Bee News - August 2017

August 2017

BEE NEWS

Straight from the Hive!

Meet the Beekeeper!

On the 1st September 1973 Alva Louis Deane registered his apiary of ten colonies and began beekeeping supported by his wife Elsie with his son Gordon as his assistant. Docile Italian bees (Apis mellifera ligustica) flitted from flower to flower gathering pollen and nectar for their hives. Honey then was TT$25.00 a bottle. Then came the arrival of aggressive Africanized bees (Apis mellifera scutellata) and five years later, in 1979, both men decide to quit beekeeping. Young Gordon, however, missed working with the bees and imagined having his own apiary someday when he was able to manage them himself.

Gordon Deane graduated from the Government’s beekeeper training programme in August 2014 and less than a year later, with the advice and guidance of Hayden Sinanan, Inspector of Apiaries, Gordon’s dream became reality when he registered his apiary of ten colonies continuing the family tradition of beekeeping. He also receives coaching from Ricardo Dandrade, a commercial beekeeper whom he met at the Caribbean Bee Keeping Conference held in Tobago in 2016.

Gordon has been a busy man all his life, but now with some free time on his hands, he decided to return to his former passion. Beekeeping has also allowed him to incorporate his other passion – woodworking and he builds all his bee boxes from the Cedar trees grown on his estate. Gordon’s family also help in the honey business, with his wife Beverly and son Andrew taking on the role of assistant honey extractors. And the bees!! Well they are the same Africanized bees which worried his father, Alva, all those years ago.

Yes, Gordon has had his share of stings but as he says, “You can’t play sailor and be afraid of powder”.

Bee Fact!

To place an order

Bees need a coffee kick start The day does not start for some of us without a cup of coffee, and this is also the case for some bees which get a “jump start” from consuming nectar that contains caffeine. This caffeine is naturally found in the nectar of the flowers of some plants which may have evolved this as an incentive to attract more bees. … Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal

email us at elsiesfinest@gmail.com

News from the Apiary!

Excitement was building as I drove up the hill last Friday on Mundo Nuevo Trace and approached the location of the apiary. The week before, we had collected several sealed super frames of beautiful “Mora honey”, another of the natural forest honey that we produce. The weather had been mostly good this week and I was looking forward to discovering what the bees had been up to.

Last year the honey flow from the extensive Mora forest (Mora excelsa) in this area of our Northern Range lasted for six weeks.

This would be the second week of production if the trees continue to flower as they did in 2016 and if the weather remains fine.

We soon got suited up and gathered all that was needed for our inspection. As we entered the apiary and began to examine each colony, the tell-tale signs of Mora nectar and pollen were revealed by a dusting of white pollen scattered at the entrances. As we opened the boxes, the sweet aroma hit us and the sight of sealed frames of “Mora honey” was a welcome reward for our many weeks of preparation. The “Mora honey” flow had begun in earnest. There is much to look forward to. … Gordon Deane

A Chance Meeting that resulted in a Working Friendship I met Gordon in 2014 when he attended the Ministry’s beekeeping course which I conducted. I met him for a second time when he came into my work place seeking further information and guidance. We struck up a conversation and I offered to help with his beekeeping pursuits. After a successful site visit to his estate in 2015 and some further advice, the project commenced. To date that beekeeping enterprise has successfully grown from a humble start to approximately 30 colonies. This success can be attributed both to the tenacity of this new beekeeper and the weekly advice that was acted upon over the last 2 years. Again this all started by a chance meeting and a successful one week training course back in 2014.

Elsie’s Finest Honey, $180 for a 750 ml bottle.

… Hayden Sinanan — Inspector of Apiaries, Trinidad and Tobago

Health Tips!

Unusual uses for honey The ancient Egyptians used honey to treat wounds as early as 3000 BC. Today, honey is still being used for that purpose. According to the Nursing Standard, honey speeds up the healing process by stimulating wound tissues.

It’s so effective that, in 2006, a Manchester hospital began importing honey to help treat patients after surgery.

In This Issue Managing Editor Dr Jo-Anne N. Sewlal BSc., MPhil., Ph.D., FLS., CBiol., CSci., MRSB., FRES., FRGS., FBNA., R. Anim. Sci., MIEnvSc. Content Editor: Breanne Mc Ivor MA (Cantab), MSc (Edin) Layout Design: Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal Contributors: Gordon Deane, Hayden Sinan Breanne Mc Ivor, and Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal

November 2017

BEE NEWS

Straight from the Hive!

Elsie’s Finest Honey — the Brand!

Elsie’s Finest, the brand name chosen for the first pure honey produced from my apiary in Mundo Nuevo in Matura is the only name that could be used – named after my mother Elsie Deane.

Shortly after she passed in 2006, at the age of 93, her niece Angela Pidduck, wrote an article about her which was published on Sunday 19th November in the Newsday.

It read in part – “Elsie Deane (nee Day) died just five months after her husband Alva.

A very calm woman with a good sense of humor, she raised her five children in a moderate-sized home in Woodbrook. She was a practicing Roman Catholic and had a great sense of family”.

She worked tirelessly alongside my father on the estate in Cumana, participating in every part of the process except entering the apiary herself. As my father and I brought the honey-filled frames in, she was always there to receive them and help with extracting the honey, and bottling of the finished product.

