Tuesday, November 24th, 7:30 pm at the West Barnstable ...€¦ · Scale Hive Monitoring and...

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buzzwords http://www.barnstablebeekeepers.org November 2017 Upcoming Meeting Tuesday, November 24 th , 7:30 pm at the West Barnstable Community Building on Route 149. Featured program will be our state apiary inspection program with Kim Skyrm, PhD, Chief inspector or one of her inspectors with a report of the state of bees in Massachusetts. To include also comments on the use of Oxalic acid dribble and vaporization. SWEETS AND TREATS ALWAYS WELCOME FOR NIBBLING. From the Board What to do? What to do? What to do? I don’t know what to write about. It’s not my month. These are the thoughts that ran through my head when I realized I had left someone on the schedule that is no longer on the board. I had hoped that someone would step up and fill the void. That was a pretty selfish thought. Why should someone put themselves out to make my life a little more convenient? That’s the thing with volunteering. People are giving their time, and satisfaction of doing is the only compensation. Also, different people have different interests. Not everyone can or wants to write something that people will read and evaluate on some scale of quality and usefulness. That’s the thing with volunteering. I wanted to contribute to the newsletter. Desktop publishing has been an interest for me since the ‘80s. I like to think I can turn a phrase too. No one has told me I should hang it up yet, so I’ve continued. So, here I find myself chewing on thoughts to see if I can get any flavor out of them to spice up this empty white space. I don’t have the luxury of being concerned if people don’t like it. Forage The ultimate guide to overwintering success Solar Power and Honey Bees Make a Sweet Combo in Minnesota Our girls have been helping even longer than we thought! Instead of Burn Pile, New Hope to Kill Afb

Transcript of Tuesday, November 24th, 7:30 pm at the West Barnstable ...€¦ · Scale Hive Monitoring and...

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buzzwords http://www.barnstablebeekeepers.org November 2017

UpcomingMeeting

Tuesday,November24th,7:30pmat theWestBarnstableCommunityBuildingonRoute149.

FeaturedprogramwillbeourstateapiaryinspectionprogramwithKimSkyrm,PhD,ChiefinspectororoneofherinspectorswithareportofthestateofbeesinMassachusetts.ToincludealsocommentsontheuseofOxalicaciddribbleandvaporization.

SWEETSANDTREATSALWAYSWELCOMEFORNIBBLING.

FromtheBoard

Whattodo?Whattodo?Whattodo?Idon’tknowwhattowriteabout.It’snotmymonth.ThesearethethoughtsthatranthroughmyheadwhenIrealizedIhadleftsomeoneontheschedulethatisnolongerontheboard.Ihadhopedthatsomeonewouldstepupandfillthevoid.Thatwasaprettyselfishthought.Whyshouldsomeoneputthemselvesouttomakemylifealittlemoreconvenient?That’sthethingwithvolunteering.Peoplearegivingtheirtime,andsatisfactionofdoingistheonlycompensation.Also,differentpeoplehavedifferentinterests.Noteveryonecanorwantstowritesomethingthatpeoplewillreadandevaluateonsomescaleofqualityandusefulness.That’sthethingwithvolunteering.Iwantedtocontributetothenewsletter.Desktoppublishinghasbeenaninterestformesincethe‘80s.IliketothinkIcanturnaphrasetoo.NoonehastoldmeIshouldhangitupyet,soI’vecontinued.So,hereIfindmyselfchewingonthoughtstoseeifIcangetanyflavoroutofthemtospiceupthisemptywhitespace.Idon’thavetheluxuryofbeingconcernedifpeopledon’tlikeit.

Forage

Theultimateguidetooverwinteringsuccess

SolarPowerandHoneyBeesMakeaSweetComboinMinnesota

Ourgirlshavebeenhelpingevenlongerthanwethought!

Instead of Burn Pile, New Hope to Kill Afb

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That’sthethingwithvolunteering.Ifyoudon’tlikewhatyourorganizationoffers,youhavetwochoices:fix/notfix.Youcanaddspecialmodifierslike“complain”or“grumble”toaddalittledrama,buttheydon’taddaction.Toinvigoratethechoices,youhavetoact,byleaving(notfix)orgettinginvolved.Sometimespeopleliketocontributeinthebackground.Somepeoplejustwanttopaytheirduesandorderpackagesinthespring,orperhapsit’sjustaninterestingnightoutonceamonth.WhenJulieLipkinfeltitwastimetohandoffthenewsletteraftersomelongdedicationIwrangledourresidentauthor,MelissaCaugheyinto“volunteering”.HeronlyconditionwasthatIwouldhelpwhenshegotbusy.Shewasgoingtohavetoscratchouthersecondbook!ItwasonlyonceshecalledonmetomakegoodthatIrealizedhowbusysheactuallyis!Inevergaveitback.That’sthethingwithvolunteering.Sometimeswedon’treallyknowwhereweshouldstepin.Ifweeachdon’tmakeourbestcontribution,therecanbecomenothingtowhichtolendourefforts.Therearemanyopportunitiestolendyourskills,andtalentswithintheBCBA.Evenjustbeingthereonacommitteeortheboardmayshowthatevenifyoudon’tthinkyouhaveanythingtocontribute,youjustmight.Ialwaystellmyself,“onceyougetthere,you’llbefine”whendoingthingsImaynotreallywantto.That’sthethingwithvolunteering,rightnow,Ifeelfine!JoeMcClure

