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Kevin Rader: [email protected] www.beekeepingins.com 4 888-537-7088BEE CULTURE August 2021 Bee Culture August Features . . . TECHNOLOGY TIPS FOR BEE DRIVEN MID-LIFE CRISIS BEEKEEPERS 19 PART 4 55 Abstracts from WAS 2020. A shout out to my friends. submitted by Malcolm Sanford James Masucci

GOING FOR A RIDE 37 WORKING TO PROTECT HONEY How bees carrying fungi are protec ng agroecosystems. BEES FROM VARROA MITES 56 Charlotte Coates, et al Greenlight Biosciences. Katie Harrigan FLORIDA STATE SCIENCE FAIR 40 “Best In fair Prize” – Biological Science Division. 4 EASY STEPS 60 Atreya Manaswi Minimize pollinator impact when spraying. reprinted from ILSoyAdvisor.com OPTIMIZING BEE GUT IMMUNITY 43 Using probio cs. UNREAL DRONES IN THE APIARY 63 Varun Madan Have you ever fl own a drone? Dewey Caron APIARY INSPECTION 46 Ohio State Apiarist Barbara Bloetscher. MINDING YOUR BEES AND CUES 68 Brooke Decker Gene c diversifi ca on and tracking results. Becky Masterman and Bridget Mendel OFF-LABEL VARROA TREATMENTS 47 Pose long-term risks for beekeeping industry. WHOLESOME REMEDIES 75 Matthew Mulica Social and self medica on. Alexandra Nastasa CELL PUNCH QUEEN REARING . . . 52 . . . but diff erent. (Reprinted with permission from Deutsches Bienen CAN SOLAR ENERGY FUEL Journal) POLLINATOR CONSERVATION? 78 Roland Gerner From Environmental Entomology. Adam Dolezal, et al

800.289.7668 Executive Publisher – Brad Root Associate Publisher, Senior Editor – Jerry Hayes, [email protected], Ext. 3214 Assistant Editor, Design – Kathy Summers, [email protected], Ext. 3215 Sun setting in Social Media, Event Specialist & Subscription Coordinator – Amanda DeSimone, [email protected], Ext. 3255 the beeyard. Advertising – Jean Newcombe, [email protected], Ext. 3216 Nina Bagley photo. Contributors Clarence Collison • James E. Tew • Kim Lehman • Jay Evans Connie Krochmal • Jessica Louque • Ross Conrad • Jennifer Berry • Ed Colby

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BEE CULTURE, The A.I. Root Co., 623 W. Liberty St., Medina, OH 44256 Subscription Information U.S., one year, $25; two years, $48. Newsstand price: $4.99. All other countries, (U.S. Currency only), $20.00 per year additional for postage. Digital Edition $15. Send remittance by money order, bank draft, express money order, or check or credit card. Bee Culture (ISSN 1071-3190), August 2021, Volume 149, Issue 8, is published monthly by The A.I. Root Co., 623 W. Liberty Street, Medina, OH 44256. Periodicals Postage Paid at Medina, OH and additional mailing ofﬁ ces. Subscriptions, Book Orders – www.BeeCulture.com • [email protected] Advertising – 800.289.7668, Ext. 3216; [email protected] Published by The A.I. Root Co. Copyright© 2021. All rights reserved.

August 2021 BEE CULTURE 5 Newly Revised And Better Than Ever!

The Backyard Beekeeper, now in its 4th edition, makes the time-honored and complex tradition of beekeeping an enjoyable and accessible backyard pastime that will appeal to urban and rural beekeepers of all skill levels.

More than a guide to beekeeping, this handbook features expert advice for: - Setting up and caring for your own colonies - the best location to place your new bee colonies for their safety and yours - The most practical and nontoxic ways to care for your bees - Swarm control - Using top bar hives - Harvesting the products of a beehive and collecting and using honey - Bee problems and treatments

What's New? - Information for Urban Bees and Beekeepers - Using Your Smoker the Right Way - Better Pest Management - Providing Consistent and AAbundantbundant Good Food - Keeping Your Hives Healthyy - 25 rules for modern beekeeping

With this complete resource and the expert advice of Bee Culture editor Kim Flottum, your bees will be healthy, happy, and more productive. www.beeculture.com

6 BEE CULTURE August 2021 Prod onsor o te EEeein oday Podcast

August 2021 BEE CULTURE 7 8 BEE CULTURE August 2021 Bee Culture’s Best . . .

NEW FOR YOU 11 BIGGER PICTURE 84 HiveAlive Fondant Patty. The devil’s in the details. Jessica Louque

NEW READING FOR BEEKEEPERS 20 Honey Bee Alchemy; Swarming. Biology and Control; Honey Bee A TANGING TEMPEST IN THE Medicine For The Veterinary Practitioner. BEEYARD 88 If it doesn’t work, why do so many beekeepers still perform this swarm-catching ritual BEE CULTURE READER SURVEY 14 James E. Tew Please help us do a be er job for you.

Bee Culture Staﬀ A ROYAL DRAMA 92 A conversation with the queen. BEE VET 24 Stephen Bishop ood help can be found.

Tracy Farone SUMMER RECIPES 93 Honey arlic Pork Chops. HISTORY IS HINTS AND SCRAPS 27 Shana Archibald America beekeeping.

John Miller BOTTOM BOARD 96 Aristotle and bees. FOUND IN TRANSLATION 28 Ed Colby Social thoughts. Jay Evans

A CLOSER LOOK – TASTE PERCEPTION 32 Honey bee chemosensory organs. Clarence Collison n Eery Mont BEE KIDS’ CORNER 44 Honeycomb Hannah All the buzz . . . for the kids What’s going on in the hive. Kim Lehman ailbox 10 BEEING DIVERSE: INSPIRING From The ditor – 12 LEADERS IN BEEKEEPING 48 Bee Culture’s Annual Event returns with an incredible lineup of speakers. It’s Summers Time! 15 Bee Culture Team Lots going on in Medina. Next onth 16 What should you be doing? Honey arket Report 1 Comparing regional prices. Calendar 4

August 2021 BEE CULTURE 9 Bee Culture 623 West Liberty St. Medina, OH 44256 [email protected]

From The New-Bee Having spent the swarm of my career in the manufacturing sector, I took ﬂ ight, and as luck would hive it, landed smack dab in the ﬂ middle of the bee-colony world. As Illinois State Beekeepers Association President Corky Schnadt anked by ISBA’s 2020 Beekeeper of the Year award recipients Jim and Karen Belli. one mite expect, this transition has been a bit of an apicultural shock. Beekeeper Of The meeting of the Lake County Truth bee told, I was clueless Beekeepers Association, a group as to the super powers of apiarists Year for which Karen serves as the across the globe, and I had zero Although the Belli’s were program director, Schnadt praised knowledge (well some) of the critical selected for the award in Fall them for their work at the local, importance honey bees are to the of 2020, the COVID-related state, and national levels. For survival of this planet. cancellation of ISBA’s 2020 more information on the their Bee Culture Magazine has Fall Meeting precluded a formal achievements and contributions, proven to be invaluable to me presentation of the plaque until see the Fall 2020 issue of the ISBA in navigating “all things bees.” I recently. Jim is a past president Bulletin and a recent segment on appreciate the diverse industry of ISBA and a current director WTTW’s Chicago Tonight. knowledge packed into each issue. of the American Beekeeping Hilary Ward Schnadt I looking forward to devouring ABC Federation representing honey Interim Editor, ISBA Bulletin and XYZ of Bee Culture. producers/packers. At a virtual Barb Smith

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10 BEE CULTURE August 2021 New For The Beekeeper –

HiveAlive Fondant Patty Now rial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and im- using HiveAlive.” available in the U.S. and Canada mune stimulatory properties that It was from attending these Due to signifi cant demand seaweeds naturally have along with shows and speaking with beekeep- among beekeepers, Dara Scott and a range of vitamins, minerals and ers that he realised the demand for the HiveAlive team created a ready amino acids. “I knew about the fondant with HiveAlive added so to feed fondant patty that already health benefi ts of seaweeds for hu- he set about developing a premi- has the correct dose of HiveAlive mans and at the time they were just um formulation. “We spent a lot of added as well as vitamins and amino starting to be developed for animals. time making sure all the ingredients acids key for honey bee health. Now, they are an extremely popular used were of very high quality, the “We have been shipping feed ingredient used commercially sugar particle size is small to ensure HiveAlive all over the world for the to reduce the need for antibiotics, the bees can digest it easier and it last eight years and one of the things boost the immune system and im- is produced using a special process we got asked for a lot was a fondant prove gut health.” He was intrigued to keep the amounts of HMF very that already had HiveAlive add- to fi nd out would the same benefi ts low”, says Scott. Demand from the ed, mostly from areas with harsher apply to bees. Through government US and Canada is already high for Winters”, says Scott. Scott is the supports Dara collaborated with the coming fall season. founder and Managing Director of scientists from several universities Solid sugar feeding products ar- Advance Science, the company that across Europe in developing and en’t as widespread in the U.S. and developed and produces HiveAlive, testing what would soon become Canada as they are in Europe. Scott a liquid feed supplement for honey- HiveAlive. claims that his new fondant patty is bees made in Ireland. Dara Scott’s His theory was correct. HiveAlive an extremely easy way to feed bees passion for all things honey bee re- has since been tested in multiple and is particularly great for emer- lated began with a trip to New Zea- fi eld studies around the world. Re- gency feeding. It is put on top of land over 20 years ago. The physics sults consistently show that feeding the colony, either under or over the graduate who had been working in hives with HiveAlive makes the col- brood box, so no feeders are needed. medical diagnostics took a year out onies more productive – they have It can be used as an Autumn feed to explore New Zealand and became more brood and more honey with but is mainly used to top up over fascinated by the amount of bee- less disease, in particular Nosema, Winter when it is too cold to feed keeping that was going on there. He and lower overwinter losses. “To be syrup, or in late Winter when bees was hooked from then on and when honest we could spend lots of money are running out of stores. Because he returned home, he set about get- on marketing but the best market- it is placed directly over the cluster, ting his fi rst hive. ing team we have are the beekeepers the bees do not have to leave the He wanted to focus on develop- that give HiveAlive a proper try over cluster to access food, minimizing ing a solution to improve the health a full year. Once they do, they are the chance of starvation. Fondant is of his bees and began work on de- our best advertisers as they can re- easy to handle and store and does veloping HiveAlive. “I was lucky, ally see the benefi ts and are keen to not cause robbing like syrup can. In Ireland has some of the world’s top tell their friends. People don’t believe addition to this, it also gives all the seaweed experts, so I got help from our claims when we tell them, but benefi ts of HiveAlive as well as add- them in developing HiveAlive. These they believe them when their friends ed vitamins & amino acids. scientists knew exactly what sea- have seen it for themselves. That is weed extracts to choose and had genuinely the most rewarding part To order, enquire with your local special extraction techniques to be of the job, when I go to shows and beekeeping store or visit www.usa. able to pull out all the anti-bacte- people tell us how much they love hivealivebees.com