Even after my father stopped keeping bees, she continued her weekly trips to the estate, ensuring that we were well fed and that the house was in good order. Her happiest times however, were when all her children, Judy, Colin, Neil, Christine and myself were able to come along.

These outings brought us together as a family more than anything else. The picture in this article is the same one which hung on our living-room wall for as long as I can remember. This cherished memory of my mother is recalled each time I affix a label to a bottle of Elsie’s Finest Honey. … Gordon Deane

Bee Fact!

Queens do not run the show She may hold the title of “Queen” but she does not dictate what happens in the colony, except when it comes time to form a new colony. Similar to worker bees, queen bees are produced to provide a service to the colony, in this case it is to produce eggs, which can be up to 2,000 a day, every day for her two to three year life span. … Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal

To place an order email us at elsiesfinest@gmail.com

News from the Apiary! — Gordon Deane This year, the Mora forest did not flower as prolifically as it did last year, nor did it last as long. We were therefore, quickly into post-harvest management. This means that we are faced with two challenges: preventing swarming and keeping the bees fed. Contrary to popular belief, bees do not produce honey for us, but for themselves. Their stores of honey are used to sustain them during periods when no nectar is available in the environment. When a beekeeper removes these stores, they need to be replaced which is done by feeding the bees with a simple syrup, and if necessary a pollen substitute. Without this, the bees may starve and the colonies dwindle.

Africanized bees have a strong tendency to swarm which can significantly weaken the colonies as approximately 60% of the population will depart with the queen to make a new colony, while the remaining workers rebuild the old one. After the harvest, we also split many of the stronger colonies, which helps to prevent swarming. We obviously did not do this aggressively enough since there was significant swarming this year. Thankfully, with the help and guidance of my two beekeeping mentors, Hayden Sinanan and Ricardo D’Andrade, we have recovered and should be able to rebuild and re-queen where necessary. We now look forward to expanding the apiary in time for 2018.

From the apiary, a Very Happy and Holy Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Testimonials "My favourite honey from Elsie’s Finest is extracted during the dry season when the bees feed mainly on citrus making this honey’s flavour have an extra “tang”! I take a teaspoon daily with apple cider vinegar and it’s always my first choice as a topping to my pancakes. I can tell you it works great and is the perfect remedy to eliminating a cold or sore throat when mixed with lemon or lime. Trust me this pure honey lives up to all of its expectations and more." … Nehanda Nkrumah

Elsie’s Finest Honey, $180 for a 750 ml bottle & $65 for a 200 ml bottle.

"I bought a case of Elsie's Finest Honey and we've used it on several of our recipes at breakfast and also for desserts.

We have relished every drop! Gave some out as gifts to our friends and family.......they keep coming back!" … Raymond Aaron

In This Issue

Health Tips!

Honey does more than satisfy your sweet tooth…

Mary Poppins sang that a “spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.”

But maybe you should try a spoonful of honey instead. Honey contains antioxidants like flavonoids, which are linked to a reduced risk of strokes, heart attacks and some types of cancer. … Breanne Mc Ivor

Managing Editor Dr Jo-Anne N. Sewlal BSc., MPhil., Ph.D., FLS., CBiol., CSci., MRSB., FRES., FRGS., FBNA., R. Anim. Sci., MIEnvSc. Content Editor: Breanne Mc Ivor MA (Cantab), MSc (Edin) Layout Design: Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal Contributors: Gordon Deane, Nehanda Nkrumah, Raymond Aaron Breanne Mc Ivor and Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal

February 2018

BEE NEWS

Straight from the Hive!

Save the Bees!

A Harvard University study published in 2015 concluded that neonicotinoids are killing bees at an exponential rate. They are now broadly regarded as the direct cause of colony collapse disorder (CCD).

Neonicotinoids are a range of nicotine-based insecticides introduced in the 1990’s replacing insecticides such as DDT. Now, globally they are the most commonly used insecticides. In insects they cause paralysis and death. They are sold under brand names such as Tristar, Prospec, Safari etc. They were originally thought to be much safer than their predecessors. However, when applied to the soil or as a seed treatment, they are taken up by the roots and transported throughout the entire plant. Residues are now being found in pollen and in corn grown from treated seeds, bringing into question their safety.

Worse yet is the revelation that bees may be becoming addicted to these chemicals and may prefer foraging crops sprayed with these insecticides. No wonder one scientist describes them as 1,000 times more dangerous than DDT. When pollinators visit these plants, they take back the poisons in the form of nectar and pollen.

This is then stored in their cells affecting future generations and eventually leading to CCD. Because of this, a provisional ban was placed on these insecticides by the European Union in 2013, after 50% of Germany’s insect population was devastated. A permanent ban is anticipated this year. Bees do not only produce honey for us, they perform the job of pollination which causes our plants to produce fruits and seeds.

Their loss would create a human and economic disaster unknown in modern times. … Gordon Deane

What our beekeeper has been up to

Bee Fact!

Hives have their own security guards Some worker bees at around 21 days of age are given the task of being guard bees, as the venom in their sting is most potent. They stand at the hive entrance on their two hind pairs of legs and inspect every bee entering the hive with their front legs and antennae, like a security guard at the airport. This is to detect intruders such as bumble bees and wasps. If they need “back up”, they can also extend their stinger and release an alarm pheromone to attract other guard bees. … Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal

Gordon Deane gave a talk on bees and beekeeping at a meeting of the Rotary Club of Port of Spain in November 2017.