TreatmentFreeBeekeeping

Iaminterestedinfindingotherbeekeepersworkingtowardoralreadypracticingtreatmentfreebeekeepingwithagoalofpossiblymeeting2-3timesayear.Ourpurposewouldbetosharewhatwemeanbytreatmentfreebeekeeping,shareexistingpracticesbothsuccessfulandfailed,discussiononsmallcellbeekeeping,feedingandprovidesupport.Ifyou’[email protected].

LynnHeslinga

DecemberWinterMarket

Markyourcalendars!TheBarnstableCountyBeekeepers'annualHolidayFairwillbeheldattheWestBarnstableCommunityCenteron Tuesday.December 12 at 7:30.ThisisagrandopportunityforholidaygiftshoppingaswellasavenueforanyandallofourtalentedBCBAmemberstoselltheirwares.Inthepastourmembershaveofferedlocalhoney,beeswaxproductssuchaslotionsandcandles,woodworkingproducts,beesupplies,knitting,painting,ceramics,cards,photography,andagriculturalproductsamongotheritemsforsale.(IapologizeifIhaveomittedmentionofanyothercategoriesofproductsfrompastyearsasthereseemstobenoendtothecreativityandnicheitemsourcreativemembersproduce.)

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Asaclubmember,comeandseewhatothermembersaremakingandmarvelattheirskills.Asashopper,comeandfindtheperfectlocallymadeholidaygift.Asavendor,comeandsellyourwares.

Ifyouwouldliketobeavendor,pleasecontactmeviaemail([email protected])toreserveyourspot.ThereisNOCHARGEtobeavendor.Simplycontactmetoholdyourspotandbringyourowntableastheyarenotprovided.

Ilookforwardtoseeingyouthere!

JohnBeach

FromtheArniaBeeBulletin

"ResearchersfromUniversityofNorthCarolinaatGreensborohavestudiedtheeffectsofsteelfoundationwireonhoneybeebroodhealth.Theyhaveshownthatbroodinthecellsoverlappingfoundationwirescontainedsignificantlymoreironandwasremovedatsignificantlyhigherratethancontrolbrood,thusindicatingthatmetalcontaminationisnegativelyaffectingthehealthofthemanagedcolonies.

Thequeen’sreluctancetolieinwire-associatedcellshasbeenpreviouslyreported(andprobablyobservedbymostofusatsomepoint)butitisunclearwhetherthequeenavoidsthesecellsorifthenewlylaidbroodisremovedasapartofhygienicbehaviour.Thedistinctionbeingimportantastheenergeticcostsofthelatteraresignificantlyhigher.

TheGreensbororesearchersproposethattheuseofsteelfoundationwiresnegativelyaffectsthehealthofthecolonyby:

directlyinfluencingthesurvivalofthebroodcompromisedhealthofadultbeesthatwereexposedtowiresasbroodbutnotremovedingestionofunhealthybroodbynursebeesduringhygienicremovalleadingtometalcontaminationaffectingthenavigationalabilitieslaterinforaginglifeoveralldecreaseinavailableresourceastherearecoststohygienicbehaviouraswellasresourceusedtorearthebroodpriortoitsremoval.

Thestudyhighlightsoneoftheeffectsofcommonmodernbeekeepingpracticethatmaybecompromisingthehealthofmanagedcolonieswhichcouldbeavoided.Thealternativesbeingwirelessfoundation,woodenstabilisers,foundationlessbeekeepingorpossiblystainlesssteelwirewhichislesstoxic.Forbeekeeperswhoseharvestissethoneywirelessfoundationmaybeagoodandverysimplechoice."

MOREONFEEDING

Forthoseofyouunsureofjusthowtofeedyourbeesthiswinter,thispictureshouldhelp.

Twosimplecheapwhitepaperplatesplacedrightonthetopbarsandpiledwithdrywhitesugarworksquitewell.Thebeescancrawlovertheedgeorjustchewthroughthebottomoftheplatetoaccessthesugarwhenneeded.Mistingisnotneededcomewinterasthecondensationinthehivewillreadilyclumpthesugaranditwillbehardinnotime.Newplatesareeasilyaddedwhenneededthroughoutthewinter.