August 2021 BEE CULTURE 11 U.S. Beekeepers Continue to “Not all beekeepers are affected at to the survey, representing about 7% Report High Colony Loss Rates, the same intensity, but the turnover of the nation’s estimated 2.71 million No Clear Progression Toward rate of colonies is still overall higher managed colonies. This effort helps to Improvement. Annual Bee Informed than beekeepers deem acceptable keep a fi nger on the pulse of what is Partnership survey results show the [normal or acceptable turnover is going on with beekeepers to identify continuing cycle of high honey bee defi ned at about 20%]. We should why high losses are persisting. colony turnover, with beekeepers and remember, however, that loss rates “Though we see fl uctuations from researchers hoping to fi nd solutions. are not the same as population year to year, the worrisome part is Beekeepers across the United decline. The recent numbers of honey we see no progression towards a States lost 45.5% of their managed bee colonies in the U.S. are relatively reduction of losses,” says Steinhauer. honey bee colonies from April 2020 to stable despite those high losses, but “The long-term efforts of the BIP’s April 2021, according to preliminary that’s because beekeepers invest annual survey are so important to results of the 15th annual nationwide a lot of time and effort to increase monitoring honey bee colony losses survey conducted by the nonprofi t their operation size to mitigate their and beekeeper management over Bee Informed Partnership (BIP). These losses.” time, and hopefully to identifying losses mark the second highest loss Commercial honey bee operations key practices that are protective rate the survey has recorded since it are essential to agricultural for colonies,” stresses Williams. began in 2006 (6.1 percentage points production in the U.S., pollinating “Because of the close connection of higher than the average annual loss $15 billion worth of food crops each honey bees to the environment, the rate of 39.4%). The survey results year. Honey bee colonies are moved survey’s long-term data may lend highlight the continuing high rates of around the country to pollinate itself to insights into how changes honey bee colony turnover. The high important agricultural crops such in land-use and weather impact the loss rate was driven by both elevated as almonds, blueberries, and apples. beekeeping industry too. These are Summer and Winter losses this year, Minimizing their losses and ensuring really understudied areas at the with no clear progression toward the health of both commercial and moment.” improvement for beekeepers and backyard colonies is critical to food This year, to get a better their colonies. BIP hopes to use the production and supply. understanding of different survey results to better understand “Beekeepers of all types management practices that may how colony losses are experienced by consistently lose a high number of lead to loss fl uctuations, the BIP team beekeepers, and what can be done to colonies each year, which puts a delivered two versions of the survey reduce losses in future seasons. heavy burden on many of them to to cater to different beekeepers. The Since beekeepers began noticing recoup those losses in time for major two surveys found that backyard higher losses in their colonies in the pollination events like California (managing 50 or fewer colonies) and early 2000s, agricultural agencies, almonds,” says Geoffrey Williams, sideliner (managing 51-500 colonies) researchers, and the beekeeping assistant professor of entomology at beekeeping operations face both industry have been working together Auburn University and co-author of similar and distinct challenges to to understand why and develop best the survey. “Colony losses remain commercial beekeepers managing management practices to reduce their elevated, and this year’s annual and more than 500 colonies. While losses. The BIP annual colony loss Summer loss rates are among the parasitic Varroa mites continue to survey, which has been conducted highest recorded.” be a major issue for beekeepers since 2006, has been integral to that This past year, Winter losses regardless of operation size, queen process. were reported at 32.2%, which is 9.6 management might be a factor that “This year’s survey results show percentage points higher than last can lead to variation in seasonal that colony losses are still high,” says year and 3.9 points higher than the colony losses. Nathalie Steinhauer, BIP’s science survey average. Summer losses were “A colony needs a healthy, fully coordinator and a post-doctoral some of the highest ever reported functioning queen before major researcher in the University of again this year at 31.1%, which is pollination events to be productive,” Maryland Department of Entomology. 0.9 percentage points lower than last explains Williams. “A preliminary year, but 8.6 points higher than the look into survey data reveals that survey average. commercial beekeepers almost always The survey asks beekeeping replace old queens with new ones operations of all sizes to track the during the Summer, whereas only survival or turnover rates of their about half of backyard beekeepers do. honey bee colonies. This year, 3,347 Could this explain why commercial beekeepers managing 192,384 beekeepers lose fewer colonies in the colonies across the country responded subsequent Winter than backyard 45% Losses From April 2020 To April 2021 From The Editor – 12 BEE CULTURE August 2021 beekeepers? Perhaps, but we need Auburn University. Survey results to dig deeper and possibly perform are available here [Note: Link will experiments to shed more light on be updated when embargo lifts to Project Apis m. this.” feature this year’s report] on the Bee Your “go-to” non- While the survey suggests that Informed Partnership website, with a beekeepers are remaining responsive summary provided below. profit honey bee to the current best management practices and health concerns of Winter Loss Estimates: research their colonies, the loss data shows 1 October 2020 – 1 April 2021: little progress. 32.2% losses organization, with “We see in the survey signs 9.6 percentage points higher than that beekeepers are adjusting their Winter 2019-2020: 22.6% programs in the practices over time,” says Steinhauer. 3.9 percentage points higher than “We also see that their perception average Winter loss (2006-2021): USA & Canada of risk is changing. The level of 28.3% acceptable loss, which was originally PAm is dedicated to enhancing around 15% in earlier years of the Summer Loss Estimates: the health of honey bees while survey, has crept up to 23% this 1 April 2020 – 1 October 2020: improving crop and honey year. So that tells us beekeepers are 31.1% losses 0.9 percentage points lower than production. thinking about those factors that affect honey bee health more actively. Summer 2019: 32.1% We also see some benefi cial changes 8.6 percentage points higher than in agricultural practices that could average Summer loss (2010- affect honey bee health, like changes 2020): 22.8% in spray recommendations. But there are still a lot of issues that are left Total Annual Loss Estimates: unaddressed. It seems we’re running 1 April 2020 – 1 April 2021: 45.5% to stand still because beekeepers are losses changing their practices, and yet we 1.8 percentage points higher than 2019-2020: 43.7% still don’t see a clear improvement in 6.1 percentage points higher than their loss rates.” average annual loss (2010-2021): BIP stresses that the lack of 39.4% improvement in losses is a clear call for more attention and efforts to be Loss Comparison by Beekeeper paid on fi nding solutions, especially Category: concerning Varroa mites. The BIP Backyard beekeepers (manage 50 annual loss survey continues to be or fewer colonies): 27.0% Summer an important part of documenting vs. 42.0% Winter losses the data necessary to drive future Sideliner (manage 51-500 colonies): research, best management practice 19.5% Summer vs. 31.9% Winter recommendations, and support for losses honey bee health. Commercial (manage more than “We hope to continue BIP’s 500 colonies): 30.9% Summer vs. survey effort to record colony losses 32.9% Winter losses experienced by U.S. beekeepers and explore beekeepers’ management Media Contacts: practices,” ensures Steinhauer. “We Primary: Samantha Watters, have a general idea of what practices University of Maryland College of are associated with higher success, Agriculture & Natural Resources, but the devil is in the details, and [email protected] we need to understand why the Kimbra Cutlip, University of implementation of some practices are Maryland College of Computer, more successful in some cases than Mathematical, & Natural others. Of course beekeepers also Sciences, [email protected] need the support of the public and Josh Woods, Auburn University ͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲͲ political sectors. We need to recreate College of Agriculture, jlw0067@ environments that are conducive to auburn.edu healthy bees, and that will benefi t both honey bees and native bees or other wild pollinators.” The survey is conducted by the Bee Informed Partnership with data collected and analyzed by the University of Maryland and

August 2021 BEE CULTURE 13 Bee Culture Reader Survey My name is Miguel de Gracia. I am the CEO of The A.I. Root Company in Medina, Ohio. We recently celebrated our 150-year anniversary linked with the highly valued Honey Bee industry and its Beekeepers. All those beekeepers who came before you, and each of you who are reading this now in Bee Culture Magazine (started by our founder A.I. Root) are part of that history. Because of your love of Honey Bees, what they do and how they do it, Bee Culture Magazine has been there with you from the beginning. Among our corporate values we proclaim that “saving the honey bee is our heritage and our duty.” You are fundamental to our vision of the future of the A.I. Root Company. The A.I. Root Company continues to connect to the honey bee industry not only with Bee Culture but also through the valuable product of the hive: pure natural Beeswax, from which our Religious Candle and Decorative Candle products depend. We are constantly thinking about how Bee Culture can adapt, modify, and add value for you, our readers. Our desire at Bee Culture is sharing accurate information on honey bee management to inspire you. Your success is our Goal and has always been our Goal. But to be sure we are meeting your needs I would like to ask you to participate in a short survey to tell us a little bit about you, how we can make Bee Culture better, and how can we help bring the future of beekeeping to you. Please tell us how we can “bee” better – for you. Thank you! Migel A. de Gracia CEO – The A.I. Root Company

1) State/Country ______

2) I live in an Urban/Suburban/Rural (please circle one)

3) Beekeeping Focus (please circle one) a. Hobby, 1-25 hives b. Sideline, 26-300 hives c. Commercial, over 300 hives

4) My favorite BC writers are? ______

5) I’d like to see more or less of (Put M for more or L for less) a. Science/research ____ b. How To ____ c. Basic Beekeeping ____ d. Pest/Parasite/Disease Control ____ e. History ____ f. Interviews ____ g. International ____ h. ‘Other’ pollinators ____ i. Honey Markets ____

6) In your opinion, what is the single most important action necessary to promote the well-being of honey bees? ______

7) What can we do to inspire the next generation of beekeepers?

8) What can we do to enhance your experience with Bee Culture magazine? a. Educational webinars b. Podcasts c. ??? ______

You can ﬁ ll out the survey online at our webpage by using this link : https://www.beeculture.com/survey-page/ Or ﬁ ll out this sheet and send us a hard copy to Bee Culture Magazine, 623 West Liberty Street, Medina, OH 44256

14 BEE CULTURE August 2021 loose ones and observing for several It’s Summers Time – minutes Jerry saw the problem. We got Lots Happening In Medina it sealed back up It’s been busy here in Medina so far this Summer – and haven’t had any at home, at work and just in general. First of all we have problems since. Next had extreme heat – by our standards – several days 90 time you’re passing or above and lots and lots of rain. And hearing from folks through Medina stop around the country it’s been so hot. Places that need and visit our store rain aren’t getting it and some of us are dealing with and the bees. fl ooding. My son lives in central CA and they have had And then there’s temps in the 100s for several weeks now (it’s mid July as Oscar. Oscar is some I write this) and as always they are hurting for water and sort of giant cactus the fi res have started. that has lived in the Closer to home because of all the rain and sunshine Publications Depart- the gardens seem to be doing well. Our farmer’s markets ment for 10 years or are going strong and those who got an early or on-time more. He came to start are already getting some nice produce. It’s so good us from John Root to be able to gather with friends and family again and be when he and his outside and just enjoy Summer. Life is almost back to wife, Elisabeth relo- normal here in our area - churches, rec center, theaters, cated to Florida. Oscar has grown a good two or three restaurants are all opening up and going strong. feet taller since we’ve had him. We just sort of propped We had an exciting Sunday afternoon on our road him in the corner and tried to remember to water him a few weeks ago. A huge tree just decided this was the once in awhile and he seemed quite happy there. day to tip over. Fortunately it wasn’t our tree. The sun Well due to renovations – painting, new carpet, etc. was shining – there was no storm, no loud noise, but – Oscar had to be relocated. That was a challenge trying suddenly we lost power. On our nasty curve the fi rst to fi gure out how to get him out without getting hurt. thought is always a car accident, but not noise. With- There is no place to touch Oscar without getting poked. in minutes the sherriff’s car was in front of our house So fi nally the maintenance guys got a tarp and tipped blocking the road. We soon saw that the neighbor’s tree him over and drug him out of the building. had fallen, completely blocking the road and taking out four or fi ve power lines. Luckily it was Sunday afternoon and not much traffi c so no one was hurt. Because it is a state route ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation) had to be called to remove the tree. Amazingly it only took until early evening to get power back on and the tree completely removed.