To place an order email us at: elsiesfinest@gmail.com

News from the Apiary! — Gordon Deane When will this rain stop falling? This is the question which was being asked by beekeepers everywhere. While the Soap Vine and other “earlies” arrived on time, the constant rain quite dramatically interfered with the honey flow which these species produce. This situation affected our developing colonies in Cumana, where Soap Vine is prolific. Fortunately, our main apiary in Matura is not reliant on these species, and has been made ready for the flowering of the extensive Rubber forest, which surrounds the apiary.

We continued to provide the bees with syrup until they told us to stop. They prefer to forage for natural nectar than survive on what we provide. All nooks (new colonies in development) have been transferred to full boxes and strengthened. Their foraging will contribute to some extent to this year’s production. Nook boxes have also been made ready for the splits which must follow the flow to prevent swarming and to create more colonies to expand the apiary for 2019.

The Rubber trees should flower for about six weeks and will be supplemented by other species such as, Cypre, Olivier, Hogplum, citrus and the like, giving the honey a lovely blend of flavours. We hope you enjoy this year’s offerings!

From the apiary, have a safe and fun Carnival season.

Testimonial I have had the distinct pleasure of enjoying this brand of nectar of the Gods (or is it Gordon's?) via his wellmanaged hives ab initio. Apart from the natural wellness of this affordable food, the taste and texture of this honey makes you want to have it again and again. My wife and I will continue to partake of this fare for as long as it is produced. … Carlos (Angel) Landeau (King of the J’ouvert band) “Oh Mudder Earth”

Health Tips!

Make honey part of your carnival burn!

Honey can kickstart your workout and it provides a healthier alternative to energy drinks that may contain artificial sweeteners, preservatives, dyes and food colourings. Runner’s World even dubbed honey “the perfect running fuel” because its natural unrefined sugars can be easily absorbed by the body. ... Breanne Mc Ivor

Elsie’s Finest Honey, $180 for a 750 ml bottle & $65 for a 200 ml bottle.

In This Issue Managing Editor Dr Jo-Anne N. Sewlal BSc., MPhil., Ph.D., FLS., CBiol., CSci., MRSB., FRES., FRGS., FBNA., R. Anim. Sci., MIEnvSc. Content Editor: Breanne Mc Ivor MA (Cantab), MSc (Edin) Layout Design: Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal Contributors: Gordon Deane, Carlos Landeau, Breanne Mc Ivor, and Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal

Swarming!

A swarm of bees can be both a fascinating and a fearsome sight. It occurs when about 70% of the bees in a colony, along with the queen, leave the hive to set up a new home elsewhere. While this may be a natural phenomenon of colony reproduction, beekeepers are always alert to the early signs since this is the equivalent of 70% of your workforce walking (or should I say flying) off the job.

What then causes bees to swarm? Let us first establish that it is successful hives which will most likely swarm. They become overcrowded with pollen and nectar stored everywhere and no place left for the queen to lay her eggs. The bees will get ready to swarm by creating queen cells and preparing the queen for her journey. The queen cells left behind will hatch as new queens thus ensuring the survival of the old colony. The prevention of this type of swarm is relatively straightforward requiring the beekeeper to avoid overcrowding by providing sufficient storage space for pollen and nectar and for the queen to lay her eggs and for brood to be reared.

The other type of swarm is called a reproductive swarm and this is more difficult and often impossible to prevent. Early detection of their intention to swarm presents the best options. Splitting the colony at this time may convince the bees that the swarm has already taken place and the beekeeper ends up with two colonies instead of one. Should detection not occur early enough, nothing will deter them. There are however, a few things which can be done to make the best of a bad situation.

Remember, should you come upon a swarm of bees in your surroundings, they have probably stopped to rest and will likely move on in a day or two. Given that all honeybees in Trinidad ( not in Tobago) are now Africanized, why take a risk? Call in the experts to deal with it. While there is evidence to support the theory that bees, when swarming, are unlikely to attack since they have filled up on honey for the journey and are focused on their mission, it is a theory I would urge you to leave untested.

… Gordon Deane

Bee Fact!

What we see buzzing around are “Grandma” bees

What our beekeeper has been up to

From birth to death the roles of worker bees change as they age. Newly emerged bees are put to work immediately in tasks such as, feeding the developing larvae and cleaning the hive. While older bees take up the role of foragers, collecting nectar and pollen.

… Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal

To place an order email us at: elsiesfinest@gmail.com

Gordon Deane was recently granted membership to the Caribbean Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Elsie’s Finest would also like to congratulate fellow bee-keepers, Ricardo D’andrade and Hayden Sinanan on their membership to CAS.

News from the Apiary! — Gordon Deane In 2017 the honey flow began slowly in mid-February with the early flowering of the Rubber trees and was in full flight by mid-March. This year, because of unusually prolonged rainfall, the Rubber trees slowly began to flower in late March, significantly delaying the start of the 2018 honey flow at Mundo Nuevo Apiary in Matura.