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ViaLynnHeslinga

AFollow-UpfromOurSeptemberMeetingwithT.Seeley,Ph.D.

ThispaperbyTomSeeleyandcoworkersexploressomeofthedynamicsbetweenhivesize,colonysize,varroamitesandswarming.Notethatvarroalevelsweremeasuredwithpowderedsugar,whichtendstounderestimatemitelevels.http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0150362

ClaireDesilets

ScaleHiveMonitoringandSeasonalManagement

Regularscale-hivemonitoringofaWellfleethoneybeecolony’snetdailygainsandlossesoverthepast16yearshasshownhighlyconsistentpatternsofnectarflow;thesepatternsformthebasisofmyseasonalcolony-managementdecisions.Inmyapiary,acolony’snetweightgainistypicallylimitedtoonly4-5weeksduringtheentireyear,whenjustafewspeciesoftreeandshrubareinfullbloom.Thebeescertainlybringinbothpollenandnectarbeyondthesenet-gainperiods,butit’sapparentlyconsumedasquicklyasitisgathered,evidencedbyastableordeclininghiveweight.

Inmyareatheprincipalsourcesofnectarthatproduceanetcolonyweightgain,andprovideharvestablesurplusesofhoney,areblacklocust(Robiniapseudoacacia,winterberry(Ilexverticillata)andsweetpepperbush(Clethraalnifolia).Iconcludethisfromthefactthat,duringall16yearsofscale-hivemonitoring,coloniesgainwhenandonlywhenthesethreespeciesareinbloom.Ofcourse,anetgainisalsodependentonweatherandcolonystrength.Thus,whentheweatherisdryandwarminMayandthescalecolonyisverystrong,Imayseemodestnetgainsduringbeachplum(Prunusmaritima)bloom,asthisyear.

Itiswellknownthatahoneybeecolony’sseasonaldevelopmentistiedtothephenologyofbloomofbothpollenandnectarsources.OntheouterCape,wehavelittleopenfarmlandorpastureforbeeforage.Nevertheless,wedohaveextensivevegetatedwetlands,andit’sagoodthingforbeesandbeekeepersbecausewithoutthemIdoubtthatwecouldmaintainhoneybeecoloniesinthismaritimeforestofoakandpine.

Here,inAprilandMay,thebeesaredependentonabundantspring-bloomingtreeslikewillow(Salixspp.)andredmaple(Acerrubrum)tofuelearlycolonygrowth.Littlenetweightgainisrealizedbecausetheseresourcesgototheraisingofthousandsofnewworkers.Withgoodspringforagingweather,thecolonyisabletogreatlyenlargeitsfieldforcetocollectastorableexcessfirstduringblacklocustbloom,followedshortlybywinterberry.Adearthhasalmost

Wellfleetscalehive:astandardLangstrothhive(withallmedium-depthboxes)onrecycledplatformscale.

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alwaysfollowedduringthelastcoupleofweeksinJuly,withthecolonyfeedingmanymouthsandlosingmuchweighteachday.Thelastbignectarflowcomesfromsweetpepperbushfromabout1to15August;thisisusuallythecriticalsourceofnectarforboththeoverwintersurvivalofthecolonyandaharvestablesurplusforthebeekeeper.

Knowledgeofthetimingoflocalnectarflowsishugelyvaluableforcolonymanagement,especiallyifoneistryingtomaintainanapiarybypropagatingfromone’sownlocalstock.Justoneexample:IusuallyraisequeensandmakeupnucleuscoloniesinJuneandearlyJulyduringthelocustandwinterberryflows.Thenucsthriveduringthisperiodofabundanceandreadilyacceptripequeencells.Meanwhile,mylargecoloniesareburstingwithbeesandbrood.DuringthelateJulydearth,eachlargecolonycaneasilyspareafullframeofbroodwithnoharm.Agoodframeofthiscappedbroodaddedtoeachnucswitchesitsgrowthintooverdriveandsetsituptoproductivelyexploitthesweetpepperbushbloom,shortlythereafterinAugust.Asaresult,thesenucsrequireonlyalittlesyrupfeedinginSeptember,anotherdearthperiodhereontheouterCape,tobringthemuptoweightforsafeover-wintering.

Scalehivedatahavehelpedmewithmanymanagementdecisionsinsustainablebeekeeping.Thisisjustataste.

