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 April 2018 Newsletter NY Bee Wellness
NY Bee Wellness - an independent grassroots educational 501c3
Contents:


Treat your packages and swarms for mites before the brood is capped!
Fight the Mite!
 
The best thing you can do to decrease your summer varroa mite load is to treat packages and swarms 1 week after hiving/releasing the queen in the Spring, before honey supers are placed on hives.
Inspection & Certification of packages and nucs is done primarily to detect American Foul Brood, not to assess mite levels. Unless the supplier has just treated the bees, assume they have varroa mites.
Since nucs already have capped brood, they should be assessed for the % of mites.
Click on photo to view larger image
                       
 
Spring 2018 Survey now open!
                                 This is the 5th year of surveys

NY Bee Wellness SPRING SURVEY 2018

 
This has been another interesting winter. Challenging for some, not so bad for others.
We would like to assess the situation for for NON-migratory New York State beekeepers and their beehives. Information gathered is for beekeepers, and may help to determine trends in honeybee health.
 
The survey link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TZM78P5

Please complete the survey as best as you can and write any comments you feel that can add to future surveys and improve the NY Bee Wellness program.
2017 Spring Survey Results

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Cold, rainy Spring brings hive problems....


Chalkbrood, European Foulbrood, nosema can become evident with poor Spring weather. The delay of warm weather and a good nectar flow can cause maladies to affect your hives. Be sure to inspect your hives, feed if necessary with sugar syrup & protein patties, and monitor the activity of the queen and the condition of the brood.
Sending a bee and brood sample to the USDA Bee Lab in Beltsville should be part of your first Spring inspection.
Generally a good nectar flow and a good laying queen will resolve problems.


 
     Twisted, yellowish larvae- a sign of European Foulbrood

 
Chalkbrood mummies at the hive entrance
 

DEC Announces Release of Draft Invasive Species Comprehensive Management Plan

Public Comment Period Open Until June 1, 2018(link)

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A new app listens to the problems of bees

Matching honeybee noises to their ailments; work by Dr Jerry Bromenshenk , University of Montana

https://www.economist.com/ news/science-and-technology/ 21739645-matching-honeybee- noises-their-ailments-new-app- listens-problems

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The NY Bee Wellness Workshop
July 27-29 in Long Island NY


   
Featuring Jerry Bromenshenk (University of Montana), and Melanie Kempers (OBA-TTP, Ontario Canada)

Registration opens April 23, 2018

* Dr.Bromenshenk received his Ph.D. in insect ethology (behavior) from Montana State University.  He co-founded Bee Alert Technology in 2003 and is the statewide director of Montana's EPSCoR program (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research). His research focuses on insect behavior, ecotoxicology, population dynamics, and environmental chemistry.  He recently served as president of WAS - Western Apiculture Society. Dr. Bromenshenk has 40 years experience working with honeybees.

* Melanie Kempers grew up on a dairy farm in Prince Edward County and it was her love of animals and the outdoors that led her to the University of Guelph in 2002 to obtain a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Science. In 2006, with very little knowledge about beekeeping, Melanie was hired by the OBA Tech-Transfer Program as a summer intern. Even after many stings, she stayed on to work full time with the team and has been expanding her understanding of bees ever since.

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Proceedings of the 2018 American Bee Research Conference

Abstracts: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0005772X.2018.1450208

Examples of some of the abstracts:

9. Drone brood removal: A bee-utiful form of Varroa control and source of edible insect protein; Bridget Gross1, Reed Johnson2

21. The impacts of developmental multi-pesticide pollen and wax exposure on queen honey bee (Apis mellifera) health, mating, and colony development; Joseph P. Milone, David R. Tarpy.

25. Amitraz exposure increases mortality associated with viral infection in honey bees; Scott T. O’Neal1, Carlyle C. Brewster2, Jeffrey R. Bloomquist3, Troy D. Anderson1.
 

26. Are honey bees feeling antsy? Ants as possible reservoirs of honey bee pathogens;  Alexandria N. Payne, Juliana Rangel.
 

28. Study of the anatomy of phoretic Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroaidae) infection via confocal, low-temperature scanning and transmission electron microscopy; Samuel Ramsey, Gary Bauchan, Ronald Ochoa, Connor Gulbronson, Joseph Mowery.
 

33. Differential responses to DWV infection in honey bees: A case of tolerance or resistance?; Michael Simone-Finstrom.

34. Controlled time-release of formic and oxalic acids for Varroa control;Edmund Stark1, Patrick Smith1, Caroline Szabo1, Nicole Evans1, Yuen Azu1, Kaitlin Gandy1, Jason Harnick1, Dan Henton1, Tracy Zhang1, Meghan Milbrath3, Karen Camas3, Eva Almenar3.
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Youth in Beekeeping: STUDENT SURVEY
still accepting responses

Sena McLaughlin is a junior at Hudson Falls High School in New York, and doing this survey to find a link between Varroa mite infestation in Honey Bees and environment or beekeeping practices for a science experiment through the Science Research Program.
The survey is open to ALL beekeepers in the USA, https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bBjKNpU1z2Qlgh594_6zJb1gIySpxfP8rdmiSUWjZ48/viewform?edit_requested=true
Donate to support beekeeper education! (click here)
The latest talk on Bee-L       
Discussion on BEE-L included a lengthy discussion on locally adapted honey bee stock: How long must a line of bees exist in a local environment before it can be considered "local". Are a few generations enough? With open mating, is local adaptation even possible? Won't numerous packages from many different locations pollute the gene pool? Is locally adapted stock the mythical holy grail of beekeeping?
 