Finally, the flow began in earnest three weeks later than it did last year. The rubber trees were considerate and did not change leaves or begin to flower early but waited for the rain to abate. This is important since bees tend not to forage when it’s raining so should the trees be Working into the night preparing producing nectar the bees will not collect it during a shower of rain. honey-filled frames for transport With that said, we are off and running for the 2018 honey season.

The colonies were mostly ready for the start and as usual some disappointed while others produced surprisingly well. Such is the nature of beekeeping. It does not matter how careful you are or how meticulous your records, there will always be surprises.

We are now busy removing frames, extracting the honey and replacing the frames in the colonies so that the bees can fill them up again. The cycle is then repeated. Careful attention is paid to the strength of the colonies during this period since swarming is a looming threat that can dramatically reduce the workforce of bees and quickly turn an excellent honey flow into a very poor one for the beekeeper.

Given the late start, the hope is that the flow will last three weeks longer than it did in 2017. We will let you know how it turned out in our next issue.

Testimonial

Norman Christie (Regional President, BP T&T)

I don’t know what “it” is. Maybe it is the stories from the bee keeper, or the assurance that the product is just as advertised, or some special magic the bee keeper isn’t disclosing.

Whatever “it” is, I enjoy no other honey as much as Elsie’s Finest Honey.

My wife and I are hooked. We’ll be leaving Trinidad soon, so it sounds like exports will have to be in the plans for Elsie’s Finest Honey.

Health Tips!

Make honey part of your beauty routine!

You can use honey to make a moisturizing face mask, just make sure you pull your hair back first! Honey is a natural humectant, which means it attracts moisture from the air and into your skin, leaving your face hydrated. Just scoop a spoonful of honey into your hand and spread it onto clean, dry skin. Let it sit for 15 – 20 minutes before rinsing with warm water. ... Breanne Mc Ivor

Elsie’s Finest Honey, $180 for a 750 ml bottle & $65 for a 200 ml bottle.

In This Issue Managing Editor Dr Jo-Anne N. Sewlal BSc., MPhil., Ph.D., FLS., CBiol., CSci., MRSB., FRES., FRGS., FBNA., R. Anim. Sci., MIEnvSc. Content Editor: Dr Jo-Anne N. Sewlal (this issue) Layout Design: Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal Contributors: Gordon Deane, Norman Christie, Breanne Mc Ivor, and Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal

Drones!

Mechanical drones can hover over industrial installations, carrying out inspections. Others are involved in armed conflict in war torn areas. None of these are as interesting as the original. Drones, in fact, are the only male bees in a bee colony. They are larger than worker bees, do not forage, cannot sting, and are thrown out of the colony when resources become scarce. Their only function is to fertilize virgin queens. Nevertheless, like all honey bees, they are intriguing creatures.

Fertilization of the virgin queen takes place inflight where she mates with as many as 15 drones. This occurs on one or two flights and she never mates afterwards. Each drone supplies between five and eight million sperm, enough for the lifetime of a queen, yet she mates multiple times. She returns to the colony where only the stronger sperm make it to her spermatheca where they are stored, ensuring quality offspring. The rest are discarded.

Worker bees go to great lengths to make sure that large quantities of healthy drones are produced during the mating season. They are given a high protein diet both at the larval stage and as young males. This guarantees a high-quality, healthy sperm count which peaks when drones are about two weeks old.

By this time the drones are making between three and six mating flights every day. They get together in drone congregating areas (DCA) about 30 to 60 meters in the air and wait for virgin queens to arrive. There are about 10,000 drones in one of these DCAs at any one time with another 5,000 on their way back to the hive to refuel on nectar or return to the DCA. It takes, therefore, 15,000 drones to make up a good liming spot. Drones establish their DCAs close to the colonies from which they come whereas virgin queens visit far off DCAs. This avoids in-breeding which would produce weak offspring.

What intriguing creatures bees are!

… Gordon Deane

Bee Fact!

Bees helped make the dictionary Beeswax is produced as white flakes from glands under a young bee’s abdomen and gradually turns golden. The word “sincere” was influenced by bee’s wax. In the past, sculptors would use bleached bee’s wax to hide mistakes in their sculptures. So, having a statue without wax or “sine cera” was a source of sculptor’s pride.

What our beekeeper has been up to

… Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal

To place an order email us at: elsiesfinest@gmail.com

Our beekeeper is know for DIY. His homemade Solar Wax Melter channels sunlight though the transparent lid to heat beeswax until it melts.

Beeswax has a range of uses from waxing surfboards to making beauty products. In fact, a candle made entirely of our melted wax has already been lit!

News from the Apiary! — Gordon Deane It has been a dizzying time in the apiary since the honey flow began. Picture this: frames full of honey removed weekly from the colonies, honey extracted, and empty frames returned to be filled again by the bees. This routine is repeated over and over during the honey flow.

At the same time, we monitor the environment to ensure that sufficient forest trees are blooming. After all, when the flowering ceases, the honey flow ends. The colonies are also regularly inspected to avoid overcrowding. Where this is discovered, brood from the stronger colonies is removed and placed in weaker ones to discourage swarming. Despite our Inspecting the Nucs efforts, new queen cells were detected in a few colonies. Early detection allowed us to split these and other colonies before they could swarm, and we set up new Nucleus colonies or “Nucs”, which are essentially smaller colonies. We have set up 13 Nucs and those which successfully produce a queen will become part of our producing colonies next year.

