2012 Collection by Missouri State Beekeepers Association

2012 Newsletter Collection Sponsored By:

Missouri State Beekeepers Association February 2012

Eugene Makovec, Editor

editor@mostatebeekeepers.org

P.O. Box 448 Oak Grove, MO 64075 www.mostatebeekeepers.org

Sign up now for our annual Spring Meeting, March 8-10 in St. Louis! See pages 3-6 for hotel, registration and agenda. From the President ........................ 2 Spring Meeting preview ................ 3 Meet us in St. Louis! Monsanto Acquires Beeologics ..... 3 Spring Meeting agenda .............. 4-5 ... and vendor list Spring Meeting registration ........... 6 ABF Conference Highlights ........... 7 ABF Queen competition report ..... 7 Queen Lillian named 1st Runner-up From the Queen Chair ................. 7 Spring workshops and activities .... 9 Local associations ....................... 11 Membership application ............ 12 New -- Join or renew online! Honey Queen report ....... 13 Directory of officers .......... 13

photo by Eugene Makovec

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Page 2 From the President

Missouri State Beekeepers Association

difference in the world.” Ah, the things that might have been, My wife loves baseball movies, especially if they star Tom Hanks, a lament penned by John Greenleaf Kevin Costner and Brad Pitt (respectively, A League of Their Own, Whittier. The time to prevent that Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, Moneyball). Come to think of it, Nancy same experience this year is here. Now likes ANY movie starring Tom Hanks, Kevin Costner or Brad Pitt. is the time to ready our equipment for A League of Their Own came out in 1992 and continues to randomly the upcoming season. Now is the time appear on the cable networks. Tom Hanks is a coach for a baseball to place our orders. After all, proper team of young women. Set in the era of World War II, with the planning prevents poor performance. young men of our country overseas serving in the war, a local As I put this newsletter together, the businessman contrives a plan to keep the sport of baseball alive (and playoffs for the Super Bowl have make a buck or two) by forming a professional women’s baseball concluded, leaving the Patriots and the Giants to vie for the title. My league. beloved and beleaguered Minnesota Vikings, along with the other My wife’s favorite line is an exasperated Tom Hanks losing his 29 teams NOT going to the Super Bowl, are all eyeing the draft and patience with one of the players and he whines, “Are you crying? lamenting, “Next year.” Are you crying? There’s no crying in baseball!” Well, for us beekeepers, “next year” is here! No more laments. As my passion is beekeeping, I, too, suffer from an exasperation No more excuses. No procrastination (because there’s no from someone who comes up to me and says, “Well, I didn’t get procrastination in beekeeping, or so I’m told). I’m using January my frames put together. I know they arrived back in February but and February to get my equipment ordered, get it assembled, fix I didn’t have time to assemble them. And it looks like I won’t get and repair old frames and get ready. March will roar in and before my supers on because I decided to go fishing. And I would have I know it, it’s April, time to make nucs and catch swarms. May is requeened that failing colony, but I didn’t get any queens ordered the month to get those hives supered. There’s never enough time last January. I was going to...” to get ready when nature unleashes the nectar and pollen. I can’t This is where I interrupt, charging from the dugout, saliva and be hindered by lack of preparedness, and if I’m not ready, I have no chewing tobacco spewing from my teeth as I sputter, “Are you one to blame but myself. procrastinating? Are you procrastinating? There’s no procrastinating I don’t want to roll into the conclusion of this season wishing I had in beekeeping!” done things differently, lamenting the things that might have been. Then the umpire can throw me out of the game for my insensitive The time to change that potential outcome is now. Now is the remarks. time to get ready. It’s never too early to prepare for the upcoming But here’s the truth: There is no procrastinating in beekeeping. season. Good beekeepers anticipate what the bees need even before the There’s no room for procrastination in beekeeping. I’m hoping this bees know they need it. season is your best ever. Take the time, now, to ensure that it is. I think what irritates me the most is how these same people came All the best, up to me last year and proclaimed they were going to do whatever Grant it took to make honey. They had impatient spouses looking for a honey crop to use as Christmas gifts, and at least one spouse wanting a financial return on what they felt was a substantial investment. One person even said to me, “I’m going to shadow you. Whatever you do, I’m going to do.” I get excited when someone comes up to me and exclaims they are ready to do whatever it takes to make a honey crop. It thrills me, vicariously, to know the joy they will experience when they struggle to pry off that honey-laden super. My finger tips tingle as I recall trying to maintain my precarious grip in the super’s shallow hand-holds. My back muscles spasm involuntarily as I remember the weight that momentarily challenges my equilibrium as I strive to regain my footing. And then there is that satisfaction of watching that beautiful abundance cascade from the extractor -- my payoff from a season of laborious devotion. The MSBA Executive Board is seeking nominations from our Yeah! I get excited when someone wants that same experience and membership for our 2011 Mentor of the Year Awards. satisfaction. I love to collaborate with others who desire those same If you were the beneficiary this past year of an extraordinary ideals. But it bums me out when they fail to achieve what they said mentoring effort, please tell us your story. Contact President they wanted. Maybe they were only placating my passion. Maybe Grant Gillard with the details. (Grant’s contact information the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak. Maybe they opted for appears on page 13.) the path of least resistance, and they should have followed Robert Frost’s advice: “I chose the path less traveled, and it made all the The award will be announced March 9 at our Spring Meeting.

by Grant Gillard

Heartland Honey and Beekeeping Supplies 19201 South Clare Road Spring Hill, KS 66061 913-856-8356 www.heartlandhoney.com

Wanted: Mentoring stories

February 2012

Page 3

Meet us in St. Louis!

... for our annual Spring Meeting, March 8-10, 2012 The annual Spring Meeting of the Missouri State Beekeepers Association will be held in Chesterfield (St. Louis County) on March 9-10, with special events on Thursday, March 8. Featured speakers will include: Jerry Hayes, longtime teacher of “The Classroom” in the American Bee Journal and former Chief Apiary Inspector for the state of Florida. He will lecture on “Honeybee Health” and other topics to be named later. Jerry has just accepted a position with Monsanto, which recently acquired the honeybee research firm Beeologics (see story this page), so we look forward to hearing his thoughts on that development. May Berenbaum, PhD, Professor and head of the Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, and author of numerous books on bees and other insects. Among other things, she will speak on “Bees and Pesticides” and “The Chemistry of Honey”. Greg Hunt, PhD, Professor, Department of Entomology, Purdue University, and winner of the Eastern Apicultural Society’s 2007 J.I. Hambleton Award. He will talk Greg Hunt about “The Indiana Bee Breeding Program for Mite Resistance and Winter Hardiness” and “Risks from Modern Agriculture in the Midwest”. David Burns, producer of package bees, nucs and (Monsanto press release) queens, a key participant ST. LOUIS, Sept. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Monsanto Company in the Illinois Queen (NYSE: MON) today announced it has acquired Beeologics, which Initiative and President researches and develops biological tools to provide targeted control of the Central Eastern of pests and diseases. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Beekeepers Association. Beeologics is focused on biological research. Current projects in His topics will include its pipeline – including a product candidate being developed to help David Burns “Types of Bee Foundation” protect bee health – use a naturally-occurring process to provide and “The Sticky Subject of targeted pest and disease control. The expertise Beeologics has developed will enable Monsanto to Propolis”. In addition, we have several breakout sessions by MSBA members. further explore the use of biologicals broadly in agriculture. Monsanto will use the base technology from Beeologics as a part of its continuing This meeting will be located at: discovery and development pipeline. Biological products will continue to play an increasingly important role in supporting the sustainability St. Louis Marriott West Hotel of many agricultural systems. Both companies expect that their 660 Maryville Centre Drive combined research could provide farmers with novel approaches to St. Louis, MO 63141 the challenges they face. Monsanto, which has proven expertise in managing a technology 1-800-352-1175 or 314-878-2747 pipeline, will support the Beeologics team and its Technology Advisory Our special room rate (one king or two double beds) is $79.00 Board in advancing its pipeline. Beeologics’ work to promote bee (double occupancy $99.00) with breakfast, and is guaranteed through health will continue under Monsanto’s ownership. February 16. Be sure to mention that you are with the Missouri State Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of technology-based Beekeepers. solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity Contests to be held: Cooking with Honey, Bread Machine Bread, and food quality. Monsanto remains focused on enabling both smallBrownies/Blondes, Jam/Jelly, Cheesecake, Mead, and Beeswax Art. holder and large-scale farmers to produce more from their land while Contact Pam Brown (femmeosage1@aol.com or 636-398-5014) if you conserving more of our world’s natural resources such as water and need more information. energy. Beeologics is an international firm dedicated to restoring bee health FALL MEETING PREVIEW and protecting the future of insect pollination. Through continuous Our Fall 2012 meeting is in the final planning stages! Here research, scientific innovation, and a focus on applicable solutions, Beeologics is developing a line of products to specifically address are some details: the long-term well being of the bees. With offices and laboratories October 26-27, 2012 with special activities on October in the United States and Israel, Beeologics brings together some of 25. Holiday Inn Kansas City, CoCo Key Water Resort. the world’s most recognized scientists in its field to help achieve Speakers will include Gary Ross, retired Kansas state its mission. To learn more about Beeologics, please visit: www. apiarist. beeologics.com.

Monsanto acquires targeted-pest control technology start-up

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Missouri State Beekeepers Association

Missouri State Beekeepers Spring 2012 Meeting Agenda (subject to change) Thursday, March 8 3:00PM

Searching for a volunteer to allow us to tour their beekeeping operation in the metro area. Please call Pam Brown at 636-398-5014

4:00 - 6:00PM Wine, mead and beer tasting social, featuring Bob Finck and Michael Godfrey 6:30 - 7:30PM Registration table open 7:30PM

Movie - Peter Fonda in Ulee’s Gold

8:00PM

Board meeting with dinner Vendor setup (tentative)

Friday, March 9 8:30AM

Vendors open Registration table open Setup Queen Auction tables Northeastern and Southeastern Directors meet with area beekeepers

9:00AM

Welcome – Announcements – Door prize drawing – Grant Gillard Contest setup -- please have all contest entries here by now (see page 3 for contests)

9:15AM

Invocation – Rev. Don Buford

9:20AM

The Chemistry of Honey – May Berenbaum. PhD

10:05AM

Break – Visit with vendors Judging of contests

10:30AM

The Sticky Subject of Propolis - David Burns

11:15AM

Jerry Hayes - TBA

12:00PM

Announcements – Grant Gillard - Door prizes People’s Choice voting on contest entries

12:10PM

Lunch – ticket required

1:10PM

Bees and Pesticides – May Berenbaum, PhD

1:40PM

Break - Visit with vendors Book signing – May Berenbaum, PhD Bus tour to the Butterfly House (entrance fee applies) and Faust Park – Bus is free, tip the driver $1.00

2:00PM

Q & A – May Berenbaum, PhD

2:15PM

Bee Diseases - David Burns

3:00PM

Honey Bee Health - Jerry Hayes

3:45PM

Door prize drawing - Break – Visit with vendors

4:15PM

David Burns - TBA

5:00PM

Door prize drawing - Announcements

February 2012

Page 5

Missouri State Beekeepers Spring 2012 Meeting Agenda (continued from previous page) 6:00PM

Beekeeper of the Year Banquet –Ticket required

9:00PM

Queen’s Reception - Donations welcome

Saturday, March 10 8:00AM

Southwest Director meets with area beekeepers

8:45AM

Welcome - Announcements – Introduce Honey Queen – Door prize drawing

9:00AM

Queen’s patriotic presentation

9:10AM

Risks from Modern Agriculture in the Midwest - Greg Hunt, PhD

10:00AM

Different Types of Bee Foundation – David Burns

10:50AM

Break – Door Prize Drawing - Visit with vendors

11:15AM

Indiana Bee Breeding Program for Mite Resistance and Winter Hardiness - Greg Hunt

12:00AM

Lunch – Ticket required

1:00PM

Q&A – Jerry Hayes and David Burns

1:45PM

Breakout sessions: Easy to Build Frames Using a Jig – Ian Brown How to Speak at Schools – Vera Gelder How to Make Pollen Patties - Jane Sueme Looking at a Working Hive (weather permitting - volunteer needed)

2:55PM

Break – Last visit with vendors

3:15PM

Business meeting and raffle prizes

Support our meeting vendors and advertisers As of press time, the following vendors had confirmed plans to attend the meeting. You can save on shipping costs by placing orders ahead of time to be picked up during the meeting.

Andrew Honey Farm

Used beekeeping equipment 217-938-4975 magic@adams.net Bernie Andrew

Dadant and Sons*

All beekeeping supplies 888-922-1293 www.dadant.com

Femme Osage Apiary*

Handcrafted woodenware & bee supplies 636-398-5014 Ian and Pam Brown

Isabees

(Authorized Walter T. Kelley dealer) All beekeeping supplies 314-894-8737 www.isabees.com Jane Sueme

Walkabout Acres*

Bees and beekeeping supplies 573-474-5830 walkaboutacres@agristar.net Art and Vera Gelder *See ad in this issue

Page 6

Missouri State Beekeepers Association Missouri State Beekeepers Association Spring Meeting Registration March 8 - 10, 2012 Marriott St. Louis West

Name you want printed on name tag:__________________________________________________________ Address:________________________________________________________________________________ Information for name tag, such as Past President, Beekeeper of the Year, etc: _______________________________________________________________________________________ Name of Bee Operation: ___________________________________________________________________ Telephone: ____________________________ Email: ___________________________________________ Local Club Name: ________________________________________________________________________ Registration Individual Family Child (12& under)

$35.00 $45.00 $15.00

number _____ number _____ number _____

$ ____________ $ ____________ $ ____________

Wine Social Without paid registration Age 20 and under

Free $6.00 Free

number _____ number _____ number _____

Free $ ____________ Free

Friday Lunch Deli Buffet Child

$20.00 $12.00

number _____ number _____

$ ____________ $ ____________

Friday Bus Tour to Butterfly House (admission paid at venue) Bus trip free, tip driver $1.00

number _____

Free

Friday Evening Southern Table Buffet Child

$20.00 $13.00

number _____ number _____

$ ____________ $ ____________

Friday Night Queen Reception Without paid registration Child

Free $5.00 Free

number _____ number _____ number _____

Free $ ____________ Free

Saturday Lunch Mexican Buffet Child

$20.00 $12.00

number _____ number _____

$ ____________ $ ____________

MSBA 2012 Membership (Individual) (Family)

$15.00 $20.00

$ ____________ $ ____________ TOTAL AMOUNT:

$ ____________

Checks will not be deposited until after the meeting, no receipt will be mailed. Mail registration form and check to: Nancy Gillard, 3721 North High Street, Jackson, MO 63755-7757. If you pre-register and cancel no refund will be made (except for hospitalization or death of registered). Meals will be refunded if sold.

February 2012

Page 7

Honey Queen competition report by Lillian-Grace Misko, 2011 MO Honey Queen Happy New Year, I am so thankful to say “Hello” again to you all. In January, I had the honor of representing Missouri at the 2012 North American Beekeeping Conference and Tradeshow in Las Vegas. Right from the beginning, I was eager to be of encouragement and assist with whatever I could. On my way to the registration booth, I recognized an opportunity to start the day off right … there was a beekeeper walking right next to me. Of course I had to introduce myself and ask if I could help him find his way to register. To my surprise it was the ABF President, Dave Mendes, who had already registered! He was such a friendly gentleman I enjoyed getting to know throughout the week. While at the conference, my duties included selling LOTS of raffle tickets. I was able to use the tickets to first meet beekeepers and then to talk about what “new things” they were learning at the convention. I also had the joy of assisting in an event for children — “Kids and Bees”, organized by Kim Lehman. By arranging some of the beekeeping equipment, I guided the children as they became “beekeepers” walking in their “bee yard” to examine their hives. One of my duties was to present a 3-minute presentation on beeswax to the ladies’ auxiliary — wow … from my research I discovered how vital and valuable beeswax is. Did you know beeswax is actually more valuable than honey? I had a non-stop and wonderful time with more than 600 beekeepers

From left: Louann Hausner (WI, past American Honey Princess), Alyssa Fine (PA, 2012 American Honey Queen), Anna Kettlewell (WI, past American Honey Queen and present ABF chair), Lillian-Grace Misko (MO, First Runner-up), Danielle Dale (WI, 2012 American Honey Princess), and Rachel Bryson (ABF Historian, PA Queen Chairperson, and past American Honey Princess)

From the Queen Chair by Joyce Justice Lillian, you are our Queen. Sorry you did not win, but you may have made a lot of people think about the process. There is always good that comes from everything. You are correct, God has greater plans for you. You have made a wonderful contribution to our Missouri honey industry and everyone is very appreciative. Do not be discouraged. We all still need you to help promote honey and encourage all of us old people. You have been a delight to all of us. Love you, Joyce

at this convention. It was hard to attend all the different sessions, but I thoroughly enjoyed the ones I did. Did you know you can use beekeeping as an outreach to prisoners? That’s one session that was definitely inspiring! I did all that I could to represent Missouri to the best of my capabilities. In the end, I was not chosen to be the National Honey Queen, but I truly thank you for your support in the process! It was a trip that I am thankful to have experienced and can truly say it influenced my life in an uplifting way. Thank you again for your friendships and your overwhelming encouragement! Please continue to pass it on to your beautiful 2012 Missouri Honey Queen, Megan Allen. Please do contact and support the Missouri Queen Program — I can validate it as a superb program! With care, Lillian-Grace Misko

ABF 2012 meeting HighPoints by Cathy Misko The 2012 American Beekeeping Federation Conference and Trade show in Las Vegas, NV, hailed about 600 beekeepers from around the U.S. and a dozen international beekeepers. Since it was because of the 2011 Missouri Honey Queen Lillian Misko attending the American Honey Queen Competition that I (her mentor) got to attend, I would like to first report on how she fared. Lillian Misko was awarded 1st Runner-up, and I will say that she “did Missouri and the Midwest proud”. Her professionalism, knowledge of the beekeeping industry, friendlines, and energy collectively were unmatched and her smile never, never, never waned! Her Midwest kindness and attentiveness was noted as she would take the time to assist “her elders” back to the elevators or by giving directions in such a large hotel. By the time we left, I think she knew the name of everyone there! It was a joy to see her represent us! Second on my list of HighPoints, I announce that our very own Becky and Steve Tipton and Robert Burns were some of the guest speakers. Since I am so proud of them, I would like to begin the ABF HighPoints with their presentations for the Serious Sideliner Symposium. Robert Burns and John Edmonds presented “Honey: Bottling and Marketing at Local Venues”. They pointed out the importance of color and style of labeling, bottle return, negotiating prices, how to set up your market table, and aftermarket advertisements of your products. Steve Tipton presented “Pollen: Handling and Sales”, pointing out that pollen collecting will cut honey production by 50%. He stressed that pollen must be collected daily, cleaned, and dehydrated or stored in the freezer. He noted that freezing pollen retains the nutritional value better, and that it is important for beekeepers to “Make NO Health Claims”. One should have a flier stating what is pollen and how to eat and store pollen. Becky Tipton fully delighted her attendees with “Beeswax: Soaps and Creams”. She eased everyone’s hand from writer’s cramp by providing all recipes for her products. Stressing to use the best and cleanest wax for one’s products, she took the class step by step on how to make and successfully market each product. Becky passed out numerous samples and by the end, we all smelled fantastic and were so lubed up we couldn’t hold a pencil to write even if we had to!! One of my favorite lectures!

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Missouri State Beekeepers Association WEAVER’S FAMOUS QUEENS And Package Bees

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Phone (936) 825-2333 FAX (936) 825-3642

EMAIL: rweaver@rweaver.com WEBSITE: www.rweaver.com

DRAPER’S SUPER BEE Specializing in:

Bee Pollen Beekeeping Supplies Containers (402) 274-3725 THE HAWLEY HONEY COMPANY 220 North Elm Iola, KS 66749 620-365-5956 (After 8 pm 620-365-7919) White clover honey strained in 5-gallon buckets. We will pack it in your jars for an extra fee. Bee Equipment - New and Used - Used Extractors Corn syrup, sugar syrup and SUGAR Bees -- Frames of brood Call for prices. Can deliver to Kansas City, Joplin or Butler, MO

February 2012

Page 9

Beginners’ workshops and other activities planned for this spring The following clubs and individuals have springtime workshops or other events in the planning stages for the spring of 2012: Eastern Missouri Beekeepers will host its Fifth Annual Beekeepers’ Workshop on February 11 in Fenton. It will feature Jennifer Berry, Erin Forbes and Grant Gillard, with instruction for beginners and experienced beekeepers. More at easternmobeekeepers.com. Eastern Missouri Beekeepers is also hosting its first “St. Louis Regional Beekeepers’ Banquet” on Friday, February 10 in Fenton, featuring Jennifer Berry as afterdinner speaker. Cost is $35 per person. The event features a cash bar and New Orleans style food and music, plus door prizes including nucs and queens. RSVP For April pickup in Lynnville, Iowa. at www.easternmobeekeepers.com by February 4th. Call 636-744-1312 for more information. These are 2# and 3# packages from Three Rivers Beekeepers will hold a Beginning C.F. Koehnen and Sons. Your Beekeeping Workshop from February 24-26, and a choice of Italian or Carniolan Queen Rearing Workshop on March 17-18. More info queens. at www.threeriversbeekeepers.com. Cory Stevens will host a field day at his queen mating Carniolan queens will be available apiary in Dexter on April 7. Call 573-225-6935 for more separately beginning in mid April. information.

FOR SALE:

PACKAGE BEES

Contact Phil Ebert: 641-527-2639 ehoney37@netins.net www.eberthoney.com

$20/1 year $38/2 years

February 2012

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Local Beekeepers Associations 1 Beekeepers Association of the Ozarks

4th Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. The Library Center, 4653 S. Campbell, Springfield www.ozarksbeekeepers.org

2 Boone Regional Beekeepers Association

3rd Sunday of month, 3:00 p.m., Columbia Insurance Group, 2102 Whitegate Dr. (back door), Columbia President Jim Duever 573-254-3373 www.boonebees.org

3 Busy Bee Club

4th Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m., Cedar County Health Center, Owens Mill Road, Stockton Neal Lee 417-276-3090 Neil Brunner 314-276-4252 grnthumb@alltel.net

4 Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association

2nd Wednesday of each month, 7:00 p.m., Powder Valley Nature Center 11715 Craigwold Rd., Kirkwood Bob Sears, President 314-479-9517 www.easternmobeekeepers.com

5 Golden Valley Beekeepers

2nd Monday of each month, 7:00 p.m. (but varies) Henry County Courthouse, Clinton MO Contact Kathy Murphy 660-678-5171 murftk@copper.net

6 Jackson Area Beekeepers

4th Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. First Pres. of Jackson, 206 E. Washington Contact Grant Gillard 573-243-6568 gillard5@charter.net

7 Jefferson County Beekeepers Association

2nd Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m., Hwy B & 21 Jefferson County Extension Center, Hillsboro Contact Scott Moser 636-285-7295

8 Joplin Area Beekeepers Association

Last Tue. of each month, 7 pm, SM Bank Community Building (7th and Duquesne Rd), Joplin Contact Gene Foley 417-624-6831

9 Mid Missouri Beekeepers

3rd Sunday of each month, 2 pm, St. James Tourist Ctr. Charlotte Wiggins, President charlotte@bluebirdgardens.com

10 Midwestern Beekeepers Association

Nov-March, 2nd Sunday of each month, 2:30 p.m. April-Oct, 2nd Thursday of each month, 7:00 p.m. (Schedule varies; please call first to confirm.) Bass Pro Shop, Independence, Conservation Room Andy Nowachek, President 913-438-5397

11 Mississippi Valley Beekeepers Association Last Tuesday of Month in Quincy, IL Contact Bernie Andrew 217-938-4975

12 Missouri Valley Beekeepers Association

3rd Monday of each month, 7:00 p.m. Location varies, call contact number below if unsure President Calvin Brandt cvbrandt@landolakes.com VP Rodney Angell bee143@fidnet.com

13 Parkland Beekeepers

3rd Tuesday of month, 7pm, Ozark Federal Savings & Loan President Bob Brenneke 573-518-1997 or 573-631-2782

14 Pomme de Terre Beekeepers

2ndThursday of each month, 7 pm Missouri Extension Office, Hermitage Contact Bessi Shryer 417-745-2527

15 SEMO Honey Producers

2nd Thursday of month, Poplar Bluff Extension Office Contact Ernie Wells 573-429-0222 wells.ernie@gmail.com

16 South Central Missouri Beekeepers Association 1st Friday of month, Howell Electric Coop, West Plains Monty Wiens, President 417 257-3994

17 Southern MO Beekeepers of Monett “MOBees”)

3rd Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. United Methodist Church, Hwy 37 NW of Monett Leon Riggs, President 417-235-5053

18 Southwest Missouri Beekeepers Association 1st Tuesday of month, Neosho High School FFA Building Contact Glenn W. Smith 417-548-2255

19 Three Rivers Beekeepers

3rd Monday of month, University of Missouri Extension, 260 Brown Road, St. Peters, Missouri, 7:00 p.m. For info: 2952 Greenleaf Drive, St. Charles, MO 63303 info@threeriversbeekepers.com

20 Northwest Missouri Bee Busters

1st Monday of odd months, 7:00 p.m. 511 4th Street, Conception Junction, MO 64434 Gerald Auffert, President 660-944-2535

21 Lake of the Ozarks Beekeepers

3rd Saturday of month, 1:00 p.m. UMC Extension Office, 100 E. Newton,Versailles MO Contact Russell Kasnick 573-372-3122

Can’t find a local near you? Contact our President or Vice President for assistance starting a new one!

