July 2015
Nelson County Beekeepers
What’s The Buzz
Volume 1, Issue 3
Current for July 2015
Officers President-Doug Brink Vice PresidentSecretary-Helen Fenske Treasurer-Susan Zhunga
Robbie Smith County Extension Agent for Horticulture Inside this issue: More Information on Splits
2
Firehouse Energy Bars
2
Fat-Free Honey Herb Dressing
3
How to Treat a Bee Sting: Act Fast!
4
Registration of Oxalic Acid for Varroa Control
4
Mentor Program
6
Small Hive Beetle
7
Marks Frame
8
Meeting Minutes
9
Insider Info/Reminders
10
What’s Happening Inside The Hive? The bees are much less active. The honey flow often ends, and the beekeeper will notice that stings are more frequent! This is because the foragers have less to do, and consequently spend more time at home guarding the hive. Swarming is still possible, but much less likely. Bees are now searching for water to cool their hive, and will fly for miles to find it if necessary. They place small drops of water in the cells and use their wings to fan the air over the cells. Beekeeper Chores Many beekeepers harvest the honey in July. Take the frames in which the honey cells are capped. If the weather has been rainy, the bees may not have been able to remove enough moisture to ripen it yet. In this case, many of the honey cells may still be uncapped. Leave the honey frames on the hives through a hot, dry period, and check again. Water availability can be a concern. If water (a stream, pond, or other clean water) is not within a half mile, provide a source. This can be a slowly dripping faucet or large container of water with pieces of wood floating in it. Look for varroa, especially in your strongest hives. Hives with the most bees have the most drone brood, the favorite spot for these mites. Uncap at least a dozen capped drone cells, remove the pupae, and examine them carefully. If you have varroa in these cells, remove the honey harvest as soon as possible and treat with (Continued on page 3)
Page 2 More Information on Splits In order to survive, an ideal split should have 2-3 frames of eggs and sealed and emerging brood covered with nurse bees, plus two frames of honey and pollen. A shake or two of additional bees at startup time adds needed foragers and bees to keep the eggs and brood warm. A beekeeper can add a new queen or let the bees raise their own at this point. Since most of the nuc bees are nurse bees who haven’t flown yet, moving the nuc offsite is not always necessary. Moving the parent colony offsite and putting the nuc in the original parent location will build it up with the returning foragers. When is the best time to start a nuc? Although splits can be done at different times during the season, usually late spring/early summer works the best for most beekeepers. The parent hive must be strong enough to be divided without undue stress on either the parent or the nuc. The weather must be warm enough day and night for the cluster to maintain proper brood temperatures.
Commercial queens must be available, or if the bees are to raise their own queen, drones must be available for complete mating. And enough season must be left to permit both the parent and the nuc to build up in numbers and food stores. What about the queens? Is there a best approach to requeening? Here are some interesting numbers: your method will reflect the season, purpose, and budget.
Using the existing queen: brood in 21 days with no interruptions. Introducing a mated, laying queen: brood in about 26 days
Using a virgin queen: brood in about 29 days
Queen cells will produce brood in about 32 days
A queen from brood: takes about 41 days
One final reminder. New colonies and often the parent need all the help they can get. You will need to
feed, feed, feed to be successful. https:// www.kelleybees.com/ Blog/1/Healthy-Bees/262/ Making-Increase
Fire House Energy Bars Makes 16 servings 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted 2 tablespoons honey 2/3 cup walnuts, sliced or diced 2 eggs, beaten 2 cups granola cereal 1 teaspoon vanilla Preheat over to 350oF. Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Blend Well. Pat into a greased 8inch square baking dish. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and cut into 16 bars. From: Susan Brackney Plan/ Bee
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(Continued from page 1)
Apistan or Checkmite. If you do not find varroa, repeat this examination in the following weeks. Sticky boards placed on the bottom boards are more accurate indicators than drone brood checks. If over 15 mites per day are falling to the sticky boards, they are reaching dangerous levels. Hives can be successfully requeened in July and August. However, it is harder to find the old queen in a hive packed with bees in midsummer, compared with the much smaller hive population in April. It is a good idea to feed the bees to encourage acceptance of the new queen, if requeening is done when the bees are not on a honey flow. Observations and Ideas Scout the area near the hives to see where your bees are finding water. They may be a nuisance to neighbors if your bees have fallen
into swimming pools. Some beekeepers plant crops in the spring to supplement their honey production in July and August. Buckwheat, vitex and sunflower are plants that can provide nectar in mid-summer. At KSU we have found that buckwheat is a relatively drought-resistant nectar source. http://www.nkybeekeepers.c om/uploads/beecalendar.pdf
Fat-Free Honey Herb Dressing Makes 1/2 cup 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup honey 2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or mint 1 tablespoon minced green onion Salt and pepper, to taste. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients. Mix Well From: Susan Brackney Plan/ Bee
BEE NOTES FOR JULY 1876 By L. C. Root, Mohawk, N.Y. American Agricultruist July 1876 REMOVING FULL BOXES (supers) Boxes should not be allowed to remain on the hive after they are filled. They should be frequently examined, and removed as fast as full, and empty boxes supplied in place of the first ones taken off. In removing the boxes, take them from the hive and turn them bottom up, near the entrance of the hive. After blowing smoke into the holes of the boxes, rap them gently, and the bees will leave them and return to the hive. (Great idea if it really works, I'm just not sure. Want to try it?)