Back at the offi ce it’s been a little crazy. The ob- servation hive came back to the candle store for the Summer. That’s always an event that you just hope goes smoothly. It seemed to at fi rst. Johnny (our wonderful IT guy here at Root) helped Jerry get it all installed. We watched for several minutes and everything seemed fi ne. About a half hour later I got a call from the store saying there are honey bees loose over here. The ladies in the store are pretty amazing. They don’t really get upset Fun times! I hope you all are fi nding ways to enjoy when this happens. I guess they’ve just gotten used to it the Summer. I can’t believe this is the August issue al- over the years. ready. Time sure fl ies by fast! So Jerry and I went over to try and fi gure out how the bees were getting in the store. After catching all the August 2021 BEE CULTURE 15 E M Region 1 Region 6 Honey Reporters • Test/Treat for Varroa • Sample and treat for Varroa • Check Food Supplies • Feed Syrup Wanted • How is the Queen doing? • Treat for Mites/ don’t use Oxalic • Add Supers • Take all supers off • Alcohol Wash for Mites • Requeen weak colonies We are expanding our Honey • ReQueen/Winter prep Reporter popula on and need new • Take off full supers and Extract Region 7 reporters in R region. We ask • Prepare for Fall Feeding • Sample, Sample, Sample that you ll in most of the whole- • Apply Mouse Guards • Treat, Treat, Treat sale or retail or both sec ons, most • ReQueen weak colonies Region 2 • Feed Pollen Sub months, and our short survey on • Alcohol Wash for Mite Count • Check Colony Size and Brood the back. We give you a FR sub- • Inspect Colonies pattern scrip on for your service. So if you • Stored Food Check • Feed if Necessary are interested send an email to • Check Queen Laying pattern • Check Colony Weight Aandaeeltreco and put • Mite Wash and SHB check • Prep Extracted Supers for Storage RPORTR in the subject line. In- • Feed if Necessary clude name, email, phone number • Prepare for Goldenrod fl ow and mailing address and we’ll get you the next Honey Report form. Region 3 Sign up today and be a part of the • Sample for Mites / Alcohol Wash • Treat for mites if sample indicates BST onthly Honey Price and Bee- • Feed after dearth if needed keeping anagement Report in the • Check on quantity of stored honey industry. for Winter • Make Fall Splits • Control SHB • Check Hive Strength • Extract Honey

Region 4 • Sample for Mites, treat if over three per 100 bees • Pull Honey Supers • Combine small colonies and re- 1 queen 5 • Remove Late Summer Honey 7 • Treat for mites if sampling 4 indicates • Pull Honey 2 • ReQueen weak colonies • Leave enough Honey on for Winter • Rotate Boxes 6 3 • Put Mouse Guards On

Region 5 • Sample and Treat for Mites • Check Colony Weight • Add late Flow Supers • Feed Syrup if Needed • ReQueen where needed • Take late honey off

16 BEE CULTURE August 2021 AUGUST – REGIONAL HONEY PRICE REPORT

REPORTING REGIONS History 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 SUMMARY Last Last EXTRACTED HONEY PRICES SOLD BULK TO PACKERS OR PROCESSORS Range Avg. $/lb Month Year 55 Gal. Drum, Light 2.05 2.22 2.30 2.27 2.49 2.12 2.50 1.92-3.00 2.29 2.29 2.25 2.15 55 Gal. Drum, Ambr 2.00 2.15 1.80 2.18 2.43 1.95 1.85 1.10-2.50 2.07 2.07 2.15 2.07 60# Light (retail) 182.78 181.90 192.50 173.75 182.50 178.51 215.00 111.60 -245.00 185.23 3.09 198.09 203.50 60# Amber (retail) 197.78 175.50 205.00 167.35 200.00 177.13 198.75 108.00-240.00 187.14 3.12 201.18 204.11

WHOLESALE PRICES SOLD TO STORES OR DISTRIBUTORS IN CASE LOTS 1/2# 24/case 88.67 74.20 113.00 82.00 133.21 111.05 111.05 66.00-192.00 93.11 7.76 86.09 88.56 1# 24/case 139.27 87.80 121.68 113.17 177.67 94.33 120.00 45.00-288.00 126.93 5.29 128.36 135.46 2# 12/case 138.66 104.30 109.33 106.30 76.22 102.00 132.00 40.60-312.00 120.02 5.00 118.06 119.66 12.oz. Plas. 24/cs 106.84 104.03 106.67 109.08 94.32 101.40 114.00 66.00-216.00 106.40 5.91 108.15 99.77 5# 6/case 142.46 114.50 130.62 117.40 113.16 105.00 130.62 71.50-192.06 129.45 4.32 127.15 141.30 Quarts 12/case 159.36 158.31 137.20 108.51 162.22 155.94 183.00 57.24-231.00 149.70 4.16 152.00 158.42 Pints 12/case 101.99 83.67 80.33 81.71 98.53 109.00 96.00 60.00-139.00 92.14 5.12 99.84 96.56

RETAIL SHELF PRICES 1/2# 5.70 5.30 5.75 5.55 3.96 5.94 7.50 2.75-10.00 5.50 11.00 5.16 5.05 12 oz. Plastic 6.54 7.76 6.82 5.92 4.75 6.05 5.70 3.50-15.00 6.43 8.58 6.19 6.05 1# Glass/Plastic 8.59 8.74 8.71 8.17 7.84 6.76 9.50 4.00-15.00 8.42 8.42 8.21 8.21 2# Glass/Plastic 14.20 15.33 15.99 12.91 10.98 11.14 13.00 6.29-28.00 14.09 7.05 13.70 13.86 Pint 11.89 10.40 10.42 9.71 11.40 11.60 13.03 5.99-22.00 10.95 7.30 10.84 10.64 Quart 22.59 17.80 18.76 16.09 19.71 16.74 20.55 9.25-42.00 19.10 6.37 19.42 17.73 5# Glass/Plastic 31.63 27.93 57.50 27.40 25.29 27.65 36.12 16.95-65.00 31.26 6.25 30.46 29.16 1# Cream 10.06 9.69 11.32 10.10 9.37 11.32 16.00 7.00-18.00 10.13 9.75 9.50 9.59 1# Cut Comb 14.28 11.33 27.49 13.53 10.50 27.49 16.00 7.00-72.00 15.47 15.25 12.19 11.89 Ross Round 10.80 9.35 15.00 13.50 11.70 11.70 13.75 7.00-16.80 11.49 15.32 10.27 11.18 Wholesale Wax (Lt) 6.88 7.78 5.75 7.06 6.25 4.17 7.33 3.00-16.00 6.60 - 6.71 6.70 Wholesale Wax (Dk) 5.91 5.75 4.68 4.69 6.50 3.50 5.30 2.55-8.00 5.33 - 5.71 5.41 Pollination Fee/Col. 89.44 63.75 77.50 100.00 140.00 101.30 70.00 30.00-200.00 87.60 - 81.07 83.89

Mandatory Procedures for fi les for three years beyond the crop Compound Testing Requirements** Domestic Honey Exported to the year or contract year. Antibiotics European Union F. Honey producers and handlers Compound Tolerance The European Union has listed must control and separate honey Sulfonamides None the U.S. as a country eligible to ex- destined for the European Union Tetracycline’s None port honey to the European Union from Honey being delivered else- Streptomycine None provided honey producers meet their where. As the Honey travels to the Chloramphenicol None program requirements. Under the port of departure it must be kept sep- Nitrofurans None program, domestic U.S. companies arate from other Honey and tracked. Tylosin None must adhere to specifi c requirements G. Honey producers must follow for each shipment destined to a Eu- the sampling and testing protocol Acaricides ropean Union member country. In with respect to the frequency of test- Compound Tolerance general, these requirements include: ing and the compounds that must be Coumaphos 100ppb A. USDA Plant Survey at an ac- monitored as follows: Amitraz 1000ppb ceptable level. Under the proposal accepted by Fluvalinate 50ppb B. Honey producers must have a the European Union, handlers must Hazard Analysis and Critical Con- follow a certain testing and sam- Trade analysis trol Point (HACCP) Plan in place pling protocol with respect to the Compound Tolerance and pass a USDA HACCP Plan Ver- frequency of testing and the com- HMF All Per Codex ifi cation Survey. pounds that must be monitored. Moisture Stan 12-1981 C. Honey producers must follow Each sample drawn must be tested Diastase Rev.1 (1987) record keeping requirements and, at for the compounds listed below at Ph Rev.2 (2001) a minimum, maintain the following one of the two certifi ed labs. Acidity records for review: **Individual customers may require further testing Completed Producer Certifi cation Sampling Frequency (updated at a minimum each crop Raw Product/Bulk: One sample* Each sample must be tested at one of two certifi ed labs: year or for each contract). drawn from each 10 drums includ- Intertek Food Services GmbH Dated weigh ticket for each lot/ ing at least one sample from each Quality Services International GmbH, Bremen, Germany load delivered. producer represented in the load. H. Honey must be certifi ed by the USDA on a Health Certifi cate modeled Crop year and fl oral variety de- Finished Goods: One sample* after the EU Health Certifi cate. scription for each lot/drum/pail not- per container load of fi nished goods ed on each weigh ticket. including, at minimum, at least one For More Information D. Honey producers must clearly sample from each producer or vari- Certifi cation of Honey Exports and related inspection services are avail- identify each drum/pail of raw hon- ety represented in the container load. able on a fee basis from USDA’s Specialty Crops inspection Division. For ey with the producers’ name, crop *Sample size: 250 grams or as spec- more information about Honey, please visit the National Honey Board’s web year, and fl oral variety receipt date. ifi ed by test laboratory used site. E. Honey producers must retain

August 2021 BEE CULTURE 17 Genuine Pierco • Super Strong and Durable Manufactured in-house • Safe - FDA food grade plastic • Easy to use - No Assembly Required

• Stronger than Industry Standard • New 1/2” thick end bars - 3/4” top bars • Assembled, Glued, and Stapled

• Impervious to wax moths, rodents, and hive beetles • Preferred by Professional Beekeepers • Precision molded, perfect cells • Easy to use - Snaps into wood frames

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• Honey Supers & Hive Bodies • Added Strength 1 – 5/8” Top Joint • 2CEKƂE0QTVJYGUV2QPFGTQUC2KPG 18 BEE CULTURE • Assembled, Primed, & PaintedAugust 2021 Technology Tips For Beekeepers Malcolm T. Sanford MYAPIARY-DATA-DRIVEN APIARY BUSINESS:Darren Bainbridge; MyApiary Limited; Australia; [email protected]

MyApiary is a productivity software for commercial beekeepers. We provide business support, helping beekeepers run successful businesses, not just keep bees. Beekeepers now need to pollinate more crops and manage the health of more beehives than ever before. Information management is a critical component for successful business operators in today's demanding farming environment. We have found there is a direct connection between good business management and bee colony health. Through partnering with the industry, MyApiary has custom-built and refined a software management platform specifically for commercial beekeepers. MyApiary's platform now facilitates behavioural change in many beekeeping operations, improving organizational communication and increasing productivity by helping beekeepers make informed data-driven decisions, enabling beekeepers to run effective, sustainable business, ensuring the future of our global food production ecosystem. Our tools bring record-keeping, forward planning, asset management, and cost monitoring into one easy-to-use app. Our goal is to see commercial beekeeping companies reach their pinnacle of success by reducing business risk and maximizing finical returns. So, put our expertise to work in your business. We look forward to working with you and many industry participants as they become a part of the MyApiary ecosystem. 15 minutes, https://tinyurl.com/bdjjznhy

