It's winter, although it doesn't look like any winter that I can recall. I'm not complaining as I'm not a fan of cold, snow, and ice, but it certainly is unusual and I hope I don't get spoiled having such an easy time checking my hives. Here we are, halfway through January, and I haven't had to get the dogsled out once. (Actually, it's just boots, and trudging across a 40 acre field covered in snowdrifts is not pleasant, but necessary.)
I've also been less concerned about the bees with the relatively warm temperatures. I don't get too anxious until we have an extended period below 10 degrees F, and extended sub-zero temps gets me praying. When it gets that cold the clusters contract tightly and may not be able to reach food. And I know it's coming, we always get sub-zero temps for at least a week prior to sturgeon spearing season. I think the spearers either pray better than I do or have a more direct line of communication. Now is a good time for those who are thinking about being a beekeeper to read about beekeeping basics, and for those of us that have been at it for awhile to be reading about what's new in bee research, and how the discoveries may apply to hobbyist beekeepers. For sure, Meghan Milbrath's article on Swarms is one of the best articles I've read lately, and I have printed it out and set it aside to reread in the March - April period, prior to swarm season. Last year I had to do an emergency walk-away split ("dirty split" in the article) on April 28th, this year I plan to be aware of my survivors' condition by mid-April. Of course, that's if there are survivors. So far it's looking promising. One thing I'm looking into is the interaction between propolis and colony health. From the current articles I've read (2018 data), it's still pretty foggy. Some hives with propolised inner walls did somewhat better than those with standard smooth walls, some not so much. It seems at the moment that there's too many variables in the mix, and the researchers are winnowing their way through. But they are convinced that propolis is used by the bees to help fight disease. Bees, some say, do not have great immune systems, and it's believed that's because they enveloped their tree cavities with propolis for millions of years and that the propolis envelope served as the colonies immune system. Then, since Langstroth came along, most hives have smooth interiors so the bees instinct to smooth rough surfaces with propolis isn't triggered. Some researchers suggest roughing up, or cutting 1/8" kerfs vertically, on the inside surfaces of the hive boxes. (One of our members said he had roughed up his box interiors for that very reason last spring, and I hope we get a report on how that worked out.) As you're googling around for information, take the date that the article was written into consideration. If the internet had been around a couple of hundred years ago, we'd still be reading articles on how the king rules the colony. Once something is published to the Web, it is there forevermore. There's tons of articles on using Fumagilin-B in the spring to help combat nosema and help build colonies fast and strong. However; Fumagilin-B went off the market last year. Not an option anymore. Brushy Mountain Bee Farm.......gone. Things change. Knowledge changes. Most of us heard about the forthcoming USDA rule that honey and maple syrup labels would require "Added Sugar" on the label. I had read last summer that Sioux Bee (the USA's largest honey packer) had already started doing that. But thanks to the honey and maple syrup producers that sent in their comments to the USDA, the USDA reconsidered and that verbiage IS NOT REQUIRED. The new Farm Bill (which has not been implemented quite yet) states that "single ingredient, 'packaged as such' products" do not require it. I'm very interested in what Tim Wilbanks will be talking about next Saturday at our meeting. His world of being a commercial bee supplier is one that I know nothing about. I'm looking forward to it. Plus, we have elections for Vice-President and Treasurer, and reports on the upcoming beekeeping classes. We will start promptly at 9:30 with Tim taking the floor at 10:00. Meeting: Saturday, January 19, 9:30 a.m., Caestecker Library, Green Lake See you then and there, Gerard
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ECWBA NewsletterSince 2009 Archives
March 2019
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