Page 4 How to Treat a Bee Sting: Act Fast! After a bee stings, a stinger and sac of venom is left behind in your skin. To reduce the amount of venom in your body remove stinger and bag of venom as quicklyas possible. You can SCRAPE the stinger and bag of venom out of your skin with a fingernail or other similar object. Do not pull out stinger or squeeze the location as more venom can be released. The longer that you leave in the stinger, the more venom will be left in your body causing swelling and itchiness. Once the stinger is removed, wash area with soap and water and apply antiseptic and soothing cream like hydrocortisone. If possible, and if over two years of age and not pregnant, immediately take an antihistamine, e.g., Benadryl, to reduce swelling and itching. (When I was stung on my finger, I had minimal swelling and itching because I took a Benadryl immediately. I did not take a Benadryl shortly after because I didn't want to fall asleep. It was a big mistake.) Apply ice pack to
site to reduce swelling and for pain relief. For additional pain relief, you can take an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen. Bee Sting Treatments. Home Remedies for Bee Stings (apply to site of sting)
Registration of Oxalic Acid for Varroa Control
As many of you have heard, oxalic acid has been approved by the EPA for varroa mite control on honey bees. In the June issue of Bee Culture magazine, Jennifer Barry wrote an Meat tenderizer and excellent article on the water paste subject, which I suggest you read. See:http:// Tobacco juice www.beeculture.com/oxalic Vinegar acid-effective-easy-on-bees Aloe but/. Toothpaste Oxalic acid is an organic acid, Honey a naturally occurring Baking soda and water chemical found in plants and paste insects. It has been used for Crushed basil or parsley some time in both in Europe and in Canada as a varroa leaves mite control. Since traces of oxalic acid are found These treatments are NOT naturally in honey, residues for those that have severe allergic reactions. For severe are not a concern. It is commonly sold for use as a allergic reactions, epinephrine will need to be bleach in woodworking, so is easily obtainable. The injected to stop the registration process for a progression of symptoms. pesticide, which is what For Severe symptoms you will need to Get to a hospital oxalic acid is when used to control mites, is complicated. or emergency care facility. EPA approval has been given Info from http:// and oxalic acid should be hubpages.com/hub/Beelegally available for use by Stings beekeepers by late fall, but the paperwork is not yet complete. When finished, it will include registration in every state.