RFIDS FOR ASSET (HIVE) IDENTIFICATION, LOCATION, TRACKING, AND INVENTORY:Jerry Bromenshenk, Robert Seccomb; Bee Alert Technology, Inc.; USA; [email protected]

Working with Ron Gilbert's team at the USA Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, in 1999, we put the first true RFID tags on bees. Small passive tags using nanoblock microchip technology are now employed for inventory control in the medical industry, warehouses, and stores such as Wal-Mart. These tags, produced by Alien Technology, a world leader in volume production of Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) products, were developed by Gilbert's team. This same team placed the first RFID tag on a bee for us. Combinations of passive and active RFID tags connected to wireless, cellular, and satellite communications can economically provide theft- protection and hive recovery and also enable nearly effortless inventory, location, tracking, and management options to the commercial bee industry. In our presentation, we cover currently available options, not only for theft protection but also for data-driven bee management. We conclude with this advice to beekeepers: "The infrastructure for intercepting loads of stolen hives is already in place and being used by other industries. It is time to put in place a well-designed, state, and nation-wide service. If you buy only for theft protection, the odds are that it will not be working when a theft does occur. Instead, build a system to meet your daily needs, make it useful for many purposes, and use it to improve your management by providing data-based information. Theft protection is a bonus. Please contact us for help designing an integrated RFID and communications system that meets your unique business needs: 19 minutes, https://tinyurl.com/7m5ejh HIVE MONITORING SYSTEMS AND HOW THEY HELP BEEKEEPERS SAVE HIVES AND MONEY: Rafael Cabrera; Solutionbee LLC: USA; [email protected]

Hive monitoring systems have advanced greatly in the last few years. Their features have matured, and the equipment has become even more reliable and durable. Saving money on equipment starts by selecting equipment that will last a long time in the bee yard. https://beekeep. info/vita_details/ Apiaries are exposed to months and years of rain, dust, and temperature swings that can overwhelm poorly designed equipment. Features such as buttonless controls, wireless configurations, and water-tight enclosures ensure that your investments last trouble-free for years. Replacing batteries can also be a time-consuming effort. Furthermore, batteries that deplete in the middle of a nectar flow, or in the winter are annoying to replace. Look for designs that only sip power sparingly and whose batteries last for at least three years, if not longer. Some excellent designs will last well over five years or more on a single battery. If designed well, hive monitoring equipment will last more than a decade out in August 2021 BEE CULTURE the field in the harshest conditions: 8 minutes, https://tinyurl.com/2rwe72ce 19 to fertilize plants, and the chemistry of breaking down to simple sugars New Reading For Beekeepers – is explained. When stored, more sa- liva is added, and the product that Honey Bee Alchemy. A contemporary thought you knew, and now you’ll is produced is nutritious and, in- look at the mysterious world of bees, know where these came from – Na- credibly, adds not only nutritional hive products and health. By Valery sonov, Huber, and many more…all benefi ts, but also offers antibiotic A. Isidorov. Jointly published by this just for grounding. properties. The International Bee Research As- The chemistry of pheromones The fi nal chapter looks at what sociation (www.IBRA.org.uk), and is next. Communication isn’t by it takes to have healthy bees. After Northern Bee Books (www.north- phone, or signals, or an easy chat… researching all of the above proper- ernbeebooks.co.uk). ISBN 978-1- it’s all chemistry, and it’s all ex- ties that bees produce, there is still 913811-02-0. 6.5” x 9.5”. Soft cover, plained here. And the exchange of more. Scientists in the U.S. have 273 pages. Limited color through- food in trophallaxis is even more found that it is the fat body that out. $55.00. chemistry….what’s exchanged, and varroa consumes when attacking a what’s received is what this accom- bee, but here it is detailed how that This book was originally pub- plishes between workers. works. There is much new infor- lished in 2013 in Poland. It has been Then the science of Royal Jel- mation on Varroa resistance in bee translated to English and extensive- ly. It’s antibiotic properties, it’s food populations, resistance of Varroa ly updated for this new release by value, both to bees and to people to chemical treatments, and more Professor Isidorov, who studies the who harvest it, and what happens about this terrible pest. chemistry of natural products, and when it is intentionally contaminat- But propolis is far more im- runs a laboratory at the Institute ed with the remains of drone larvae? portant than we have thought, and of Forest Sciences of the Bialystok Is it better, the same? our selections for bees that produce Technical University. But it’s propolis that takes cen- less and less propolis certainly have This is a chemist’s study of the ter stage. Fully 20% of the book ex- not been a good thing for honey bee chemistry of honey bees, the prod- amines the history of the study of health. ucts they produce, the diseases they this substance, what it is made of, The closing information deals encounter in life and the chemistry where it comes from, the chemistry with herbal remedies for all that of those diseases, and predators of the plant extracts it is made from, harms our bees – essential oils, bac- they are subject to and the chem- the kinds of trees that it is made teria, fungi, predators that attack istry of their resistances to those from, differences by region, what varroa in the hive, brood breaks, predators. This work is amazingly can be extracted from it – propolis is heating a hive, harvesting drone detailed in the study of all of these, a chemical factory in a beehive, and brood, natural and not natural and there is much information that scientists are still discovering its se- treatments for AFB, and other, more has yet to be distributed to even spe- crets. natural perhaps, remedies that will cialized scientists, let alone the peo- Of course honey shares center help our honey bees. ple who are responsible for keeping stage, starting with the chemistry This is, absolutely, a chemistry their bees healthy. of nectars, honey from sugar syrup, book. It is a serious look at what is It starts with the history of dis- and the value and chemistries of happening in a bee hive all of the covery, and those who made the unifl oral honeys. Certainly the med- time. It is not, by any stretch, a discoveries. Names you know, or ical history and value of honey, es- how-to book on keeping honey bees pecially manuka honey is examined, healthy, rather, it is a collection along with what makes honey taste of facts that we can use, if we are the way honey tastes. smart enough to listen, to keep our Do you know of herbal honeys? bees alive, and producing the food Infused with the chemistry of dried we all, every day, need to consume. herbs soaked in honey? Herbs such Kim Flottum, as thyme and nettles and many Growing Planet Media more, along with juices of a great collection of plants. Fermentation, fl avors – herbal honeys are unique, Swarming. Biology and Control. and very common in some parts of By Wally Shaw. Published by BEE the world. CRAFT LIMITED, (www.bee-craft. Bee Bread is a biologically active com/shop), UK. ISBN 978-0- additive, an anabolic. It is, simply, 900147-10-4. 214 pages, 6” x 9”. the food of the Gods. Many Olympic Soft cover, color throughout. athletes readily consume bee bread because it helps them increase I was immediately attracted to muscle mass and improve their en- this book because on the front cov- docrine systems. When pollen is er, right beneath the authors name collected by foragers, they add en- was, for me, a very strong selling zymes to the pollen grains that im- point – Foreword by Thomas D See- mediately render the pollen unable ley. That Dr. Seeley would take the

20 BEE CULTURE August 2021 reading queen cells - could this be From the Publisher: supercedure or emergency queen “Honey Bee Medicine for the cells, and basic queen cell develop- Veterinary Practitioner offers an au- ment. There are many, many excel- thoritative guide to honey bee health lent photos showing all of this, along and hive management. Designed with excellent diagrams of frame ad- for veterinarians and other profes- justments that support all of these sionals, the book presents informa- techniques. tion useful for answering commonly He then adds a very detailed set asked questions and for facilitating of photos showing almost anything hive examinations.” you will fi nd in your hives, describes The book covers a wide range what you are looking at, and what of topics including basic husband- to do about what you are seeing, if ry, equipment and safety, anatomy, anything. There are a dozen of these genetics, the diagnosis and manage- posed as questions, including queen ment of disease. It also includes up cups, sealed queen cells, did this col- to date information on Varroa and ony swarm, there’s no sealed brood, other bee pests, introduces honey and drone laying queens, among the bee pharmacology and toxicology, dozen. This section is very informa- and addresses native bee ecology. tive with excellent diagrams, frame This new resource: location diagrams and photos. • Offers a guide to veterinary care of time to review this book, and let his Then he looks to re-active swarm honey bees name be associated with it spoke control, or artifi cial swarming. Here • Provides information on basic volumes to me about the quality of again his frame diagrams go a long husbandry, examination tech- both the science and technique of way is showing and telling the con- niques, nutrition, and more swarm control this book offers. cepts he refers to, including using • Discusses how to successfully The author has been consider- split boards, using Snelgrove modi- handle questions and 'hive calls' ing swarming for most of the 30 or so fi ed boards, what happens when you • Includes helpful photographs, line years he has been keeping bees. So, fi nd emerged and sealed queen cells, drawings, tables, and graphs when he decided to preserve what he but don’t know if the colony has ac- Written for veterinary practi- had learned, he divided his informa- tually swarmed. And fi nally, why tioners, veterinary students, veter- tion into essentially two ideas. First those late season swarms? inary technicians, scientists, and was ‘why do bees swarm’, looking at A series of appendices answer apiarists, Honey Bee Medicine for the biology of an insect we still do more questions, such as using bait the Veterinary Practitioner is a com- not completely control. The second hives, feeding a bait hive swarm, prehensive and practical book on part then looked at the many ways and more post-swarm problems and honey bee health. beekeepers and scientists have de- questions. Yes, this is a very pricy book, vised to control, at least to some de- Dr. Seeley summed up his For- and my guess is that there weren’t gree, that behavior we still have not ward by saying that “Every bee- very many printed because there tamed. keeper who desires sizeable honey aren’t millions of veterinarians who Part one then looks at colony re- crops from his or her bees needs to will want this book. Hundreds per- production including the biology of understand how a colony decides to haps, along with that many scien- queens and drones, genetic diversi- swarm, and how to prevent colonies tists and researchers. And, essen- ty, and the advantages of polyandry. from doing so. Therefore, this book tially, it is a text book. But, and this It shows that there can be several is an important read for most bee- types of queen cells at this time, and keepers.” the differences they create. Swarm I couldn’t have said it better. triggers, cavity size, and the exter- Kim Flottum, nal environment are all considered, Growing Planet Media as is which bees in a colony know they are going to leave, secondary swarms, or as he refers to them as Honey Bee Medicine For The Veter- cast swarms, and fi nally a return to inary Practitioner. Edited by Terry normal. Ryan Kane, DVM, MS, A2 Bee Vet, Part two looks at how to miti- Ann Arbor, MI; and Cynthia M. Faux, gate, prevent or control swarming, DVM, PhD, DACVIM-LA, Univ. of AZ drawing on what you now know College of Veterinary Medicine, Oro of the biology of all concerned. Valley, AZ. Published by John Wiley Pre-emptive control looks at queen & Sons, Inc. 386 pages, 8.5” x 11”. clipping, comb management, box Hard cover, digital, e-book. ISBN management, supering, moving hardcover 9781119583370. Color brood and splitting, and then re- throughout. $175.00. uniting colonies. Re-active swam control includes Continued on Page 86