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Missouri State Beekeepers Association New! Join or renew at www.mostatebeekeepers.org and use your credit card or PayPal!

February 2012 Honey Queen report by Megan Allen Greetings Fellow Beekeepers, I hope everyone is staying warm. We have been pretty fortunate in our area to have pretty good weather for the most part considering it is the middle of winter. I started off the New Year by attending our semi-monthly beekeepers meeting in Maryville, Missouri. Our club, the Northwest Missouri Bee Busters, held a Beginning Beekeepers’ class in Maryville on January 7th. The class was attended by 26 people interested in starting up beekeeping. My job was to bring my new hive and some of my tools and to explain the different parts of the hive and the use of some of the tools. During a break, quite a few people came up to me and were asking questions about beekeeping, which I was very relieved to be able to answer. I also told them I was new to beekeeping and so we seemed to have an instant bond. The class was a success and many people left with quite a bit of enthusiasm over our little insect. On January 19th, in my first official duty, I attended the Governor’s Conference on Missouri Agriculture at the Crown Center Westin Hotel. Wow, what a special event. There were booths set up by different associations promoting their products. Of course, I thought our exhibit, was the best decorated and the tastiest … of course I could be a little bit prejudiced. The event was attended by over 600 people, with a live band playing. Many people stopped by our booth to taste the wonderful, award-winning jalapeno, blackberry and cinnamon honey that was spread on top of little party-size pieces of bread with their award ribbons proudly displayed beside them. There were also some wonderful blocks of beeswax art for added decoration. There were people from as far away as Colorado attending. What a wonderful time visiting with so many new people and seeing familiar friendly faces of friends again. This event showcased Missouri grown and made products. I even had one lady approach me before the event and tell me she had MS and is doing sting therapy to help her with her disease. She was very excited to meet me and she told me she thought it was wonderful, that the Missouri Beekeepers had a Queen Program to help promote honey bees and their health benefits. Many beekeepers this time of year have been checking their hives and have reported them to be a little on the light side and are starting to feed their bees. Apparently the warmer than usual weather has allowed the bees to be a little more active in their eating habits. Also, I am pleased to announce I have finally ordered my bees. I ordered two nucs of Carniolans, and will be picking them up in May. On February 4th I will again help out my club, but this time with an Advanced Beekeepers’ class. I also plan to do some learning at this one! As a short side note, I want you to know my education program at home is going well. My dad was on his backhoe one fairly warm day and a honey bee came and landed on the leg of his jeans. The backhoe work stopped as he started to swat it … and then he remembered some of the information he has heard me repeat many times around home, so he ended up just watching her taste his jeans … apparently blue jeans do not taste anything like flowers … so she flew away. Good job Dad!!! Well, spring is just around the corner ... more updates to come. Megan Allen 2012 Missouri State Honey Queen

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816-690-8007 64011-8335

Northeastern Director: Steve Harris 314-805-6451 1224 Sherbrooke Road, St. Charles MO 63303 eastdir@mostatebeekeepers.org Southeastern Director: Cory Stevens 573-225-6935 PO Box 214, Dexter MO 63841 southedir@mostatebeekeepers.org Southwestern Director: This position is currently open. Central Director: This position is currently open. Program Chairperson: Pam Brown 636-398-5014 1407 Sneak Road, Foristell MO 63348 femmeosage1@aol.com Newsletter Editor: Eugene Makovec 314-703-7650 17 Great Lakes Dr., St. Peters MO 63376 editor@mostatebeekeepers.org Auxiliary Treasurer: Dolores Vivian 816-690-7516 443 Fricke Road, Bates City MO 64011-8280 H1ybee@aol.com Queen Chairperson: Joyce Justice 816-358-3893 P.O. Box 16566, Raytown MO 64133-0566 queenchair@mostatebeekeepers.org State Fair Chairman: Dean Sanders 816-456-4683 cell 37804 Old Pink Hill Road, Oak Grove MO 64075 State Entomologist: Collin Wamsley collin.wamsley@mda.mo.gov

573-751-5505

Associate Professor of Entomology: Richard Houseman HousemanR@missouri.edu 573-882-7181 1-87 Agricultural Building, University of MissouriColumbia, Columbia MO 65211

Missouri State Beekeepers Association P.O. Box 448 Oak Grove, MO 64075

photo by Eugene Makovec

www.mostatebeekeepers.org

All your energy escaping through the walls? Now is the time to plan your spring repairs. A good beginning would be to order supplies from one or more of our advertisers. If you can make our Spring Meeting in St. Louis, see page 5 for a list of vendors; in most cases they will be happy to take your order ahead of time and deliver it to the meeting, sans shipping.

RENEW NOW:

Don’t forget -- if you have not already done so, please send in your dues for 2012, either to the address above, on our website or via your local club. The membership application is on page 12 of this newsletter.

This newsletter is published six times per year, in even months. Submissions are due by the 15th of the month prior to publication. The email edition is in color, and contains hyperlinks and bonus back-page material, while the print version is in black-and-white. If you are a member currently receiving the printed newsletter and you wish to upgrade, just send an email to editor@mostatebeekeepers.org with “email newsletter” in the subject line. I’ll reply with confirmation, and add you to my list. Advertising rates are as follows:

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Classified Ads: Advertise one to three beekeeping-related items in a one-line ad at no charge. This service is for non-commercial MSBA members only, and is limited to one ad per item per calendar year. Honey Trading Post: This is a free service to members wishing to buy or sell honey on a wholesale basis. Just email or call the editor with contact information and whether you are buying or selling. Pricing is between the interested parties.

Missouri State Beekeepers Association P.O. Box 448 Oak Grove, MO 64075 www.mostatebeekeepers.org

Ahhhh, Spring! This March 10 snapshot of spring boasts an abundance of eggs, very young larvae, a colorful, healthy variety of fresh pollen, and tiny reflecting pools of early spring nectar. Note the multiple eggs in a few of these cells. Though sometimes a sign of laying workers, that is not the case here, as these eggs stand at the bottoms of the cells rather than on the sides, and there is ample evidence of a healthy queen on neighboring frames. More likely, this is a matter of a queen outlaying her workers; the population of young bees is low and they cannot prepare cells as quickly as she can fill them, so she makes another circuit and doubles up. The surplus eggs will be removed and consumed by nurse bees. photo by Eugene Makovec

April 2012 Eugene Makovec Editor editor@mostatebeekeepers.org

INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the President ............. 2 Monsanto musings ........... 2 Time for a dialogue? Spring Meeting wrap-up .... 3 Beekeeper of the Year ..... 3 Steve Harris Fall Meeting preview ........ 4 Looking ahead to Kansas City State Fair preview ............. 7 Give a day to MSBA!

From the Queen Chair ....... 7 A strange spring .............. 10 ... can bring golden opportunity Bee Informed Survey ........ 10 Respond by April 20 Local associations ............ 11 Membership application .. 12 Join or renew online! Honey Queen report ....... 13 Directory of officers .......... 13

Page 2 From the President

Missouri State Beekeepers Association by Grant Gillard

As I sit down to write this article, I’ve just finished all the crazy church activities surrounding Easter. This weekend I’m speaking at the West Virginia Beekeepers’ meeting, joining Debbie Delaney (from the University of Delaware) and Randy Oliver. They asked me to speak on Production Issues (maximizing your honey crop) and Graft-less Queen Rearing (using the Nicot system). What excites me the most is I get to hang out with Randy Oliver! If you’ve never met him, he’s a fireball of energy and passion for beekeeping. Prior to Easter I was rushing around adding brood boxes and supers to prevent swarming. Spring has “sprung” a whole lot earlier than normal and the hives are full of nectar, brood and so far, no swarm cells. Today I received my second swarm call and everything looks like we are headed toward a fantastic year in beekeeping. Thankfully the weather has been cooperative and I’ve been extremely intentional about implementing my plans. It’s still a little too early (in my mind) to start queen rearing. The farmers’ markets are getting ready to start and I’ve been spending every evening working on equipment. My wonderful wife keeps asking, “Anything I can do to help?” but most of what I’m doing is that tedious activity of scraping out old comb and installing new foundation. More and more I’m leaning toward foundationless frames (no foundation, just popsicle sticks) and I’m moving toward an aggressive frame rotation this year. Nancy would give me a lot more help but I’m competing with a new season of American Idol and Dancing With the Stars! So what are your plans for this year? Have you given any thoughts to expanding your operation? How many hives do you want at the end of this summer? Are you looking for new yards or a different location? Is this the year you try your hand at queen rearing and over-winter some nucs for next spring? One of my goals this year is to keep better, more detailed records of my beekeeping activities. This means I’ve got to write things down instead of the futility of trying to remember what needs

to be done. I’ve looked at a variety of hive inspection sheets and with all my different bee yards, I’ve gravitated to a simple system of note taking. Here’s how my plan works: On each visit to a bee yard, I bring a spiral notebook on which I write three things. I make notes on individual hives (all my hives are numbered) and I record (1) what I observe, if anything out of the ordinary strikes me. Sometimes I just note the hive is weak, good or strong. (2) The second thing I record is what I need to do the next time I come to that yard, and (3) what equipment I need to bring with me on that next trip. This notebook tends to get sticky with propolis and my handwriting is fast and furious … and sloppy. So at the end of the day, I take this notebook to my office and legibly re-write the notes in a second notebook. With the day’s activities still fresh in my mind, I can write more leisurely and fill in some of the details on what I need to do next. Every yard has its own notebook. Once I transfer the information, I tear out the sticky pages from the first notebook and throw them away. Then the next time I’m going out to that particular yard, I can pick up the notebook and review what I need to be doing and what equipment I need to bring along. There is nothing more frustrating than going out to a remote bee yard and realizing I failed to bring the equipment I need to get the job done. Then I’m faced with a trip back home, wasted time and wasted gas. I continue to wrestle with the perceived need to join the 21st Century and computerize my data. But my brain just doesn’t make that leap to adapt to today’s technology. The beauty of beekeeping is how it allows us beekeepers to work with what works for us. All the best, Grant

Monsanto musings: Time for a dialogue? Back when I worked for a health food company, it seemed that every couple of months something came across my desk touting a new vitamin, herb or other “superfood” -- each purportedly capable of preventing or curing everything from psoriasis to cancer. I now produce my own wonder drug, HONEY (actually several if you count pollen, propolis, royal jelly …). At one of our state meetings a couple of years ago, we were treated to a lecture by Dr. Ron Fessenden, author of “The Honey Revolution”, on the many virtues of honey. He also directed a healthy dose of scorn toward its modern nemesis, high fructose corn syrup. I remember telling someone at the time, “Boy, I kind of wish the corn growers were meeting in the next room, because I’d love to hear their side of the story.” I’m certainly no fan of HFCS, but my point is, every industry has its own story to tell. I happen to believe ours, as I’m sure most beekeepers do, but that doesn’t make everyone else’s wrong. I mulled this over last month as I waited with some 50 beekeepers to tour Monsanto’s Chesterfield campus prior to our Spring Meeting down the road.

by Eugene Makovec

The recent renaissance in backyard beekeeping has brought an influx of nontraditional beekeepers. We are no longer a bunch of old guys in overalls. We are now doctors and lawyers, engineers and architects, homeschoolers and horticulturists. Oh, and did I mention (gasp!) women? Perhaps more significant are the motivations of these newbees. While some may have joined us for the usual reasons (Dad or Grandpa was a beekeeper back on the farm, I’m not seeing bees in my garden anymore, etc.), quite a few have taken up the craft as part of the whole grow local/organic gardening movement. And a sizeable contingent is a direct result of the media frenzy surrounding Colony Collapse Disorder, the “disappearing of the bees”. I have heard many a novice beekeeper make the statement, “I want to help save the bees!” But save them from what -- that is the question. As the media piled on the CCD story, everyone looked for someone to blame. If modern journalists have one shared philosophy, it’s a disdain for Big Business: Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Insurance, Big Banks – all are routinely blamed for various ills that plague society. So in the search for whatever, continued on page 5

April 2012

Page 3

Record crowd attends Spring Meeting in Chesterfield First meeting in St. Louis in nine years by Eugene Makovec “I am not a beekeeper.” May Berenbaum, PhD, made this statement several times in her talk entitled Bees and Pesticides. About five minutes in, it became apparent that I am not a chemist. Just to illustrate, there were two main things I took home from this lecture: The molecular structure of quercitin, a flavonoid present in most plant nectars, looks remarkably • like a dog (my own observation, not hers). “Beekeeping practices that replace honey with sucrose or high fructose corn syrup may compromise • detoxification and immunity.” This was printed on one of her slides, and was backed up by numerous other slides, many of them loaded with utterly incomprehensible (at least to me) graphs and charts, and scores of previously unheard of (at least by me) chemical names and molecular structures -none of which were as cute as quercitin. But in all seriousness, there was a lot of good stuff in this talk, some of which I actually understood. Every time I heard her say, “... and this is just astonishing!”, I paid extra close attention, usually to my benefit. Dr. Berenbaum, University of Illinois entomologist, made the point that one of the great advances in beekeeping was the invention of the centrifugal honey extractor, which allowed us for the first time to May Berenbaum reuse our combs. However, she added, there were at that time no fat-soluble pesticides in use -- but that is certainly not the case now, when in fact every major class of insecticide, whether farmer- or beekeeper-applied, is absorbable by honeycomb; indeed, lab testing of used combs reveals an average of six of these chemicals. As for those beekeeper-applied pesticides, she said it’s important to understand that when dealing with arthropod pests like varroa, “their clock ticks faster”, meaning that with a short life-span, high reproductive rate and intensive selection pressure, they can evolve very quickly and develop resistance to many of the chemicals we throw at them. While May’s lecture was extremely well-researched, and her dry wit on display throughout, there were times when it was a bit difficult to follow by us simple beekeepers. At the end of the segment, when questions were slow in coming, she asked, “Was it too much chemistry?” This drew a polite laugh from the audience of about 150, at least half of whom were still awake. But the lecture was not without controversy. A Columbia-area beekeeper later argued vehemently that quercitin in fact resembled a cat! Jeez, they’ll let anyone into these meetings ... continued on page 8

Steve Harris named 2011 Missouri Beekeeper of the Year by Eugene Makovec Steve Harris was introduced as Missouri’s 2011 Beekeeper of the Year at the MSBA’s annual Spring Meeting in Chesterfield. It’s a little hard to believe Steve has not received this honor before now. He has been our Eastern Director (now renamed Northeastern Director) for as many years as I can remember, and has been heavily involved in the organization, doing everything from selling raffle tickets years ago to more recently coordinating shirt and hat printing and distribution. Several years ago, Steve headed down to Sedalia to help out with our State Fair booth, got hooked, and has been an integral part of its planning and operation ever Steve Harris reacts along with his wife, Addah, as he is announced as 2012 since. Missouri Beekeeper of the Year. But most people probably know him as that bald-headed, wise-cracking guy who wears the funny hats and somehow always seems to win the big prize at the end of the raffle! So yeah, we kind of hate him for that, but we love him, too! Congratulations, Steve!

Page 4

Missouri State Beekeepers Association MSBA FALL MEETING PREVIEW October 26-27, 2012, with special activities on October 25

Holiday Inn Kansas City SE, CoCo Key Water Resort. 9103 East 39th Street Kansas City, Missouri 64133 Phone 877-425-2746 or 816-737-0200 Rates include a deluxe, full breakfast buffet in The Tradewinds Restaurant Single - $69 Double - $79 Triple - $89 Quad - $99 Speakers include: Orley R. “Chip” Taylor, Jr., PhD - Professor, Insect Ecology, University of Kansas Ph.D., University of Connecticut “My research efforts have included studies of reproductive isolating mechanisms in sulfur butterflies, reproductive and life history patterns in plants, comparative biology of European and Neotropical African honey bees and migratory behavior of monarch butterflies. Work in progress utilizes genetic markers to quantify the interactions between invading Neotropical African bees and resident European bees in North America. These investigations should clarify why, even after 40 years of hybridization, Neotropical African bees have retained their genetic integrity. Monarch Watch [www.MonarchWatch.org], an outreach program I initiated in 1992, now occupies much of my time.” Meeting lectures to include: Biology of Swarms, Saga of the African Bees Gary Ross - retired US Navy Officer and retired Kansas State Bee Inspector, former Missouri State Fair Honey Judge Meeting lectures to include: The Big Five Diseases and Pests (American Foulbrood, European Foulbrood, Nosema, Varroa Mites and Small Hive Beetle). Preparing Honey for Competition

Break-out Sessions Bernie Andrews - How to Make Comb Honey Dadant - How to Make Creamed Honey Michael Godfrey - How to Make Honey Beer Jan Amos - Making Divisions Chip Taylor - Monarch Butterflies Bob Owen - Machinery Needed to Build Hive Bodies Fred Meder - Widgets & Gadgets - Neat Things in the Beekeeper’s Toolbox Art & Vera Gelder - Agri-Tourism Yvonne Von Der Ahe - Products From the Hive Gary Ross - Bring your honey sample, and Gary will “test” it.

Winners of the various contests at the Spring Meeting pose with their award ribbons. Yvonne Von Der Ahe, front row, second from right, cleaned up in several categories.

April 2012

Page 5

Musings on the Monsanto - Jerry Hayes connection continued from page 2 or whoever, was hurting the heroic honeybee, what better culprit than Big Agriculture, with its fertilizer runoff, its genetically modified “frankenfoods”, and its new, systemic pesticides? And if you’re going after Big Ag, what better place to start than Monsanto, the Biggest Ag of them all? After all, this St. Louis-based agri-chemical giant ($11.8 Billion annual sales) was built on pesticides, herbicides and GMOs. Against that backdrop, renowned beekeeper Jerry Hayes, American Bee Journal columnist and Florida Apiary Inspector, announced a few months ago that he was leaving the latter post to take a position with ... Monsanto! The corporation had just purchased Beeologics, an Israeli firm using cutting-edge RNAi technology to fight viruses in honeybees, and Jerry was brought on board to help out. This was good for Monsanto, and good for Jerry, but the apicultural community roiled with controversy. Had Jerry gone over to the dark side? I heard leaders of two local clubs express doubt that anything good could come of this. As luck would have it, we had Jerry scheduled to speak at our Spring Meeting in March, and not only did he honor that commitment, but with Monsanto right down the road, he arranged a tour specially designed for us. Of the company’s 14,000 annual visitors (mostly American farmers), we would be the first beekeeping group ever to walk through a Monsanto facility. And the company put its best foot forward, providing us lunch and a meet-and-greet with Jerry, Chemistry Lead Tom Adams, and Steve Padgette of the Corporate Strategy Group. The team clearly felt that a little public relations could go a long way. As Padgette said, “Those of us who put our career in agriculture see ourselves as good

Heartland Honey and Beekeeping Supplies 19201 South Clare Road Spring Hill, KS 66061 913-856-8356 www.heartlandhoney.com guys, but we understand that there are those who have a different perspective.” He continued, “When we bought Beeologics – we don’t know anything about bees, right? … That’s why we have Jerry.” “Bees are really, really important to our business,” added Adams, noting that Monsanto actually buys hives to place in its canola fields. As for Jerry, he sees nothing but upside in this. When Monsanto purchased Beeologics, he said, they “didn’t have to keep the bee part,” but realizing that “honeybees are the keystone” in plant pollination, they “stepped up and said we have technology that can help you.” And he sees Beelogics’ virus research as just the first step, with varroa the ultimate target. As for joining a corporation that many beekeepers see as the enemy, Jerry has no qualms. While people have concerns about the introduction of new farming technologies, “a billion pounds of chemicals” have been taken out of the environment due to technology from people like Monsanto. And, he said, none of the products Monsanto produces have been shown to harm honeybees. In early March, as I was forwarding information about the meeting and the Monsanto tour, a friend of mine in the organization replied with alarm, asking why we would “give [Monsanto] any semblance of legitimacy” by setting foot inside their facility. When I mentioned this to Jerry Hayes during a break in the meeting, he smiled and nodded and said, “That’s why we need a dialogue.”

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Tom Hoogheem, one of several Monsanto tour guides, gives beekeepers a brief primer on the science behind genetically modified crop development. photo by Eugene Makovec

April 2012

From the Queen Chair by Cathy Misko Our Chairperson Joyce was unable to come to our Spring Meeting in St. Louis and we had big shoes to fill. One just can never know how much work Joyce does unless you try to do what she does. Dolores Vivian and I got to experience first hand how much work is put into keeping the hospitality room open and for our Friday night Queen’s Reception. Joyce, we missed you every hour! Thank you Dolores for your endless hours and showing me the ropes. Thank you MSBA for providing such a beautiful and convenient room for all of us. I want at this time to thank our 2012 Honey Queen Megan Allen for her beautiful Patriotic Tribute and helping us with our meeting. Some of you already know that the Missouri State Beekeepers fund the Honey Queen to be our ambassador and promote beekeeping, honey, and education about our State Insect “The Honey Bee!” A BIG “Thank You” to everyone for being so generous to bid on the Silent Auction and the St. Patrick’s Basket, and to give donations in support of our Queen Program. It appears Spring has come early, and as you are penciling in your schedules, please remember we are here to help, and the Honey Queen is excited to promote your events, provide education in your schools, and finally promote your bees and their products! We are looking forward to your inquiries. Happy Spring!

Page 7

Give a MSBA

day

by Dolores Vivian Our Missouri State Beekeepers Association State Fair Booth rent at Sedalia has already been paid for 2012. It’s time to plan ahead. The dates are August 9th thru August 19th. That’s 11 full days to schedule volunteers to represent our club and help fair-goers understand the importance of the HONEY BEE and sell the wonderful products they produce. Volunteers needed Please call Dean Sanders at 816-456-4683 or Steve Harris at 314/805-6451 to set up a day and time to volunteer to help in our booth this year. So, as you’re planning your summer vacation, “Give a Day to MSBA!” Watch for more information in your June newsletter about entering your honey and beeswax products for competition.