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hough oxalic acid, like formic acid, is widely available, it appears that there will be a commercially available formulation like that for formic acid, and to use it legally, beekeepers will need to purchase this product. Brushy Mountain Bee Farm will be the distributor. (See: http:// www.brushymountainbeefar m.com/). No other information about the product is available at this time, but I will keep you posted. The registration for oxalic acid is for a liquid which can be used in that form or as a gas. In liquid form, it is mixed with sugar syrup and applied by “dribbling” a stream of the mixture between the frames of the hive, directly onto the bees. Package bees can be treated in the same way. Alternatively, it can be vaporized by the application of heat. Use the links below for more information on the possible treatment methods. One very important caveat concerning oxalic acid as a miticide is that it only kills mites on bees, not those in the cells, and is most
therefor most effective when used during periods with little or no brood in the hive. This is a serious limiting factor in its use. Another note of caution is that the oxalic acid sold as wood bleach is close to 100% pure. For the safety of beekeepers as well as bees, the registered product is a 3% solution. Don’t be misled. Oxalic and formic acids, both “natural” products, are never-the-less both quite toxic in the wrong concentration. See: http:// www.savogran.com/pdfs/ Wood_Bleach_MS.pdf For additional information, see the links below. Bulletin from Dadant & sons concerning approval by the EPA of oxalic acid for varroa control: http://www.dadant.com/ news/epa-okays-oxalic-acidfor-varroa-mitecontrol An Investigation of Techniques for Using Oxalic Acid to Reduce Varroa Mite Populations in Honey Bee Colonies and Package Bees, PhD dissertation by Nicholas Aliano, University of
Nebraska, 2008 http:// digitalcommons.unl.edu/ cgi/viewcontent.cgi? article=1000&context=ento mologydiss
Oxalic acid: A prospective tool for reducing Varroa mite populations in package bees, Nicholas Aliano, University of Nebraska, 2009 http:// digitalcommons.unl.edu/ cgi/viewcontent.cgi? article=1186&context=ento mologyfacpub Oxalic Acid: Questions, Answers, and More Questions, Post by Randy Oliver http:// scientificbeekeeping.com/ oxalic-acid-questionsanswers-and-morequestions-part-1-of-2-parts/
Page 6 Small Hive Beetle
Mentor Program If you weren't able to make the last meeting we have started a Mentor Program! Our goal is to pair new or struggling beekeepers with those who have at least got their bees through a season or two. Mentors: You don't need to have kept bees for 20 years to be a mentor, just be able to help someone get their bees through the first year. We will also try and pair people up by location. The closer you live the easier and maybe more frequently you will be able to help. This doesn’t have to be a big time commitment either. Some people are just looking for an afternoon or a couple hours of instruction to get them on the right track. When we pair people up the two people can decide on an individual basis when, where and how often etc. Newbees: Our goal is to get everyone comfortable and confidant with their beekeeping. Some people may just want an afternoon or couple hours of help and others may require
more? Again the focus is getting you comfortable and confidant so let us know what you think you may need. Nothing is set in stone:
This is our first time trying this and I’m sure we will have lots of tweaks/improvements. If you have questions, comments or suggestions please let us know. Educational Tour: We will also be planning some Apiary tours where new beekeepers will get to see other newbees hives as well as an established Apiary. As a beginner it’s rare that you see the inside of other hives. We feel this would give people a great opportunity to see how they are doing with their own hives and if there is something they may want to change/improve. Have a question? Send it to nelsoncountybeekeepers@g mail.com and an expert will answer your question.
In July 1998, small hive beetles were first identified in South Carolina. The beetles were collected from a weak honey bee colony in Charleston County. The small hive beetle has also been discovered in Florida and Georgia in May and June 1998, respectively. Prior to these discoveries, the beetle had not been reported to infest beehives except in tropical and subtropical regions of South Africa where it is considered to be a secondary hive pest. The adult beetles have 6 legs and 2 pair of wings, are reddish brown to black in color, and are about 5-7 mm (about ¼ inch) long. The dorsal side or back of the beetle has very fine hairs which cause the fast moving insect to be very slippery and difficult to grasp and remove from the colony. The exterior of the adult beetle is very hard and protects the beetle from bee stings and other dangers. Adult beetles fly readily, but their flight range is unknown.
Small hive beetle eggs are pearly white and look much like honey bee eggs, but they are slightly smaller. Eggs are expected to be laid
Page 7 throughout the year in South Carolina except during the colder months of December - March. Beetle larvae mature from egg hatch to pupae in 10-16 days. Larvae require a diet of honey and pollen to develop fully. The mature larvae leave the hive and burrow into the soil beneath the hive to pupate. The length of the pupal stage varies, but most pupae emerge from the soil as adults in 3-4 weeks. Newly emerged adults are very active and fly readily when disturbed; the newly emerged adults reenter a bee colony and begin the life cycle again. Female beetles begin laying eggs about one week following their emergence from the soil. As the adults age, they seek refuge and seldom fly. The adults normally gather at the rear of the hive on the hive floor where they feed on pollen that falls from the brood area above. Adult beetles are often seen in the top of the hive as the beekeeper removes the inner cover. Adults live up to 6 months, therefore more than one generation may live in the same bee colony. Five beetle generations per calendar year are possible in South Africa.