The first part of the honey flow ended by mid-June and now both Nucs and full colonies are being fed to sustain and strengthen them. Early August usually brings flowering of the Mora forest. At that time, bees once more forage for food. Another cycle of honey extraction begins, and colonies are closely monitored for swarming. Perhaps a few more Nucs might even be created. After this comes a long period of feeding, developing the Nucs, general maintenance, and getting ready for the 2019 honey flow. The work never ends for the beekeeper, but these little bees work much harder than we do.

Testimonial After trying several brands of honey previously I can honestly say this is the best I’ve ever had.

Clearly harvested to perfection.

Seamus Clarke Managing Director ARK Outsourcing Ltd.

Health Tips!

Cure that cough today!

Can’t stop coughing? The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified honey as a possible treatment for cough. Even better, honey has none of the side-effects of over-the-counter cough medicines. You can also combine honey with lemon for a homemade cough syrup that relieves irritated or inflamed throats and kills bacteria. ... Breanne Mc Ivor

Elsie’s Finest Honey, $180 for a 750 ml bottle & $65 for a 200 ml bottle.

In This Issue Managing Editor Dr Jo-Anne N. Sewlal BSc., MPhil., Ph.D., FLS., CBiol., CSci., MRSB., FRES., FRGS., FBNA., R. Anim. Sci., MIEnvSc. Content Editor: Breanne Mc Ivor MA (Cantab), MSc (Edin) Layout Design: Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal Contributors: Gordon Deane, Seamus Clarke, Breanne Mc Ivor, and Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal

November 2018

BEE NEWS

Straight from the Hive!

Beware of Food Fraud!!!

Honey is one of nature’s purest foods, referred to by nutritionists as “functional food” because of its many health benefits. It is relatively expensive, and consumers are entitled to get what they pay for.

The latest honey food fraud scandal in Australia exposes what committed beekeepers have known for some time now, that cheap, fake honey is increasingly being sold to an unsuspecting public. “How is honey adulterated?” you might ask. And “why has it not been detected before?” Honey is adulterated in two main ways: by adding cheap Chinese honey or various syrups.

After a devastating bout of foulbrood disease which wiped out huge numbers of China’s bees in 2001, honey appeared on the market which was artificially “ripened” (eliminating much of its health benefits) and some which it is suggested was synthetic and never troubled a bee to be produced. The US placed heavy tariffs on Chinese honey as a result. This did not stop it reaching the US by transhipping and relabelling, it appeared to come from other countries to which the tariffs did not apply. Further, to avoid detection, Chinese honey is also now heated and ultra-filtered to remove all pollen which makes it impossible to determine its source.

The detection of added syrups is the other issue. Typically, syrups made from starchy plants like sugarcane and corn were added and are easily detected using a C4 test. The fraudsters have become sophisticated and have started adding cheap rice, wheat and beet syrups which cannot be detected using the standard C4 test. However, a new test, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) pioneered in Germany, has already detected these syrups and put the cat among the pigeons.

Earlier this year, T&T Beekeepers used a German lab to test samples of honey being sold locally.

They all proved to be adulterated and contained no pollen. Threatened with exposure the merchant removed the offending product from the shelves. Also, despite the ban on the importation of honey into T&T, the USDA National Honey Report disclosed that 13,900 kg of honey were exported to T&T during the first half of 2018.

Beware of where you purchase your honey, the fraudsters are among us. … Gordon Deane

What our beekeeper has been up to

Bee Fact!

Hard working bees A single honey bee visits between 50 and 100 flowers during one collection trip. A typical hive visits approximately 225,000 flowers per day and makes an average of 1,600 round trips in order to produce one ounce of honey. To make one pound of honey, bees fly over 88,500 km to gather enough nectar. … Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal

November is a busy month for our beekeeper and his colleagues. They will be attending the 9th Caribbean Beekeeping Congress in Guyana. They will also be presenting two posters at the 21st Biennial Conference of the Caribbean Academy of Sciences.

News from the Apiary! — Gordon Deane There is always value in a second pair of eyes. Another person looking at the same situation may see something quite different from what you are seeing. This is exactly what happened in the apiary recently.

I have usually judged the strength of a colony by examining the relative number of bees assembled on the landing board at the entrance to the colony, big mistake.

My good friend and ace beekeeper, Ricardo D’Andrade, visited one of the sites at my Matura apiary and was unhappy with their condition, especially since I had told him that they were progressing well. He and his team conducted a thorough examination and concluded that there was insufficient brood in development to see the colonies successfully through a potentially rainy November.

Urgent intervention was required. Feed had to be doubled and pollen provided. I am pleased to report that three days after this was done the bees were already making the necessary preparations for the queens to recommence laying. This is the first step in brood development. Great News!

Ricardo and his team then returned bringing gifts of brood and two new queens from their own apiary to strengthen mine.

With careful management and a better approach to On their way to the check on the colonies, Santa measuring strength going forward, Mundo Nuevo apiary will be and his elves surprise an unsuspecting hiker in the forest. ready for the 2019 honey season, ensuring continued supplies to our customers. Big thanks to a generous fellow beekeeper.