Missouri State Beekeepers Association

Page 8

Spring Meeting wrap-up from Chesterfield

Jerry Hayes

continued from page 3 Dr. Berenbaum was just one of several top-notch speakers to join us in Chesterfield last month. It was the first meeting we’ve had in the St. Louis area since 2003, and drew upon the area’s large beekeeping population to set a modern record of about 175 attendees, topping last Spring’s 160 in Branson. The largest draw this time around was Jerry Hayes, American Bee Journal columnist and newly hired apiculture expert at Monsanto Company -- this after their recent acquisition of honeybee research start-up Beeologics, a company that he had previously served in an advisory role. As expected, the Monsanto angle was the subject of some concern among beekeepers, many of whom associate it (rightly or wrongly) with all that is wrong with today’s agriculture. And Jerry met these concerns head-on. “Honeybees are the model” for toxicity tests in new products,” he said, and none of the products that Monsanto produces have been shown to harm them. Furthermore, he said, when Monsanto bought Beeologics for the technology, they “didn’t have to keep the bee part” -- but they did, and their message to beekeepers is, “We have technology that can help you.” Viruses have been the focus of Beeologics’ research thus far, but to Jerry, varroa is the ultimate target. “I’m one of you,” he added. “I’m on the inside now.” On the subject of genetically modified crops, it’s important to realize that the world’s population continues to grow and change, and feeding them will be a challenge. “If the Chinese and Indians ate as much meat as we do,” he noted, “there’s not enough corn in the world” to feed them. Jerry talked, among other things, on the subject of Pollinator Decline, and not surprisingly focused on honeybee colony mortality, which has fluctuated in the 29-36% range over the past five years. He listed the following reasons: Globalization and homogenization of pests and diseases • • Production agriculture continued next page

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April 2012

Page 9

Spring Meeting wrap-up from Chesterfield continued from previous page Production beekeeping • Pesticide misuse (by farmers and beekeepers) • Loss of productive locations • Entomophobia • Low honey and pollination prices • David Burns gave a number of interesting talks, including one on The Sticky Subject of Propolis. The word “propolis”, he said, comes from the Greek “pro polis”, meaning “before city”. Ancient beekeepers observed the wall of propolis that bees built at the entrance to their “city”, as a means of defense against outside germs. Bees use propolis in a variety of ways, including as an antiseptic agent. Colgate makes a toothpaste that incorporates propolis for gum health. The bees sometimes imprison small hive beetles in little propolis traps between frames, which are unfortunately opened when we open the hives and move things around. David also gave a wholly entertaining banquet address, keeping his audience rolling with laughter about his experiences as a beekeeper and a supplier of queens, package bees and equipment. Greg Hunt, Ph.D, Purdue University entomologist, gave a somewhat disturbing account of a study on bee exposure to the “planting dust” from corn containing systemic neonicotinoid pesticides. The neonics have been a topic of spirited discussion as to whether they play a role in colony collapse disorder or are a general danger to pollinators. There have been a couple of widely-disseminated studies pointing to a link between the neonicotinoids Clothianidin and Imidacloprid and pollinator mortality, though most research seems to suggest that they have played no role in CCD. Dr. Hunt noted that talcum powder is added to corn planters to improve flow, and that some of the pesticide ends up in the cloud of “planter dust” that follows the planter down the field. The farmers sometimes exhaust the remainder of this dust to the air when finished planting, and this exhaust has been found to contain high levels of neonics. In the Purdue study, four hives were placed “right at the edge” of the corn rows, and suffered the effects of exposure to this dust. In the worst instance, there were several hundred bees dead on the ground near the hives, but it rained the next day and the colonies appeared to recover. In response to a question about genetically modifiied organisms and other technologies, Greg said, “I think what Monsanto is doing here in St. Louis is great.” But, he said, “It’s complicated.... I think the GMO crops have actually prevented a lot of bees being killed by reducing pesticide use ... but now they’re adding the pesticides back in.” He also expressed doubts as to the wisdom of “putting these seed treatments on our corn ... just to get an additional 1-5 bushels per acre.”

David Burns talks with Mary Ellen Raymond during a break.

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Page 10

Missouri State Beekeepers Association Bee involved: Bee Informed Survey — Your input is needed

Strange spring can bring golden opportunity by Chris Gibbons When I began beekeeping over 13 years ago, we would order mated queens from Texas and California in fairly large amounts. We could usually get a first batch of 50 by the first week of April. I have always wanted to breed my own queens and have dabbled with it over the years. I have certainly made many splits with swarm cells as finding the queen becomes harder and harder. Hint, if there are capped queen cells and fresh eggs you can split and make sure each half gets at least one good cell. Then give each an empty brood box or super. If the queen is still there she will kill the cells in her half once she has been given space. This year, with our Texas like weather, I am breeding my own queens for increase and I encourage all keepers to give it a try. I am doing this more out of necessity than for fun. Last year I was blessed to have been able to capture year-old queens from a beekeeper who splits and requeens everything with cells. Boy, did I learn a lot. This year I worked for a nuc producer in Florida. I was totally impressed with their commitment to new equipment and new stock. I also learned so much from the experience to bring home to our operation. The bees have really been exploding in the last couple of weeks. Before I left for Florida, I fed all my hives and put extra brood boxes on most hives to buy time. I had capped queen cells in a three story hive, all deeps, on March 25. So don’t sleep in and don’t miss a truly golden opportunity.

Submitted by Ed Levi The Bee Informed Partnership needs your help! Take the time now to participate in the second annual Bee Informed Survey, which is being conducted from March 30 to April 20, 2012. This will be the second year the survey asks beekeepers to answer what they do and how well their colonies survived the winter. Last year’s survey helped to identify many areas to watch and can help all beekeepers adjust their management to increase winter survivability. Visit www.beeinformed.org to see the details of last year’s survey. For example: Did you know the northern states lost an average of 40 percent (northeast was particularly bad) while the south reported a 25-percent loss? Did you know 61 percent of respondents still do not use any Varroa mite products to control our number one enemy? More colonies were lost when kept near corn and cranberries. The survey has yielded hundreds of such comparisons, all reported by beekeepers throughout the United States. Comparisons that include treatments, management practices and regional conditions. Every beekeeper can benefit from this data. The more beekeepers who participate the better the information! It is confidential, easy to complete online and the results are developed quickly. The new information is released about every two weeks for anyone to see. The survey needs thousands of beekeepers if the information is going to show meaningful management trends that help winter survival. Get involved by participating in this year’s survey. Visit the Bee Informed Partnership Web site at www.beeinformed. org and sign up to participate. Share what you are experiencing in a way that can help the national beekeeping community.

April 2012

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Local Beekeepers Associations 1 Beekeepers Association of the Ozarks 4th Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. The Library Center, 4653 S. Campbell, Springfield www.ozarksbeekeepers.org

2 Boone Regional Beekeepers Association 3rd Sunday of month, 3:00 p.m., Columbia Insurance Group, 2102 Whitegate Dr. (back door), Columbia President Jim Duever 573-254-3373 www.boonebees.org 3 Busy Bee Club 4th Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m., Cedar County Health Center, Owens Mill Road, Stockton Neal Lee 417-276-3090, Neil Brunner 314-276-4252 grnthumb@alltel.net 4 Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association 2nd Wednesday of each month, 7:00 p.m., Powder Valley Nature Center 11715 Craigwold Rd., Kirkwood Bob Sears, President 314-479-9517 www.easternmobeekeepers.com 5 Golden Valley Beekeepers 2nd Monday of each month, 7:00 p.m. (but varies) Henry County Courthouse, Clinton MO Contact Kathy Murphy 660-678-5171 murftk@copper.net 6 Jackson Area Beekeepers 4th Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. First Pres. of Jackson, 206 E. Washington Contact Grant Gillard 573-243-6568 gillard5@charter.net 7 Jefferson County Beekeepers Association 2nd Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m., Hwy B & 21 Jefferson County Extension Center, Hillsboro Contact Scott Moser 636-285-7295 8 Joplin Area Beekeepers Association Last Tue. of each month, 7 pm, SM Bank Community Building (7th and Duquesne Rd), Joplin Steve Davis, President 620-202-0232 9 Mid Missouri Beekeepers 3rd Sunday of each month, 2 pm, St. James Tourist Ctr. Charlotte Wiggins, President charlotte@bluebirdgardens.com 10 Midwestern Beekeepers Association Nov-March, 2nd Sunday of each month, 2:30 p.m. April-Oct, 2nd Thursday of each month, 7:00 p.m. (Schedule varies; please call first to confirm.) Bass Pro Shop, Independence, Conservation Room Andy Nowachek, President 913-438-5397 11 Mississippi Valley Beekeepers Association Last Tuesday of Month in Quincy, IL Contact Bernie Andrew 217-938-4975

12 Missouri Valley Beekeepers Association 3rd Monday of each month, 7:00 p.m. Location varies, call contact number below if unsure President Calvin Brandt cvbrandt@landolakes.com 13 Parkland Beekeepers 3rd Tuesday of month, 7pm, Ozark Federal Savings President Jim Johnson 573-330-6498 or 573-330-6499 14 Pomme de Terre Beekeepers 2ndThursday of each month, 7 pm Missouri Extension Office, Hermitage Contact Bessi Shryer 417-745-2527 15 SEMO Honey Producers 2nd Thursday of month, Poplar Bluff Extension Office Contact Ernie Wells 573-429-0222 wells.ernie@gmail.com 16 South Central Missouri Beekeepers Association 1st Friday of month, Howell Electric Coop, West Plains Monty Wiens, President 417 257-3994 17 Southern MO Beekeepers of Monett “MOBees”) 3rd Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. United Methodist Church, Hwy 37 NW of Monett Leon Riggs, President 417-235-5053 18 Southwest Missouri Beekeepers Association 1st Tuesday of month, Neosho High School FFA Bldg Contact Glenn W. Smith 417-548-2255 19 Three Rivers Beekeepers 3rd Monday of month, University of Missouri Extension, 260 Brown Road, St. Peters, Missouri, 7:00 p.m. For info: 2952 Greenleaf Drive, St. Charles, MO 63303 info@threeriversbeekepers.com 20 Northwest Missouri Bee Busters 1st Monday of odd months, 7:00 p.m. 511 4th Street, Conception Junction, MO 64434 Gerald Auffert, President 660-944-2535

21 Lake of the Ozarks Beekeepers 3rd Saturday of month, 1:00 p.m. UMC Extension Office, 100 E. Newton,Versailles MO Contact Russell Kasnick 573-372-3122 22 Northeast Missouri Beekeepers Association 1st Friday of month, 6:30 pm Running Fox Elementary (3 miles south of Wayland) Acting President Randy Ewart 573-248-5561 rewart@centurytel.net 23 Gasconade Region Bee Keepers 2nd Tuesday 7:00, First State Comm. Bank, Owensville President Rodney Angell 573-259-5811 2224 Nowack, Rosebud MO bee143@fidnet.com See state map on facing page for approximate geographic locations. Can’t find a local near you? Contact our President or Vice President for assistance in starting a new one!

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Missouri State Beekeepers Association New! Join or renew at www.mostatebeekeepers.org and use your credit card or PayPal!

April 2012 Honey Queen report by Megan Allen Happy April, fellow beekeepers, The weather has been unbelievably springlike and everything seems to be running ahead of schedule. The grass is growing, the flowers are blooming, the trees are budding … and the bees are buzzing! I have been busy watching my mom put her bee boxes and frames together for the past couple of months. (Mine came assembled.) Today is sunny and nice, so my mom and I will be painting our hive boxes today in preparation for the arrival of our bees in May. I attended two wonderful events since my last letter. The Spring State Meeting in St. Louis was very educational. There were several seminars that were really informative and I know I had trouble deciding which to attend. Some of the classes included how to teach kids about Honeybees and how to make your own pollen patties. I also toured the butterfly gardens while I was in St. Louis. Butterflies are the number two pollinator. Of course our state insect … the honey bee ... is number one. I also attended a beginning beekeeping class in Overland Park, Kansas, which was hosted by the Midwestern Beekeepers Association of Missouri and the Northeastern Beekeepers Association of Kansas. I was told there were over 200 people attending who were interested in becoming beekeepers or learning more about bees. There were a lot of people there to learn and they asked a lot of great questions. I helped by putting on a beekeeping suit to demonstrate some of the necessary equipment required for beekeeping. I was really happy to get to meet some youths who were beginner beekeepers or wanting to learn more about honey bees before getting their bees. I thought that the presentations were very easily communicated and there were also very wonderful informational beekeeping binders prepared for everyone to take home with them so they would have all the information they would need. We enjoyed donuts and danishes for breakfast and a wonderful box lunch, with cookies included, along with a variety of beverages to choose from. There was also a table that had beekeeping magazines and equipment catalogs along with various other information on the honey bee. At the end of the day scholarships were given to several of the youths which included basic beekeeping equipment. The youths who were chosen will be mentored by seasoned beekeepers from the clubs for a year to help them learn what they need to know to become good beekeepers. In April I will be going to Hermann to help with the grand opening of their historic 1880s feed mill. I will be there to talk about bees and pass out honey sticks to the kids. I am really looking forward to it, so if your weekend is free, and you want to attend a really wonderful event … take the road to Hermann on April 21st. Megan Allen 2012 Missouri State Honey Queen

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Directory of Officers President: Grant Gillard 573 243-6568 3721 North High Street, Jackson MO 63755 president@mostatebeekeepers.org Vice President: John Timmons 636-940-8202 2952 Greenleaf Drive, St. Charles MO 63303 vicepresident@mostatebeekeepers.org Secretary: Steve Moeller 573-886-0662 7035 N. Kircher Rd., Columbia MO 65202 secretary@mostatebeekeepers.org Treasurer: Ron Vivian 816-690-7516 443 Fricke Road, Bates City MO 64011-8280 treasurer@mostatebeekeepers.org Past-President: Scott Moser 636-285-7295 6600 Davis Lane, Cedar Hill, MO 63016 pastpresident@mostatebeekeepers.org Northwestern Director: Glenn Davis 816-690-8007 4618 Highway Z Bates City MO 64011-8335 northwestdir@mostatebeekeepers.org Northeastern Director: Steve Harris 314-805-6451 1224 Sherbrooke Road, St. Charles MO 63303 northeastdir@mostatebeekeepers.org Southeastern Director: Cory Stevens 573-225-6935 PO Box 214, Dexter MO 63841 southeastdir@mostatebeekeepers.org Southwestern Director: Gary Dowling 507 N. Ozark St., Girard KS 66743 southwestdir@mostatebeekeepers.org Central Director: Valerie Duever 314-402-4841 2362 County Road 185, Auxvasse MO 65231 centraldir@mostatebeekeepers.org Program Chairperson: Pam Brown 636-398-5014 1407 Sneak Road, Foristell MO 63348 program@mostatebeekeepers.org Newsletter Editor: Eugene Makovec 314-703-7650 17 Great Lakes Dr., St. Peters MO 63376 editor@mostatebeekeepers.org Auxiliary Treasurer: Dolores Vivian 816-690-7516 443 Fricke Road, Bates City MO 64011-8280 auxiliary@mostatebeekeepers.org Queen Chairperson: Joyce Justice 816-358-3893 P.O. Box 16566, Raytown MO 64133-0566 queenchair@mostatebeekeepers.org State Fair Chairman: Dean Sanders 816-456-4683 cell 37804 Old Pink Hill Road, Oak Grove MO 64075 State Entomologist: Collin Wamsley collin.wamsley@mda.mo.gov

573-751-5505

Associate Professor of Entomology: Richard Houseman HousemanR@missouri.edu 573-882-7181 1-87 Agricultural Building, University of MissouriColumbia, Columbia MO 65211

Missouri State Beekeepers Association P.O. Box 448 Oak Grove, MO 64075 photo by Eugene Makovec

www.mostatebeekeepers.org

I thought at first that I was following a honeybee around these crabapple blossoms, but something looked different about it ... So I whipped out my new Missouri Bee Identification Guide (courtesy of Garrett Blackwell), and it turns out it’s actually a digger bee, a.k.a. mining bee (genus Andrena, species a little tougher to nail down). According to the guide, this solitary ground-nesting bee has a black or dull metallic body, often with brown or reddish hairs; with pollen carrying hairs on upper parts of its hind legs and the side of its thorax (thus appearing to carry pollen in its “armpit”). Mining bees are very abundant in the spring, as they are one of the first bees to emerge each season. photo by Eugene Makovec

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Missouri State Beekeepers Association P.O. Box 448 Oak Grove, MO 64075 www.mostatebeekeepers.org

June 2012 Eugene Makovec Editor editor@mostatebeekeepers.org

Heartland is coming to St. Louis! Annual HAS conference takes place July 12-14 at University of Missouri - St. Louis The 2012 Heartland Apicultural Society (HAS) Conference will be held July 12-14th on the University of Missouri (UMSL) campus in St. Louis, Missouri. The three-day conference will be swarming with beekeepers old and new, instructional programs in the classrooms, “hands-on” classes in the apiary, vendor displays and on-campus accommodations. Virtually all of the conference activities will take place under one roof at the UMSL JCPenney Conference Center with labs and an apiary 200 yards from the main auditorium. According to Phil Craft, HAS Program Director, the Heartland Apicultural Society was established in 2001 to fill a void in the Midwest for beekeeping education, to provide an economical beekeeping conference every summer, with hands-on training. “We always hold the conference at a university to have easy access to economical accommodations. Membership by beekeepers is established by attending a conference; there are no dues. Member states are established by participation in the HAS organization continued on page 4 Native to South Africa, Kniphofia uvaria is a tall, sturdy perennial well-suited to sunny areas and moist, well-drained soil. Commonly known as torch lily, tritoma or red hot poker, it sports exotic blooms atop two-to-four-foot stems. The flower heads can grow as long as 10 inches and last up to a month, attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. While welcomed in yards and gardens in many parts of the world, it is considered an invasive weed in much of Australia.

From the President ............. 2 CCD mystery solved! ....... 2 -- or is it? Heartland to St. Louis ....... 4 July 12-14 at UMSL From the Queen Chair ..... 7 State Fair is August 9-19 ...... 8 Make plans now for Sedalia

Buzz off, Missouri! ............. 9 Collaborative effort for bees Local associations ............ 11 Is there a club near you? Membership application .. 12 Join online via Paypal! Honey Queen report ....... 13 Directory of officers .......... 13

Eugene Makovec

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Page 2 From the President

Missouri State Beekeepers Association

early spring. Wow! OMG! I felt like I was really “with it” this year. I wasn’t The calendar says it’s the end of May, but my bees tell me it’s fighting the weather at every turn. I the Fourth of July. In a normal year, the Fourth of July signals a had zero swarming in my hives thanks tremendous turn in the nectar flow, due in part to decreasing to checkerboarding and an expanding rainfall in the latter part of June. For all principle purposes, the brood nest. flow is normally over in early July and it’s time to consolidate the And the results have been populous brood nest and begin extracting. In a normal year, I wait until after hives and loads of honey. But this has the fourth to start extracting. been my mantra for decades: Prevent This year, the only place I find “Normal” is on the washing machine Swarming! And I must concede the in the basement. early spring worked in my favor. My The nectar flow has been intense and sensational. Even the swarms bees seemed to have shifted from the I caught produced harvestable honey, but part of the key to this swarm mode to the foraging mode, and in most years, if I can success is to hive swarms on drawn comb, then give them supers prevent swarming until the main nectar flow commences, I’m of drawn comb. almost swarm free. It’s delaying that impulse until the nectar starts The late George Imirie, a highly opinionated and irascible to flow that is vital and I do it with an expanding brood nest. beekeeper and teacher, was fond of saying over and over how a I also was privileged to address the Jackson High School protecting drawn comb was a beekeeper’s duty, that drawn comb Baccalaureate this year as my youngest child, Claire, graduated. was a beekeeper’s treasure and how it should be treated like gold. Of course, I mentioned honeybees and their work ethic. You can I watch as even nucs joyously fill and cap nectar in drawn comb read the full address at http://revgrant1.xomba.com/baccalaureatewhen they continue to balk at drawing out new foundation. Once address. again, I am reminded how drawn comb is a valuable resource. Also, be ready for the Heartland Apicultural Society meeting July That being said, I continue to swap out my old comb in the brood 12-14 at UMSL. Details, including on-line registration, can be found nest utilizing quite a bit of foundationless frames. I still use wire at http://www.heartlandbees.com. Lots of top-level speakers and supports, but the bees are allowed to draw out the natural-sized entertainment. cells. However, I’m ending up with quite a bit of drone comb. Hope all continues to go well in your life and in your bee yards. I’ve also been pleased with the early jump I got with my bees All the best, thanks to the excessively mild winter and the unwarranted Grant

by Grant Gillard

Researchers find the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder ... or do they? -- courtesy of Bee Culture’s “Catch the Buzz” CCD has now been solved; And all the questions been resolved. So what’s the cause of this mayhem? Why, Evil Giant Agro-Chem! Foul pesticides, the farmer’s vice -- the neonics, to be precise – They kill the bees for short-term gain, While laying waste to fruited plain. The vile purveyers of this rot Are Bayer, Monsanto and the lot. They own the government, you see, And laugh at folks like you and me. Soon all the bees will be extinct, And human beings on the brink -And all so Farmer Brown can gain A couple bushels more of grain.

Sounds frightening, doesn’t it? I composed this little rhyme with tongue planted firmly in cheek, but I’m sad to say that this is exactly the type of stuff that’s been floating around the internet in recent weeks. Ever since Colony Collapse Disorder first made headlines in 2006, media and environmental types have swerved blindly from culprit to culprit (cellphone towers, genetically modified crops, commercial beekeeping practices), seizing on every half-baked “study”, the more sensational the better, and rushing to press without taking time to vet their sources. Finally a couple of years ago, they were placated by a long-

awaited report that pointed to a combination of pathogens led by Nosema ceranae and Israeli acute paralysis virus. But not everyone was satisfied, least of all beekeepers. And now here we go again: A couple of recent studies purport to tie CCD to the systemic pesticides called neonicotinoids. A flurry of headlines proclaim “Mystery Solved – It’s Pesticides” (Reuters), or similar versions thereof. And the internet is awash with petitions – to chemical companies, EPA, USDA – demanding an immediate ban of these products. Never mind that these latest studies have by no means been accepted as legitimate by either the beekeeping or scientific communities. And never mind that if we do in fact ban the neonics, they will be replaced in large part by earlier classes of insecticides with well-documented records of killing honeybees. I had every intention of running in this newsletter a synopsis of the most widely reported of these recent studies (from Harvard University), alongside one of several critiques I’d seen of its findings and its methods. But then the email postman delivered the attached missive from Bee Culture Editor Kim Flottum, in the form of one of his “Catch the Buzz” blogs. I gave it a quick scan, then a more in-depth read, and decided that I could not have said it better myself. Eugene Makovec, Editor See story next page

June 2012

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More than pesticides are killing bees: Why you shouldn’t take those recent neonic reports at face value Hanna Nordhaus wrote a book recently detailing the life and times of John would still be in big trouble. Miller, a commercial beekeeper who spends time in California and North The recent studies add to mounting evidence that low levels of Dakota. It took her over a year to gather the information she needed for neonicotinoids may have “sub-lethal” outcomes -- long-term effects the book … the whole beekeeping cycle the Millers spend each year, back on pollinators that haven’t been measured in chemical-company and forth … and during that time she gleaned much about the beekeeping testing submitted for EPA approval. What those papers don’t prove, industry, the science and the business of honey bees, and a bit about the unfortunately, is that “neonics,” as they are called, cause CCD -- or lives of those who move from here to there with bees on the truck. She explain the troubling colony losses we’ve seen in recent years. writes a blog for boingboing, and I stumbled across it just today. It was CCD is defined as a condition in which the majority of bees published a week or so ago at http://boingboing.net/2012/05/07/thedisappear from a healthy hive in rapid fashion, usually within two honeybees-are-still-dying.html. And, you can find out much more about her weeks -- leaving behind a queen, ample honey and brood, and little book Beekeeper’s Lament: How One Man and Half a Billion Honey Bees Help Feed America, reviewed in Bee Culture by Gary Shilling obvious sign of disease that might explain the colony’s collapse. Since the phenomenon was first named and made headlines in late recently. We send this detailed and somewhat lengthy piece out on the BUZZ 2006, however, the disorder has too often been conflated -- by the because it is a reasonable voice in the cacophony of noise recently raised media, and sometimes by beekeepers as well -- with honeybee losses to damn all pesticides, and some in particular. Of course pesticides and in general. “It’s like saying that everyone’s dying of a heart attack,” honey bees are not meant for each other. But there is more to the story, explains Dennis vanEngelsdorp, the Pennsylvania entomologist who more that needs to be done before we banish these materials forevermore. first discovered the disorder. “When in fact we die from all sorts The science that has recently been published has been flawed and biased of causes.” say some. Worse, say others, it had an agenda. The voices of both sides A Matter of Life and Deaths of this debate are linked here so you can read for yourself the arguments Bees, too, die in all sorts of ways: they suffer from parasites and for and against. Randy Oliver offers a tidal wave of fungal and bacterial and viral infections; they evidence not against pesticides, but aimed squarely “The study out of starve to death; and yes, they also succumb at the techniques used to reach the conclusions to Harvard is sort of an to pesticides -- sometimes when they are which these papers sunk to get their wrongful end mistakenly sprayed and are poisoned outright, and I urge you to read his comments on his web page. e m b a r r a s s m e n t , ” and also, perhaps, due to long-term neurological Sadly, the author has declined to comment on Mr. vanEngelsdorp said, noting and developmental effects when exposed to Oliver’s queries. that the team fed colonies lower amounts. Not many of them, however, Moreover, the prestigious IBRA also reaches the same “astronomical” levels of actually die of CCD. conclusions, conclusions published in Bee Culture In fact, though about a third of the nation’s CCD-laced corn syrup. several months ago … that there are more wrongs in honeybee herd has died each winter since 2007 the world of honey bees than simply pesticides. Many -- a number much higher than the 15 percent more wrongs, and all should be fixed. loss beekeepers consider “acceptable” -- few recent losses can be Kim Flottum attributed to CCD. In 2008, beekeepers reported symptoms of Here then are Hanna Nordhaus’ thoughts... CCD in 60 percent of colonies that died; in the last year, “I haven’t seen one verifiable case of CCD,” says vanEngelsdorp. Annual THE HONEY BEES ARE STILL DYING winter losses have been just as heavy in the last couple of years The eerie mystery of the vanishing honeybees has not been put to as they were in 2008. But “they can usually can be explained by rest. something else,” he says. And that’s true even though neonicotinoid In the last few weeks, three separate studies explored the effect of use continues apace. insecticides on honeybee and pollinator health. One paper linked neonicotinoids, a new class of systemic insecticides that have The recent neonicotinoid studies have also come under fire. come into widespread use in recent years, to impaired honeybee Bayer CropScience, which manufactures a number of widely used navigation; a second noted the effects of low levels of the pesticides neonicotinoids, argued that the dosing given to the bees in all of the recent research was higher than what is considered to be “field on bumblebee reproduction. realistic” -- and most of the non-industry scientists I spoke with The most talked about study, from a Harvard team, found that the agreed with this assessment. colonies fed neonicotinoid-laced corn syrup collapsed in a manner that appeared to mimic the effects of Colony Collapse Disorder, or The Harvard study -- which most explicitly linked neonics to CCD CCD -- the mysterious phenomenon in which otherwise-healthy -- has earned particular censure: “The study out of Harvard is sort bees simply vanish from their hives. Neonicotinoids, declared the of an embarrassment,” vanEngelsdorp said, noting that the team Harvard team, were “the likely culprit in sharp worldwide declines fed colonies “astronomical” levels of CCD-laced corn syrup, that the sample sizes were way too small, and that the symptoms the in honeybee colonies since 2006.” colonies subsequently suffered did not, in fact, mimic the symptoms Dramatic headlines soon followed: “Mystery of the Disappearing of CCD. Randy Oliver, a biologist and beekeeper in California, Bees: Solved!” announced a Reuters headline. Ah, if only that were true. Even if neonicotinoids were banned tomorrow, honeybees continued on page 5

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Missouri State Beekeepers Association MSBA FALL MEETING PREVIEW October 26-27, 2012, with special activities on October 25

Heartland Apicultural Society to meet in St. Louis July 12-14 continued from page 1

leadership. This annual conference is our only activity, hence low overhead.” Speakers attending HAS this year include: Dr. Greg Hunt – Purdue University, Dr. Tom Webster – Kentucky State University, Dr. Jim Tew – Auburn University, Kim Flottum – Bee Culture Magazine, Jerry Hayes – Monsanto Corporation and the American Bee Journal, Dr. Zachary Huang – Michigan State University, Michael Bush – Bush Farm, Phil Craft and others. Sessions are designed for beekeepers at all skill levels in a flexible track format with most classes offered in several time slots over the three days. Classes offered will include a special beginners’ track for those with no beekeeping experience, as well as advanced topics for beekeepers with many years’ experience and those inbetween. A three-day queen-rearing course will be offered in halfday sessions conducted in the apiary and lab. In addition to the education programming, there will be a large vendor show, evening social events, and sightseeing tours in the St. Louis area during the day. The evening social gathering on

campus is a great time to meet fellow beekeepers from the region – Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri, Tennessee, West Virginia and beyond! Accommodations will include University of Missouri dormitory housing and meals available at an economical cost for participants, as well as special rates at nearby hotels. For the non-beekeepers joining us in St. Louis, there will be guided tours to some of the favorite points of interest in the area. St. Louis, like other urban areas across the country, has experienced an explosion of interest in beekeeping in the past five years. The formation of Three Rivers Beekeepers in 2009, as well as popular beginning workshops hosted by the Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association and other local bee clubs, together draw over 300 members to area meetings every month. The St. Louis beekeeping community is “abuzz” with excitement to be hosting this important regional event! Pre-registration forms and program details are available online at www.heartlandbees.com. Forms will need to be returned by mail only (no on-line submission) by June 25th for pre-registration.