Maintaining healthy bee colonies that are capable of protecting all comb in the hive is desirable in preventing small hive beetle problems. Mite control and disease prevention along with keeping a young laying queen are important. Removing excess supers of unprotected honey and empty comb from the hive is highly recommended. Beekeepers should avoid leaving filled honey supers standing in the honey house for more than a day or so. Stacking lightly infested beetle supers on strong bee colonies for clean up as for wax moth control should not be practiced. This only spreads the beetles and may result in loss of additional colonies. Purchasing colonies, packages, and nucs from reliable sources that have been certified beetle free is highly recommended. The beekeeper should make a thorough inspection of colonies prior to making splits or exchanging brood frames between colonies to prevent spreading the beetles. Young colonies are particularly vulnerable to beetle problems, so every attempt should be made to maintain healthy colony conditions.
http://www.clemson.edu/ex tension/beekeepers/factshe ets/small_hive_beetle_ap2. html
Ask the Expert Can’t tell fact from fiction? If so, you are not alone. Just email your question and we will try and answer as many question as possible before each meeting. Email nelsoncountybeekeepers@g mail.com.
Here are a few examples. FACT OR FICTION ? FICTION: “Bees have survived just fine without us for millions of years.” FACT: Bees are no longer “without us.” They now have us and all our trappings, including pollution, pesticides, agriculture, habitat loss, climate change, freeways, urban sprawl, monocultures. It is not the same world they evolved in. FICTION: Crystallized honey is bad. FACT: Almost all unheated, unfiltered honey crystallizes; some just crystallize sooner than others.
Page 8 The Marks Frame Larry Marks has started to manufacture "The Marks Frame" for sale. Haven't heard of it, well Larry has given me a description of the advantages of this diverse frame configuration.
The advantage of the Marks Frame is, when the weather gets cold and it continues to stay cold for five or six days, the bees will move up the natural comb where there is more honey. The bees will get in a cluster to stay way when it gets cold. I have noticed over the years, when I have taken bees out of a house or tree. The bees will have built natural comb that is sometimes two to four feet long. The bee can move up to the rest of the honey unlike a frame. The bees sometimes will not move up to the frames above on the top hive body. The bees will stay in the bottom in a cluster and starve with their tails sticking out of the comb, and there is honey in the brood box above them. The bees do not like to cross over the top bar when the weather is really cold. Bees have a short term memory of only three to four days. When bees get to the top bar of the frame, they think there is no
more honey. I have tried the frame that I have designed and it works excellently. Bees will go up as high as four or five supers in the summer, but will hardly move in the winter. The Marks Frames should be place in the center of the hive bodies. You need four of these frames for ten frame double deep, and three frames for an eight frame double deep. Install the Marks frames when you have put on the second hive body. Do not use more the recommended number of Marks frames into the hive body, you do not want to get in the way of making splits or divisions. This will also eliminate reversing the hive bodies in the spring. The Marks Frame is twice as tall as a regular frame and will have a larger brood pattern. You will have to use two pieces of wax foundation in the frame and will need either bobby pins or #7 nails to hold the wax in place.
Individually the frames are $4.00 each. Wax and pins not included. Any questions call Larry Marks @ (502) 252-8235
Nelson County Fair July 13-18 Entries will be accepted starting at 9:00am Monday, July 13. Bring your best jar of honey to be judged. Jars can be either pints or pounds.
Volunteers are also needed to check in, organize and display entries. Lunch is provided for all volunteers. If you would like to volunteer please call the office at
502-3498-9204 for I will be happy to give instructions on how to put the details. wax in place when purchasing frames. Frames come in bundles of three @ $12.00 a bundle.