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ƵĞ ƚŽ ƐŝŐŶŝĨŝĐĂŶƚ ĚĞŵĂŶĚ ĂŵŽŶŐ ďĞĞŬĞĞƉĞƌƐ͕ ĂƌĂ ĐŽŶƐŝƐƚĞŶƚůǇƐŚŽǁƚŚĂƚĨĞĞĚŝŶŐŚŝǀĞƐǁŝƚŚ,ŝǀĞůŝǀĞ ^ĐŽƚƚ Θ ƚŚĞ ,ŝǀĞůŝǀĞ ƚĞĂŵ ĐƌĞĂƚĞĚ Ă ƌĞĂĚǇ ƚŽ ĨĞĞĚ ŵĂŬĞƐ ƚŚĞ ĐŽůŽŶŝĞƐ ŵŽƌĞ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚŝǀĞ ʹ ƚŚĞǇ ŚĂǀĞ ĨŽŶĚĂŶƚƉĂƚƚǇ͘&ŽŶĚĂŶƚƉĂƚƚŝĞƐĂƌĞĂŶĞǆƚƌĞŵĞůǇĞĂƐǇ ŵŽƌĞďƌŽŽĚĂŶĚŵŽƌĞŚŽŶĞǇǁŚŝůƐƚŵĂŝŶƚĂŝŶŝŶŐůŽǁ ǁĂǇƚŽĨĞĞĚďĞĞƐĂŶĚĂƌĞƉĂƌƚŝĐƵůĂƌůǇŐƌĞĂƚĨŽƌŽǀĞƌͲ ĚŝƐĞĂƐĞ ůĞǀĞůƐ͕ ŝŶ ƉĂƌƚŝĐƵůĂƌ EŽƐĞŵĂ͕ ĂŶĚ ůŽǁĞƌ ǁŝŶƚĞƌĂŶĚĞĂƌůǇƐƉƌŝŶŐĨĞĞĚŝŶŐǁŚĞŶĨĞĞĚŝŶŐƐǇƌƵƉ ŽǀĞƌǁŝŶƚĞƌ ůŽƐƐĞƐ͘ ͞dŽ ďĞ ŚŽŶĞƐƚ͕ ĞǀĞŶ ŝĨ ǁĞ ĐŽƵůĚ ŝƐŶ͛ƚ ƉŽƐƐŝďůĞ͘ dŚŝƐ ĂƌƚŝĐůĞ ǁŝůů ŚĞůƉ ĞǆƉůĂŝŶ ŚŽǁ ƐƉĞŶĚůŽƚƐŽĨŵŽŶĞǇŽŶŵĂƌŬĞƚŝŶŐ͕ƚŚĞďĞƐƚŵĂƌŬĞƚŝŶŐ ,ŝǀĞůŝǀĞĨŽŶĚĂŶƚƉĂƚƚŝĞƐŚĞůƉƉƌĞǀĞŶƚƐƚĂƌǀĂƚŝŽŶŽĨ ƚĞĂŵǁĞŚĂǀĞĂƌĞŽƵƌďĞĞŬĞĞƉĞƌƐƚŚĂƚŐŝǀĞ,ŝǀĞůŝǀĞ ĐŽůŽŶŝĞƐĂŶĚǁŝƚŚƚŚĞĐŽƌƌĞĐƚĚŽƐĞŽĨ,ŝǀĞůŝǀĞĂŶĚ ĂƉƌŽƉĞƌƚƌǇŽǀĞƌĂĨƵůůǇĞĂƌ͘ĞƐƉŝƚĞƚŚĞƉƌŽŽĨ͕ƉĞŽƉůĞ ĂĚĚŝƚŝŽŶĂůǀŝƚĂŵŝŶƐΘĂŵŝŶŽĂĐŝĚƐŬĞǇĨŽƌŚŽŶĞǇďĞĞ ĚŽŶ͛ƚďĞůŝĞǀĞŽƵƌĐůĂŝŵƐǁŚĞŶǁĞƚĞůůƚŚĞŵ͕ďƵƚƚŚĞǇ ŚĞĂůƚŚ ĂĚĚĞĚ ĐĂŶ ŚĞůƉ ĞŶƐƵƌĞ ǇŽƵƌ ďĞĞƐ ĐŽŵĞ ŽƵƚ ďĞůŝĞǀĞ ƚŚĞŵ ǁŚĞŶ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĨƌŝĞŶĚƐ ŚĂǀĞ ƐĞĞŶ ŝƚ ĨŽƌ ƐƚƌŽŶŐĂŶĚŚĞĂůƚŚǇŝŶƐƉƌŝŶŐ͘ ƚŚĞŵƐĞůǀĞƐ͘dŚĂƚŝƐŐĞŶƵŝŶĞůǇƚŚĞŵŽƐƚƌĞǁĂƌĚŝŶŐƉĂƌƚ ŽĨƚŚĞũŽď͕ǁŚĞŶ/ŐŽƚŽƐŚŽǁƐĂŶĚƉĞŽƉůĞƚĞůůƵƐŚŽǁ ͞tĞŚĂǀĞďĞĞŶƐŚŝƉƉŝŶŐ,ŝǀĞůŝǀĞĂůůŽǀĞƌƚŚĞǁŽƌůĚ ŵƵĐŚ,ŝǀĞůŝǀĞŚĞůƉƐƚŚĞŝƌďĞĞŬĞĞƉŝŶŐ͘͟ ĨŽƌƚŚĞůĂƐƚϵǇĞĂƌƐĂŶĚŽŶĞŽĨƚŚĞƚŚŝŶŐƐǁĞŐŽƚĂƐŬĞĚ ĨŽƌ Ă ůŽƚ ǁĂƐ Ă ĨŽŶĚĂŶƚ ƚŚĂƚ ĂůƌĞĂĚǇ ŚĂĚ ,ŝǀĞůŝǀĞ /ƚǁĂƐĂƚďĞĞŬĞĞƉŝŶŐƐŚŽǁƐƚŚĂƚƚŚĞƚĞĂŵĨŝƌƐƚƌĞĂůŝƐĞĚ ĂĚĚĞĚ ƚŽ ŚĞůƉ ǁŝƚŚ ŽǀĞƌͲǁŝŶƚĞƌŝŶŐ ƐƵĐĐĞƐƐ͕͟ ƐĂǇƐ ƚŚĞ ĚĞŵĂŶĚ ƚŚĂƚ ǁĂƐ ŽƵƚ ƚŚĞƌĞ ĨŽƌ Ă ĨŽŶĚĂŶƚ ƚŚĂƚ ^ĐŽƚƚ͘^ĐŽƚƚŝƐƚŚĞĨŽƵŶĚĞƌĂŶĚDĂŶĂŐŝŶŐŝƌĞĐƚŽƌŽĨ ĐŽŶƚĂŝŶĞĚ ,ŝǀĞůŝǀĞ ƐŽ ƚŚĞ ƚĞĂŵ ƐƉĞŶƚ ƚŚƌĞĞ ǇĞĂƌƐ ĚǀĂŶĐĞ ^ĐŝĞŶĐĞ͕ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵƉĂŶǇ ƚŚĂƚ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉĞĚ ĂŶĚ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉŝŶŐƚŚĞŵŽƐƚƉƌĞŵŝƵŵĨŽŶĚĂŶƚƉŽƐƐŝďůĞ͘͞tĞ ƉƌŽĚƵĐĞƐ ,ŝǀĞůŝǀĞ͕ Ă ůŝƋƵŝĚ ĨĞĞĚ ƐƵƉƉůĞŵĞŶƚ ĨŽƌ ƐƉĞŶƚ Ă ůŽƚ ŽĨ ƚŝŵĞ ŵĂŬŝŶŐ ƐƵƌĞ Ăůů ƚŚĞ ŝŶŐƌĞĚŝĞŶƚƐ ŚŽŶĞǇďĞĞƐ ŵĂĚĞ ŝŶ /ƌĞůĂŶĚ ŶŽǁ ƐŽůĚ ŝŶ ŽǀĞƌ ϰϱ ƵƐĞĚĂƌĞŽĨǀĞƌǇŚŝŐŚƋƵĂůŝƚǇ͕ƚŚĞƐƵŐĂƌƉĂƌƚŝĐůĞƐŝǌĞŝƐ ĐŽƵŶƚƌŝĞƐ͘ĂƌĂ^ĐŽƚƚ͛ƐƉĂƐƐŝŽŶĨŽƌĂůůƚŚŝŶŐƐŚŽŶĞǇďĞĞ ƐŵĂůůĞŶŽƵŐŚƚŽĞŶƐƵƌĞƚŚĞďĞĞƐĐĂŶĚŝŐĞƐƚŝƚĞĂƐŝůǇ ƌĞůĂƚĞĚďĞŐĂŶǁŝƚŚĂƚƌŝƉƚŽEĞǁĞĂůĂŶĚŽǀĞƌϮϬǇĞĂƌƐ ĂŶĚŝƚŝƐƉƌŽĚƵĐĞĚƵƐŝŶŐĂƐƉĞĐŝĂůƉƌŽĐĞƐƐƚŽŬĞĞƉ,D& ĂŐŽ͘dŚĞƉŚǇƐŝĐƐŐƌĂĚƵĂƚĞǁŚŽŚĂĚďĞĞŶǁŽƌŬŝŶŐŝŶ ŶĞŐůŝŐŝďůĞ͕͟ ƐĂǇƐ ^ĐŽƚƚ͘ dŚĞ ĂĚĚŝƚŝŽŶ ŽĨ ,ŝǀĞůŝǀĞ ŵĞĚŝĐĂů ĚŝĂŐŶŽƐƚŝĐƐ ƚŽŽŬ Ă ǇĞĂƌ ŽƵƚ ƚŽ ĞǆƉůŽƌĞ EĞǁ ĞŶƐƵƌĞƐƚŚĞŚĞĂůƚŚŽĨƚŚĞĐŽůŽŶǇŝƐŵĂŝŶƚĂŝŶĞĚĂŶĚ ĞĂůĂŶĚ ĂŶĚ ďĞĐĂŵĞ ĨĂƐĐŝŶĂƚĞĚ ďǇ ƚŚĞ ĂŵŽƵŶƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƵŶŝƋƵĞ ƉƌŽƉƌŝĞƚĂƌǇ ďůĞŶĚ ŽĨ ǀŝƚĂŵŝŶƐ ĂŶĚ ďĞĞŬĞĞƉŝŶŐƚŚĂƚǁĂƐŐŽŝŶŐŽŶƚŚĞƌĞĂŶĚŚĂƐďĞĞŶĂ ŵŝŶĞƌĂůƐĨƵƌƚŚĞƌŚĞůƉƐƚŚĞďĞĞƐƚŚƌŽƵŐŚƚŚĞǁŝŶƚĞƌ ďĞĞŬĞĞƉĞƌƐŝŶĐĞ͘ ŵŽŶƚŚƐ͘dŚĞƚĞĂŵůĂƵŶĐŚĞĚƚŚĞĨŽŶĚĂŶƚƉĂƚƚǇůĂƐƚĨĂůů ŝŶƵƌŽƉĞĂŶĚŝƚǁĂƐƐŽůĚŽƵƚďǇŚƌŝƐƚŵĂƐ͘WƌĞŽƌĚĞƌƐ ,Ğ ǁĂŶƚĞĚ ƚŽ ĨŽĐƵƐ ŽŶ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉŝŶŐ Ă ƐŽůƵƚŝŽŶ ƚŽ ĨŽƌƚŚŝƐĐŽŵŝŶŐǁŝŶƚĞƌƐĞĂƐŽŶĨƌŽŵƚŚĞh^ĂŶĚĂŶĂĚĂ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞ ƚŚĞ ŚĞĂůƚŚ ŽĨ ŚŝƐ ďĞĞƐ ĂŶĚ ďĞŐĂŶ ǁŽƌŬ ŽŶ ĂƌĞĂůƌĞĂĚǇĞǆĐĞĞĚŝŶŐĞǆƉĞĐƚĂƚŝŽŶƐ͘ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉŝŶŐ,ŝǀĞůŝǀĞ͘͞/ǁĂƐůƵĐŬǇ͕/ƌĞůĂŶĚŚĂƐƐŽŵĞ ŽĨƚŚĞǁŽƌůĚ͛ƐƚŽƉƐĞĂǁĞĞĚĞǆƉĞƌƚƐ͕ƐŽ/ŐŽƚŚĞůƉĨƌŽŵ dŚĞ ,ŝǀĞůŝǀĞ &ŽŶĚĂŶƚ WĂƚƚŝĞƐ ĂƌĞ ƉĂĐŬĞĚ ŝŶ Ϯ͘Ϯ ůď ƚŚĞŵŝŶĚĞǀĞůŽƉŝŶŐ,ŝǀĞůŝǀĞ͘dŚĞƐĞƐĐŝĞŶƚŝƐƚƐŬŶĞǁ ŝŶĚŝǀŝĚƵĂůůǇ ƐĞĂůĞĚ ďĂŐƐ ƚŽ ĞŶƐƵƌĞ ĨƌĞƐŚŶĞƐƐ͕ ĂǀŽŝĚ ĞǆĂĐƚůǇǁŚĂƚƐĞĂǁĞĞĚĞǆƚƌĂĐƚƐƚŽĐŚŽŽƐĞĂŶĚŝŶƐƚĞĂĚ ĨŽŶĚĂŶƚĚƌǇŝŶŐŽƵƚĂŶĚƚŽŵĂŬĞŚĂŶĚůŝŶŐǀĞƌǇƋƵŝĐŬ͕ ŽĨ ũƵƐƚ ŵƵƐŚŝŶŐ ƵƉ ǁŚŽůĞ ƐĞĂǁĞĞĚƐ ǁĞ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉĞĚ ĐůĞĂŶĂŶĚĞĂƐǇ͘/ƚŝƐƉƵƚŽŶƚŽƉŽĨƚŚĞĐŽůŽŶǇ͕ĞŝƚŚĞƌ ƐƉĞĐŝĂů ĞǆƚƌĂĐƚŝŽŶ ƚĞĐŚŶŝƋƵĞƐ ƚŽ ŐŝǀĞ ƵƐ ƐƵƉĞƌ ƵŶĚĞƌ Žƌ ŽǀĞƌ ƚŚĞ ďƌŽŽĚ ďŽǆ͕ ƐŽ ŶŽ ĨĞĞĚĞƌƐ ĂƌĞ ĐŽŶĐĞŶƚƌĂƚĞĚ ĞǆƚƌĂĐƚƐ ĐŽŶƚĂŝŶŝŶŐ Ăůů ƚŚĞ ĂŶƚŝͲ ŶĞĞĚĞĚ͘ Ǉ ŚĂǀŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ĨŽŶĚĂŶƚ ĚŝƌĞĐƚůǇ ŽǀĞƌ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐƚĞƌŝĂů͕ ĂŶƚŝͲĨƵŶŐĂů͕ ĂŶƚŝͲǀŝƌĂů ĂŶĚ ŝŵŵƵŶĞ ĐůƵƐƚĞƌƚŚĞďĞĞƐĚŽŶŽƚŚĂǀĞ ƚŽůĞĂǀĞƚŚĞĐůƵƐƚĞƌƚŽ ƐƚŝŵƵůĂƚŽƌǇƉƌŽƉĞƌƚŝĞƐƚŚĂƚƐĞĂǁĞĞĚƐŶĂƚƵƌĂůůǇŚĂǀĞ ĂĐĐĞƐƐ ĨŽŽĚ͕ ŵŝŶŝŵŝǌŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ĐŚĂŶĐĞ ŽĨ ƐƚĂƌǀĂƚŝŽŶ͘ ĂůŽŶŐǁŝƚŚĂƌĂŶŐĞŽĨǀŝƚĂŵŝŶƐ͕ŵŝŶĞƌĂůƐĂŶĚĂŵŝŶŽ ĞĐĂƵƐĞƚŚĞďĂŐŝƐƚŚĞĨůĂƚƚĞƐƚŽŶƚŚĞŵĂƌŬĞƚŝƚĐĂŶ ĂĐŝĚƐ͘͟ ĂƌĂ ŬŶĞǁ ĂďŽƵƚ ƚŚĞ ŚĞĂůƚŚ ďĞŶĞĨŝƚƐ ŽĨ ĞĂƐŝůǇďĞƉůĂĐĞĚĚŝƌĞĐƚůǇŽǀĞƌƚŚĞĐůƵƐƚĞƌ͘dŚĞƉĂƚƚŝĞƐ ƐĞĂǁĞĞĚƐĨŽƌŚƵŵĂŶƐĂŶĚĂƚƚŚĞƚŝŵĞƚŚĞǇǁĞƌĞũƵƐƚ ĐĂŶ ĂůƐŽ ďĞ ƵƐĞĚ ĂƐ ĂŶ ĂƵƚƵŵŶ ĨĞĞĚ ďƵƚ ĂƌĞ ŵĂŝŶůǇ ƐƚĂƌƚŝŶŐƚŽďĞĚĞǀĞůŽƉĞĚĨŽƌĂŶŝŵĂůƐ͘EŽǁ͕ƐĞĂǁĞĞĚƐ ƵƐĞĚĂƐĂƚŽƉƵƉŽǀĞƌǁŝŶƚĞƌ͕ǁŚĞŶŝƚŝƐƚŽŽĐŽůĚƚŽ ĂƌĞƵƐĞĚĐŽŵŵĞƌĐŝĂůůǇǁŽƌůĚǁŝĚĞƚŽƌĞĚƵĐĞƚŚĞŶĞĞĚ ĨĞĞĚƐǇƌƵƉ͕ŽƌŝŶůĂƚĞǁŝŶƚĞƌǁŚĞŶďĞĞƐƐƚĂƌƚƌƵŶŶŝŶŐ ĨŽƌ ĂŶƚŝďŝŽƚŝĐƐ͕ ďŽŽƐƚ ƚŚĞ ŝŵŵƵŶĞ ƐǇƐƚĞŵ ĂŶĚ ŽƵƚ ŽĨ ƐƚŽƌĞƐ͘ dŚĞ ƉĂƚƚŝĞƐ ĚŽ ŶŽƚ ĐĂƵƐĞ ƌŽďďŝŶŐ ůŝŬĞ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞ ŐƵƚ ŚĞĂůƚŚ͘ ,Ğ ǁĂƐ ŝŶƚƌŝŐƵĞĚ ƚŽ ĨŝŶĚ ŽƵƚ ƐǇƌƵƉ ĐĂŶ͘ Ǉ ƵƐŝŶŐ ,ŝǀĞůŝǀĞ &ŽŶĚĂŶƚ WĂƚƚŝĞƐ ǇŽƵ ǁŽƵůĚ ƚŚĞ ƐĂŵĞ ďĞŶĞĨŝƚƐ ĂƉƉůǇ ƚŽ ďĞĞƐ͘ dŚƌŽƵŐŚ ŬŶŽǁ ǇŽƵ ĂƌĞ ŐŝǀŝŶŐ ǇŽƵƌ ďĞĞƐ ƚŚĞ ďĞƐƚ ĐŚĂŶĐĞ ƚŽ ŐŽǀĞƌŶŵĞŶƚ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚƐ ĂƌĂ ĐŽůůĂďŽƌĂƚĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ ƐƵƌǀŝǀĞ ƚŚĞ ǁŝŶƚĞƌ ĂůůŽǁŝŶŐƚŚĞŵƚŽ ĞŵĞƌŐĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƐĐŝĞŶƚŝƐƚƐ ĨƌŽŵ ƐĞǀĞƌĂů ƵŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƚŝĞƐ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ ƵƌŽƉĞ ŝŶ ƐƉƌŝŶŐƐƚƌŽŶŐĂŶĚŚĞĂůƚŚǇĨŽƌĂŐƌĞĂƚƉƌŽĚƵĐƚŝǀĞǇĞĂƌ͘ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ƚĞƐƚŝŶŐ ǁŚĂƚ ǁŽƵůĚ ƐŽŽŶ ďĞĐŽŵĞ ,ŝǀĞůŝǀĞ͘ &Žƌ ŵŽƌĞ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƚŝŽŶ͕ ǀŝƐŝƚ ǁǁǁ͘ƵƐĂ͘ŚŝǀĞĂůŝǀĞďĞĞƐ͘ĐŽŵ Žƌ ĞŶƋƵŝƌĞ ǁŝƚŚ ǇŽƵƌ ,ŝƐ ƚŚĞŽƌǇ ǁĂƐ ĐŽƌƌĞĐƚ͘ ,ŝǀĞůŝǀĞ ŚĂƐ ƐŝŶĐĞ ďĞĞŶ ůŽĐĂůďĞĞŬĞĞƉŝŶŐƐƚŽƌĞ͘ ƚĞƐƚĞĚŝŶŵƵůƚŝƉůĞĨŝĞůĚƐƚƵĚŝĞƐĂƌŽƵŶĚƚŚĞǁŽƌůĚ͘dƌŝĂůƐ