June 2012

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Blame neonicotinoids for colony collapse? Not so fast ... start spreading poisons around our kids, our pollinators and our farmworkers,” the Xerces Society’s Scott Black told me -- the provided this in-depth exploration of the study’s weaknesses on his group doesn’t recommend an outright ban, because neonicotinoids website, Scientific Beekeeping.com. This study was “fatally flawed,” are still considered safer for wildlife and human health than the both in its design and its conclusions, added Scott Black, executive organophosphate pesticides they replaced. director of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. “One of the biggest concerns,” notes University of Minnesota Chensheng Lu, the author of the Harvard study, had no such entomologist Marla Spivak, a MacArthur fellow and tireless advocate reservations. He compared his findings to those of Rachel Carson, for honeybee health, “is that if all neonics are banned, other much whose book Silent Spring, published 50 years ago, linked pesticides more harmful pesticides will be registered.” to plummeting bird populations and human cancer, and helped launch the modern environmental movement. “The hives were dead silent,” And things won’t necessarily get any better for the honeybee. This Lu told Wired News of the failed colonies in his study (http://www. vital pollinator is suffering “death by a thousand paper cuts,” as wired.com/wiredscience/2012/04/neonicotinoids-colony-collapse). beekeeper John Miller, about whom I wrote a recent book, The “I kind of ask myself: Is this the repeat of Silent Spring? What else do Beekeeper’s Lament, once described the malady of the honeybee. we need to prove that it’s the pesticides causing Colony Collapse Pesticides and other chemicals may provide a nasty gash, but so do the stresses of long-distance pollination to which Disorder?” In Australia, which has many commercial beekeepers must subject One Piece of a Bigger Puzzle their bees to stay afloat, and poor nutrition, among the healthiest bee What we need, sadly, is better evidence -- and and all varieties of pests and pathogens that herds in the world and has so far, it’s not there yet. This is not to say that have accompanied the globalization of modern anybody working with pollinators believes never reported a case of agriculture and apiculture. insecticides aren’t a big issue for bee health. It CCD, neonicotinoids have Indeed, in places where neonicotinoid pesticides makes perfect sense that systemic pesticides -been in widespread use for have been banned, such as France, Italy and which are absorbed throughout plants’ vascular Germany, there’s no evidence that honeybee over a decade. systems and into their pollen and nectar, and populations have rebounded. And in Australia, remain toxic to insects for a year or more after which has among the healthiest bee herds in the application -- might present issues not seen with traditional pesticides. Perhaps chronic exposure to low doses of poisons disorients bees, world and has never reported a case of CCD, neonicotinoids have or interrupts brood production, or weakens them so that another been in widespread use for over a decade. Australian agriculture pathogen -- one that isn’t as industrialized as in the U.S., where beekeepers make a living would under normal by dragging their hives from monocrop to monocrop, feasting their circumstances cause bees on one single nectar and pollen source, and then moving them only limited mortality on to the next. “The only situation in Australia where honeybees used for pollination are strongly restricted to one crop,” Australian -- can finish them off. bee pathologist Denis Anderson told me, “is in the pollination of In a recent review almonds. However, we don’t see losses among those colonies, even of neonicotinoid though neonicotinoids are used in the almond industry.” research, the Xerces Society noted that The other thing they don’t see in Australia -- but do see everywhere n e o n i c o t i n o i d s else in the world -- is the varroa mite, a nasty, tick-like creature upended conventional that latches onto a bee’s exoskeleton and sucks the life out of the wisdom about safe bee, and then the colony, and the apiary, and eventually, the entire pest management. This beekeeping outfit. Since varroa was first found in the U.S. in 1987, is because pesticides American beekeeping has changed dramatically -- inalterably. Indeed, can’t be avoided by this tiny mite has been the major cause of honeybee mortality across relocating hives during the United States. The nation’s CCD losses pose no comparison. application, or by not For most beekeepers and bee scientists, it is the varroa mite, not spraying during the CCD, that occupies most of their worrying hours. $20/1 year bloom. Still, while the Here are the conclusions of another recent bee study—one that $38/2 years organization advocates hasn’t seen nearly as much play in the press. The paper, published a more critical look in the Journal of Apicultural Research, puts it this way: “In many at these pesticides, cases, bee mortality appears to be the product of many interacting especially revisiting the factors, but there is a growing consensus that the ectoparasitic mite high dosages permitted Varroa destructor plays the role of the major predisposing liability. for horticultural use We argue that the fight against this mite should be a priority for -- “we should have future honeybee health research.” a better sense of Until we deal with that problem, all the pesticide bans in the world the risk before we won’t make it right with the honey bee. continued from page 3

June 2012

From the Queen Chair by Joyce Justice We have an excellent Missouri Honey Queen. She can help you sell your products at the Farmers Market. She can help you with demonstrations if you are giving a talk on beekeeping in your area. To schedule her to help you, please contact Joyce Justice at 816-3583893 or queenchair@mostatebeekeepers.org.

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Heartland Honey and Beekeeping Supplies 19201 South Clare Road Spring Hill, KS 66061 913-856-8356 www.heartlandhoney.com WEAVER’S FAMOUS QUEENS And Package Bees

Buckfast & All-American BEEKEEPING SUPPLIES AND BEGINNER’S KITS THE R WEAVER APIARIES, INC. 16495 C.R. 319, NAVASOTA, TX 77868

Phone (936) 825-2333 FAX (936) 825-3642 MSBA President Grant Gillard presents Joyce Justice a plaque at last year’s Fall Meeting for her years of service as Queen Chair.

EMAIL: rweaver@rweaver.com WEBSITE: www.rweaver.com

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Missouri State Beekeepers Association

Join us at the Missouri State Fair, August 9-19 in Sedalia Enjoy the best of agriculture and entertainment, and take a turn in our honey booth! Join the Missouri State Fair August 9-19, 2012 in Sedalia, in celebration of our great state’s 110th annual agricultural showcase! The 400-acre fairgrounds will present premier livestock shows and competitive exhibits, and first-class professional entertainment. Mark your calendar for the summer’s best family vacation experience! The fair will showcase the best of Missouri agriculture; competitions from bull riding to tractor pulls; professional entertainment from Hank Williams, Jr. to Larry the Cable Guy; rural lifestyle experiences; hands-on science, technology and innovation; familyfriendly amenities for everyone from infants to mature adults; and other action-packed activities. The Missouri State Fair is the perfect blend of activities for a memorable family outing. The midway carnival includes games and rides for children and thrill seekers of all ages. The nightlife on the fairgrounds kicks up each evening with free music on the Budweiser Stage and music stars performing on the stage of the Pepsi Grandstand. Admission at the gate: $8; age 60+, $6; ages 6-12, $2; 5 and under free. Tickets can be purchased in advance for a discount. See www.mostatefair.com for schedules and details. Booth volunteers needed: Something new we’re trying this year ... Sign up for four-hour increments: 9am (open booth) to 1pm; 1-5pm; or 5-9pm (close). Sign up to work four hours and then enjoy the fair, or visit the fair events first and then help out in our air-conditioned honey booth for four hours ... or more. We are flexible with your hours. We need at least six people on each shift. MSBA will pay your way to get in the gate for volunteering. It’s a great way to spend a day at the Missouri State Fair and also support your Missouri State Beekeepers Association. Call Dean Sanders at 816456-4683 or Steve Harris at 314-8056451 to volunteer some hours. Enter your honey and other products: Even if you are unable to help out at our booth, you can still participate in the Honey Competition. A list of products to enter are: Cut comb, bulk comb, light extracted, dark extracted, sealed honey frames, candied (creamed) honey, 3 lb beeswax cake, beeswax art design,

beeswax candles and “the queen & her bees”. Judging of honey entries will include degree of density, moisture content, free from crystals, clarity, cleanliness of containers, flavor & aroma, color, appearance of containers, and uniformity of volume. Score Sheet for judging the other additional items and more specific guidelines plus an entry form can be found on the State Fair web site at http://www.mostatefair. com/premium-guide. Under “Agriculture, Fine Arts and Home Economics”, choose “Agriculture Rules and Classes”, and Apiculture begins on page 2. Start planning now and decide what to enter. Get your jars selected (preferably glass, but not a requirement) and get your creamed honey started by early July. Even if you are just beginning your beekeeping adventure, please consider entering your honey products for judging. You get a score sheet for each item you enter and it’s a great way to see how you’re doing in preparing your honey for sale or even to give to your friends and neighbors. If you are unable to deliver your entries to Sedalia yourself, maybe your local club can help find someone. Let’s fill up the showcase this year and let the public see our beautiful bounty from all over Missouri. Note: MSBA matches your winnings if you are a member of the state club.

June 2012

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Buzz off, says Missouri -- and they mean that in a nice way! A new beekeeping initiative called “The Great Missouri Buzz Off” was launched on Friday, May 11th at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. Led by the Missouri Department of Agriculture and partnered with the Missouri State Beekeepers Association, Missouri Botanical Garden and St. Louis Zoo, the “Buzz Off” is designed to start a “buzz” about bees, promote their importance to food production and encourage Missourians to visit the state-sponsored website at AgriMissouri.com and learn about beekeeping. The Missouri State Beekeepers Association will play a key role in the implementation and promotion of this initiative. Speaking at the Botanical Garden to launch the initiative were Missouri Director of Agriculture Dr. Jon Hagler, Missouri Botanical Garden Vice President of Horticulture Andrew Wyatt, St. Louis Zoo’s Curator of Invertebrates Ed Spevak and Missouri State Beekeepers Association Vice President John Timmons. For more information about “The Great Missouri Buzz Off”, please visit http://AgriMissouri.com/the-great-missouri-buzz-off/.

MSBA Vice-President John Timmons says a few words at the kickoff of “The Great Missouri Buzz Off” in May. Also appearing, from left, are Missouri Director of Agriculture Jon Hagler; Andrew Wyatt, Missouri Botanical Garden Vice President of Horticulture; and Bob Herleth, Executive Vice-President of the Garden. Hidden behind Timmons is Eastern Missouri Beekeepers President Bob Sears. photo by Marvin Hook

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Missouri State Beekeepers Association

Honey Queen report continued from page 13

people about Honey Bees. Many were wowed at seeing the observation hive and to get some yummy honey sticks. People were fascinated by our state insect and how amazing it is. Some individuals where so fascinated that they were going to learn more about bees and try to start up hives of their own. I feel that a great many people both young and old were educated to have a better understanding, appreciation and respect for beekeeping and the lives of honey bees. I hope to go back to Herman for some other events in the Fall and educate more people about honey bees. My thanks to Walter Els and his wife of Hermann Hills Apiaries, Joan Treis who coordinated the event and invited me, and the townspeople of Hermann for their friendliness and generosity in sharing their town with me. Finally, finally, the long awaited event occurred ... my Carnolians arrived!!! Saturday, May 19th, I installed two nucs of Carnolian bees into their hives and I did it all by myself I might add with only a jacket, veil, and gloves, while Mom and Dad observed from about 6 feet away. My girls were very gentle and docile and cooperated wonderfully. They were so incredibly happy they immediately started flying and collecting pollen and or exploring their new hive. Man what a bunch of healthy bees they are too. Special thanks to Keith Dugan our President at NWMO Beebusters who made the trip to Iowa to pick up my bees since mom had shoulder surgery. He did a great job of picking out my girls for me too!! The day after installing my bees, I went outside to get the mail when I noticed not only some of my forager bees pollinating a blooming tree in my front yard, but also some wild honey bees, bumble bees and a carpenter bee all pollinating this blooming tree. I am not quite sure what type of tree it is, but I am now interested in finding out what type of tree attracts so many different types of bees. I want to plant some more for all the bees, it’s one of my many summer projects. I feel like I have a living classroom in my front yard. Everyone that stops by has to go see the tree with the bees…. I insist … and they are amazed. Hope to see everyone soon. 2012 Honey Queen, Megan Allen

June 2012

Page 11

Local Beekeepers Associations 1 Beekeepers Association of the Ozarks 4th Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. The Library Center, 4653 S. Campbell, Springfield www.ozarksbeekeepers.org

12 Missouri Valley Beekeepers Association 3rd Monday of each month, 7:00 p.m. Location varies, call contact number below if unsure President Calvin Brandt cvbrandt@landolakes.com 13 Parkland Beekeepers 3rd Tuesday of month, 7pm, Ozark Federal Savings President Jim Johnson 573-330-6498 or 573-330-6499 14 Pomme de Terre Beekeepers 2ndThursday of each month, 7 pm Missouri Extension Office, Hermitage Contact Bessi Shryer 417-745-2527 15 SEMO Honey Producers 2nd Thursday of month, Poplar Bluff Extension Office Contact Ernie Wells 573-429-0222 wells.ernie@gmail.com 16 South Central Missouri Beekeepers Association 1st Friday of month, Howell Electric Coop, West Plains Monty Wiens, President 417 257-3994 17 Southern MO Beekeepers of Monett “MOBees”) 3rd Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. United Methodist Church, Hwy 37 NW of Monett Leon Riggs, President 417-235-5053 18 Southwest Missouri Beekeepers Assn. of Neosho 1st Tuesday of month, Neosho High School FFA Bldg President Roger Ross 417-472-3504 19 Three Rivers Beekeepers 3rd Monday of month, University of Missouri Extension, 260 Brown Road, St. Peters, Missouri, 7:00 p.m. For info: 2952 Greenleaf Drive, St. Charles, MO 63303 info@threeriversbeekepers.com 20 Northwest Missouri Bee Busters 1st Monday of odd months, 7:00 p.m. 511 4th Street, Conception Junction, MO 64434 Gerald Auffert, President 660-944-2535

Page 12

Missouri State Beekeepers Association New! Join or renew at www.mostatebeekeepers.org and use your credit card or PayPal!

June 2012

Page 13

Directory of Officers

Honey Queen report by Megan Allen Greetings to all fellow Beekeepers. The past couple of months have gone by slow…and also extremely fast. Here are the highlights: I attended my senior prom, made a trip to Hermann to attend an opening of the old flour mill that had been rehabilitated, played chauffer for my mom who had shoulder surgery, and finally, finally my beautiful bees arrived. I also graduated from High School, and I currently have a living educational exhibit in a tree in my front yard. As most of you know, the bees are out and buzzing about, doing what they do best -- making delicious honey. Wow! What a wonderful couple of months … I hope everyone else’s has been as interesting and wonderful. Ok, since I just skimmed the highlights, I’d better report to you in a little more detail. In April I traveled to the town of Hermann, Missouri, where I attended the grand reopening of Hermann’s Old Flour Mill. The day couldn’t have been more beautiful for such a wonderful event, and what a great restoration of a wonderful piece of history. Many people were in attendance at the event including Hermann’s mayor who later came and introduced himself and seemed to be amazed by an observation hive full of bees provided by Hermann Hills Apiaries to help me educate continued on page 10

President: Grant Gillard 573 243-6568 3721 North High Street, Jackson MO 63755 president@mostatebeekeepers.org Vice President: John Timmons 636-940-8202 2952 Greenleaf Drive, St. Charles MO 63303 vicepresident@mostatebeekeepers.org Secretary: Steve Moeller 573-886-0662 7035 N. Kircher Rd., Columbia MO 65202 secretary@mostatebeekeepers.org Treasurer: Ron Vivian 816-690-7516 443 Fricke Road, Bates City MO 64011-8280 treasurer@mostatebeekeepers.org Past-President: Scott Moser 636-285-7295 6600 Davis Lane, Cedar Hill, MO 63016 pastpresident@mostatebeekeepers.org Northwestern Director: Glenn Davis 816-690-8007 4618 Highway Z Bates City MO 64011-8335 northwestdir@mostatebeekeepers.org Northeastern Director: Steve Harris 314-805-6451 1224 Sherbrooke Road, St. Charles MO 63303 northeastdir@mostatebeekeepers.org Southeastern Director: Cory Stevens 573-225-6935 PO Box 214, Dexter MO 63841 southeastdir@mostatebeekeepers.org Southwestern Director: Gary Dowling 620-724-3189 507 N. Ozark St., Girard KS 66743 southwestdir@mostatebeekeepers.org Central Director: Valerie Duever 314-402-4841 2362 County Road 185, Auxvasse MO 65231 centraldir@mostatebeekeepers.org Program Chairperson: Pam Brown 636-398-5014 1407 Sneak Road, Foristell MO 63348 program@mostatebeekeepers.org Newsletter Editor: Eugene Makovec 314-703-7650 17 Great Lakes Dr., St. Peters MO 63376 editor@mostatebeekeepers.org Auxiliary Treasurer: Dolores Vivian 816-690-7516 443 Fricke Road, Bates City MO 64011-8280 auxiliary@mostatebeekeepers.org Queen Chairperson: Joyce Justice 816-358-3893 P.O. Box 16566, Raytown MO 64133-0566 queenchair@mostatebeekeepers.org State Fair Chairman: Dean Sanders 816-456-4683 cell 37804 Old Pink Hill Road, Oak Grove MO 64075 State Entomologist: Collin Wamsley collin.wamsley@mda.mo.gov

573-751-5505

Associate Professor of Entomology: Richard Houseman HousemanR@missouri.edu 573-882-7181 1-87 Agricultural Building, University of MissouriColumbia, Columbia MO 65211

Missouri State Beekeepers Association P.O. Box 448 Oak Grove, MO 64075 photo by Eugene Makovec

www.mostatebeekeepers.org

Another view: I think what I find most interesting about the torch lily is that, while the bright orange florets are presumably to attract pollinators (and perhaps gardeners), it is only after they fade that their nectaries open and produce their payoff. Unlike some pollinators, honeybees are attracted more to scent than to bright colors, and their perception of ultraviolet light makes pale yellows and whites appear much more interesting than they do to humans. photo by Eugene Makovec

This newsletter is published six times per year, in even months. Submissions are due by the 15th of the month prior to publication. The email edition is in color, and contains hyperlinks and bonus back-page material, while the print version is in black-and-white. If you are a member currently receiving the printed newsletter and you wish to upgrade, just send an email to editor@mostatebeekeepers.org with â&#x20AC;&#x153;email newsletterâ&#x20AC;? in the subject line. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll reply with confirmation, and add you to my list. Advertising rates are as follows:

Business card size Quarter page

$15.00 $35.00

Half page Full page

$50.00 $100.00

Missouri State Beekeepers Association P.O. Box 448 Oak Grove, MO 64075 www.mostatebeekeepers.org

August 2012 Eugene Makovec Editor editor@mostatebeekeepers.org

Bees in the Heartland The Heartland Apicultural Society met in St. Louis in early July, drawing a crowd of about 300 to the University of Missouri St. Louis campus. Here, HAS program director Phil Craft (center of group, back to camera) gives a demonstration of the use of double screen boards.