JohnPortnoy

HereIsanIdeaForNextSpring

FlyBackSwarmisanimitationofanaturalswarm,orattemptatone.Itstartswithastrongcolonyinthespringpreferablybeforethecoloniesswarmimpulsesetsin.Thiscolonyismovedfromitsstandtoanotherinthesamebeeyard.Initsplaceontheoriginalstandisplacedanewtenframehivethatholdsnineframesoffoundation,nineframesofdrawncomboracombinationoffoundationanddrawncomb.Fromtheoriginalhivetheoldqueenandoneframeofopenbroodwiththeadheringbeesisplacedintothenewhiveontheoriginalstand.Allflyingbeesfromtheoriginalcolonywilljointheoldqueenattheoriginalstand.That'swhatIcalltheswarm.Therearevariationsofthisandtrickssuchasremovingtheframeofopenbroodonceithasbeencappedasawayofcleaningtheswarmupfrommoreofthevarroa.Theoriginalcolonyonitsnewstandwillraiseanewqueenandshouldhavetheonemissingframereplacedwithaframeoffoundationoradrawncomb.Thesamecanbedoneaftermyhoneyflowandwellbeforewinterprep.Somemayseethisashypersplittingbutitisnotasonlytheverybestwithlowestmitenumbersarekepttooverwinter.Manyaremainlyusedtodrawnewcombs,recombinedordissolveifinpoorshape.

(takenfromablog–beekeeperIsintheMid-Atlanticarea)

Checkoutourclub’sFacebookpage

https://www.facebook.com/groups/BarnstableCountyBeeA/

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ClaireDesilets

BarnstableCountyBeekeepersCalendar

ThephotosandbeekeepinginformationcontainedinthiscalendarspecificallyrepresentbeekeepingonCapeCodanditsuniquechallenges.Certainly,mostoftheinformationispertinenttolowerandcoastalNewEnglandthisistrulyOURcalendar.

Whileeveryonecantaketimetoenjoythecalendar,Ihavetolookforwardtothenextyear,pendingclubapprovalofcourse.Itrytokeepphotographsinthemonthwhenitwastakenoratleastinareasonabletimeframefortheactivityitpresents.Weareheadingintotheseasonsforwhichtherearefewsubmissions.OverwinteringandwinterworkarephotosIwouldverymuchliketohaveinthecalendar.Treatments,feeding,thoseluckydayswhenthegirlsgettodocleansingflightswhenthereisstillsnowonthegroundaregreat.Icouldusesomepicturesofthebadstufftoo,mold,deadouts,hivebeetles,waxmoth.

We’llhavethecalendaravailableforpurchaseatthemonthlymeetingsintothenewyear.

JoeMcClure

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RECIPES

HoneyButter

• 1⁄2cup butter (at room temperature) or 1⁄2 cup margarine (at room temperature)• 1⁄4cup honey

DIRECTIONS

1. Whipbutterwithmixeruntilfluffy.2. Graduallyaddinhoneyandmixuntilwellblended.3. Chilluntilreadytouse.4. VANILLACINNAMONHONEYBUTTER:add1/4teaspoonvanillaand1/4teaspoon

cinnamon.5. ORANGEHONEYBUTTER:add1-2teaspoonsgratedorangezest.6. LEMONHONEYBUTTER:add1-2teaspoonsgratedlemonzest.

APPLE&FONTINACROSTINIINGREDIENTS

• 1loafCrostinibread• 12tbsp.applebutter• 6oz.Fontinacheese,thinlysliced• 1largeapple,sliced• ½cupwalnuts,chopped• Honey,totaste

DIRECTIONS

7. Preheatovento375ºF.Sliceloafinto1inch-thickpieces.Spread2tablespoonsofapplebutteroneachsliceandplaceonalargebakingsheet.TopwithslicesofFontinacheeseandbakeuntilcheeseismelted(approximately5minutes).

8. Removecrostinisfromtheovenandtopwithappleslices.Sprinklewithwalnutsanddrizzlewithdesiredamountofhoney.

MariaCashdollar

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RESOURCES(accurateasof1/17)

Thefollowingofficersanddirectorsareagreatresourcetoanswerquestionsandrequestsforassistance.

Officers

President MichaelD.Smith [email protected]

VicePresident KayleighCronin [email protected]

CorrespondingSecretary ClaireDesilets [email protected]

RecordingSecretary DeborahCarmel [email protected]

Treasurer LynnHeslinga [email protected]

DirectorsMarthe Ayers [email protected] MaryAnne Mann [email protected]

John Beach [email protected] Joe McClure [email protected]

Maria Cashdollar [email protected] Andy Morris [email protected]

Todd Cashdollar [email protected] Brian O'Donnell [email protected]

Melissa Caughey [email protected] Steven Pelletier [email protected]

Kathy Clobridge [email protected] Melissa Sanderson [email protected]

Kimberly Concra [email protected] Lisa Sheehy [email protected]

PeterB Cooper [email protected] Mark Simonitsch [email protected]

Mary Johnson [email protected] Miguel Zamora [email protected]

Paul Lefebvre [email protected]