August 2021 BEE CULTURE 23 my feet failed me, I slipped, wedged (with perhaps just supportive care) my knee between a rock and log and and wait. Time and the amazing BEE fell, tearing my anterior cruciate body often heals itself, if given ligament (ACL) and smashing the the chance. “Above all else do no tibia of my right leg. Even before harm”, “Go home, rest and drink VET fl the doctors’ visits, X-rays, and the plenty of uids”, “Take two aspirin MRI, I knew instantly something and call me in the morning”, and was seriously wrong. One of my fi rst the placebo effect are all common Good Help thoughts was what am I going to do illustrations of this approach. When now? How am I going to work? Take diagnostics or treatments are started, care of my family? Build my house? we begin with the least or minimally Can Be Found Take care of my bees? Perhaps other invasive approach. For example, we beekeepers can relate to “What if I may try medicines or therapy fi rst, Dr. Tracy Farone get hurt? How am I going to do life?” before surgery to address a certain I certainly know several Beeks that condition. Less can be more in certain have struggled through managing situations. their yards with health problems and I know that I have preached injuries. before in other articles that it is Here is the good news . . . While essential for beekeepers to learn how surgery for an ACL repair can put to do a complete hive assessment or you on your back for several weeks exam. That is still very true, however followed by months of rehab, my once you have learned how to do a orthopedic doctor did not recommend complete hive inspection, you should surgery for me but instead said I also be learning when to stop. Risk was a good candidate for physical assessment, risk vs. benefi ts, should therapy rehabilitation. He said that be involved in everything you do in a in his experience and depending hive. The why and the how of what on the individual patient, ACL you plan to do before opening a hive reconstructive surgery is often a should be well defi ned. For example, mistake and may cause more harm if you fi nd white wax and eggs do you than good. As a veterinarian, this really need to go through every frame concept made complete sense to me, to fi nd the queen to confi rm queen On a rare day off in mid-May, I but as a patient, I needed to hear it status? …maybe, maybe not. You can went fi shing with my family, ironically from my physician. often gain information needed just by at Slippery Rock Creek. I found observing the exterior of the hive and a beautiful tributary off the main Benign Neglect entrance, just by “popping the top” stream and walked up the bank to a In veterinary and human and looking in, or simply pulling a deep hole I found amongst the car- medicine, we have a treatment called few frames. The necessary extent of sized rocks. I had my eye on reaching “benign neglect”. It essentially means hive inspections may vary by season, a large fl at rock in the middle of the that as a medical professional, after hive/yard history, and the type of stream, to plop down and go after evaluating a patient with a condition, beekeeping operation. “Surgery” is a few trout. While traversing a few we determine that the best course not always needed. “Everything in steps to get to my prized destination, of action is to do really nothing moderation” applies to our invasive behaviors when working our hives, but it comes down to a (hopefully educated) judgement call by the beekeeper. As a beekeeper you may need to recruit some help from a seasoned beekeeper or veterinarian on what level of intervention your hive/s may need.