Eugene Makovec

Fall Conference to be held in Kansas City October 26-27 -- See inside for details! Semi-annual meeting will feature Chip Taylor, Gary Ross and other speakers The Missouri State Beekeepers Association will hold its annual Fall Conference on October 26-27 in Kansas City at the Holiday Inn/ CoCo Key Water Resort. Special events will be held on October 25 for early arrivals. Hotel information is as follows:

INSIDE THIS ISSUE EPA denies neonic ban .... 2 Clothianidin okay for now Olympians grip with honey 3 Fall Conference registration 4 New -- register online! Support meeting vendors ... 7 Order ahead, save shipping From the Queen Chair ..... 9

State Fair results ............. 9

Jim Fisher, Midwestern take honors

Local associations ............ 13 Is there a club near you? Membership application .. 14 Join online via Paypal! Honey Queen report ....... 15 Directory of officers .......... 15

Our speakers will include: Orley R. “Chip” Taylor, Jr., PhD - Professor, Insect Ecology, University of Kansas. “My research efforts have included studies of reproductive isolating mechanisms in sulfur butterflies, reproductive and life history patterns in plants, comparative biology of European and Neotropical African honey bees and migratory behavior of monarch butterflies. Work in progress utilizes genetic markers to quantify the interactions between invading Neotropical African bees and resident European bees in North America. These investigations should clarify why, even after 40 years of hybridization, Neotropical African bees have retained their genetic integrity. Monarch Watch [www.MonarchWatch.org], an outreach program I initiated in 1992, now occupies much of my time.” Dr. Taylor’s meeting lectures will include: Biology of Swarms, and Saga of the African Bees. Gary Ross - retired US Navy Officer and retired Kansas State Bee Inspector, former Missouri State Fair Honey Judge. Meeting lectures to include: The Big Five continued on page 7

Page 2

Missouri State Beekeepers Association

EPA denies petition, declines emergency suspension of popular insecticide Plea was widely circulated online by environmental, organic organizations Editor’s note: On July 17, 2012, The Environmental Protection Agency sent Petition response: a letter to Peter T. Jenkins, of the Center for Food Safety and International For the reasons set forth below, the EPA denies the petition insofar Center for Technology Assessment, denying that group’s petition for as petitioners seek to have the EPA make a finding that the use of emergency suspension of registrations of the neonicotinoid pesticide products containing clothianidin presents an “imminent hazard,” as clothianidin. What follow are excerpts from that letter. defined in FIFRA section 2(1), and should be suspended under section 6(c) of FIFRA. Dear Mr. Jenkins: In general, petitioners assert that This letter constitutes the EPA’s partial clothianidin presents an “imminent response to the petition dated March 20, 2012 that you submitted on behalf “... simply noting that neonicotinoids hazard” based on the assertions of harm outlined above and on the assertion that of 27 petitioners seeking the suspension have been registered during a such harm may result in economic losses of registrations for the insecticide period of pollinator decline is from the collapse of bees that measure in clothianidin.... insufficient to show a connection the tens of billions of dollars and that the This partial response adresses only the ecological impacts of lost pollinators would petitioners’ request that the EPA suspend with clothianidin and falls far short be irreparable. And petitioners attempt to clothianidin registrations to prevent of what is needed to help support back up these claims by citing to research imminent harm. Given the emergency an imminent hazard fi nding.” in the public literature and incident reports nature of that request and the harm that allegedly establish the potential for alleged, the EPA believes it is appropriate such impacts. However, nowhere in the to address that request on an expedited basis without requesting public comment on the emergency claims. petition do petitioners explain how the use of clothianidin rises to The EPA is posting this response for public comment on its website the level of the FIFRA imminent hazard standard. along with the petition (including the petition exhibits and supplemental Absent any discussion regarding the immediacy of the harm alleged filings). After reviewing the public comments ... the EPA will respond or an explanation as to how the harm identified outweighs the to the remaining issues in the petition. In addition, the EPA will benefits to growers and the agricultural economy from the use of the determine in connection with that review whether the comments pesticide, the petition fails to make a showing of imminent hazard and is therefore denied on that basis. received support the reconsideration of this partial response. The data, literature and incident reports do make clear that clothianidin Petitioners’ assertions: Petitioners make the following assertions in support of their belief is acutely toxic to bees, and that adverse that an imminent hazard exists: 1. Research indicates that honey bee colonies are in decline effects to foraging bees recently and it appears to correlate with registration of occasionally occurs as the result of clothianidin clothianidin and the neonicotinoid pesticides. use. However, absent 2. The weight of the science on both neonicotinoids generally information that adverse and clothianidin in particular shows that exposure to harmful effects to pollinators amounts of clothianidin is a like factor in this abnormal decline are causing or will, in of honey bees. In particular, petitioners make the following the next year or two, assertions about clothianidin exposure and toxicity as it relates cause reductions in to bees and other pollinators to support the request that the populations of managed EPA take action to remove clothianidin from the market: or native pollinators that a. Circumstances giving rise to high clothianidin exposures could result in serious are widespread because the pesticide is very widely used economic or ecological and persistent; dusts from seed treatments can expose damage ... the EPA bees regularly to harmful amounts of clothianidin; and given believes that there is the systemic nature of clothianidin, bees are also regularly insufficient information exposed to clothianidin from visiting plants and trees. $20/1 year to support an imminent b. These exposures to clothianidin can and do cause harm hazard finding. And $38/2 years because it has lethal effects on honey bees; it has effects on the petition does not honey bee behavior and cognition in ways that compromise include evidence of the overall health of colonies, consistent with losses seen population declines or from CCD; and it has interactive/synergistic effects with colony losses associated pathogens and disrupts bees’ microbial communities. with clothianidin that are causing or could cause c. Incident data support these assertions. these types of impacts. continued page 11

August 2012

Page 3

Honey, here’s a gripping tale: How Olympians hang on to the bar Gymnasts want sticky fingers when grabbing for gold By Geoffrey A. Fowler, Wall Street Journal Online, July 22, 2012 SAN JOSE, Calif.—Before climbing onto the parallel bars at the U.S. Olympic team trials here in June, gymnast Jonathan Horton stretched his arm muscles, steeled himself—and reached for his honey bear. Gymnasts are using their own witches’ brew of honey, spit, and chalk to prime the parallel bars for increasingly big moves. An Olympic medalist offers this primer on the formula for getting the perfect grip on the bars. Giving the plastic bear a gentle squeeze, Mr. Horton oozed a dab of honey on to his hands and slathered it around the bars, adding chalk to make a pasty slurry. “I don’t know why it works, but I always have a really good grip on the bars,” he says. “I have tried not to use it, and I slip right off.” There’s a recipe to winning an Olympic medal on the parallel bars, and the key ingredient is sticky fingers. Gymnasts’ hands sweat as they swing, putting them in danger of losing grip of the bar. They dust their hands with gym chalk to abate moisture. But as gymnasts attempt ever-larger swings, they are on the constant hunt for a little extra help holding on to those slippery wooden bars. That is how the gymnast’s arsenal has come to include honey, molasses, Lyle’s Golden Syrup or pretty much any other substance one might serve over pancakes. It is deliciously legal. Judges can deduct up to half a point for “marking the floor carpet” with chalk, along with other destructive behavior, according to the International Gymnastics Federation’s point code. But there are “no rules or restrictions regarding these sticky substances,” says a federation spokesman. Most other gripping athletes use just chalk, although baseball sluggers famously put pine tar on the handles of their bats. Female gymnasts, who don’t do routines on parallel bars, tend to use just water and chalk. On the uneven bars, many women use glovelike grips to help them hold on while they swing. But most male Americans in the gymnastic competition, which begins Saturday in London, say they are honey men. Competitors from other countries favor sticky stuff ranging from Karo syrup to Coca-Cola. U.S. gymnast Danell Leyva recalls a competition in France in which a gymnast used a beer-and-sugar concoction. “I smelled it and said, ‘Dude what is that’?” says Mr. Leyva. “All right, whatever works for you.” Japanese gymnasts mix sweet and savory. Takehiro Kashima, a member of Japan’s men’s gymnastics teams in the 2004 and 2008 Games, says he experimented with his personal brew by adjusting proportions of sugar and water, then moved on to saltwater. He settled on a smear of honey spritzed with saltwater topped with chalk. “It’s odd, right?” he says. “But as you perform, you get this feeling of ‘gu gu gu’ like something is tugging on your hands,” he says, using a Japanese onomatopoeia that denotes a sticking sensation. Former U.S. national-team member Trent Wells melted gummy bears for competition in the mid-’90s. He says the idea came to a teammate who noticed the candies would stick to things if moistened and then shot out of a slingshot. Gymnasts’ hands sweat as they swing. A mixture of chalk and a drop

of honey, syrup or molasses helps some maintain their grip. “We thought it might be a little bit stickier solution than honey or Karo syrup,” says Mr. Wells. After some experimentation with boiling the gummy bears in varying amounts of water, they created the ideal viscosity in a reddish goop. Mr. Wells eventually moved to a special sugar water that a chemist friend helped him brew. The right sticky formula is a matter of personal chemistry crossed with personal superstition. Raj Bhavsar, who helped win a team bronze medal for the U.S. during the 2008 Games, started with pancake syrup when he was 12, before

Bear Grip: U.S. gymnast Danell Leyva, right, squeezes just the right amount of the sticky stuff on to his hands before attacking the parallel bars. Geoffrey A. Fowler/The Wall Street Journal shifting to molasses and sugar water and eventually landing on honey. He judges the quality of honey by upending a honey bear and seeing how fast an air bubble floats to the other side. “I want it real slow,” he says. When he traveled to the Beijing Games, Mr. Bhavsar brought his own honey bear containing a honey he could only find from a Texas company. “One of the most devastating things in the world would be to be at the Olympic Games and all of the sudden you don’t have your particular honey,” he says. The U.S. team hasn’t brought official team honey with it to London because each athlete’s home gym has a favorite. A number of companies sell honey in bear-shaped containers. Bruce Boynton, chief executive of the National Honey Board, says he knew some Olympians use honey for energy but was surprised to hear that they apply it to their hands. “We knew honey was versatile, but this is taking it to a different level,” he says. But it makes sense, says a Honey Board spokeswoman after talking with a Honey Board science consultant, Dave Ropa. Honey, consisting primarily of glucose and fructose, has a high “coefficient of friction,” Mr. Ropa says, that makes it work as a “natural, nontoxic glue” when applied to gymnastics equipment. continued on page 12

Missouri State Beekeepers Association Fall, 2012 Conference Registration October 26th – 27th, Kansas City, Missouri Name (First/Last): _____________________________________________________________________ Spouse/Partner/Children: ______________________________________________________________ Badge Name(s):_______________________________________________________________________ (As you want printed on your name badge) Address: ______________________________________________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Email: ________________________________________________________ Telephone: ______________________________ Local Association Name: _________________________________________________________________________________ -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Pre-Registration Fees (Registration must be postmarked or submitted by September 30th) Individual Member: ................................................................................................ $ 40.00 X

_____

= _______________

Family Member: (only one per registration) ........................................................... $ 50.00 Non-Member (per person): ..................................................................................... $ 75.00 X

_______________ _____

= _______________

_____

= _______________

Registrations made after September 30th Individual Member: ................................................................................................ $ 55.00 X Family Member: (only one per registration) ........................................................... $ 65.00 Non-Member (per person): ..................................................................................... $ 75.00 X

_______________ _____

= _______________

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Conference Meals & Wine Social (You must complete the form on the 2nd page of this registration) Enter Amount from “Conference Meals & Wine Social” on Page 2: ..................................................._______________ -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Membership Dues & Donations MSBA Membership Dues - Individual: .................(Circle One) --> New / Renewal ...................... $ 15.00 = _______________ MSBA Membership Dues - Family: .......................(Circle One) --> New / Renewal ...................... $ 20.00 = _______________ Honey Queen Fund Donation: .........................................................................................................................._______________

TOTAL AMOUNT DUE:

_______________

(Please also complete meal schedule on next page) Please make checks payable to: MO State Beekeepers Association. Mail registration form and check to: Nancy Gillard, 3721 North High Street, Jackson, MO 63755. NOTE: Checks will not be deposited until after the conference. No receipt will be mailed.

Conference Meals & Wine Social Thursday Evening Wine Social Registered for Conference: .................................................................................. FREE X

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Non-Registered ................................................................................................... $ 5.00 X

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= _______________

Beef Brisket & Chicken (per person): ................................................................. $ 8.00 X

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Vegetarian Meal (per person): ........................................................................... $ 8.00 X

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Child (12 & under): ............................................................................................. $ 5.00 X

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Chicken Picatta (per person): ........................................................................... $ 18.00 X

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Vegetarian Meal (per person): ......................................................................... $ 18.00 X

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Child (12 & under): ........................................................................................... $ 12.00 X

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Southwestern Buffet (per person): .................................................................... $ 8.00 X

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Vegetarian Meal (per person): ........................................................................... $ 8.00 X

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Child (12 & under): ............................................................................................. $ 5.00 X

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Friday Lunch – Kansas City BBQ Buffet

Friday Evening Banquet

Saturday Lunch

TOTAL FOR MEALS & WINE SOCIAL (Enter This Amount on the Previous Page): _______________

DRAPER’S SUPER BEE Specializing in:

Bee Pollen Beekeeping Supplies Containers

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THE HAWLEY HONEY COMPANY

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HONEY HIVE FARMS RAISING EXCEPTIONAL BEES FOR EXCEPTIONAL HONEY

All sizes hive bodies and honey supers

Other woodenware and frames

Wax and plastic foundations

Glass jars and plastic containers

Suits, jackets, veils, and gloves

Smokers, feeders and medications

Or just stop by to chat or visit our facility!

Save the Shipping, Shop Locally!

Honey Hive Farms is a one-stop bee shop featuring local honey,

beekeeping woodenware and supplies, queen bees, wax, candles, soaps,

gifts and more! Honey Hive Farms is family-owned and operated, and maintains an on-site 75 hive apiary that is viewable to the public. Honey Hive Farms also provides extraction, bottling, labeling, pollination, and bee removal services. The farm is open daily April to November from 9am-6pm,

private

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70 Bluebird Lane Winfield, MO 63389 Phone: 636-566-6116 www.HoneyHiveFarms.com

appointment,

online

August 2012

Page 7

Support our meeting vendors and advertisers

As of press time, the following vendors had confirmed plans to attend the meeting. You can save on shipping costs by placing orders ahead of time to be picked up during the meeting.

Honey Hive Farms*

All beekeeping supplies Tim and Connie Moore 636-668-6760 honeyhivefarms@gmail.com www.honeyhivefarms.com

Femme Osage Apiary*

Handcrafted woodenware & bee supplies 636-398-5014 femmeosage1@aol.com Ian and Pam Brown

Walkabout Acres*

All beekeeping supplies 573-474-8837 FAX 573-474-5830 walkaboutacres@agristar.net Vera and Art Gelder

Join us in Kansas City on October 25-27 continued from page 1

Diseases and Pests (American Foulbrood, European Foulbrood, Nosema, Varroa Mites and Small Hive Beetle). Preparing Honey for Competition. Ron Fessenden, MD, PhD, retired medical doctor and author of The Honey Revolution: Restoring the Health of Future Generations.

Break-out Sessions Bernie Andrews - How to Make Comb Honey Dadant - How to Make Creamed Honey Michael Godfrey - How to Make Honey Beer Jan Amos - Making Divisions Chip Taylor - Monarch Butterflies Bob Owen - Feral Bee Trapouts Fred Meder - Widgets & Gadgets - Neat Things in the Beekeeper’s Toolbox Art & Vera Gelder - Agri-Tourism Yvonne Von Der Ahe - Products From the Hive Gary Ross - Bring your honey sample, and Gary will “test” it. Registration is available online, and on pages 4-5 of this newsletter. Our full conference agenda is not yet available. Watch your email in the coming weeks, or check for more details at www. mostatebeekeepers.org.

Dadant and Sons*

All beekeeping supplies 888-922-1293 www.dadant.com

Isabees

(Authorized Walter T. Kelley dealer) All beekeeping supplies 314-894-8737 www.isabees.com Jane Sueme

Andrew Honey Farm

Used beekeeping equipment 217-938-4975 magic@adams.net Bernie Andrew

Ozark Cedar Hives

Cedar Beehives 417 559 0506 bob@ozarkcedarhives.com *See ad in this issue

M00223 One pound jar Carton of 12 Ship wt. 14 lbs. $17.25 M01550 5.5 oz. Cartons of 12 Ship Wt. 5 lbs. . . . . . $8.95 M01551 9.5 oz. Cartons of 12 Ship Wt. 8 lbs. . . . . $12.75 M01552 13.5 oz.Cartons of 12 Ship Wt. 9 lbs. . . . . $13.50 Only available from Hamilton, IL location.

Price Per Carton 1-99 Cartons

Size of Jar Honey Capacity

Number of Jars Per Carton

Lid* Style (see below)

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8 ounces

1 (48 mm)

M001952

$9.43

$14.75

1 pound

1 (58 mm)

M001962

1 pound

1 (58 mm)

M001972

$17.58

2 pound

1 (63 mm)

M001982

$12.60

4 pound

(G70)

M001992

$12.05

Lid Style White plastic (glass not shipped by UPS) *We reserve the right to substitute lids should the style you requested not be available.

M00255

with 38mm Snap Caps

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M00255 12 oz. Regular Bears with Cap and Collar (38mm) Cartons of 12 Case of 12 Ship Wt. 3 lbs. . . . . . . . . . $6.95 M00255CPN 12 oz. Clear Bears with Cap and Collar (38mm) Cartons of 12 Case of 12 Ship Wt. 3 lbs. . . . . . . . . . $8.25 M00256 Bulk Pack - 250 per case 1-4 Cases 250 per case . . $91.95 per case 5 & Up Cases . . . . . . . . . . . $89.95 per case Ship wt. 30 lbs. per case M00256CPN 12 oz. Clear Panel Bears with Cap and Collar (38mm) 1-4 Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . $169.95 per case 5 & Up Cases . . . . . . . . . . $162.95 per case Ship wt. 30 lbs. per case * 8 oz. and 2 lb. bearsare also available.

Carton of 12 with white plastic lids

Jar Size

No. of Jars Per Ctn.

Item Number

Ship Wt. Per Ctn. lbs.

8 oz.

M01150

$12.95

Price Per Ctn. 1-99 Cartons

M001932

1 pound

M01151

15.42

1-99 . . . . . . $13.65 per Carton

1½ pound

M01152

18.40

(All Ship Wts. 12 lbs. per carton.)

2 pound

M01153

11.43

Please specify red or yellow snap caps. If none specified yellow will be sent. Call for Pricing on 100+ Cartons • All prices are FOB, Hamilton, IL Note: Plastic containers may ship at individual weights listed not combined weights. All prices are subject to change.

August 2012

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Bees Have a Great Showing and Plenty of Supporters at the State Fair Gov. Nixon proclaims Missouri’s bee week to run during much of the 11-day fair Editor’s note: The Missouri Department of Agriculture issued the following press release on August 9, 2012: The Great Missouri Buzz Off! is in full view at the Missouri State Fair, from bounty of fresh produce on display in the Agriculture Building, to the sweet treats available at the Missouri State Beekeepers Association booth and throughout grounds in blooming gardens and planters. Gov. Jay Nixon today highlighted those efforts and the work of Missouri’s state insect, proclaiming August 12 through 18 Missouri State Honey Bee Awareness and Appreciation Week. The displays, including opportunities to purchase locally produced honey and the popular “honey straws” in the Agriculture Building, will continue throughout the Fair. Members of the Missouri State Beekeepers Association and staff from the Missouri Department of Agriculture will also be on hand to answer questions about beekeeping and bees’ impact on agriculture. “Bees play an important role in agriculture as pollinators for our flowering plants - including many of the state’s agricultural crops,” said Director of Agriculture Dr. Jon Hagler. “More than 400 different species of bees call Missouri home and most are key to producing the food we grow, from soybeans to cotton, melons to tomatoes, and berries to pumpkins.” It is estimated that bees contribute $15 billion to the value of overall U.S. crop production, as well as supporting flowering plants and trees within the landscape and nursery industry, which represents $3.4 billion per year in Missouri.

John Timmons, vice president of the Missouri State Beekeepers Association and Ed Spevak, curator of invertebrates with the Saint Louis Zoo, joined the event with information on bees’ importance to our lives, from supporting produce and honey operations locally to ensuring that the beautiful spaces in Missouri’s public and private gardens remain available for all to enjoy. Beekeepers Art and Vera Gelder were also on hand to share their experiences with bees, producing honey and opening their farm to visitors throughout the year. The Gelders raise bees, produce and livestock on their farm, Walk About Acres, near Columbia, Mo. To help more Missourians get growing with bees, The Missouri Department of Agriculture’s AgriMissouri program launched The Great Missouri Buzz Off!, an educational and promotional initiative designed to provide Missourians with the tools and resources they need to add bees to their fruit, vegetable or flower gardens, this spring. A new section on the AgriMissouri.com website was dedicated to The Great Missouri Buzz Off!, including resources for those interested in learning more about types of bees, beekeeping and connecting beginners with the information and guidance they need to have a successful beekeeping venture. The Missouri Department of Agriculture added its first colony of bees to the Growing Together Garden in Jefferson City this summer to pollinate the fresh fruits and vegetables growing there and to serve as an example for others. To learn more about The Great Missouri Buzz Off! and how you can get growing with bees, visit AgriMissouri.com.

From the Queen Chair by Joyce Justice Our Missouri Honey Queen, Megan Allen, did a cooking demonstration at the Kansas Fun Day. She did a great job. She also participated in the handling of the bees. She was given a whole handful and did not get stung. Great Queen! It is time to be sending names in for 2013 Queen. Help the Committee. Megan has been very special. She has learned a lot about bees and now has her own hives. Megan was at the Missouri State Fair in August and she will be at the Herman, Missouri, Fair in September. If anyone has an event for her please contact me (see contact information on page 15).

MISSOURI STATE FAIR 2012 Apiculture Judging Contest Results INDIVIDUAL ENTRIES Candied Honey

Cut Comb

Section Comb Light/Amber Extracted

Dark Extracted

Light Bulk Comb

Yellow Beeswax Cake

Observation Hive

Art Designs in Beeswax

Beeswax Candles

st 1 Place nd 2 Place rd 3 Place th 4 Place st 1 Place nd 2 Place rd 3 Place th 4 Place st 1 Place st 1 Place nd 2 Place 3rd Place th 4 Place th 5 Place 6th Place 7th Place th 8 Place st 1 Place nd 2 Place 3rd Place th 4 Place th 5 Place th 6 Place st 1 Place nd 2 Place 3rd Place th 4 Place st 1 Place 2nd Place rd 3 Place th 4 Place st 1 Place nd 2 Place rd 3 Place th 4 Place st 1 Place nd 2 Place rd 3 Place th 4 Place st 1 Place nd 2 Place

Jim Fisher Thomas Endecott Mary Ellen Raymond Yvonne von der Ahe Michael Godfrey Chris Gibbons Tim Hyde Jim Fisher Jim Fisher John Blazek Tom Britz Kenneth Heitkamp Bob Finck Yvonne von der Ahe Doug Horton Jim Fisher Deana Ruth Avery Scott Hitchcock Jim Fisher Priscilla Ward Jackie Marcoux Yvonne von der Ahe Samuel Farhmeier Jim Fisher Tim Hyde Kenneth Heitkamp Chris Gibbons Jim Fisher Kenneth Heitkamp Bob Finck Tim Hyde Jim Fisher Tim Hyde Chris Gibbons Ian Brown Larry Hensley Dolores Vivian Jim Fisher Yvonne Von Der Ahe Yvonne Von Der Ahe Jim Fisher

(continued on next page)

Raymore Cleveland Chesterfield Washington Valley Park Columbia Wildwood Raymore Raymore St. Charles Peculiar St. Louis Fenton Washington Windsor Raymore Independence Warrenton Raymore Kirkwood Creve Coeur Washington Wellington Raymore Wildwood St. Louis Columbia Raymore St. Louis Fenton Wildwood Raymore Wildwood Columbia Foristell Florissant Bates City Raymore Washington Washington Raymore

MISSOURI STATE FAIR 2012 Apiculture Judging Contest Results (continued from previous page) INDIVIDUAL ENTRIES (continued) Sealed Honey, Shallow Frame

Sealed Honey, Brood Frame

1 Place 2nd Place rd 3 Place th 4 Place st 1 Place nd 2 Place rd 3 Place th 4 Place

INDIVIDUAL GRAND CHAMPION

Kenneth Heitkamp Tim Hyde Michael Godfrey Doug Horton Lauren Collins Kenneth Heitkamp Thomas Endecott Maplewood Middle School

St. Louis Wildwood Valley Park Windsor Kingsville St. Louis Cleveland Maplewood

Jim Fisher

Raymore

LOCAL ASSOCIATION ENTRIES Light/Amber Extracted

Dark Extracted

Yellow Beeswax

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1 Place nd 2 Place rd 3 Place th 4 Place th 5 Place th 6 Place th 7 Place 8th Place 1st Place 2nd Place rd 3 Place 4th Place th 5 Place 6th Place 1st Place nd 2 Place rd 3 Place th 4 Place 1st Place 1st Place nd 2 Place 1st Place nd 2 Place

CLUB GRAND CHAMPION

Three Rivers Eastern Midwestern Midwestern Midwestern Midwestern Eastern Midwestern Eastern Three Rivers Eastern Midwestern Three Rivers Three Rivers Three Rivers Eastern Midwestern Eastern Eastern Midwestern Midwestern Three Rivers Eastern

Bob Finck Yvonne Von Der Ahe Dolores Vivian Jim Fisher Samuel Fahrmeier Steve DeCaigney Ken Heitkamp Tom Britz Michael Godfrey Scott Hitchcock Jackie Marcoux Jim Fisher Laurie Miller Kirby Shouse Bob Finck Kenneth Heitkamp Jim Fisher Tim Hyde Tim Hyde Jim Fisher Edward Fisher Tim Hyde Kenneth Heitkamp

Midwestern Beekeepers

EPA denies petition for emergency ban of neonicotinoid pesticide continued from page 2 The petitioners claim that research indicates that honey bee colonies are in decline recently and that this decline appears to correlate with the registration of clothianidin and other neonicotinoid pesticides.... The neonicotinoids have only been registered for the last 20 years, but there has been a steady decline in managed colonies over the last 60 years. This reduction is likely the result of numerous causes, including changing agricultural practices, changes in nutrition management, habitat loss, varroa mites, disease, climate, as well as other stressors. Given all these factors, simply noting that neonicotinoids have been registered during a period of pollinator decline is insufficient to show

a connection with clothianidin and falls far short of what is needed to help support an imminent hazard finding. It must also be noted that, in the U.S., recent information suggests that colony losses in the last year were significantly less than in previous years despite the continued, consistent use of neonicotinoids. While the EPA does not suggest that this information removes from doubt the possibility that neonicotinoids are causing harm to bees, it further supports the EPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assessment that there is no clear correlation between the registration of clothianidin and declining bee populations. The EPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s response can be viewed in its entireity at: www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=EPA-HQ-OPP-2012-0334-0006

Page 12

Missouri State Beekeepers Association

Honey helps Olympic gymnasts get a grip continued from page 3 Honey’s gymnastic enthusiasts say it feels just right in the hand: not too thick and not too thin. During a routine, honey mixes with chalk and sweat to form clumps that look like pie dough. Former bodybuilder Jason Blackwell brewed a honey alternative he calls Liquid Grip in 2010, after he says gyms kept getting angry at him for making a mess with chalk. His concoction contains chalk and tree rosin, often used as a gripping aide by bull riders, and is good for “anybody who wants a grip,” he says. After his product made inroads with tennis players and pole dancers, Mr. Blackwell is now courting gymnasts but says it is hard to break their honey habit. “A lot of these guys are stuck in their old-school ways,” he says. One advantage to the natural approach: It doubles as a tasty treat. Mr. Horton, joining his second U.S. Olympic team in London, has two honey bears: one for hands, one for tongue. All that sticky stuff can leave a mess on the bars. “Some guys’ techniques don’t mix well with others, and that can be a little frustrating,” says Brett McClure, a member of the silver-medalwinning 2004 U.S. gymnastics team who now coaches at Stanford with a Manischewitz-brand kosher-cloverhoney bear. A gymnast must clean up after his predecessor on the bars. Officials leave gymnasts about a minute to prepare before their routines, so most bring a pit crew to wash down the bars or even sandpaper stubborn gunk. “That stuff can be really difficult to get off,” Mr. McClure says. —Yoree Koh contributed to this article.

