ask them to bring some. Everyone will work up a sweat.
Now you know everything there is to know about throwing a honey extracting party. Start planning.
Have fun with the bees,
~ George
June 20 meetingThis month our very own master beekeeper Greg
Clements will speak on “Taste Receptacles in Honey Bees”.
Greg is one of our Bee School instructors and mentors and runs the North Carolina Beekeepers’ certification program. He has been VP for Mecklenburg for several years, then President of several years, and served two years each as regional director for NC State Beekeepers Association, second VP and first VP for the State, and lastly the president of the state organization.
Greg started the Lincoln County club and currently is program chair there. He is a regular speaker at clubs throughout the state, sometimes 2 or 3 times a month. And Greg is proud with the newest addition to his family, grandson Oliver Henry (O. Henry), who was born April 10.
Join us with our very own special guest 7 p.m., June 20, at Mouzon United Methodist Church, 3100 Selwyn Avenue, Charlotte. See you there!
2www.meckbees.org
June is the month for “steady as she goes” referring of course to all the worker bees. The honey flow is still on, so the beekeeper’s job is to continue making room for all the incoming nectar.
Inspecting the colony is fine to ensure the queen is still laying well, if you can find the energy to shift all those heavy supers. And when the supers are heavy it’s time to start planning the honey extraction.
Buddy up with some fellow beekeepers to make the work go fast. Plan out how you’re going to get the bees out, and keep them out, of the supers. Schedule a series of days so that you can remove the supers, extract the honey and then replace the supers. Lay in a supply of food-grade buckets and honey jars. Don’t forget to reserve the extracting equipment.
Successful beekeeping is largely about thinking ahead, so June is also the time to think ahead to knocking back the
varroa population and requeening your colonies, activities normally conducted in August in the Piedmont.
The varroa populations have been steadily rising so you may find that August is too late to treat – at least plan to test for varroa immediately after the supers come off. High mite loads lead to viruses and weakened colonies that cannot regroup in time for winter survival. Treating for mites in the heat of the summer is tricky, because the thymol and formic acid products are harder on the bees in high temperatures.
Other options include pulling drone brood, powdered sugar and breaking the brood cycle; but none of these has been demonstrated to reliably knock back a high mite infestation.
Whatever method you choose, now is the time to plan your attack. And finally, order those queens from your favorite supplier. By August they’ll be in short supply.
It’s that Timeby Libby Mack
Dandelion Bee Supply
For all your beekeeping needs!
Woodenware
Protective clothing and tools
Fondant / Sugar syrup
Package Bees
Custom woodenware available upon request
Concord, NCContact:
704-796-2972 / [email protected]
3www.meckbees.org
We are now an authorized dealer for Brushy Mountain Bee Farm!
•Want to avoid shipping charges?
•Tired of taking a 3-hour round trip to the mountains to pick up equipment and supplies?
•Place your order through us!!!
Convenient delivery schedules with no additional charge to you!
For more information contact:
Randall York (704) 517-6190 [email protected]
Great news!
(Phys.org) —A team of entomologists from the University of Illinois has found a possible link between the practice of feeding commercial honeybees high-fructose corn syrup and the collapse of honeybee colonies around the world. The team outlines their research and findings in a paper they’ve had published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Since approximately 2006, groups that manage commercial honey bee colonies have been reporting what has become known as colony collapse disorder—whole colonies of bees simply died, of no apparent cause. As time has passed, the disorder has been reported at sites all across the world, even as scientists have been racing to find the cause, and a possible cure. To date, most evidence has implicated pesticides used to kill other insects such as mites. In this new effort, the researchers have found evidence to suggest the real culprit might be high-fructose
corn syrup, which beekeepers have been feeding bees as their natural staple, honey, has been taken away from them.
Commercial honey bee enterprises began feeding bees high-fructose corn syrup back in the 70’s after research was conducted that indicated that doing so was safe. Since that time, new pesticides have been developed and put into use and over time it appears the bees’ immunity response to such compounds may have become compromised.
The researchers aren’t suggesting that high-fructose corn syrup is itself toxic to bees, instead, they say their findings indicate that by eating the replacement food instead of honey, the bees are not being exposed to other chemicals that help the bees fight off toxins, such as those found in pesticides. Specifically, they found that when bees are exposed to the enzyme p-coumaric, their immune system appears
Study: HFCS linked to CCDby Phys.Org
( cont’d on p5 )
4www.meckbees.org
We use only “Select Quality” Hive Wood ware and accessories
Available for you assembled and or painted your choice!
Charlotte, NC 704-523-0147 | [email protected]
*Call or email for current availability*
All Trees and Shrubbery are field grown and B&B, and are ready to
be transplanted into your landscape or Business jobsite!
*We also offer Shrubbery Care and Lawn Maintenance Services*
*Complete hive: 10 Frames full of bees, all stages of brood, Queen, honey and pollen. *Italian Nucs: Available Mid – Late April, 2013 *Italian Packages and Queens: Available March 25, 2013 *Russian Nucs: Available Late May- Early June, 2013 *Russian Queens: Available May 18, 2013 (Email for current price list and availability!)
The first honey flow of the New Year. Light color, mild in taste with notes of cool mint.
Mid season flow. A bit more refined honey flavor and slightly sweeter.
An early summer flow. Much darker color and the old fashion honey flavor and taste.
This is a later summer honey flow. Bronze in color, with a fantastic robust honey flavor and aroma.
Email: [email protected]
*Be sure to visit us at the Charlotte/Mecklenburg Farmers Market every Saturday Morning!