From the apiary, a Very Happy and Holy Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Testimonials “This has to be the honey with the finest, consistent quality and distinct taste. If you know Gordon, the beekeeper, you will know that his dedication to his hives and attention to detail and quality are unparalleled. This is reflected in each bottle of Elsie’s Finest Honey which always lives up to its name.” … Dr. Ishvan Ramcharitar MBBS(UWI), MFOM (Ireland), MSc. Occupational Medicine (Aberdeen), FRSPH (London), Cert OH Law (UK)

Elsie’s Finest Honey, $180 for a 750 ml bottle & $65 for a 200 ml bottle.

To place an order email us at:

elsiesfinest@gmail.com

In This Issue

Health Tips!

Honey helps you catch those ZZZs… The Sleep Health Foundation estimates that 1 in 3 people has at least mild insomnia. But honey can help you catch those ZZZs. Honey’s natural sugar encourages tryptophan, an important sleep hormone, to enter your brain more easily. You can also mix honey with Himalayan Salt which will increase serotonin, helping you destress before bed. … Breanne Mc Ivor

Managing Editor Dr Jo-Anne N. Sewlal BSc., MPhil., Ph.D., FLS., CBiol., CSci., MRSB., FRES., FRGS., FBNA., R. Anim. Sci., MIEnvSc. Content Editor: Dr Jo-Anne N. Sewlal (this issue) Layout Design: Dr. Jo-Anne N. Sewlal

Contributors: Gordon Deane, Ishvan Ramcharitar, Breanne Mc Ivor and Dr. Jo-Anne N. Sewlal

My First Teacher Honey, twenty-five dollars a bottle! The customers arrived at our home on Roberts Street in Woodbrook, calling at the front gate to get their supply. Friends, neighbours and people we did not know but who had heard that good honey was available at a reasonable price showed up regularly.

My father, Alva Deane, was a beekeeper. You could say that we were all beekeepers since the entire family was involved in the project. My mother Elsie, as well as sisters, Judy and Christine, along with brothers Colin and Neil were all involved. The braver ones among us joined him in the apiary while others carried the heavy boxes containing frames of honey (including the occasional bee) to the little estate house for extraction. I can still remember my mother spinning the centrifugal extractor and the smell of that fresh honey as it was spun out of the frames.

Alva Deane was a Chartered Accountant and a senior public servant.

He had a passion for agriculture and purchased a parcel of land in Cumana, Toco in 1955. He grew cocoa, citrus and Julie mangoes, none of which were really a financial success but helped to pay the cost of keeping the land in good order. In 1972 he met Mr. De Matas who kept Italian bees at his home in Duke Street, in Port of Spain and decided to take it up himself. With Alva Deane instructions from the Apiaries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, he began. He bought his equipment from Mr Butcher in Barataria, assembled his boxes and frames and set up his apiary #749 comprising of 10 Colonies.

Upon the arrival of the highly defensive African bees in Trinidad, like many other beekeepers, he ceased operations. His main concern being the danger these new bees may have posed to his family.

Today beekeepers, including myself, successfully manage these very Africanized bees which inhabit the island. Like my father, my family can also say that they are beekeepers since in one way or another, they are actively involved. … Gordon Deane

What our beekeeper has been up to

Bee Fact!

All the better to see you with….

Did you know that bees have five eyes? They have two compound eyes, like flies and wasps, which are made up of thousands of individual lenses or facets. Workers have between 4,000 – 6,000 and drones have between 7,000 - 8,600 facets. The advantage of having compound eyes is that bees are very good at detecting movement. If a honey bee were to look at a movie, it would be able to see it frame by frame. Located above their compound eyes are three simple eyes or ocelli like those also found in many species of spiders. This type of eye can detect light intensity but not images. … Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal

News from the Apiary! — Gordon Deane The dry season is here and a long harsh one is predicted. While WASA is hurriedly fixing leaks like never before, our bees are delighted at the early flowering of various species of forest flora which occur at this time.

The flowering began as early as last December with many areas of secondary forest seeming to flower, when in fact the covering of pale-yellow flowers were the product of the soap vines which inhabited their upper branches. The bees foraged these flowers and produced a dark and highly flavored honey.

Now, the white flowers of the Cypre trees can be seen beginning in the west and moving steadily eastward along the Northern Range. The old rubber plantation in Matura is also beginning to shed its leaves; a sign of imminent flowering. The bees will transform this into a light colored, tasty, mild honey.

After this comes a few scattered species; Hog Plum, Citrus, Olivier, Cajuka, which should maintain the bee colonies until the next main honey flow is generated by the flowering of the Mora forest. The honey produced from these flowers is particularly sought after and is the favorite of many honey lovers.

As we were preparing to release this issue, a major act of Suiting up to extract honey! Beekeepers have to be covered from head to toe. vandalism was discovered at the apiary. This will delay the start of production by two to three weeks at which time your supply of Elsie’s Finest will resume. The process of recovery has already started and a return to full operations should be achieved later this year.

Thank you for your continued loyalty.

Testimonials “Personally for me, I am motivated and inspired about the healing and powerful health benefits I have derived from using this honey. I use it every day; it increases my metabolism and accelerates my energy level. I am appreciative of this just because of my extremely busy schedule. I've been introduced to Elsie's honey by the owner and beekeeper Gordon, 2 years ago and have not stopped using it since. I would recommend anyone to try this honey...it's simply pure and absolutely delicious." … His Worship, The Mayor of Port of Spain, Alderman Joel Martinez

Elsie’s Finest Honey, $180 for a 750 ml bottle & $65 for a 200 ml bottle.