August 2012

Page 13

Local Beekeepers Associations 1 Beekeepers Association of the Ozarks 4th Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. The Library Center, 4653 S. Campbell, Springfield www.ozarksbeekeepers.org

2 Boone Regional Beekeepers Association 3rd Sunday of month, 3:00 p.m., Columbia Insurance Group, 2102 Whitegate Dr. (back door), Columbia President Jim Duever 573-254-3373 www.boonebees.org 3 Busy Bee Club 4th Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m., Cedar County Health Center, Owens Mill Road, Stockton Neal Lee 417-276-3090, Neil Brunner 314-276-4252 grnthumb@alltel.net 4 Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association 2nd Wednesday of each month, 7:00 p.m., Powder Valley Nature Center 11715 Craigwold Rd., Kirkwood Bob Sears, President 314-479-9517 www.easternmobeekeepers.com 5 Golden Valley Beekeepers 2nd Monday of each month, 7:00 p.m. (but varies) Henry County Courthouse, Clinton MO Contact Kathy Murphy 660-678-5171 murftk@copper.net 6 Jackson Area Beekeepers 4th Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. First Pres. of Jackson, 206 E. Washington Contact Grant Gillard 573-243-6568 gillard5@charter.net 7 Jefferson County Beekeepers Association 2nd Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m., Hwy B & 21 Jefferson County Extension Center, Hillsboro Contact Scott Moser 636-285-7295 8 Joplin Area Beekeepers Association Last Tue. of each month, 7 pm, SM Bank Community Building (7th and Duquesne Rd), Joplin Steve Davis, President 620-202-0232 9 Mid Missouri Beekeepers 3rd Sunday of each month, 2 pm, Old Train Depot, St. James. Steven Todd, President 573-885-6650 steventdd447@gmail.com 10 Midwestern Beekeepers Association Nov-March, 2nd Sunday of each month, 2:30 p.m. April-Oct, 2nd Thursday of each month, 7:00 p.m. (Schedule varies; please call first to confirm.) Bass Pro Shop, Independence, Conservation Room Andy Nowachek, President 913-438-5397 11 Mississippi Valley Beekeepers Association Last Tuesday of Month in Quincy, IL Contact Bernie Andrew 217-938-4975

12 Missouri Valley Beekeepers Association 3rd Monday of each month, 7:00 p.m. Location varies, call contact number below if unsure President Calvin Brandt cvbrandt@landolakes.com 13 Parkland Beekeepers 3rd Tuesday of month, 7pm, Ozark Federal Savings President Jim Johnson 573-330-6498 or 573-330-6499 14 Pomme de Terre Beekeepers 2ndThursday of each month, 7 pm Missouri Extension Office, Hermitage Contact Bessi Shryer 417-745-2527 15 SEMO Honey Producers 2nd Thursday of month, Church of Christ, Poplar Bluff Contact Ernie Wells 573-429-0222 wells.ernie@gmail.com 16 South Central Missouri Beekeepers Association 1st Friday of month, Howell Electric Coop, West Plains Monty Wiens, President 417 257-3994 17 Southern MO Beekeepers of Monett â&#x20AC;&#x153;MOBeesâ&#x20AC;?) 3rd Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. United Methodist Church, Hwy 37 NW of Monett Leon Riggs, President 417-235-5053 18 Southwest Missouri Beekeepers Assn. of Neosho 1st Tuesday of month, Neosho High School FFA Bldg President Roger Ross 417-472-3504 19 Three Rivers Beekeepers 3rd Monday of month, University of Missouri Extension, 260 Brown Road, St. Peters, Missouri, 7:00 p.m. For info: 2952 Greenleaf Drive, St. Charles, MO 63303 info@threeriversbeekepers.com 20 Northwest Missouri Bee Busters 1st Monday of odd months, 7:00 p.m. 511 4th Street, Conception Junction, MO 64434 Gerald Auffert, President 660-944-2535

21 Lake of the Ozarks Beekeepers 3rd Saturday of month, 1:00 p.m. UMC Extension Office, 100 E. Newton,Versailles MO Contact Russell Kasnick 573-372-3122 22 Northeast Missouri Beekeepers Association 1st Friday of month, 6:30 pm Running Fox Elementary (3 miles south of Wayland) Acting President Randy Ewart 573-248-5561 rewart@centurytel.net 23 Gasconade Region Bee Keepers 2nd Tuesday 7:00, First State Comm. Bank, Owensville President Rodney Angell 573-259-5811 2224 Nowack, Rosebud MO bee143@fidnet.com 24 St. Louis Beekeepers 4th Tuesday 6:30, Schlafly Bottleworks (starting Sept.) contact@saintlouisbeekeepers.com www.saintlouisbeekeepers.com See state map on facing page for approximate geographic locations.

14 Page 12

Missouri State Beekeepers Association New! Join or renew at www.mostatebeekeepers.org and use your credit card or PayPal!

August 2012 Honey Queen report by Megan Allen Happy August Fellow Beekeepers, It has been brought to my attention that the honey bees are no longer really bringing in very much pollen if any. I myself noticed with my own hives of bees that it did not look as though they were bringing in any pollen. It has also been brought to my attention that due to the hot weather and drought conditions that the bees are starting to gorge themselves on their honey stores that are supposed to tide them over through the winter months to come. I have not noticed this with my own bees yet, however I plan to check on them tomorrow to make sure they are all doing alright and to check on their progress. Oh, if everyone hasn’t already heard, I’ve been officially initiated as a beekeeper by my worker bees, and let me tell you they are very accurate in targeting their stings, but it’s all good, I took it like a pro-beekeeper. I also had the opportunity to go to Hawaii with my aunt. While I was in Kauai which is the smallest Hawaiian Island, I went to a farmers’ market where I met some local beekeepers, and of course, unable to resist the temptation, I went up and introduced myself as Missouri’s Honey Queen and became engaged in conversation. The motherdaughter team (wow, that concept is so familiar to me) had Italian honey bees, which was interesting because I would have thought they might have had a breed that I wouldn’t have been very familiar with or more exotic than breeds around Missouri due to Hawaii’s exotic habitat. I also learned that they had been having problems with mites, and sadly, due to the importing of goods, the small hive beetle was accidentally introduced. I told them about where I was from, what kind of bees I had, and about the programs that the Missouri State Beekeepers Association does for youth, which they really thought was really interesting and a good idea to get youth educated and sponsored. I also had the privilege of attending the Northeast Kansas Beekeepers Association Fun Day on June the 2nd. At the Fun day event Joyce and I gave a cooking demonstration using recipes with honey. I would like to thank the NEKBA beekeepers for having me down for their Fun Day and also for the lovely cooking apron that was given to me. I really thought the little bee on the apron was cute. Also, I am proud to say that at the Fun Day I got to attend some really neat classes, in which I learned many ways to market honey products. I also got to carry on a tradition it seems.… (It may have started with Lillian Misko?) ... anyway, during a demonstration about swarms, I got to go up during a swarm demonstration and grab a handful of bees, it really tickled, but was so neat. Lots of young kids and even some brave adults were also getting a handful of bees. No one got stung and everyone seemed to be enjoying the day, both novice and pro alike. I hope to see everyone at the Missouri State Fair on August 10th, 11th and 12th. Oh, the Honey Booth is air conditioned … hope everyone stays cool and we get some rain soon. Megan Allen 2012 Missouri State Honey Queen

Page 15

Directory of Officers President: Grant Gillard 573 243-6568 3721 North High Street, Jackson MO 63755 president@mostatebeekeepers.org Vice President: John Timmons 636-940-8202 2952 Greenleaf Drive, St. Charles MO 63303 vicepresident@mostatebeekeepers.org Secretary: Steve Moeller 573-886-0662 7035 N. Kircher Rd., Columbia MO 65202 secretary@mostatebeekeepers.org Treasurer: Ron Vivian 816-690-7516 443 Fricke Road, Bates City MO 64011-8280 treasurer@mostatebeekeepers.org Past-President: Scott Moser 636-285-7295 6600 Davis Lane, Cedar Hill, MO 63016 pastpresident@mostatebeekeepers.org Northwestern Director: Glenn Davis 816-690-8007 4618 Highway Z Bates City MO 64011-8335 northwestdir@mostatebeekeepers.org Northeastern Director: Steve Harris 314-805-6451 1224 Sherbrooke Road, St. Charles MO 63303 northeastdir@mostatebeekeepers.org Southeastern Director: Cory Stevens 573-225-6935 PO Box 214, Dexter MO 63841 southeastdir@mostatebeekeepers.org Southwestern Director: Gary Dowling 620-724-3189 507 N. Ozark St., Girard KS 66743 southwestdir@mostatebeekeepers.org Central Director: Valerie Duever 314-402-4841 2362 County Road 185, Auxvasse MO 65231 centraldir@mostatebeekeepers.org Program Chairperson: Pam Brown 636-398-5014 1407 Sneak Road, Foristell MO 63348 program@mostatebeekeepers.org Newsletter Editor: Eugene Makovec 314-703-7650 17 Great Lakes Dr., St. Peters MO 63376 editor@mostatebeekeepers.org Auxiliary Treasurer: Dolores Vivian 816-690-7516 443 Fricke Road, Bates City MO 64011-8280 auxiliary@mostatebeekeepers.org Queen Chairperson: Joyce Justice 816-358-3893 P.O. Box 16566, Raytown MO 64133-0566 queenchair@mostatebeekeepers.org State Fair Chairman: Dean Sanders 816-456-4683 cell 37804 Old Pink Hill Road, Oak Grove MO 64075 State Entomologist: Collin Wamsley collin.wamsley@mda.mo.gov

573-751-5505

Associate Professor of Entomology: Richard Houseman HousemanR@missouri.edu 573-882-7181 1-87 Agricultural Building, University of MissouriColumbia, Columbia MO 65211

Missouri State Beekeepers Association P.O. Box 448 Oak Grove, MO 64075 photo by Eugene Makovec

www.mostatebeekeepers.org

Is your hive healthy? At July’s Annual Conference of the Heartland Apicultural Society, Illinois Apiary Inspector Susan Kivikko gives a lesson on what to look for during a routine hive inspection. photo by Eugene Makovec

Business card size Quarter page

$15.00 $35.00

Half page Full page

$50.00 $100.00

Missouri State Beekeepers Association P.O. Box 448 Oak Grove, MO 64075 www.mostatebeekeepers.org

October 2012 Eugene Makovec Editor editor@mostatebeekeepers.org

Register now for Fall Conference! October 25-27 in Kansas City The Missouri State Beekeepers Association will hold its annual Fall Conference on October 26-27 in Kansas City at the Holiday Inn/CoCo Key Water Resort. Special events will be held on October 25 for early arrivals. Hotel information is as follows:

INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the President ........... 2 Planning for spring begins now Beekeeping diversifies bees? 3 Study shows deeper gene pool Fall Conference registration 4 New -- register online! Support meeting vendors ... 7 Order ahead, save shipping

Fall Conference agenda ..... 10 From butterflies to beer Local associations ............ 13 Is there a club near you? Membership application .. 14 Join online via Paypal! Honey Queen report ....... 15 Directory of officers .......... 15

Holiday Inn Kansas City SE, CoCo Key Water Resort 9103 East 39th Street Kansas City, Missouri 64133 Phone 877-425-2746 or 816-737-0200 Single - $69, Double - $79, Triple - $89, Quad - $99 Rates include deluxe, full breakfast buffet in The Tradewinds Restaurant. (Mention Missouri Beekeepers for these rates.) Meeting details page 7

Page 2 From the President

Missouri State Beekeepers Association by Grant Gillard

October is a great month. If I’m on top of things, (which is often a BIG “if”) my bees are ready for winter with treatments done and stores adequately tucked away. I know I’m headed into a welcomed time of respite, a seasonal sabbatical that helps me step away from the daily treks to the bee yards and gain a different perspective on why I’m so passionate about keeping bees. If I’ve done everything right, I hope to be bringing 250 hives into the winter. I’m also grateful for the seasonal conclusion of the farmers’ markets. Don’t get me wrong, I fully enjoy the markets and they are my “bread and butter” for marketing honey, but they take a lot of time … time I often need to be spending with my bees, time I need to be taking care of other business. I’ve often said my favorite day of the year is the opening day of the farmers’ market. And my second most favorite day is the last day of the farmers’ market. Once I get my bees settled in, my winters are usually spent planning for next year, as well as working on equipment and making sure I have all the frames and hive bodies to support those plans. Now is an excellent time to order equipment and supplies before the seasonal demand in the spring forces everything to be back-ordered. Now is an excellent time to contact the vendors attending our fall meeting in Kansas City. Many vendors will bring your supplies to the meeting and you’ll save a ton of money on shipping. You also have the assurance you have what you need, when you need it. There’s more information about the fall meeting in this newsletter, as well as on our web site. One of the things I’d hope to impress upon our members is to be sure and check the website to register on-line. We hope this is a convenience that will move us into the modern era. Of course, the old paper and snail-mail is still acceptable.

On the cover: “As I was mowing around the hives I could smell the ripening goldenrod nectar,” said Scott Moser in a recent post on the MSBA’s Facebook page. There may be as many as 100 varieties of goldenrod, genus Solidago, in the larger family Asteraceae, which also contains asters, daisies and sunflowers. Goldenrod has found many uses over the years, many of them medicinal. (“Solidago” is Latin for “to make whole”.) Native Americans chewed the leaves to soothe sore throats, and the roots for toothaches. Herbal practitioners prescribe it as a diuretic, a topical wound treatment, and a remedy for kidney stones and infections. Goldenrod leaves consist of about seven percent natural rubber. Thomas Edison experimented with it for commercial rubber production, and a Model T given to him by Henry Ford contained tires made from the substance. Goldenrod is also known as a valuable fall nectar crop. Its honey is often dark and has a strong smell as it ripens in the hive, but it provides much-needed stores for the colony preparing for winter. A farmer baling hay in the field next to this patch shook his head in disgust when asked about it. “The stuff grows up everywhere like a weed,” he said. And for the beekeeper, that is just fine. photo by Eugene Makovec

Also, please check the “MSBA Awards” tab on the web site. We want to honor beekeepers who are making a difference in the lives of other beekeepers. Don’t be bashful. We want to encourage the mutual support that helps us perfect this craft of beekeeping. The fall meeting will also mark the end of my reign as president, though technically I’m the president until December. We’ll transition into the John Timmons era as we embrace the new year. There are also many opportunities to serve on the state level. We are looking for a new program director to replace Pam Brown. Pam’s done an excellent job on planning our annual meetings. Joyce Justice is resigning from the position of the queen chair. There’s a vacancy in the central director’s position. Your best bet is to contact John Timmons if you’re interested. We also encourage you to remain active in your local association and to keep current on new developments in world of honeybee health, diseases, pesticides, and honey production. As we head into winter, there is no room for procrastination. Treat and feed, if necessary, in time to benefit the bees. All the best, Grant

October 2012

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Domestication of honeybees associated with expanded genetic diversity Study shows experience to be contrary to that of most domesticated animals by Benjamin P. Oldroyd, Molecular Ecology Volume 21, Issue 18, pages 4409–4411, September 2012 (first published online September 11, 2012) ABSTRACT: Humans have been keeping honey bees, Apis mellifera, in artificial hives for over 7000 years. Long enough, one might imagine, for some genetic changes to have occurred in domestic bees that would distinguish them from their wild ancestors. Indeed, some have argued that the recent mysterious and widespread losses of commercial bee colonies are due in part to inbreeding. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Harpur et al. (2012) show that the domestication of honey bees, rather than reducing genetic variance in the population, has increased it. It seems that the commercial honey bees of Canada are a mongrel lot, with far more variability than their ancestors in Europe. The domestic turkey is a different creature from its wild ancestors. It is much larger, and its growth rate is prodigious (Rose 1996). Famously, some breeds cannot even mate because of the male’s large breast and must be artificially inseminated. So, too, most dog breeds are unrecognizable as the wolves from which we once bred them (Vilàet al. 1990; Wayne & vonHoldt 2012). This pattern of phenotypic change in which domesticated plants and animals differ strongly from their wild ancestors is common (Andersson & Georges 2004). Domestication is often

associated with a reduction in additive genetic variance, fixation of alleles associated with traits of economic importance, reduction in brain size, increased tameness, change in body size and conformation, and the development of breed-specific characteristics (Diamond 2002; Hall & Bradley 1995). Many breeds of domestic animals are incapable of living in the wild, and their recent wild ancestors are extinct. A case in point is the domestic silk worm, Bombyx mori (Yukuhiro et al. 2002). The honey bee, in contrast, has never been properly domesticated (Oxley & Oldroyd 2010). Instead, we have learned to manage them—albeit in sophisticated ways—by providing them with hives that make it easier to rob them of their honey and wax (Crane 1999), or lug them around for pollination jobs. But in most respects, domestic bees remain largely unchanged from their wild cousins. The lack of domestication of bees is a bit strange. Humans have husbanded bees in hives for at least 7000 years (Bloch et al. 2010)—far longer than turkeys have been domesticated. Reliable artificial insemination was invented in the 1940s (Laidlaw 1944), shortly after it was developed for other livestock (Foote 2002). There is a significant industry that breeds and propagates bees for sale to honey producers and pollinators (Delaney et al. 2009; Laidlaw & Page 1997). Yet despite these advances and some early attempts at stock certification (Witherell 1976), no specific breeds of bees have emerged that you could reliably distinguish from other bees. Thus, instead of referring to the breed they keep, beekeepers tend to describe their bees by subspecies, or perhaps the breeder they bought their stock from. If a beekeeper tells you ‘I keep Italians’, he or she means a yellow bee, probably from California, that has some ancestry in Apis mellifera ligustica from Italy. In this issue, Harpur et al. (2012) delve deeply into the ancestry of the domestic honey bee and come up with fascinating and novel findings. Some previous studies of commercial honey bees have suggested that, as with other livestock, bee populations are characterized by low genetic diversity and that low diversity has arisen as a result of domestication (Schiff et al. 1994; Schiff & Sheppard 1996; Delaney et al. 2009; vanEngelsdorp & Meixner 2010; Jafféet al. 2010; Meixner et al. 2010). Low genetic diversity is of particular concern for honey bees, because intracolonial genetic diversity is essential to colony health (Seeley & Tarpy 2007) and fitness (Mattila & Seeley 2007; Oldroyd & Fewell 2007; Page 1980). Indeed, some authors have speculated that recent declines in honey bee populations in Europe and North America (vanEngelsdorp et al. 2009b; vanEngelsdorp & Meixner 2010) and the phenomenon of ‘Colony Collapse Disorder’ (CCD; vanEngelsdorp et al. 2009a) may be linked to declining genetic diversity (Oldroyd 2007; vanEngelsdorp & Meixner 2010). Harpur et al. (2012) argue against this view, showing that unlike continued on page 9

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All beekeeping supplies 573-474-8837 FAX 573-474-5830 walkaboutacres@agristar.net Vera and Art Gelder

Join us for Fall Conference October 25-27 in Kansas City continued from page 1

Break-out Sessions Bernie Andrews - How to Make Comb Honey Dadant - How to Make Creamed Honey

Michael Godfrey - How to Make Honey Beer Jan Amos - Making Divisions Chip Taylor - Monarch Butterflies Bob Owen - Feral Bee Trapouts Fred Meder - Widgets & Gadgets - Neat Things in the Beekeeper’s Toolbox Art & Vera Gelder - Agri-Tourism Yvonne Von Der Ahe - Products From the Hive Gary Ross - Bring your honey sample, and Gary will “test” it. Registration is available online, and on pages 4-5 of this newsletter.

Comb Honey

Limited supply of 10-12 oz cut comb, Ross Rounds,1Lb chunk, packed in wholesale lots. Possible delivery to Springfield and Kansas City. Also extra light amber and light amber in 60s and drums.

Andrew honey farm 217-938-4975

Price Per Carton 1-99 Cartons

Size of Jar Honey Capacity

Number of Jars Per Carton

Lid* Style (see below)

Order Number

Ship Weight Per Carton lbs.

8 ounces

1 (48 mm)

M001952

$14.75

1 pound

1 (58 mm)

M001962

$9.43 $17.58

1 pound

1 (58 mm)

M001972

2 pound

1 (63 mm)

M001982

$12.60

4 pound

(G70)

M001992

$12.05

Lid Style White plastic (glass not shipped by UPS) *We reserve the right to substitute lids should the style you requested not be available.

M00255

with 38mm Snap Caps

M00255CPN

Jar Size

No. of Jars Per Ctn.

Item Number

Ship Wt. Per Ctn. lbs.

8 oz.

M01150

$12.95

M001932

1 pound

M01151

15.42

1-99 . . . . . . $13.65 per Carton

1½ pound

M01152

18.40

(All Ship Wts. 12 lbs. per carton.)