Treatment Free Beekeeping has beaten a critical, but not yet dead horse. TF Beeks crow when they have success, but are quiet when the sky falls in. Hoe does one define success? Can repeatedly stocked colonies qualify as success? Perhaps the definition of success means different things to different people. Is there a moral obligation to protect neighborhood colonies from neighboring beekeepers? It might be said that as long as one is still in the game there is a modicum of success in the mere presense.
 
Continuation of the never ending debate over Glyphosate: Agricultural triumph or devil spawn? No till planting, lower cost, higher yield, over hype, fake news or god send?
 
Syrup concentration for build up vs. brood stimulation . Thin in spring, thick in fall is the rule of thumb taught to all. But is it that simple? Thin to stimulate brood rearing, thick to put on winter weight. Some assert if you're feeding sugar, water is just added noise; it's added moisture that bees have to remove. So why add extra water at all? Stimulate brood rearing? Stimulate wax glands? Perhaps there are different answers for different times and different goals.

And on the lighter side, revisiting the controversy of, do bees move eggs? Some say yes, some say no. Many find eggs where no queen would put them or more puzzling, in places where no queen could go. Eggs in queen cells above a queen excluder! Curiouser and curiouser.                                                      -A. Morris
 
Check the archive page for informed topics in beekeeping!
BEE-L is a moderated list for the discussion of research and information concerning the biology of bees. This includes honey bees and other bees (and maybe even wasps). We communicate about sociobiology, behavior, ecology, adaptation/evolution, genetics, taxonomy, physiology, pollination, and flowernectar and pollen production of bees.

1) Tips on Working Bees Randy Oliver
2) Healthy Bees, Meghan Milbrath (MSU)
3) Nosema & Varroa Mites Randy Oliver
4) The Times They are a Changin', Randy Oliver
5) Mite resistant queen stock , Meghan Milbrath (MSU)
National Cost of Pollination, December 2017
Crop Insurance Program (ELAP)
Info from Cornell Dyson School of Applied Economics; Apiary Fact Sheet
Agent locator
Mite wash jars, oxalic, books available for purchase
New York Honey Production Down 13 Percent
Great How-to videos from the University of Guelph Honey Bee Research Centre
 
 to provide new and advanced beekeepers with demonstrations by our staff on a variety of topics ranging from how to open a hive to queen rearing.
National Honey Report, March 2018
* www.pollinator.cals.cornell.edu; Master Beekeeping online course

* COLOSS- International Honeybee Research Association, a good resource

* Randy Oliver's latest update to his website, http://scientificbeekeeping.com/, click HERE

*OSU recorded Webinars (Ohio State University)
 
*Be sure to check the Bee Health eXtension website, which includes the "Ask an Expert" option.

*Subscribe to Bee-L, a list serve for Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

* Northeast Regional Climate Center Quarterly reports, OUTLOOKS

* Scaffolds Fruit Journal, the weekly update on pest management and crop development


***If you have an article, photos, or other info to share, please send to:
newsletter@nybeewellness.org
* University of Montana Master Beekeeping Course, online

* Northeast Pollinator Partnership- a citizen science project creating a deeper understanding of the value of wild bees

* Northeastern IPM Center link to IPM Insights: Invasive species
 
* Northern Bee Network - www.northernbeenetwork.org (anyone from any state can sign up and join for free!)

* Varroa resources - https://pollinators.msu.edu/resources/beekeepers/ ,includes the Sugar ROLL technique

* Journey North!- Follow and help plot the the mapped signs of Fall!/  or The National Phenology Program

* Bee Health app- Alberta Agriculture, focuses on honey bee diseases- for SMART PHONES!

* Peter Borst's collection of written articles on various topics
 
Support Beekeeper Education!
  Your support continues the work of NY Bee Wellness, a grassroots, non-membership educational non-profit dedicated to new, beginning, and small scale beekeeping. If you benefit from the info, videos, workshops, surveys, website, or know of someone who does, please DONATE !
 
Shopping on Amazon? Use this link and Amazon will donate to NY Bee Wellness at no cost to you!
*****
Donations can also be sent to:
NY Bee Wellness POB 25291 Rochester NY 14625

NY Bee Wellness is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
 

 Sincerely,
            - Pat Bono, Project Director, NY Bee Wellness
                           Pat@NYBeeWellness.org
QUIZ YOURSELF!

Take the online NY Bee Wellness honey bee disease quizzes:
All quizzes are self grading and can be used for teaching. Quizzes written by Al Avitabile PhD.
Dead Winter Hives?
  • Close up the hive to prevent robbing on warm days
  • Send a sample of any brood and bees to Beltsville Bee Lab
  • Dead bees can be checked for mites: scoop up 1/2 cup of bees (~300 bees) and do an alcohol wash
  • Toss out old frames or frames with dead brood- have a winter bonfire (check NYS DEC Rules)
  • Secure clean honey frames for use in the Spring
Copyright © 2018 NY Bee Wellness, All rights reserved.


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