Helping each other and how beekeepers can help vets . . . Every one of us needs help sometimes. From what I have seen, most beekeepers are pretty good at forming groups that lean on each other in tough times, but I believe this symbiotic relationship can be expanded. I have listened to the concerns that beekeepers have about the diffi culty of fi nding Normal fanning and foraging on a warm Summer day. a competent, local veterinarian to 24 BEE CULTURE August 2021 help them. From the veterinary side I can share this: Currently, bee medicine curriculum in U.S. veterinary schools is being developed and delivered, more honey bee veterinary textbooks and references are being created, hundreds of hours of honey bee continuing education for practicing veterinarians have been developed and delivered, and a bee vet certifi cation program is under development. In previous articles, I have shared ways veterinarians can be of service to honey bees and their keepers, but how can beekeepers get involved on our end? Here are a few action steps beekeepers can take to help veterinarians. 1. Invite your local veterinarian/s to your beeyard to shadow you. 2. Invite your local veterinarian/s to Swarm cells warrant further investigation. your beekeeping meetings. Most 4. Reach out to your state Department for a healthy, symbiotic relationship. may say “no”, but you only need of Agriculture (DA). Most states have As for me and my broken knee, one in your area to take care of the apiarist/s and state veterinarians luckily, I have “paid it forward” by local bees. working at the DA. These groups previously allowing a neighborhood 3. Reach out to local Veterinary have started more conversations teenager to shadow me at my home Medical Associations (VMAs). Like lately and may have resources beeyard and I have two trained beekeeping clubs, most states have available for you or be interested Summer research college students state and/or regional veterinary in collaborations. to help me do much of the “heavy associations. Most VMAs are very These help suggestions do not lifting” around the College yard this interested in learning more about have to be as diffi cult as “surgery” Summer. BC bees and working with beekeepers. but simply provide supportive care

August 2021 BEE CULTURE 25 26 BEE CULTURE August 2021 “History is hints and scraps of a former self.” It’s not my quote; but I know a good quote when I steal it. Actually, there is a bit more to this fl ip Histor Is Hints And remark. In my business, if someone steals or plagiarizes my work I take it as a compliment! Scraps American Beekeeping in 2021 Miller is the product of a history. North John American Keepers of bees are today In 1988 N.D. endured a drought. sometimes beekeeping can feel like here because some lost to history Amazingly, we harvested 80 pounds a donkey caught in a hail storm – we fi gure took a risk. How on earth did of honey per hive that year. I was just stand there and take it. this anonymous historical figure discouraged. In 1989, the drought I’m encouraged by the glycerin/ prepare the fi rst hive[s] – to cross the persisted, and it took beekeepers oxalic pad. The recipe is a gift from Atlantic – in a creaky tub not much out. Thirty-two years later – in 2021 Randy Oliver. I’ve spent time in the bigger than todays muni-bus? Were we are in a drought. It’s ugly. This bees with Randy O., running hard to other pilgrims ok with this basket time around, though, Facebook keep up with that relentlessly curious of stinging insects? Was it a single Commercial Beekeepers page lends mind. hive, upon which the traveler bet near real-time transparency to the I’ve also read scientifi c papers everything? Or were more than a situation. Beekeepers with bees to that slowly, incrementally opened couple skeps involved? And on that lease posted loads of bees ready to new ideas and original thinking to Atlantic hop – the lethal cleansing go to Dakota. I was struck with two improve beekeeper success. fl ight on an open ocean – how did truths. Those Dakotians keeping History teaches us that challenges that go? bees very well remember the 1988- that vexed my great-grandfather The re-introduction of honey bees 89 bruise; or if not yet in the bee [American Foul Brood] were solved went reasonably well, and hundreds business – avoided a historic bruise. by antibiotics. Devastating spray of thousands of us mesmerized by A beekeeper I know very well lost his kill losses taught me there had to bees enjoy the labor of this historical outfi t, his marriage; and ended up be a better way to control pests fi gure. We have only a hint and a on the night shift in a bottling plant. than organo-phosphates & her scrap of who, or why, or when honey History repeats. deadly cousin the carbamates. I am bees were re-introduced. And what What about our recent beekeeping hopeful the 2021-22 BIPster data great calamity befell the earlier history? The Bee Informed Project set documents improved beehive amber entombed honey bees? Was it has over a decade of historic data survival. the Caribbean Meteor? Was it a pre- on how well we husband our hives. All this modern science I don’t historic ice-age? Whether we run 8; 80; 800; or 80,000 understand. Crisper is breakfast Americans aren’t good at history. hives – we’ve consistently, annually cereal, right? I think History will We should be. killed 30-50% of our hives – for tell my grandchildren that this era Here is a scrap: Out here in over a decade. Every beekeeper has was a golden time for discovery, Dakota Country we pay a lot of access to the data. Every beekeeper and treatment, husbandry, and attention to the weather. Weather can also has access to improved Varroa beekeeping success. turn on a dime. A 2004 book titled destructor controls. We no longer Is there anything more rewarding “The Children’s Blizzard”, by David have to repeat recent history. We than opening a hive? Yes. Opening Laskin documents a fi erce blizzard don’t. But this is beekeeping. And a healthy, robust colony and deeply that caught and killed hundreds sensing healthy brood, prosperity, of North Dakota children walking health, well-being – and it is home from school one weirdly balmy, reaffi rming. We have hints and scraps deadly day, January 12, 1888. from many who came before us, who More recently, snow totals during shared this passion for bees. the 60s averaged 34” in Fargo. Lastly, an appreciation for our During the 70’s, snow totals averaged friend Lee Heine of Wisconsin. A 44”. During the 80’s, snow totals brother in arms, Lee works to make fell slightly. But during the 90’s the industry stronger, friendships [including an ice-cap creating 1996 & deeper, service better. Safe travels ‘97] averages were 58” for the decade. my friend. You are a powerful Does this trivial scrap have example. BC value?

August 2021 BEE CULTURE 27 found in translation Social Thoughts Jay Evans, USDA Beltsville Bee Lab

Honey bees, like other social styles. In their freely available paper drones. Fortunately, LI can be insects, think both for themselves “Individual learning phenotypes drive measured in queens and drones, as and for their colonies. All animals collective behavior” (Proceedings of well as in workers. LI was assessed by have a degree of awareness of their the National Academy of Sciences, strapping bees into small seatbelts, surroundings and most find a USA, 2020, vol. 117, pages 17949– offering stimuli and measuring the need to communicate within their 17956; https://www.pnas.org/ abilities of bees to favor familiar species. Honey bees carry this content/117/30/17949), they stimuli via the ‘Proboscis extension to an extreme in that they must focused on how bees discriminate response’ (PER). PER is widely used be highly communicative in the between what is important and what in bee behavioral studies to show colony, and highly coordinated with can be ignored. In studies of animal how well bees learn and remember their nestmates. How these social behavior, the formal term for this is cues. It is a simple test that can be pressures shape the bee brain is a Latent Inhibition or LI. In practice, it used to compare the abilities of bees fascinating topic and one that has is the ability of an animal to ignore against each other, other insects, and practical implications for beekeepers. unimportant stimuli, saving energy even mice and teenagers. After testing To cut to the chase, honey bees are and brain cells for the things that individual queens and drones using really VERY smart for an insect. You really matter. Hi-LI individuals, from PER, the researchers banked the might predict that an organism with bees to humans, have an innate queens that were outliers showing tens of thousands of others backing sense of what they want and have high or low LI, and also banked them up would get a little soft in the blinders of sorts for the many other the sperm of the males that passed head. In fact, by conventional metrics shiny objects they click, crawl, walk, or failed the LI test. With human the honey bee brain is remarkable, if or fl y past. They do so at the expense assistance, Hi-LI sperm met with a little skewed towards memory and of not benefi tting from certain novel Hi-LI queens while Low-LI sperm met communication. experiences. with Low-LI queens. Chelsea Cook and colleagues The group has established that LI Eventually, these scientists at Arizona State University (and is variable across bees, and that the established six super colonies that now Marquette University for her) levels of this trait can be increased were selected to be faithful to only conducted a series of experiments or decreased by selection. For this certain cues in the environment to determine some boundaries paper, they went further and bred (Hi-LI), six colonies whose progeny of bee learning and the genetic bees showing each extreme via were in some ways more open to new variation across bees in their learning artificial insemination with single adventures (low-LI), six colonies with a mix of both types of workers, and six colonies that were controls not selected in either direction. Control bees were also added to the 18 selected colonies, to give the high and low LI bees some more nestmates. Happily, bees whose parents had shown Hi-LI and Low-LI traits faithfully represented those traits. This was not surprising after their prior studies but probably a huge relief after all the work to identify, propagate, and measure hundreds of bees. What really sets this paper apart is the ensuing effort to see how bees with these tendencies behave in a real-world setting, and nothing is more real-world for middle-aged worker bees than foraging. Bees from 28 BEE CULTURE August 2021 each colony were set up in their own were short, foragers recruited using fl ight tents and were trained to four the round dance, not the waggle sweet bait stations. Thanks to a shell dance, so some information on game of sorts where baits were added recruitment preference was lost. to the bee’s world over several days, However, the bees did show different one of these stations was ‘familiar’ recruiting skills and energies. Hi-LI to bees while the rest were ‘novel’ bees had signifi cantly more followers food sources. As expected, the Hi-LI for their dances. Not surprisingly, bees, having found a good thing on this spurred hi-LI nestmates to forage day 1, were pretty content recruiting more often overall and when those to and feeding from that same feeder nestmates were low-LI to still express even as the other three popped up. a preference for the familiar feeder. Their fi delity led to a ten-fold higher Low-LI bees danced often, but to visitation rate to the familiar feeder smaller audiences. Future work will versus novel ones. In contrast, ‘Low- have to resolve this relative difference LI’ bees visited the novel feeders at in popularity, but as one hint to the an equal rate to the original familiar mechanism Hi-LI bees were able to station. What about when Hi-LI and shake out more turns per second Low-LI bees were mixed together? than Low-LI bees, and this shaking In these cases, bees still visited the seems to have swayed their nestmate A chicken waterer can be used as a good water source for bees. (Chelsea Cook familiar feeders at a higher rate than judges. Overall, these experiments photo) bees from Low-LI or even control show how a behavioral trait that is colonies. What drove that? It turns fairly abstract (responses to sugar Societies” in the Annual Review out the Low-LI bees and even control and cues in a lab setting) can be used of Entomology (2018, vol. 63:259- bees in those mixed colonies acquired both to change things at the colony 75, https://doi.org/10.1146/ a preference for familiarity. This level via breeding and to give insights annurev-ento-020117-043249). insight was gained after painting into how the tendencies of individual Here the authors make some pretty hundreds of bees of each type distinct bees are converted into colony level bold claims for how colony-level colors, so a Hi-LI bee was identifi able, behaviors. dynamics, reflecting feedback by as were Low-LI and control bees. This study highlights how the colony members and stimuli from If you have spent so much time remarkable brain of the honey bee inside and out, are so predictable that identifying traits, consummating can be shaped by breeding and they can be thought of in many ways bee pairings, and establishing fi eld how that shaping translates into like individual behaviors. Thinking of feeding trials, painting hundreds of health and behavior at the colony the colony as a superorganism is not bees is a piece of cake and it paid off. level. If you want to expand your new, and many will have read efforts To ice the mechanism for this OWN brain with some discussions on this topic by honey bee scientists social shift, and bring even more about how the colony itself can such as Thomas Seeley and his colony (and possibly beekeeper) think like a superorganism you students, but actually placing colony relevance to these studies, the will like a long review by Takao behaviors into the more rigorous researchers also watched individual Sasaki and Stephen Pratt “The (hopefully) context of psychology is bees as they danced to recruit others Psychology of Superorganisms: defi nitely a page turner. Get out and to the food sources. Since distances Collective Decision Making by Insect fi nd some novel feeders. BC