2 pound

M01153

11.43

Carton of 12 with white plastic lids

Price Per Ctn. 1-99 Cartons

October 2012

Page 9

Genetic diversity increased with “domestication” of honeybees continued from page 3

other livestock breeding, honey bee breeding seems to have increased rather than decreased genetic diversity in commercial strains. Commercial honey bees are genetically diverse because, rather than breeding for breed-specific characteristics within a defined population, bee breeding is often characterized by bringing in new genetic material from diverse sources. Most commercial honey bees are derived from Europe. The honey bees of Europe arose from two independent migration events from source populations in Africa (Whitfield et al. 2006). Each migration event occurred during a period of relatively mild climate that followed a period of glaciation (Ruttner 1988). The result of these two colonizations is that there are two major lineages of honey bee in Europe: the M and the C (Franck et al. 1998; Garnery et al. 1992; Whitfield et al. 2006). The honey bees of Western Europe (lineage M) are (or at least were) dark and include the subspecies A. m. mellifera (Ruttner 1988). The honey bees of eastern Europe (lineage C) are variable in colour and behaviour and adapted to various climatic zones and are classified in several subspecies including A. m. carnica (dark) and A.m. ligustica (yellow) (Ruttner 1988). Harpur et al. (2012) show that the migrant honey bee populations established in Canada are mixtures of most of the subspecies of Europe and that, at a population level, commercial honey bee populations are more diverse than the European populations from which they are derived. No doubt the same is true for the A. mellifera populations that have been established in New Zealand and Australia (Chapman et al. 2008; Oxley & Oldroyd 2009). European populations are less diverse than

African populations; no doubt the result of ancient population bottlenecks associated with the migration events. But the migratory activities of commercial beekeepers are stirring the bee population of Europe and starting to homogenize it—to the chagrin of some (De la Rúa et al. 2009). Harpur et al. (2012) argue that low genetic diversity cannot be the cause of recent declines in honey bee populations, or the unusually high levels of colony losses attributed to CCD. But does genetic diversity at a population scale equate with genetic diversity at an enterprise scale or a colony scale? In theory, the bee population of North America could be like the dog population: diverse over all, but characterized by subpopulations (breeds) that are inbred. Certainly, there is the potential for this. Large commercial queen producers can (and often do) raise thousands of queens from a single breeder queen (Fig. 1). The offspring queens are usually mated within a few kilometres of where they were raised to a selected population of drones. Typically, therefore, all the queens in a commercial apiary are sisters, and all the workers are cousins. However, Harpur et al. (2012) show low FIS and genetic admixture for the managed Canadian and French populations they studied. It therefore seems to me that reduced genetic diversity is unlikely to be contributing to CCD (or if CCD exists at all—but that is another story). Striking a blow for colony-level diversity is the honey bee’s extraordinary mating system. Queens mate on the wing, well away from their colony, with about 20 males drawn from a population sourced from every colony in a 3 to 4 km radius (Baudry et al. 1998). This means that feral colonies and the neighbour’s colonies all contribute to the potential pool of mates. Finally, it is interesting to consider whether the process of domestication of the honey bee is really all that different to the domestication of other species. Recent genomic studies have revealed that many of our livestock breeds are derived from multiple domestication events and show remarkable phylogenetic complexity (Bruford et al. 2003; Andersson & Georges 2004; Vilàet al. 2005). Loss of diversity seems recent and may be a direct consequence of modern reproductive technologies and breeding. Maybe beekeepers just have not gone down that road yet. To access the above article with active links to reference material, see http:// onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ j.1365-294X.2012.05641.x/full

Missouri State Beekeepers Association Fall Conference October 25 - 27, 2012 Holiday Inn SE, Kansas City, Missouri [NOTE: This agenda is subject to change]

Thursday - October 25 2:00 PM

Vendor Set Up

7:00 PM

Hospitality Room Opens 7C’s Sponsored Wine Social

8:00 PM

Movie - The Secret Life of Bees Executive Board Meeting

Friday - October 26 6:30 AM

Breakfast Buffet Begins (Serving Until 11:00 AM)

8:00 AM

Beekeepers Meet with Regional Directors (Central, Southwest, Northwest) Hospitality Room Opens

8:30 AM

Contest Room Opens (Cooking with Honey & Beeswax Art)

9:00 AM

Welcome - Announcements - Door Prize Drawing - Grant Gillard - Grand

9:20 AM

Invocation - Don Buford

9:30 AM

Biology of Swarms - Dr. Chip Taylor

10:00 AM

CoCo Water Park Opens (Special Beekeeper Rate of $10)

10:20 AM

Break - Visit with Vendors

10:30 AM

Contest Judging

11:00 AM

Silent Queen Auction Begins - Everyone is Asked to Bring Donations

11:10 AM

Preparing Honey for Competition - Gary Ross

12:00 PM

Lunch - KC BBQ Buffet - Ticket Required Peoples Choice Judging for Contests (Hospitality Room)

1:00 PM

Breakout Sessions: x x x x

Making Splits - Jann Amos If You Didn’t Enter the State Fair, Bring Your Honey to be Tested - Gary Ross Monarch Butterflies - Dr. Chip Taylor Making Natural Soap From Scratch - Yvonne Von der Ahe

2:00 PM

Door Prize Drawing

2:05 PM

Saga of the African Bees - Dr. Chip Taylor

2:55 PM

Break – Visit Vendors

(continued next page)

Missouri State Beekeepers Association Fall Conference (continued from previous page) 3:20 PM

Breakout Sessions: x x x x

Q&A - Dr. Chip Taylor How to Judge Honey - Gary Ross Making Lotion Bars, Lip Balms & Salves - Yvonne Von der Ahe Marketing Honey & Hive Products - Valerie Duever

4:15 PM

Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choice Judging Ends Why & How to Send Samples to the National Bee Lab at Beltsville, MD - Collin Wamsley

5:05 PM

Utilizing Cells and Mating Cells - Cory Stevens

6:00 PM

Queen Banquet and Auction - Contest Awards - Chicken Picatta - Ticket Required

9:00 PM

Queen Reception

Saturday - October 27 6:30 AM

Breakfast Buffet Begins (Serving Until 10:30 AM)

8:00 AM

Hospitality Room Opens Beekeepers Meet with Regional Directors (Northeast, Southeast)

9:00 AM

Welcome - Announcements - Grant Gillard

9:20 AM

Patriotic Presentation - Queen

9:35 AM

Door Prize Drawing - Queen

9:40 AM

Queen Report

9:45 AM

The Revolutionary Impact of Honey on Human Health - Dr. Ronald Fessenden

10:00 AM

CoCo Water Park Opens (Special Beekeeper Rate of $10)

10:35 AM

Break - Visit with Vendors

11:05 AM

Door Prize Drawing - Queen

11:10 AM

Chemical Free Beekeeping - James Zitting

12:00 PM

Lunch - SW Buffet - Ticket Required

1:00 PM

Breakout Sessions: x Q&A - Dr. Ronald Fessenden (Book Signing) x How to Make Comb Honey - Bernie Andrews x Top Bar Beekeeping - James Zitting

2:00 PM

Break - Last Opportunity to Visit Vendors and to Bid on Silent Auction

2:30 PM

Breakout Sessions: x Feral Bee Trap Outs - Bob Owen x Cleaning Beeswax- Jim Fisher x (Presentation to be Announced) - Art & Vera Gelder

3:30 PM

Business Meeting and Drawings

Page 12

Missouri State Beekeepers Association

$20/1 year $38/2 years

October 2012

Page 13

Local Beekeepers Associations 1 Beekeepers Association of the Ozarks 4th Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. Darr Ag Center, 2401 S. Kansas Expwy, Springfield www.ozarksbeekeepers.org

2 Boone Regional Beekeepers Association 3rd Sunday of month, 3:00 p.m., Columbia Insurance Group, 2102 Whitegate Dr. (back door), Columbia President Jim Duever 573-254-3373 www.boonebees.org 3 Busy Bee Club 4th Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m., Cedar County Health Center, Owens Mill Road, Stockton Neal Lee 417-276-3090, Neil Brunner 314-276-4252 grnthumb@alltel.net 4 Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association 2nd Wednesday of each month, 7:00 p.m., Powder Valley Nature Center 11715 Craigwold Rd., Kirkwood Bob Sears, President 314-479-9517 www.easternmobeekeepers.com 5 Golden Valley Beekeepers 2nd Monday of each month, 7:00 p.m. (but varies) Henry County Courthouse, Clinton MO Contact Kathy Murphy 660-678-5171 murftk@copper.net 6 Jackson Area Beekeepers 4th Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. First Pres. of Jackson, 206 E. Washington Contact Grant Gillard 573-243-6568 gillard5@charter.net 7 Jefferson County Beekeepers Association 2nd Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m., Hwy B & 21 Jefferson County Extension Center, Hillsboro Contact Scott Moser 636-285-7295 8 Joplin Area Beekeepers Association Last Tue. of each month, 7 pm, SM Bank Community Building (7th and Duquesne Rd), Joplin Steve Davis, President 620-202-0232 9 Mid Missouri Beekeepers 3rd Sunday of each month, 2 pm, Old Train Depot, St. James. Steven Todd, President 573-885-6650 steventdd447@gmail.com 10 Midwestern Beekeepers Association Nov-March, 2nd Sunday of each month, 2:30 p.m. April-Oct, 2nd Thursday of each month, 7:00 p.m. (Schedule varies; please call first to confirm.) Bass Pro Shop, Independence, Conservation Room Andy Nowachek, President 913-438-5397 11 Mississippi Valley Beekeepers Association Last Tuesday of Month in Quincy, IL Contact Bernie Andrew 217-938-4975

12 Missouri Valley Beekeepers Association 3rd Monday of each month, 7:00 p.m. Location varies, contact below if unsure President Calvin Brandt cvbrandt@landolakes.com 13 Parkland Beekeepers 3rd Tuesday of month, 7pm, Ozark Federal Savings President Jim Johnson 573-330-6498 or 573-330-6499 14 Pomme de Terre Beekeepers 2ndThursday of each month, 7 pm Missouri Extension Office, Hermitage Contact Bessi Shryer 417-745-2527 15 SEMO Honey Producers 2nd Thursday of month, Church of Christ, Poplar Bluff Contact Ernie Wells 573-429-0222 wells.ernie@gmail.com 16 South Central Missouri Beekeepers Association 1st Friday of month, Howell Electric Coop, West Plains Monty Wiens, President 417 257-3994 17 Southern MO Beekeepers of Monett â&#x20AC;&#x153;MOBeesâ&#x20AC;?) 3rd Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. United Methodist Church, Hwy 37 NW of Monett Leon Riggs, President 417-235-5053 18 Southwest Missouri Beekeepers Assn. of Neosho 1st Tuesday of month, Neosho High School FFA Bldg President Roger Ross 417-472-3504 19 Three Rivers Beekeepers 3rd Monday of month, University of Missouri Extension, 260 Brown Road, St. Peters, Missouri, 7:00 p.m. For info: 2952 Greenleaf Drive, St. Charles, MO 63303 info@threeriversbeekepers.com 20 Northwest Missouri Bee Busters 1st Monday of odd months, 7:00 p.m. 511 4th Street, Conception Junction, MO 64434 Gerald Auffert, President 660-944-2535

21 Lake of the Ozarks Beekeepers 3rd Saturday of month, 1:00 p.m. UMC Extension Office, 100 E. Newton,Versailles MO Contact Russell Kasnick 573-372-3122 22 Northeast Missouri Beekeepers Association 1st Friday of month, 6:30 pm Running Fox Elementary (3 miles south of Wayland) Acting President Randy Ewart 573-248-5561 rewart@centurytel.net 23 Gasconade Region Bee Keepers 2nd Tuesday 7:00, First State Comm. Bank, Owensville President Rodney Angell 573-259-5811 2224 Nowack, Rosebud MO bee143@fidnet.com 24 St. Louis Beekeepers 4th Tuesday 6:30, Schlafly Bottleworks (starting Sept.) contact@saintlouisbeekeepers.com www.saintlouisbeekeepers.com See state map on facing page for approximate geographic locations.

14 Page 12

Missouri State Beekeepers Association New! Join or renew at www.mostatebeekeepers.org and use your credit card or PayPal!

October 2012 Honey Queen report by Megan Allen Greetings fellow beekeepers, My goodness! Summer is gone and Fall is here! Our area finally received some much needed rain. We are still way below normal, but things have greened up a bit at least. My bees have been busy and have had to work extra hard this year as I am sure anyone who has experienced the drought this year understands, because I am sure all the bees have had the same issues. I started nursing school in August, and during my break in October I plan to take my supers of honey off and try my hand at extracting. In August I attended the Missouri State Fair and helped out at the Honey Booth. It was a wonderful experience that I plan to repeat next year. All the volunteers at the booth were wonderful and I have to give special thanks to Dean, Steve and Bob for helping me go from rookie to hopefully seasoned volunteer. I was amazed at the number of entries in the different categories and definitely learned some new things. I plan to try entering some of the categories next year myself. Everyone should be very proud of the display and the enormous attention it draws from the crowds. Also, if you go to the State Fair next year, be sure and try out the Honey Ice Cream; peach was my favorite! At the beginning of September, I again made the trek to Hermann and attended the Hermann Country Fair. If you have never attended this event it is well worth it. They have people come in and create a living farm. It was wonderful to see Walter Els and his wife again and to help out at their honey booth. It was a beautiful weekend and we were blessed with wonderful weather. His observation hive had a queen that was busy laying brood and we could actually see the larvae before it was capped. The kids were in awe of the bees and the adults asked lots of really good questions and seemed very interested in the life cycle of the honey bee and also how the honey was extracted. One lady actually recognized me from the State Fair booth. Later, after the event closed for the evening, my mom and I ate at a local restaurant and we were again inundated with people asking about honey bees and what my duties were as the Missouri State Honey Queen. When I explained to them about the program, they thought it was really neat that the State Beekeepers Association loaned me out around the state for different events, to talk about the Honey Bee. Hopefully everyone is ready for the State meeting in October since it is just around the corner. It is to be held in Kansas City this year, which is just down the road for me. I look forward to seeing everyone at the fall meeting! Megan Allen 2012 Missouri State Honey Queen

Page 15

Directory of Officers President: Grant Gillard 573 243-6568 3721 North High Street, Jackson MO 63755 president@mostatebeekeepers.org Vice President: John Timmons 636-940-8202 2952 Greenleaf Drive, St. Charles MO 63303 vicepresident@mostatebeekeepers.org Secretary: Steve Moeller 573-886-0662 7035 N. Kircher Rd., Columbia MO 65202 secretary@mostatebeekeepers.org Treasurer: Ron Vivian 816-690-7516 443 Fricke Road, Bates City MO 64011-8280 treasurer@mostatebeekeepers.org Past-President: Scott Moser 636-285-7295 6600 Davis Lane, Cedar Hill, MO 63016 pastpresident@mostatebeekeepers.org Northwestern Director: Glenn Davis 816-690-8007 4618 Highway Z Bates City MO 64011-8335 northwestdir@mostatebeekeepers.org Northeastern Director: Steve Harris 314-805-6451 1224 Sherbrooke Road, St. Charles MO 63303 northeastdir@mostatebeekeepers.org Southeastern Director: Cory Stevens 573-225-6935 PO Box 214, Dexter MO 63841 southeastdir@mostatebeekeepers.org Southwestern Director: Gary Dowling 620-724-3189 507 N. Ozark St., Girard KS 66743 southwestdir@mostatebeekeepers.org Central Director: Valerie Duever 314-402-4841 2362 County Road 185, Auxvasse MO 65231 centraldir@mostatebeekeepers.org Program Chairperson: Pam Brown 636-398-5014 1407 Sneak Road, Foristell MO 63348 program@mostatebeekeepers.org Newsletter Editor: Eugene Makovec 135 Alex Dr., Foley MO 63347 editor@mostatebeekeepers.org

314-703-7650

Auxiliary Treasurer: Dolores Vivian 816-690-7516 443 Fricke Road, Bates City MO 64011-8280 auxiliary@mostatebeekeepers.org Queen Chairperson: Joyce Justice 816-358-3893 P.O. Box 16566, Raytown MO 64133-0566 queenchair@mostatebeekeepers.org State Fair Chairman: Dean Sanders 816-456-4683 cell 37804 Old Pink Hill Road, Oak Grove MO 64075 State Entomologist: Collin Wamsley collin.wamsley@mda.mo.gov

573-751-5505

Associate Professor of Entomology: Richard Houseman HousemanR@missouri.edu 573-882-7181 1-87 Agricultural Building, University of MissouriColumbia, Columbia MO 65211

Missouri State Beekeepers Association P.O. Box 448 Oak Grove, MO 64075 www.mostatebeekeepers.org

Honeybees work one of many varieties of goldenrod (genus Solidago) in a field in Foley, Missouri. Like many honey plants, goldenrod is considered a weed by most who see it in bloom along the state’s roads and fencerows. photo by Eugene Makovec

Business card size Quarter page

$15.00 $35.00

Half page Full page

$50.00 $100.00

Missouri State Beekeepers Association P.O. Box 448 Oak Grove, MO 64075 www.mostatebeekeepers.org

December 2012 Eugene Makovec Editor editor@mostatebeekeepers.org

Beekeepers gather in Kansas City for Fall Conference Taylor, Fessenden and Ross headline a busy lecture schedule Our annual Fall Conference took place October 26-27 at the Coco Key Water Resort in Kansas City. A good number of members arrived on the evening of the 25th and enjoyed a complimentary wine and mead social hosted by 7Cs Winery in Walnut Grove. Owner Dwight Crevelt also donated a case of his wares for our annual Queen Banquet auction. The next two days were chock full of lectures and demonstrations on everything from monarch butterflies to the cleaning of beeswax. Dr. Orley “Chip” Taylor gave talks on Africanized bees, swarm behavior and, perhaps most interestingly, his extensive work with monarch butterflies. Dr. Taylor founded Monarch Watch (www.monarchwatch.org) in 1992 at the University of Kansas, and it now involves over 2000 schools, nature centers and other organizations in the tracking and study of these fascinating pollinators. Dr. Taylor offered the following observations on the status of monarch butterflies today: Monarch habitat has shrunk by 11 million acres in the past decade, a period in which, not • coincidentally, corn and soy farmland has grown by 10 million acres. Half of Mexico’s • Changes afoot at MSBA for 2013 monarchs have been lost in the The MSBA is undergoing a number of changes as 2012 comes to a past 10 years. close. Some of our executive offices are changing hands, and some are Dr. Chip Taylor currently unfilled. Roundup Ready® • corn and soy have As of January 1, John Timmons is our new President, with Valerie “changed the landscape”, since the milkweed that used to Duever taking his previous position as Vice President. (Bob Brammer spring up within and between these crops is now wiped out takes over Val’s duties as Central Director.) Ron Vivian is retiring after by Roundup®. 21 years as Treasurer, and Jaime Stevens will fill that role. Milkweed is crucial to monarchs, as it protects the • Pam Brown has stepped down as Program Chair. That office is now caterpillars by making them toxic to most predators. open, and is being revamped, with the possible appointment of a location/ vendor coordinator to take over those functions so the Program Chair There is no evidence of harm to monarchs from • can concentrate on the work of scheduling and lining up speakers. neonicotinoids, but they are not normally exposed to this class of insecticides. Joyce Justice has also left her position as Queen Chair. We do not have a Honey Queen for 2013, and it is hoped that a new chairperson will be We can help monarchs by planting milkweed on our own • found in the new future to spearhead the search for a 2014 Queen. property. continued on page 15

Dadant and Sons to celebrate 150th birthday with a few close friends Bee supply house, ABJ publisher to host tri-state meeting in March Dadant and Sons, publisher of American Bee Journal and the nation’s largest purveyor of beekeeping equipment, will mark its sesquicentennial by hosting a tri-state meeting (Illinois, Missouri and Iowa) on March 15-16, 2013 in Hamilton, Illinois. Attendees are invited to tour the Dadant headquarters on Friday afternoon, then attend a welcome banquet that evening. Saturday will feature beekeeping lectures by such notables as Randy Oliver, From the President ............ 2 Dadant Tri-State Meeting 10 Jerry Hayes, Jim Tew and others. Candy board recipe ........... 4 Agenda and registration The full agenda, hotel information and registration form appear Local associations ............ 13 on pages 10-11 of Tried-and-true winter feeding Sleep consolidates learning 5 Is there a club near you? this newsletter. Membership application .. 14 Early registration is -- even in honeybees! Conference photos ........... 6 Join online via Paypal! recommended, as this Early spring workshops ..... 8 Directory of officers .......... 15 event is expected to 150th Anniversary Celebration Several positions now open St. Louis and St. Joseph areas draw a sizable crowd.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Page 2 From the President

Missouri State Beekeepers Association by Grant Gillard

I don’t like change, which is probably why I’ve been in the same job for the past 19 years and in the same relationship for the past 26 years. I drive my vehicles until the wheels fall off and my mechanic tells me there is nothing more he can do to keep them on the road. My truck plays CDs and I still have boxes of perfectly good cassette tapes. I hate change. But change is inevitable. Growth only happens through change. This past summer has been a summer of transition for me. I experienced the deaths of two significant members of my immediate family. My oldest daughter got married. My youngest child left for college. Nancy changed jobs. My 12-year-old dog died. My 9-year-old cat followed suit. Nancy and I are now officially empty-nesters. It’s been a summer of transition. The MSBA is also going through a time of transition. After two years serving as your President, I am transitioning out of a job. Okay, I guess I don’t hate change that much. But it is a time of transition, and growth. We have some ideas on taking the MSBA in some new directions. We recently opened a PayPal account to take advantage of on-line registration for the Fall Conference, and about half to two-thirds of the registration was conducted via the Internet. Thankfully, old farts like myself who are technology dinosaurs need to move out of the way and make room for those who can streamline our meetings and our communication and recreate a fresh sense of vision for the future. Change facilitates growth, so yeah, I guess I’m not so negative toward change. I guess I’m actually kind of excited!

FOR SALE:

PACKAGE BEES For April pickup in Lynnville, Iowa. These are 2#, 3# and 4# packages from C.F. Koehnen and Sons. Your choice of Italian or Carniolan queens. Contact Phil Ebert: 641-527-2639 ehoney37@netins.net www.eberthoney.com

I’m excited with the prospects of turning over the leadership to John Timmons who will take over as President. John is a gifted leader and technologically savvy. Val Duever, a fireball of energy and a visionary genius, is our new Vice President. She’s already shared some ideas on making the MSBA more responsive to the local associations. Jaime Stevens from Dexter is our new Treasurer. She replaces Ron Vivian, who for more than twenty years has faithfully filled this role and tirelessly kept us balanced ... in more ways than one! It was my privilege to bestow the Silver Skep Award to Ron at our Fall Conference in Kansas City. We have some vacancies to fill, namely our Program Chair, formerly Pam Brown, and our Queen Chair, formerly Joyce Justice. Both Pam and Joyce have done an outstanding job and tendered their resignations earlier this year. It was also my joy to honor their work and dedication to the MSBA at our Fall Conference. We also have an enthusiastic slate of directors. There’s lots of room for you to join the MSBA through our committees, working with the Executive Board. We strongly encourage MSBA members to stay involved with their local associations, but don’t hesitate to let us know your needs, to see how the MSBA can promote beekeeping as we transition into this new year. Check the website and stay informed.

Page 4

Missouri State Beekeepers Association SUGAR CANDY RECIPE (BEE FEED) by Bob Finck

MATERIALS NEEDED: 1. Feed tray (16 ¼ x 20 x 1 ½ inch rails). Cut 2 x 4 inch hole in bottom. 2. Pot, large enough to hold sugar and water. Mixture will expand while boiling. This recipe will make one candy tray. 3. Large mixing spoon. 4. Candy thermometer. 5. 15 pounds of granulated sugar (clean or dirty, bees do not care). 6. 1 to 1 1/4 quarts of water (32-40 Fluid Ounces)

DIRECTIONS: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Mix sugar and water thoroughly. Heat mixture to 240 degrees. Do NOT stir after boiling occurs. Make sure you cover holes in candy tray. I use wax paper. If you forget you will have a huge mess. Let mixture cool to 190 to 195 degrees. Optional – add 1 cup of dark or old honey. Stir mixture until it becomes cloudy like boiled starch. Pour immediately into candy tray. Let cool over night. This tray replaces your inner cover. Scratch paper with hive tool. Bees will eat candy in a perfect circle from the center.

ADVANTAGES: x x x x x x

Cold weather feeding. Can put candy tray on a hive anytime. Eliminates robbing. Can add pollen substitute before stirring. I do not add pollen substitute. Candy trays can serve as your inner cover year round. Stores well, can make in advance and take to the bee yard as needed. It is a “slower” feed so it will not promote swarming as much if used in the late spring.

DISADVANTAGE: x Equipment needed for making candy and candy tray. Candy trays have several other uses: Inner cover, reverse tray while re-queening, applying Api-Guard, and use to cover Para Moth while storing supers. Editor’s note: Bob Finck gave a presentation on this winter feeding method to Three Rivers Beekeepers in November. Candy trays are a good way to feed bees in the winter months, when liquid feed may be too cold to take, would add unwanted moisture in the hive and could stimulate off-season brood rearing. Bob said he adapted this recipe from others given to him years ago, and has made “literally hundreds” of these trays over the years.

December 2012

Page 5

Honeybees consolidate navigation memory during sleep Journal of Experimental Biology Research Article, Lisa Beyaert, Uwe Greggers and Randolf Menzel* Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany *Author for correspondence (menzel@neurobiologie.fu-berlin.de). The Journal of Experimental Biology 215, 3981-3988 © 2012. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd., doi:10.1242/jeb.075499 Summary: Sleep is known to support memory consolidation in animals, including humans. Here we ask whether consolidation of novel navigation memory in honeybees depends on sleep. Foragers were exposed to a forced navigation task in which they learned to home more efficiently from an unexpected release site by acquiring navigational memory during the successful homing flight. This task was quantified using harmonic radar tracking and applied to bees that were equipped with a radio frequency identification device (RFID). The RFID was used to record their outbound and inbound flights and continuously monitor their behavior inside the colony, including their rest during the day and sleep at night. Bees marked with the RFID behaved normally inside and outside the hive. Bees slept longer during the night following forced navigation tasks, but foraging flights of different lengths did not lead to different rest times during the day or total sleep time during the night. Sleep deprivation before the forced navigation task did not alter learning and memory acquired during the task. However, sleep deprivation during the night after forced navigation learning reduced the probability of returning successfully to the hive from the same release site. It is concluded that consolidation of novel navigation memory is facilitated by night sleep in bees.