Page 9 Nelson County Beekeepers General Meeting Minutes June 18, 2015 Meeting was called to order at 6:30 PM with opening prayer and pot luck refreshments There were 17 members and four guests present. Our guests were Brian Downs, B.J. and Lauren Drake, and Vikki Atkinson. Doug Brink announced that Paul Kiener has resigned as President for personal reasons and that as Vice-President he will assume that position until the end of the year. Pat Swartz, Hospitality Chairman, announced that the July meeting will be held at her farm and passed out information sheet with directions. Doug Brink announced that we will be forming several new committees and introduced the following chairmen who shared the purpose of their committee: MENTOR PROGRAM – Gene Englert KENTUCKY STATE FAIR – Gene Englert NEWSLETTER“THE BUZZ” – Susan Zhunga ART & CRAFT FAIR – April Donathan EDUCATION – Robbie Smith
Our guest speaker, Dr. Lee Townsend, presented his program on the “Effects of Pesticides on Honeybees,” followed by a question and answer period. Recorded by Helen Fenske, Secretary
TREASURERS REPORT June 18, 2015 Starting Balance
$1,170.17
Net Expense
($638.58)
GROSS Income
$725.00
Bank Bal
$1,256.59
Recorded by Susan Zhunga, Treasurer
Page 10 Insider Info On the scene at the Fairfield Homecoming for 2015, was our own James (Ernie) Sharp. He was set up at his Mom's house in Fairfield. Ernie had brought a fresh supply of his honey and was sporting his "Nelson County Beekeepers" hat. Also on display was a three tiered observation hive with a marked queen. Great work as our NCB ambassador. Ernie still has plenty of honey for sale. If you are interested in purchasing honey contact him at 502-460-3609. Prices as follows: 1 lb Decorative Muth Jars $12.00 8 oz Decorative Muth$ 6.00 1 lb Plastic Bottles $10.00 12 oz Plastic Bottles $7.50 8 oz Plastic Bottles$ $5.00
Doug Brink has NCB T-Shirts ($11) and Hooded Sweatshirts ($23) for sale. Janet Brown is selling NCB Hats and Visors for $10.00. The club gets $2.00 from each sales.
Darrell Hester is selling his stainless 2 frame extractor for $150.00. If interested contact him at the meeting or call 502-648-2044.
Bluegrass Seed & Fertilizer Inc 3345 Bloomfield Rd. Bardstown, KY 40004 (502) 348-7333 Mon - Fri 8:00 am - 5:30 pm Sat 8:00 am - 1:00 pm
Bardstown Mills 1393 Withrow Ct. Bardstown, KY 40004 (502) 348-3949 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday
Page 11 WANNA BEE A MEMBER or NEED TO PAY YOUR 2015 DUES Annual Dues $12.00 Send your name, address, city & zip, Phone & email to : Susan E. Zhunga 555 King Road Coxs Creek, KY 40013 To maintain your status as a member in good standing, please send me your annual dues before June 30, after that I will delete the names of members who have not paid for this year.
KY State Fair Aug. 20-30, 2015 Louisville, KY We will get details on participation in Honey Competition and working honey booths when available. Road Clean up October more information to follow. Christmas Parade—Date to be determined. We will be looking for volunteers to decorate and ride the wagon. Will need you to wear bee suits, carry smokers and have a good time. All are welcome. Contact Henry Wilkerson.
DON’T FORGET TO JOIN US ON FACE BOOK!!
PAT’S ADDRESS 4236 Pottershop Road 502-350-1711
Meeting !!!!!!
FROM BARDSTOWN
July 16th @ 6:30 p.m.
150 towards Springfield. Just past McDonalds, turn right on to Pottershop Loop. At the bottom of the hill, turn right on to Pottershop Road. Follow about 5 miles. After you go over the 2nd bridge (do not count Pottershop Loop bridge) at the top of the hill on your left you will see our large stone mailbox. Turn left in to our drive.
Field Day At Pat Swartz Bee Yard Menu Supplied by the club is PIZZA OF ALL TYPES with DRINKS The only thing you have to bring is your appetite and a chair. Also bring your veil if you want to look at the bees. This will be the perfect opportunity to have a one on one with the other beekeepers. Learn the tricks of the trade and ask some questions. We will also have the chance for new beekeepers to take a peek in Pat's bee hives and see what's going on.
Threat of rain, relocation will be at the Extension Office. Check your email or call the Extension Office 502-348-9204. Decisions will be made by 2:00 p.m. the day of the meeting.
FROM SPRINGFIELD Turn left on route 605 at Botland. Go .2 tenths miles, turn right on to Green Lane. Follow until deadends in to Pottershop. Turn left, you will go down a hill, over a bridge, up a hill. At the top of the hill you will see our large stone mailbox. Turn left in to our drive.
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Nelson County 317 S Third Street Bardstown, KY 40004
University of Kentucky
Cooperative Extension Service
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