Download - Tuesday, November 24th, 7:30 pm at the West Barnstable ...€¦ · Scale Hive Monitoring and Seasonal Management Regular scale-hive monitoring of a Wellfleet honey bee colony’s

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

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.)

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.

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.

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/

ClaireDesilets

BarnstableCountyBeekeepersCalendar

ThephotosandbeekeepinginformationcontainedinthiscalendarspecificallyrepresentbeekeepingonCapeCodanditsuniquechallenges.Certainly,mostoftheinformationispertinenttolowerandcoastalNewEnglandthisistrulyOURcalendar.

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

We’llhavethecalendaravailableforpurchaseatthemonthlymeetingsintothenewyear.

JoeMcClure

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

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]