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Page 6

Missouri State Beekeepers Association

Clockwise from bottom right: Valerie Duever displays her farmers’ market setup for “Marketing Honey and Hive Products”, one of several breakout workshops at the Fall Conference. Other sessions included James Zitting, “Top Bar Beekeeping”; Bob Owen, “Feral Bee Trap Outs”; Jim Fisher, “Cleaning Beeswax”; Bernie Andrews, “Comb Honey”; and Jann Amos, “Making Splits”. Facing page, center: Yvonne Von Der Ahe, “Making Lotion Bars, Lip Balms and Salves”. Then, clockwise from middle left: Gary Ross, “Preparing Honey for Competition”; Cory Stevens, “Utilizing Cells and Mating Cells”; Queen Chair Joyce Justice and Honey Queen Megan Allen exchange gifts at the end of their respective terms; one of our banquet waiters gets into the spirit; Collin Wamsley, State Entomologist, “Why and How to Send Samples to the National Bee Lab”; Megan displays an umbrella in the Queen Auction; and finally, Ron Vivian, left, is presented with the Silver Skep Award from President Grant Gillard for 21 years of service as Treasurer. All photos by Eugene Makovec

December 2012

Page 7

GREAT PLAINS GROWERS CONFERENCE www.greatplainsgrowers.org

St. Joseph, Missouri On Thursday choose between ONE of SIX workshops: High Tunnel, Soil & Irrigation, Fruit Workshop, Honey Bees, Intro to Vegetable Production (Spanish) and Farm to School!

January 10, 2013 Honey Bees Spratt Classroom 201 In this year’s workshop, we are addressing advanced beekeeping topics. Come prepared to learn, discuss, and ask questions. The advanced workshop will be of interest to all, no matter what your level of expertise. A short basic beekeeping session will also be offered on Friday for those who are new to beekeeping.

8:00 Registration 8:45 Welcome, Introductions and Program Overview 9:00 Varroa Mites – Charlie Simonds

Varroa mites are external parasites that can cause extensive damage to honey bee colonies. This presentation examines the kind of damage they cause to colonies, how they reproduce, and methods of control.

9:45 Pollination Requirements – Jeremy Wagnitz

10:30 11:00

Many crops require pollination to produce fruit, and beekeepers can earn additional income by renting hives. This presentation will look at the estimated amounts of pollinators required for different crops, and how to grade honey bee colonies for pollination contracts.

Break Pesticides and Honey Bees – Sharon Dobesh

Insecticides are toxic to bees, but some may be more “bee friendly” than others. If a beekeeper is able to influence the choice of an insecticide, which one should he suggest? Miticides, herbicides, and fungicides will also be explored. The Project Good Neighbor program in Kansas will also be described.

Anatomy of the Honey Bee – Charlie Simonds

11:45

As a beekeeper, honey bee biology is important to know. This presentation will study the external and internal parts of a honey bee, and their function.

12:30 Lunch 1:30 Introduction to Queen Rearing – Jeremy Wagnitz

Throughout the life cycle of a bee colony, it sometimes becomes necessary to replace a queen. This presentation offers a brief discussion of methods and equipment required to rear queens in a small beekeeping operation.

2:15 Update on Colony Collapse Disorder – Sharon Dobesh

This presentation will discuss some of the background and up through the most current information about Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) of honey bees. The talk will cover government policies created, diseases found, and how CCD has affected beekeeping in general.

HONEY BEES WORKSHOP INSTRUCTORS/FACILITATORS: Charlie Simonds worked as the Apiary Inspector for the State of Nebraska for 17 years. He also worked with his brother-in-law in an operation operating 1240 colonies of bees. He also owned and managed Honey Bee World, a beekeeping supply business for 22 years. Finally, he has taught Beekeeping for Beginners at Southeast Community College, in Lincoln, NE. Jeremy Wagnitz received a B.S. in Horticulture from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2007 and a M.S. in Entomology specializing in Apiculture in 2009. After graduation, he moved to Baton Rouge, LA, to work at the USDA Honey Bee Genetics and Physiology Lab. While in Baton Rouge, he was head of the Russian Honey Bee Breeding program. In 2011, Jeremy returned to Nebraska to start the Doctor of Plant health program. He will be graduating with his doctoral degree in the Spring of 2014. Sharon Dobesh has an M.S. in Entomology. From 1995-2002 she was a Plant Protection Specialist for the Missouri Department of Agriculture, conducting nursery, greenhouse, sod farm and export inspections. In 2002 she joined the faculty at Kansas State University Entomology Department as the Pesticide & IPM Coordinator conducting pesticide recertification programs, IPM in schools programs, and giving presentations on wood-destroying insects and honey bees as an extension specialist. Currently she is the Associate Director of the Great Plains Diagnostic Network and National Plant Diagnostic Network Exercise committee chair working with USDA-APHIS-PPQ. Raymond Heldenbrand has been keeping bees for over 17 years, and brings a wealth of practical beekeeping skills and ideas to the conference. A resident of Daviess County, Missouri, he is well-known by local residents for his enthusiasm to help new beekeepers, and willingness to capture swarms and deal with nuisance bee colonies when homeowners call. He is also a Master Gardener and serves on the Daviess County Extension Council. Raymond is retired from General Motors, and the U.S. Army Reserves, where he attained the rank of Command Sergeant Major.

3:00 Break 3:30 Bees and Drought – Group Discussion led by Raymond Heldenbrand

The drought of 2012 has impacted all aspects of agriculture, and beekeepers have had to deal with the harsh conditions as well. Many have lost colonies, and almost all have experienced reduced honey production. This session is designed to be a group discuss ion. Come prepared to share your experience’s and solutions in dealing with the drought in the bee yard this year.

4:15 Wrap-up and Evaluation 4:30

In addition to knowing how much you got from this workshop, we are interested in what topics you would be interested in for future meetings. Please take this opportunity to make suggestions, and fill out our survey.

Workshop Adjourn

December 2012

Page 9

Eastern, Three Rivers clubs announce spring workshops Eastern will also host second annual regional Mardi Gras Banquet The Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association (EMBA) will offer courses of instruction for beginners and experienced beekeepers on Saturday, February 9, 2013, at Maritz in Fenton, Missouri. Space is limited, and will be filled on a first-come-first-served basis. Additionally, the Second Annual St. Louis Beekeepers Mardi Gras Banquet will be held the evening before the workshop on Friday, February 8, 2013 at Maritz. Prominent scientists Jamie Ellis, Jerry Hayes, Heather Mattila, and Juliana Rangel will be among the instructors leading the workshop. Jamie Ellis is Assistant Professor of Entomology at the University of Florida. Dr. Ellis is considered one of the country’s preeminent extension and research entomologists. He is a masterful teacher, and a favorite among beekeepers. Gerald (Jerry) W. Hayes Jr., Ph.D., is a well-known author and lecturer in American beekeeping. Jerry’s popular column, “The Classroom,” appears monthly in American Bee Journal. He is the Beeologics Commercial Lead at Monsanto, contributing his decades of experience to the company’s efforts to protect honey bees from pathogens through non-chemical controls. He is a founding member of the Colony Collapse Disorder Working Group, and a science advisor to Project Apis Mellifera. Heather Rose Matilla is the Knafel Assistant Professor in the Natural Sciences, Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts. Dr. Matilla is a leading environmental biologist, recognized for her teaching and prolific research on honey bee biology and behavior, including genetic diversity, nutrition, hive communication, foraging, and swarming. Juliana Rangel is Assistant Professor in Apiculture, Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. Dr. Rangel studies and teaches the r e p r o d u c t ive Got a spring workshop? behavior of honey bee Send us the details, and we’ll queens, and is broadly include you in February’s interested in honey bee newsletter. b i o l o g y editor@mostatebeekeepers.org and behavioral ecology. She is in demand throughout the United States as a guest lecturer and presenter at beekeeping meetings and professional conferences. The Experienced Beekeepers’ course will be tailored towards intermediate and expert level beekeepers, and will place special emphasis on biology, queen rearing, swarming, and colony behavior. The Beginners Beekeeping course is intended for persons with no prior beekeeping experience. The class will cover all aspects of basic beekeeping to prepare students to start beekeeping in 2013. Tuition for the workshop is $75 per person, including lunch and refreshments, before January 20, 2013. Tuition is $90 per person for those registering on or after January 20th. Registration closes February 2nd unless filled sooner. There will be a waiting list, if needed. The second annual EMBA St. Louis Regional Beekeepers Mardi Gras Banquet on Friday, February 8th, features New Orleans style food and music, a cash bar, door prizes including nucs, queens and beekeeping equipment, and a keynote speaker. The cost of the

banquet is in addition to the workshop. For more information, visit www.easternmobeekeepers.com Three Rivers Beekeepers and the University of Missouri Extension Center for St. Charles County are offering a Beginning Beekeeper Class on February 1st and 2nd (Friday 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.). Come learn about the fascinating honeybee and how to manage them and their home, the beehive. In two class sessions, you’ll learn from experienced beekeepers, videos, written material, and hands-on demonstrations. You’ll receive full instructions on the kinds of equipment you need, where to get it and where to get your bees. You’ll also be invited to join Three Rivers Beekeepers for continuing education and mentoring. The classes will cover the following topics: Honeybee Biology, Basics of the Hive, Basic Beekeeping Equipment, Purchasing and Assembling Hive Equipment, Obtaining and Installing Honeybees, Inspecting and Managing the Hives, Solving Common Beekeeping Problems, and Preparing Your Hives for Honey Collection. Cost for the program is $75.00 per person. Register online at www. ThreeRiversBeekeepers.com, or call the Extension Center at 636970-3000.

150th Anniversary Celebration Location Sullivan Auction site 1066 E, Hwy 136, Hamilton, IL March 15th & 16th, 2013 TENTATIVE AGENDA Friday, March 15th, 2013 12:00-4:00 p.m. Open House at Dadant & Sons, Inc. manufacturing locations: Hamilton, IL, Dallas City, IL, Kahoka, MO. 5:30 p.m. Welcome & Banquet Dinner at Sullivan Auction Site, Hamilton, IL. 6:30 p.m. After Dinner speaker: Dr. James Tew, Bee Culture Columnist, Author, Beekeeping Extension Specialist - Wooster, OH. 7:30 p.m. Close Saturday, March 16th, 2013 8:00 a.m.Registration - Sullivan Auction Site- Hamilton, IL. 8:45 a.m. Coffee and Rolls 9:00 a.m. Welcome by Tim C Dadant, President, Dadant & Sons, Inc. 9:15 a.m. Randy Oliver - ABJ Columnist, Commercial Beekeeper and Bee Researcher - Grass Valley, CA. 10:05 a.m. Break 10:30 a.m. Dr. James Tew - Bee Culture Columnist, Author, Beekeeping Extension Specialist - Wooster, OH. 11:20 a.m. Jerry Hayes - ABJ Columnist, Bee Research at Monsanto - St. Louis, MO.

KEYNOTE Randy Oliver He has 40 years of practical beekeeping experience, plus holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biological Sciences. Randy researches, analyzes, and digests beekeeping information from all over the world in order to not only broaden his own depth of understanding and knowledge, but to develop practical solutions to many of today’s beekeeping problems, which he then shares with other beekeepers through his various articles in the American Bee Journal, his speaking engagements worldwide, and on his website: www.ScientificBeekeeping.com Dr. James Tew He is currently the Beekeeping Specialist for the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service, Auburn University. In 2011 he retired after 34 years as the Ohio State Extension Beekeeping Specialist at Ohio State Univ. He has taught and has conducted applied research on honey bees and their behavior, specifically pollination behavior. He writes monthly articles for Bee Culture and has written two books, Beekeeping Principles and Backyard Beekeeping. He enjoys woodworking, photography and feeding ungrateful birds. He can be reached at: tewbee2@gmail.com, twitter.com/onetewbee and facebook.com/tewbee2. Jerry Hayes Jerry Hayes took an Apiculture Program under Dr. Jim Tew at the Univ. of Ohio. Then went to work at the USDA Bee Breeding and Stock Lab in Baton Rouge where at the time African Honey Bees were on the horizon and ID technioques were being studied. He later became a Regional Dadant Branch manager in Michigan and eventually moved to Dadant’s Headquarters in

12:10 p.m. Lunch Break 1:30 p.m. Randy Oliver - ABJ Columnist, Commercial Beekeeper and Bee Researcher - Grass Valley, CA *All 3 Sessions (A, B, C) will be running in all 3 time slots A: Setting up a Honey House - Kent Robertson, Manager of Dallas City, IL. metal Plant B: Honey & Hive Product Marketing - Charles and Karen Lorence - Aurora, IL. C: Queen Rearing and Making Spring Splits - Ray Latner - High Springs, FL. Branch manager, Beekeeper 2:15 p.m. Sessions: A, B, C 2:45 p.m. Sessions: A, B, C 3:15 p.m. Sessions: A, B, C 3:50 p.m. Raffle drawing 4:00 p.m. Close *If session exceeds room capacity, attendees will be moved to another session.

SPEAKERS Hamilton, Illinois. In 2003, he moved to Florida to become the Chief of the Apiary Inspection Section. He has written, with many writers' help, the “Classroom” in the ABJ for 20 plus years. He is on several science advisory boards for Colony Collapse Disorder and research funding projects. Starting in late January of 2012, he began a new beekeeping disease research job at Monsanto Corporation headquartered in St. Louis, MO.

SPECIAL EVENTS Friday afternoon conference attendees will have an opportunity to tour the facilities of Dadant and Sons in Hamilton, IL. Tours will include visits to the company's office, showroom, library and warehouse. In addition, guided tours will allow visitors to see the production of wax foundation. Tours also available at our Kahoka, MO. candle plant and the Dallas City, IL. metal plant. Also on Friday evening, at the Sullivan Auction site, there will be a kick-off banquet dinner for meeting registrants who have pre-registered. Following the banquet dinner, all meeting pre-registrants will have an opportunity to hear Dr. James Tew. In order to participate in the Friday evening banquet, participants need to pre-register. See the registration form for details. On Saturday, in addition to hearing three nationally recognized keynote speakers, attendees will have an opportunity to participate in all three break-out sessions that will address beekeeper needs and interests. A Saturday luncheon, provided free of charge by Dadant & Sons, will be available to all meeting pre-registrants. There will be a raffle for door prizes at the meeting.

Hwy 96 North

Hwy 218 IOWA

Sullivan Auction site

MISSISSIPPI RIVER

Hwy 136 from Missouri

Hwy 136

Dadant & Sons Hamilton, IL

Hwy 96 South

Hwy 136

ACCOMMODATIONS Hotel rooms are available in Keokuk and outlying areas. Ask for Dadant rate when making reservations. Baymont Inn 4th & Main St., Keokuk, IA 319-524-8000 80 rooms, downtown opposite River City Mall shopping, exercise facility with whirlpool & sauna, indoor heated pool, free local calls and free continental breakfast. King whirlpool suites, non-smoking and handicap rooms available. Pets allowed, rv/truck parking, elevators, game room, Major credit cards accepted. Super 8 Motel 3511 Main St., Keokuk, IA 319-524-3888 www.super8.com Restaurants nearby, fitness facility, cable TV, HBO, complimentary continental breakfast, laundry facility, wireless access available in public areas. Check-in time 1:00 p.m. major credit cards accepted.

ILLINOIS

Fairfield Inn 3404 Main St., Keokuk, IA 319-524-9000 www.marriott.com 61 rooms, 3 floors, indoor swimming pool, whirlpool, 4 honeymoon suites with jacuzzi & micro fridge. Free continental breakfast, 24-hour coffee & tea, free local calls, smoke-free policy, cable with free HBO, high-speed internet, check-in time 3:00 p.m., major credit cards accepted.

SESSION PRESENTERS CHARLES and KAREN LORENCE - ABJ Columnist

Honey & Hive Product Marketing RAY LATNER - Dadant-High Springs, FL - branch manager, beekeeper

Queen Rearing and Making Spring Splits KENT ROBERTSON Dadant-Dallas City, IL - metal plant manager Setting Up a Honey House

Hampton Inn 3201 Main St., Keokuk, IA 319-524-6700 www.hamptoninn.hilton.com 63 guest rooms including accessible rooms. Complimentary beverage area and free hot breakfast, fitness room, indoor heated pool, safety deposit box, business center, elevators, high chairs and play pens. Free internet access. Service animals allowed, sorry no pets. Smoking rooms available.

ADDITIONAL ACCOMMODATIONS ARE AVAILABLE IN SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES Carthage, IL Nauvoo, IL Quincy, IL Macomb, IL

11 miles 13 miles 36 miles 38 miles

25 rooms 290 rooms 733 rooms 300 rooms

www.prairiewindsmotel.com www.beautifulnauvoo.com/stay_hotels.html www.seequincy.com/SeeOurAreaAdamsHotel.php http://www.macomb.com/lodging.html

Kahoka, MO

24 miles

17 rooms

www.welcomeinnkahoka.com

Keokuk, IA Ft. Madison, IA Burlington, IA

3 miles 20 miles 38 miles

300 rooms 174 rooms 692 rooms

www.keokukiowatourism.org/lodging.htm www.fortmadison.com/visit-us/lodging/hotelsmotels/ www.growburlington.com/visit_stay.cfm

REGISTRATION PROCEDURES

Pre-registration will allow your hosts to make adequate preparations for meals. Only those who pre-register by the deadline date of Feb.15, 2013 will be eligible to attend the free Friday evening banquet dinner and the Saturday luncheon. Etc. Registration will be limited

Dadant 150th Anniversary Celebration Pre-registration Form One household per pre-registration form only, please. If you need additional preregistration forms, you may either photocopy this page, or contact Dadant and Sons by phone or e-mail to request that additional copies be sent to you. Be certain to give your mailing address when requesting additional preregistration forms.

Name(s): Postal Address: City, State ZIP: Phone No. E-mail: Registration: Registration:

______ Friday eveing banquet ______ Saturday luncheon

Complete and return by Feb.15th to Dadant & Sons, Inc., 51 S. 2nd Street, Hamilton, IL 62341-1397.

Page 12

Missouri State Beekeepers Association

$20/1 year $38/2 years

December 2012

Page 13

Local Beekeepers Associations 1 Beekeepers Association of the Ozarks 4th Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. Darr Ag Center, 2401 S. Kansas Expwy, Springfield www.ozarksbeekeepers.org

2 Boone Regional Beekeepers Association 3rd Sunday of month, 3:00 p.m., Columbia Insurance Group, 2102 Whitegate Dr. (back door), Columbia President Jim Duever 573-254-3373 www.boonebees.org 3 Busy Bee Club 4th Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m., Cedar County Health Center, Owens Mill Road, Stockton Neal Lee 417-276-3090, Neil Brunner 314-276-4252 grnthumb@alltel.net 4 Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association 2nd Wednesday of each month, 7:00 p.m., location changes. Bob Sears, President 314-479-9517 www.easternmobeekeepers.com 5 Golden Valley Beekeepers 2nd Monday of each month, 7:00 p.m. (but varies) Henry County Courthouse, Clinton MO Contact Kathy Murphy 660-678-5171 murftk@copper.net 6 Jackson Area Beekeepers 4th Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. First Pres. of Jackson, 206 E. Washington Contact Grant Gillard 573-243-6568 gillard5@charter.net 7 Jefferson County Beekeepers Association 2nd Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m., Hwy B & 21 Jefferson County Extension Center, Hillsboro Contact Scott Moser 636-285-7295 8 Joplin Area Beekeepers Association Last Tue. of each month, 7 pm, SM Bank Community Building (7th and Duquesne Rd), Joplin Steve Davis, President 620-202-0232 9 Mid Missouri Beekeepers 3rd Sunday of each month, 2 pm, Old Train Depot, St. James. Steven Todd, President 573-885-6650 steventdd447@gmail.com 10 Midwestern Beekeepers Association Nov-March, 2nd Sunday of each month, 2:30 p.m. April-Oct, 2nd Thursday of each month, 7:00 p.m. (Schedule varies; please call first to confirm.) Bass Pro Shop, Independence, Conservation Room Andy Nowachek, President 913-438-5397 11 Mississippi Valley Beekeepers Association Last Tuesday of Month in Quincy, IL Contact Bernie Andrew 217-938-4975

21 Lake of the Ozarks Beekeepers 3rd Saturday of month, 1:00 p.m. UMC Extension Office, 100 E. Newton,Versailles MO Contact Russell Kasnick 573-372-3122 22 Northeast Missouri Beekeepers Association 1st Friday of month, 6:30 pm Running Fox Elementary (3 miles south of Wayland) Acting President Randy Ewart 573-248-5561 rewart@centurytel.net 23 Gasconade Region Bee Keepers 2nd Tuesday 7:00, First State Comm. Bank, Owensville President Rodney Angell 573-259-5811 2224 Nowack, Rosebud MO bee143@fidnet.com 24 St. Louis Beekeepers 4th Tuesday 6:30, Schlafly Bottleworks contact@saintlouisbeekeepers.com www.saintlouisbeekeepers.com See state map on facing page for approximate geographic locations.

14 Page 12

Missouri State Beekeepers Association New! Join or renew at www.mostatebeekeepers.org and use your credit card or PayPal!

December 2012 Fall conference wrap-up continued from page 1 If we mow milkweed areas, it is best to do so around July 1st, as the new plants that spring up afterward will be available and attractive to butterflies. Monarch Watch is working with parks and roads departments to • encourage once-a-year mowing rather than the more common practice of three times a year. This serves to preserve pollinators along with saving money for these agencies. Gary Ross, an experienced honey judge for the Missouri State Fair and other venues, gave a valuable off-season talk on preparing products for state fair entries. His tips included the following: Comb honey cannot contain any granulation, so avoid fast• granulating varietals like canola. Creamed honey should not be so soft as to get runny, nor too • hard to spread. (If it breaks the judge’s toothpick, it’s too hard.) Cool beeswax slowly so as to avoid cracking, then store in a • closed container to keep from absorbing odors. Observation hives should contain some drones, too. • Ron Fessenden, MD, author of The Honey Revolution: Restoring the Health of Future Generations, spoke about the importance of honey in the human diet. Honey, he said, offers tremendous benefits in the areas of sleep, liver function and weight loss. Honey regulates blood sugar via glycogen formation in the liver. A tablespoon of honey before bedtime feeds the liver, which in turn gives nourishment to the brain and improves sleep. A variety of speakers also gave breakout workshops. Many of them can be seen in the photo spread on pages 6-7. •

Page 15

Directory of Officers President: John Timmons 636-940-8202 2952 Greenleaf Drive, St. Charles MO 6330 president@mostatebeekeepers.org Vice President: Valerie Duever 314-402-4841 2362 County Road 185, Auxvasse MO 65231 vicepresident@mostatebeekeepers.org Secretary: Steve Moeller 573-886-0662 7035 N. Kircher Rd., Columbia MO 65202 secretary@mostatebeekeepers.org Treasurer: Jaime Stevens 573-225-6935 PO Box 214, Dexter MO 63841 treasurer@mostatebeekeepers.org Past-President: Grant Gillard 573 243-6568 3721 North High Street, Jackson MO 63755 pastpresident@mostatebeekeepers.org Northwestern Director: Open northwestdir@mostatebeekeepers.org Northeastern Director: Steve Harris 314-805-6451 1224 Sherbrooke Road, St. Charles MO 63303 northeastdir@mostatebeekeepers.org Southeastern Director: Cory Stevens 573-225-6935 PO Box 214, Dexter MO 63841 southeastdir@mostatebeekeepers.org Southwestern Director: Gary Dowling 620-724-3189 507 N. Ozark St., Girard KS 66743 southwestdir@mostatebeekeepers.org Central Director: Bob Brammer 660-385-2840 31649 Lake St., Macon MO 63552 centraldir@mostatebeekeepers.org Program Chairperson: Open program@mostatebeekeepers.org Newsletter Editor: Eugene Makovec 135 Alex Dr., Foley MO 63347 editor@mostatebeekeepers.org

314-703-7650

Auxiliary Treasurer: Dolores Vivian 816-690-7516 443 Fricke Road, Bates City MO 64011-8280 auxiliary@mostatebeekeepers.org Queen Chairperson: Open queenchair@mostatebeekeepers.org President Grant Gillard presents outgoing Program Chair Pam Brown with a gift in appreciation for her service. Among the new meeting features introduced by Pam are the Hospitality Room, cooking and craft contests, the Wine Social and Queen Reception, and your editor’s favorite, commemorative pins for meeting locations.

State Fair Chairman: Dean Sanders 816-456-4683 cell 37804 Old Pink Hill Road, Oak Grove MO 64075 State Entomologist: Collin Wamsley collin.wamsley@mda.mo.gov

573-751-5505

Associate Professor of Entomology: Richard Houseman HousemanR@missouri.edu 573-882-7181 1-87 Agricultural Building, University of MissouriColumbia, Columbia MO 65211

Missouri State Beekeepers Association P.O. Box 448 Oak Grove, MO 64075 www.mostatebeekeepers.org

A taste of excellence: Winners of the Fall Conference cooking and baking contests are, from left to right: Anthony Axton, Cindy Suddarth, Cathy Misko, Nancy Giofre, Dominic Giofre, Yvonne Von Der Ahe and Dolores Vivian.

RENEW NOW:

Don’t forget -- if you have not already done so, please renew your membership for 2013, either via the form on page 14 or on our website.

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$15.00 $35.00

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$50.00 $100.00