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NY Bee Wellness
Late Winter 2020 NY Bee Wellness Newsletter

NY Bee Wellness - an independent grassroots educational 501c3
Contents:
  • Fall Survey results
  • Spring Management
  • Fight the Mite
  • Bear Report
  • Daylight Savings Time
  • Early Spring!
  • Drone Congregation Area
  • Invasive Asian Hornets
  • Bee-L topics
  • Randy Oliver's update
  • Beneficial Plants
  • Events
  • Apimondia presentations
  • In Memorian
  • Hive registration-AGAIN!
  • Videos
  • Links
  • Donate
  • Quiz Yourself!
  • Weird brood?

Results! Fall 2019
NY Bee Wellness Survey

The survey represents a sample of 279 non-migratory beekeepers from 55 counties in New York State.  It may show trends that are occurring throughout the state. Be sure to check your region results and share with your local group, the PDF links are at the bottom of the page in the LINK..

Highlights: With the exception of Long Island, most of NYS had a very good honey year that would have been greater if not for the delayed Spring. Most increase during the summer was through beekeepers making splits and nucs. About 20-25% of respondents are confident enough to raise queens on some level, and to assess hive strength to determine which hives should be combined.
Not surprisingly, the strongest hives that survived the winter tended to have the highest mite levels in the Fall.
Close to 40% of beekeepers still do not monitor varroa mite levels, an improvement on previous years. Alcohol wash is the most popular varroa sampling technique. Checking the counts can help to assess hive health and dynamics.
The top 3 problems that respondents have with their bees are: varroa mites, Queen failure, small hive beetle; Fall dwindling was another common complaint.

 

Congratulations to Jason Hamilton of Ithaca College as the winner of the $50 Betterbee Gift Certificate!

Please send any comments, suggestions, or questions. Please watch for the 2020 NY Bee Wellness Spring Survey in April.

Officially Spring is around the corner (March 19),
and healthy hives are now brooding up, getting ready for the nectar flows, increasing their need for water and food. Make sure they have adequate feed: sugar patties or syrup; pollen/protein supplements can be introduced. While some plant pollens are being collected by the bees, open feeding of powdered supplements can be done. Be sure to clean out any dead hives before the weather turns warm; now is a good time to replace very worn, old frames or frames with a lot of dead brood or dysentery.

       
* Splitting Hives, video (Univ Guelph)
* Spring Colony Management (Ontario, Canada)
* Understanding Colony Build-up (scientificbeekeeping.com)
* Spring management (MAAREC)
 Reminder to apply oxalic acid  or other miticides to your packages. Oxalic affects the phoretic varroa mites (the mites on the bees' bodies)  well. Here is a link to the Blue Sky Bee Supply instructions, including making solution for 5 hives or more.
Check the varroa levels in new nucs; ask what medications the bees have received.
NYS DEC Bear report-
" It’s not too early for New York homeowners to think about bear-proofing their properties. While most of our bears are still in their dens, the mild winter weather has allowed some of them to stay on foot searching for food. This is especially true in southeastern New York where wildlife biologists say reports of active bears have been coming in weekly. The abundant natural food resources from the fall of 2019 have left ample pickings for these bears, but some will seek other easy meals from bird feeders or unsecured garbage. In most years, we see bears leaving their dens beginning around mid-March".
Bear fencing for Beekeepers

 
                                            
Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday March 8, SPRING AHEAD by 1 hour, this gives us more time in the evening to complete bee duties!
    
Status of Spring: Early

"March 3, 2020/ Spring leaf out continues to spread up the middle of the country, three weeks earlier than a long-term average (1981-2010) in some locations. Washington, DC and New York City are 24 days early. Philadelphia, PA is 16 days early and Little Rock, AR is 9 days early." Read more
 National Phenology Network

Drone Congregation Mapping with a mechanical drone 
" In the past DCA hunting has involved weather balloons filled with helium, with either caged virgin queens or queen pheromone laced lures dangling below.1 Using either a long pole or string, one would walk around and look for drones flying around the lure. This method is time consuming and the areas limited to open spaces where one can walk under the balloons. With the advent of hobbyist unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly called drones, hunting DCAs is much easier. "                             
              
Invasive Asian Hornet now in Washington State
Entrance reducers may be helpful.

"Adults can be nearly two inches long, have a distinctly light-orange head with prominent black eyes, a black thorax and a black/yellow striped abdomen.  Asian giant hornets feed on insects and are of particular concern to beekeepers because they are capable of quickly destroying honeybee hives."
Not to be confused with the Eastern Cicada Killer.
A sad video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ1eAM8CChc
Honey bees do have a defense,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awoV5Wj9Iys.
Donate to support beekeeper education! (click here)
Discussions trending on Bee-L: 
An online Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

* 60# Honey Tins
* Varroa Life Cycle
* "Varroa destructor: A Complex Parasite, Crippling Honeybees Worldwide"
* Treating swarms and nucs for mites
* Coronavirus grounds beekeepers in China
* American vs EU food safety standards
* role of body size dimorphism in drones
* Medicine for Bees
 * Visualizing Weather From A Bee's Perspective + Weather Info
* Controlled Natural Mating of Queens
* Bees and the Cold (Honey to bee energy conversion rate - efficiency)
*Upper ventilation

To Subscribe
Randy Oliver's Scientific Beekeeping News December 2019;
To subscribe:
http://scientificbeekeeping.com/scientific-beekeeping-newsletter/
Beneficial plants
Contact your local county Soil and Water Conservation District  (click on the county for the website ) for info on Spring Tree and Shrub sale programs.
Remember, flowering trees provide the best long term benefit when mature for bee forage.