To place an order email us at:

elsiesfinest@gmail.com

In This Issue

Health Tips!

It’s time to take honey out of the kitchen…

Use honey’s hydrating powers in the bathtub to leave your skin smooth and soft. Since honey is a natural humectant, it will help retain the skin’s moisture. Just mix one tablespoon of honey with warm water until it becomes runny.

Transfer it to your bath. Then soak and enjoy. … Breanne Mc Ivor

Managing Editor Dr Jo-Anne N. Sewlal BSc., MPhil., Ph.D., FLS., CBiol., CSci., MRSB., FRES., FRGS., FBNA., R. Anim. Sci., MIEnvSc. Content Editor: Breanne Mc Ivor MA (Cantab), MSc (Edin) Layout Design: Dr. Jo-Anne N. Sewlal Contributors: Gordon Deane; His Worship, Alderman Joel Martiez; Breanne Mc Ivor and Dr. Jo-Anne N. Sewlal

Forest Flowers Most people now know that bees do not produce honey all year round. In speaking with customers, they seem mostly to believe that there is little or no production in the dry season since everything is so dry and desolate as opposed to the lush conditions of the rainy season. This is indeed counterintuitive. If we pause for a moment and consider that in an hour a bee visits some 3,000 flowers, and that there are approximately 40,000 bees in a bee colony, we get some idea of the number of flowers which have to be present for a honey flow to take place. Look to the forested areas during the dry season and you will observe the forest trees in full bloom.

Incidentally, a honey flow occurs when nectar sources are in bloom and the weather is favourable for the bees to fly and collect nectar in abundance. In Trinidad, the flow begins at the end of the rainy season (usually in December) when the vines flower, soap vine and cujoe vine for example.

Then comes the great trees of the tropical forest. In January, we begin to see the white flowers of the Cypre moving slowly along the northern range from west to east followed by the two species of Immortelle. Also flowering at this time is the Cashew from January to March and in March comes Rubber, Coffee and Pink Poui followed by Yellow Poui.

March to April brings the huge Olivier trees into bloom along with Olivier tree in bloom Jiggerwood, which occurs mostly in the Central Range. These are followed

by Hog Plum, Citrus, Caimet, Serette, Balata, Bloodwood, Savonette and the best of them all Mora.

Beekeepers wait in hope for Mora to flower since she is quite temperamental but produces a beautiful nectar from which the bees produce an outstanding honey. It is also the last opportunity for a honey flow before the dearth which occurs during the rainy season. … Gordon Deane

Bee Fact!

What our beekeeper has been up to

Bees have X-ray vision Did you know that bees don’t see the world like you and me? Bees can see some solid colours, and differentiate between light and dark colours but they also see colours in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum.

Hence, some plant species have evolved UV markings on their petals which serve as bullseyes or act like the landing strips on airport runways, leading bees to their nectaries.

… Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal

Newly built nucleus boxes specially built to create new colonies as part of our rebuilding exercise!

News from the Apiary! — Gordon Deane In our last issue we mentioned that our apiaries had been damaged by an act of vandalism. As the days passed, it became evident that the damage was much more severe than was originally envisaged. The results of our investigation pointed clearly towards a disgruntled worker whose services were no longer required.

It was then necessary to decide whether to focus on prosecution or rebuilding. After witnessing the steady decline and eventual collapse of many colonies, in spite of our best efforts to save them, and prompted by The Holy Spirit, we decided on forgiveness. First, we removed all failed colonies from the apiaries.

All equipment then had to be cleaned, sanitized and preserved.

Around this time, a beekeeping colleague arrived with 16 of his own colonies which were placed in one of our apiaries. These will go a long way towards securing the continued honey supply to our customers and will act as the nucleus to rebuild our colonies.

Big thanks to Ricardo, Emmanuel and the crew.

Our first new starter colony was set up from one of our highproducing surviving colonies. Much more of this will have to be done as we nurture our apiaries back to full strength. Some new colonies will be purchased from other beekeepers to diversify the gene pool Rebuilding colonies: creating a nucleus hive and some may even be collected from the wild. from an established colony Many lessons have been learned from this experience and I am sure that there are many more to come. Your honey supply will not be interrupted and we will keep you posted on our progress.

From the apiary, a Very Happy and Holy Easter.

Testimonials “I have long been aware of the great health value of pure honey.

When I came across Elsie’s Finest, I found it to be of a high standard with a rich wholesome taste. Only later did I realize that the beekeeper was someone I had known for years and never associated him with this activity.

Elsie’s Finest is truly another Trinidad and Tobago product of world class quality.” … Hon Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon, Minister of Trade and Industry

Elsie’s Finest Honey, $180 for a 750 ml bottle & $65 for a 200 ml bottle.

To place an order email us at:

elsiesfinest@gmail.com

In This Issue

Health Tips!

Honey helps keep your heart healthy!