Hollies: From 3ft. to 18ft. in height ranges available |Dwarf Bufordi – 3-5 ft.|Needle Point 4-7 ft. | |Wert L Winn 6-10ft. | Nellie Stevens 6-12 ft. |
|Foster 6-8ft.|Savannah 8-12ft.| Red Hollies: from 3ft. to 12ft. height ranges available
|Festive 3-5ft | Robyn 6-8ft. | Patriot 6-10ft. | |Oakleaf 6-12 ft. |
Crape Myrtles: From 6-24 ft in height ranges available
|Natchez (white)| Biloxi (lt. pink)| |Tuscarora (med red)|
|Carolina Beauty (med red)| |Tonto (dark red)|
|Muskogee (lt. lavender)| |Catawba (med purple)|
Plus: numerous other Shrubs and Shade- tree selections are available!
5www.meckbees.org
SUMMER SOLSTICE PICNIC ON THE LAKE
@ GREG CLEMENT’S LAKE NORMAN HOME
Saturday, JUNE 22, 2013, 11am until , 2646 Cherry Lane, Denver, NC
It’s easy to find, but if lost call 704.489.1242 or 704.604.5075
Open to all Meckbee Club members and their families!
Mike and Silvia Kelly will again be catering this year’s Summer Solstice Picnic! They plan to serve BBQ, baked beans, potato salad, bread, ice tea, water and soft drinks. We will be ready to eat about 12:30pm so come earlier!
Members are welcome to bring desserts and adult beverages (eg. mead?) if you like. Everyone should bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on.
Swimming off the dock and fishing is available for those interested. If you want to fish, bring your own fishing gear. And don’t forget the sunscreen!
Since food for our event is being catered, we need to know how much food to prepare. PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND by emailing Tom Davidson at [email protected] by June 18th!
DON’T FORGET TO RSVP! WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!
Sign Up for the June 22 Summer Picnic!
stronger—it turns on detoxification genes. P-coumaric is found in pollen walls, not nectar, and makes its way into honey inadvertently via sticking to the legs of bees as they visit flowers. Similarly, the team discovered other compounds found in poplar sap that appear to do much the same thing. It all together adds up to a diet that helps bees fight off toxins, the researchers report. Taking away the honey to sell it, and feeding the bees high-fructose corn syrup instead, they claim, compromises their immune systems, making them more vulnerable to the toxins that are meant to kill other bugs.
More information: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/04/26/1303884110
HFCS( cont’d from p3 )
Getting to work making an NC favorite, sourwood honey
6www.meckbees.org
It’s harvest time: club extractor rentalThe club has the following equipment available for rental
to club members for extracting honey:
• 9-frame manual extractor
• uncapping tank
• 5-gallon bottling bucket
• electric and non-electric uncapping knives
• cappings scratcher
You will need to use your own strainer.
The charge is $5 per day to rent the equipment with a 2-day minimum.
To reserve the equipment:
Go to the club’s website, www.meckbees.org and under the “Beekeeping Resources” tab select “MCBA Extractor Reservations”. If you have any questions contact George McAllister at [email protected] or call 704-579-1169.
All the reservation instructions and calendar with available dates are on the website.
With the growth of the club, there is heavy demand for the extractor in the summer months. When you get the equipment, please return it promptly so the next person on the list can get it. Thanks!
by Bee Informed Partnership
Note: This is a preliminary analysis. A more detailed final report is being prepared for publication at a later date.
A preliminary survey results indicate that 31.1% of managed honey bee colonies in the United States were lost during the 2012/2013 winter. This represents an increase in loss of 9.2 points or 42% over the previous 2011/2012 winter’s total losses that were estimated at 21.9%. This level of loss is on par with the 6 year average total loss of 30.5%.
The Bee Informed Partnership, in collaboration with the Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), released preliminary results for the seventh annual national survey of honey bee colony losses. For the 2012/2013 winter season, a total of 6,287 U.S. beekeepers provided validated responses. Collectively, responding beekeepers managed 599,610 colonies in October 2012, representing about 22.9%1 of the country’s estimated 2.62 million colonies.
On average, U.S. beekeepers lost 45.1% of the colonies in their operation during the winter of 2012/2013. This is a 19.8 point or 78.2% increase in the average operational loss compared to the previous winter (2011/2012), which was estimated at 25.3%. The difference between average loss and total loss is explained by the respondent pool: while a majority of the respondents (95%) were backyard beekeepers, they managed a small fraction of the colonies represented in the survey (6%). For this reason total loss (which is more heavily influenced by commercial beekeeper losses) is more representative of national losses.
Survey participants indicated that they considered a loss rate of 15% as “acceptable,” but 70% of them suffered losses greater than this.
Details at http://beeinformed.org/2013/05/winter-loss-survey-2012-2013/
Colony Losses in the United States, Winter 2012-2013
7www.meckbees.org
MCBA Newsletter
7623 Glencannon Dr.
Charlotte, NC 28227
Club officersPresident - George McAllister, (704) 579-1169,
Vice President - Tom Davidson, (704) 906-8776, [email protected]
Treasurer - Libby Mack, (704) 358-8075, [email protected]
Membership Secretary - Sam Bomar, (704) 608-7582, [email protected]
Chaplain - Jimmy Odom, [email protected]
Webmaster - Kevin Freeman, 704-525-3128, [email protected]
Wood Vetch, Carolina Vetch, Pale Vetch – Vicia caroliniana in bloom in the NC Piedmont April 28 - June 13
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