* Pollinator Friendly Plants for the Northeast United States

* The Cornell Guide for Planting and Maintaining Trees and Shrubs

 
EVENTS:

* March 28 SABA Seminar, Southern Adirondack Beekeepers Association (Albany area) Speakers: Dr Larry ConnorDr Ernesto Guzman

* August 15-16;  2 day NY Bee Wellness Workshop in Wayne County New York, details TBA.
If you weren't able to attend Apimondia 2019 in Montreal or want to review the talks, here is a link to PDF's of some of the presentations.
In memorian:

Carl E. Hausknecht     

Former branch manager of Dadant Bee Supplies in Waverly NY. Carl was employed for 40 years by Dadant and Son Beekeeping Supplies as Branch Manager in Waverly, NY. He was well known and respected in that industry with customers all along the Eastern Coast of the United States.  November 24, 2019.
https://loweryfuneralhome.com/tribute/details/4111/Carl-Hausknecht/obituary.html
Here we go again, a NEW bill in the legislature with Mandatory Registration

UPDATE: The legislators are mainly busy hashing out the NYS Budget to meet the deadline of April 1, after that attention can turn to other legislation. Now is the time to contact the sponsors and your representatives what you think about the Mandatory Hive Registration Bill, aka “Cooperative Honey Bee Health Law”.

Contact your legislator and Assemblywoman Lupardo:

Assembly version: A8431, Assemblywoman Lupardo: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/a8431
Albany Office
LOB 828
Albany, NY 12248
518-455-5431
Fax: 518-455-5693

Senate Version: S6182A, Senator Metzger:  https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/S6182


Find your State Senator
https://www.nysenate.gov/find-my-senatorwww.nysenate.gov/find-my-senator

Find your ASSEMBLYMAN-http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/
------------------------------------------
 This is a serious issue that will affect all NYS beekeepers.
 Mandatory registration  was repealed in 2010.
Part of the problem is that NYS Agriculture and Markets does not have comment periods. Compare to the  NYS Department of  Environmental Conservation  (NYS DEC) which communicates very well with stakeholders:
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/NYSDEC/bulletins/266d8c6

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/NYSDEC/bulletins/2632f69

This is important to beekeepers who are already registered voluntarily, as NYS Ag & Markets does not communicate with them.
What many would like to see is for the State of New York to provide services for all beekeepers, with no strings attached, and release information about disease info, spraying, and other programs which may affect honey bees such as tick control measures using pesticides-- all info which Albany possesses. A hive and frame fumigation chamber centrally located in NYS would be extremely helpful in controlling pathogens.
 
The Bill should remove any mandatory registration, as it is an absolute hot button (nuclear strength) issue in NYS that will only cause unnecessary anger and tension. Peter Borst in the June ABJ writes about apiary programs in the USA; some states have good programs with voluntary registration; having mandatory registration in other states does not prevent high winter loss and AFB incidence. Forcing it on beekeepers isn't worth the battle and is non-productive.
 
  There is a website with an online petition , map of petition signatures, press articles, Q&A page, comments page, and contact info for your representatives.

https://www.freenybees.com/
-------------------------------------
NOFA-NY
2019 Policy Resolution:

 
Resolution: The members of NOFA-NY call upon Governor Cuomo and Agriculture Commissioner Ball to improve the Apiary Program in the following ways: 
  1. Keep hive and apiary registration voluntary in NYS.
  2. Provide notification and communication of county spraying for mosquitoes, use of bee toxic substances for tick abatement, and outbreaks of honey bee disease such as American Foulbrood, for all beekeepers and the general public
-------------------------------------------------------------

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)
6) Biology of Wintering Bees, Medhat Nasr PhD, Alberta
7)Proactive Beekeeping, Medhat Nasr PhD
8)"What is Killing Our Bees" Medhat Nasr PhD

9) "A Bit about Bees" Peter L Borst
 
Crop Insurance Program (ELAP)
Info from Cornell Dyson School of Applied Economics; Apiary Fact Sheet
Agent locator
Mite wash jars, field guides available for purchase, all proceeds benefit the non-profit NY Bee Wellness
Great How-to videos from the University of Guelph Honey Bee Research Centre

Queens, mite checks, bear fencing, etc.
 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, with NYS, February 25, 2020
Includes export reports.
* www.pollinator.cals.cornell.edu; Master Beekeeping online course

* COLOSS- International Honeybee Research Association, a good resource, with link to the Bee Book

* Randy Oliver's website, http://scientificbeekeeping.com

* Invasive Species NEWS

*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
Bee-L archives


* Honey Bees 101 for Veterinarians

* Northeast Regional Climate Center Quarterly reports and MAPS, OUTLOOKS

 
* University of Montana Master Beekeeping Course, online
Journeyman Course starts March 23


* 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


***If you have an article, photos, or other info to share, please send to:
newsletter@nybeewellness.org
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.
Unusual or dying brood?
 
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