According to cardiologist Dr Stephen Sinatra, honey contains antioxidants which help reduce inflammation. The doctor explains, “By keeping inflammation to a minimum, you’re putting the brakes on dangerous plaque build-up in your arteries and helping to protect yourself against a heart attack or stroke.” … Breanne Mc Ivor

Managing Editor Dr Jo-Anne N. Sewlal BSc., MPhil., Ph.D., FLS., CBiol., CSci., MRSB., FRES., FRGS., FBNA., R. Anim. Sci., MIEnvSc. Content Editor: Breanne Mc Ivor MA (Cantab), MSc (Edin) Layout Design: Dr. Jo-Anne N. Sewlal

Contributors: Hon Minister Paula GopeeScoon, Gordon Deane, Breanne Mc Ivor and Dr. Jo-Anne N. Sewlal

Pollinators As we go about our daily lives, we seldom stop to observe the miracles of nature that surround and sustain us. We have little understanding of the delicate and intricate activities taking place continuously and sustaining the cycle of life which affects all living things including ourselves.

Let us take pollination as one example. It is probably best explained by its absence – for without it, fertilization would not occur, resulting in no seeds, no new plants, and no more flowers. Flowering plants need to get pollen from one flower to another for pollination to occur. Since pollen cannot move on its own, the wind, animals and sometimes water will carry out the job of transportation. Most plants are pollinated by animals, the majority of which are insects. Why do insects bother to do this you might ask? Plants provide nectar and pollen A bee getting nectar and pollinating at as edible rewards to those who visit their flowers.

Bees are great pollinators as they visit countless flowers each the same time! day, collecting nectar in their honey stomachs and pollen in their pollen baskets. These are used to feed themselves and their young. The nectar provides energy and the pollen, a source of protein.

It is believed that bees evolved from wasps which largely fed on other insects. They may have gotten a taste for pollen and nectar stuck on the bodies of the insects which they consumed. They fed this to their young and there the process of the evolution of the modern bee may have begun.

The process of evolution of bee and flower occurred together with the development of very sophisticated floral characteristics geared to ensure that the bee is not only attracted to the flower but once there, its path is directed to guarantee that pollen transfer occurs. These characteristics include: overall flower size, its depth and width, its colour (including patterns called nectar guides which are only visible in ultraviolet light), its scent and the amount and composition of nectar. Truly remarkable! Next time you see a flower, have a closer look. ‌ Gordon Deane

Bee Fact!

Bee brains!

A honey bee may have a brain not much larger than the full stop at the end of this sentence, but what they lack in size, they make up for in intelligence.

They have approximately one million nerve cells and are not only capable of learning but they also teach other bees through dance and scent. ‌ Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal

What our beekeeper has been up to

A behind the scenes look at the bottling process!

News from the Apiary! — Gordon Deane Bees are such resilient creatures. This is not surprising since there are records of them being managed by humans for honey production dating back to 6,000BC and living in the wild over 100 million years ago.

Mundo Nuevo Apiaries has been recovering steadily since our last issue of Bee News. With careful husbandry, the strong resilience of these incredible little creatures and the favourable environmental conditions, excellent progress is being made.

The sixteen colonies which were loaned to the Apiary on February 23rd this year have performed very well. Along with the other colonies, they have produced high quality honey as flows were generated by the flowering of various forest trees.

More importantly however, these colonies are being split to create nucleus hives (nucs) which will be developed into new colonies to replace those that were lost. The first two nucs were set up in mid-April, one from a surviving colony and the other from a colony collected in the wild. At the end of April, two full colonies were purchased and two more nucs were added, a gift from another beekeeper. Thank you, Leif Johnson. In mid-May, a major split of the colonies on loan created eleven nucs and a further split of Beekeepers working late into the night installing these and other colonies in late-June created five additional nucs. new colonies!

Also, in June, the entire apiary of a small beekeeper was acquired, adding eight new colonies. Thank you, Ryan Sam. Hope you return to beekeeping soon. Apiaries now stand at nineteen full colonies and nineteen nucleus colonies in development. Our objective is to return the Apiaries to its full complement of 52 colonies by the end of this year.

We will keep you posted!

Testimonials “Elsie’s Finest honey came highly recommended by my colleagues. Best decision ever! Elsie’s produces the finest liquid gold honey that exceeded my expectation in terms of viscosity, flavor, aroma and most of all customer service. I even tested the integrity and purity of Elsie’s finest and it passed with flying colors. Exceptional quality in every bottle of Elsie’s Finest honey.”

Elsie’s Finest Honey, $180 (750ml bottle) & $65 (200ml bottle)

… Tricia Ramjattan Lab Technician

To place an order email us at:

elsiesfinest@gmail.com

Health Tips!

In This Issue

Honey for healthy hair...

Managing Editor Dr Jo-Anne N. Sewlal BSc., MPhil., Ph.D., FLS., CBiol., CSci., MRSB., FRES., FRGS., FBNA., R. Anim. Sci., MIEnvSc.

Honey is the perfect conditioner it’s a humectant, attracting and retaining moisture to keep your hair smooth and healthy. Mix a quarter cup of honey with fresh water, thinning it until you can spread it on your hair. Apply to damp hair, waiting 30 minutes before washing. … Breanne Mc Ivor

Content Editor: Breanne Mc Ivor MA (Cantab), MSc (Edin) Layout Design: Dr. Jo-Anne N. Sewlal

Contributors: Gordon Deane, Tricia Ramjattan, Breanne Mc Ivor and Dr. Jo-Anne N. Sewlal