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Forget about the pen-and-paper or awareness regarding potential threats to bees’ voice to record information while working. traditional way of doing things, step into the future health, to promote a set of good management The app also helps you organize and manage to reap the benefits of technology! practices and to facilitate communication between your beekeeping activity in a way that improves Apiary Book is one of the most popular beekeepers. beekeepingAugust apps 2021 available today, being downloaded productivity andBEE cuts costs. CULTURE Thus, you have access 31 “In the honey bee, the antennae, mouthparts and tarsi of the forelegs constitute the main chemosensory organs (Goodman 2003). They include gustatory but also hygro, thermo, mechanosensory and olfactory receptors. Gustatory receptor cells on these structures are located within specialized cuticular structures called sensillae, which often take the form of hairs (chaotic sensillae) or pegs (basiconic sensillae) (Esslen and Kaisslin 1976). These sensillae have a characteristic aperture at the apex through which gustatory substances can penetrate after contacting the hair or peg (contrarily to olfactory sensillae whose walls are covered by tiny pores which allow the diffusion of olfactory molecules). Gustatory receptor cells innervate each sensilla and bathe in a receptor hemolymph. Each neuron projects a dendritic branch up the shaft of the hair or peg to the apex. Such a branch – and there may be three to fi ve per sensilla, corresponding to three to fi ve gustatory receptor neurons – bears the molecular receptors to which a gustatory substance will bind if it is the appropriate molecule for these receptors. Such receptors are G-protein coupled proteins. In some cases, a mechanoreceptor cell terminating at the base of the shaft can also be found. This neuron is stimulated not by gustatory stimuli but by movement of the sensilla. As gustatory organs have to explore and manipulate food, A Closer evaluating the position and density of the food is facilitated by the presence of mechanoreceptor cells associated with gustatory receptor cells within the same sensilla. Gustatory molecules arrive to the molecular receptors on the membrane of the gustatory neuron through passive LOO k diffusion in the hemolymph of the sensilla, or through active transport by carrier proteins. When a gustatory molecule binds to a molecular receptor, the receptor cell depolarizes and, if the magnitude of the receptor potential is enough, an action potential is generated. The gustatory message is then relayed to the central nervous system TASTE PERCEPTION where it is processed in the subesophageal ganglion (De Brito Sanchez et al. 2007).” Clarence Collison “Taste sensillae can be found essentially on the antennae, mouthparts and legs of a honey bee (Whitehead and Larsen 1976a). On the antennae, gustatory sensillae Honey Bee Chemosensor Organs can be localized on the segment that constitute the fl agellum and on the tip. On the mouthparts, they can “Taste is crucial for honey bees for choosing profi table be localized on the proboscis (formed by the maxillae and food sources, resins, water sources, and for nestmate the labium), the glossa, the labial palps and the galeae recognition. Peripheral taste detection occurs within of the maxilla. On the legs, they have been reported cuticular hairs, the chaotic and basiconic sensilla, on the tarsus and pretarsus of the forelegs. The tarsi which host gustatory receptor cells and, usually a of the mid- and hindlegs also bear taste sensillae but mechanoreceptor cell. Gustatory sensilla are mostly these have been poorly characterized (Frings and Frings located on the distal segment of the antennae, on the 1949). So far, research on gustatory function in bees has mouthparts, and on the tarsi of the forelegs. These focused on these body appendages. However, gustatory sensilla respond with varying sensitivity to sugars, salts, receptors could be situated in unsuspected parts of the and possibly amino acids, proteins and water. So far, body. For instance, such receptors could be found in no responses of receptor cells to bitter substances were the oral cavity and in the crop. Such internal receptors found although inhibitory effects of these substances on could act as molecule counters allowing the estimation sucrose receptor cells could be recorded. When bees are of the intake rate of gustatory stimuli such as sucrose. free to express avoidance behaviors, they reject highly In this case, they would allow a concrete estimation of concentrated bitter and saline solutions. However, such food source profi tability. Gustatory sensillae play an avoidance disappears when bees are immobilized in the important role in appetitive food sensing as shown by laboratory. In this case, they ingest these solutions, even if the fact that stimulation of antennae, tarsi and mouth they suffer afterward a malaise-like state or even die from parts with sucrose solution elicits the so-called proboscis such ingestion. Central processing of taste occurs mainly extension refl ex (PER) (Takeda 1961; Bitterman et al. in the subesophageal ganglion, but the nature of this 1983). Gustatory sweet receptors on the antennae are processing remains unknown (De Brito Sanchez 2011).” more sensitive than those of the legs as shown by the

32 BEE CULTURE August 2021 fact that bees extend the proboscis to sucrose solution expression of AmGr1 and AmGr2 demonstrated higher at a threshold concentration of 2.85% if applied to the sensitivity to glucose and lower sensitivity to sucrose, antennae, and of 34.23% if applied to the tarsi (Marshall trehalose, and maltose compared with AmGr1 expression 1935). At the central level, a unique neuron, VUMmx1 alone. AmGr1 and AmGr2 were co-localized or not in (initials of Ventral Unpaired Median maxillar1 neuron) the antennal neurons, and especially AmGr1 was highly whose cell body can be found in the maxillary neuromere expressed at the distal segment of the antennae. This of the subesophageal ganglion (De Brito Sanchez et al. study suggests that sugar receptors of the honey bee 2007).” function as heterodimers (or monomer or mono-dimers), “Taste plays a crucial role in the life of honey bees indicating that AmGr2 is required for providing honey as their survival depends on the collection and intake of bees with variability of sugar perceptions (Jung et al. nectar and pollen, and other natural products. De Brito 2015).” Sanchez et al. (2014) studied the tarsal taste of honey bees “De Brito Sanchez et al. (2005) combined behavioral through a series of behavioral and electrophysiological and electrophysiological experiments to study whether analyses. They characterized responsiveness to various bitter taste is perceived at the antennal level in honey sweet, salty and bitter tastants delivered to gustatory bees. Their behavioral studies showed that neither sensilla of the fore tarsi. Behavioral experiments quinine nor salicin delivered at one antenna at different showed that stimulation of opposite fore tarsi with concentrations induced a retraction of the proboscis sucrose and bitter substances or water yielded different once it was extended in response to 1 M sucrose solution outcomes depending on delivered to the opposite the stimulation sequence. antenna. Bees that When sucrose was applied extended massively their first, thereby eliciting proboscis to 1 M sucrose proboscis extension, no responded only partically bitter substance could when stimulated with a induce proboscis retraction, mixture of 1 M sucrose thus suggesting that and 100 mM quinine. The the primacy of sucrose mixture of 1 M sucrose stimulation induced a and 100 mM salicin had central excitatory state. no such suppressive effect. When bitter substances No behavioral suppression or water were applied was found for mixtures first, sucrose stimulation of salt solution and could still elicit proboscis either bitter substance. extension but to a lower Electrophysiological level, thus suggesting recordings of taste sensillae central inhibition based at the antennal tip revealed on contradictory gustatory sensillae that responded input on opposite tarsi. specifi cally either to Electrophysiological sucrose or salt solutions, experiments showed but none responded that receptor cells in the gustatory sensilla of the to the bitter substances quinine and salicin at the tarsomeres are highly sensitive to saline solutions at low different concentrations tested. The electrophysiological concentrations. No evidence for receptors responding responses of sensillae to 15 mM sucrose solution were specifi cally to sucrose or to bitter substances was found inhibited by a mixture of 15 mM sucrose and 0.1 mM in these sensilla. Receptor cells in the gustatory sensilla quinine, but not by a mixture of 15 mM sucrose and of the claws are highly sensitive to sucrose. Although 0.1 mM salicin. The responses of sensillae to 50 mM bees do not possess dedicated bitter-taste receptors in the NaCl were reduced by a mixture of 50 mM NaCl and 1 tarsi, indirect bitter detection is possible because bitter mM quinine but not by a mixture of 50 mM NaCl and 1 tastes inhibit sucrose receptor cells of the claws when mM salicin. They concluded that no receptor cells for the mixed with sucrose solution.” bitter substances tested, exist at the level of the antennal “The gustatory sensilla, which are composed of tip of the honey bee and that antennal bitter taste is not cuticular hair, respond to sugars, salts, and amino represented as a separate perceptual quality.” acids. In the honey bee, although sugar detection is “Besides foraging for nectar and pollen, bees collect a crucial factor in determining the acceptability of water and in this context they respond to salts and nectar and pollen for collection, little is known about indeed electrophysiological responses to salts (NaCl, the molecular and neural correlates underlying sugar KCl, LiCl) have been measured (Whitehead and Larsen perception. Jung et al. (2015) determined that gustatory 1976ab; De Brito Sanchez et al. 2005) both at the level receptor 1 of Apis mellifera (AmGr1) responded to of the mouthparts and antennae. Additionally, bees sucrose, glucose, trehalose, and maltose in a dose- collect resin for elaborating propolis and then should dependent manner. AmGr1 showed full functionality, taste several compounds such as prenylated and non- but it showed different sensitivity from a heterodimer prenylated phenylpropanoids, terpenoids and anthracene (a protein composed of two polypeptide chains differing derivatives, which have been identifi ed in the resin loads in composition in the order, number, or kind of their transported in the corbiculae (Weinstein Texeira et al. amino acid residues) of AmGr1 and AmGr2. That is, co- 2005) (De Brito Sanchez 2007).”

August 2021 BEE CULTURE 33  Research has shown that both the sense of taste and food is scarce. However, the mechanisms by which bees odor perception are strongly associated with foraging change their responsiveness to different sugars remains behavior, learning and memory. “Honey bees forage by incomplete. To investigate the plasticity of sensitivity using their sense of smell and returning to fl oral odors to sugar, bees were raised on different sugars either in that they have previously learned to associate with high- vitro or in colonies. Bees raised in the incubator on diets quality food rewards. Foraging bees communicate with containing mostly either fructose or glucose showed other bees in the hive about food sources by exchanging signifi cantly more responsiveness to the majority sugar. chemical and locational information. It is well established In contrast, bees raised in colonies that only foraged on that bees transfer non-volatile information regarding taste fructose or glucose responded equally well to both sugars. and quality of nectar via trophallaxis and communicate These data suggest that developmental plasticity for location information via directional dances. However, responses to sugar is masked by the feeding of worker jelly volatiles carried by returning forager bees on their bodies to larvae and young bees. The production of worker jelly has not been explored as another source of chemical from secretions of the hypopharyngeal and mandibular information. Mas et al. 2020 investigated the cuticular- glands by nurse bees ensures that both glucose and absorbed odors of bees when foraging on three different fructose are experienced by young bees so that they crops and compared their odors with the crops’ fl ower respond to both sugars and will be able to exploit all headspace. They found that cuticular extracts were in future food sources (Mustard et al. 2019).” majority correlated with the fl ower headspace where bees “Honey bees will learn to respond to an odor when were foraging, specifi c to the crop and fi eld. Their results their antennae are stimulated with sucrose, even if they support the hypothesis that the scent of returning forager are not fed during the conditioning phase. However, bees can be communicated to hive mates and is associated if they are not fed, the memory of this association is with information about current fl oral resources. Some of signifi cantly reduced 24 hours after conditioning. These the fl oral volatiles that they identifi ed in bee extracts have results suggest that stimulation of proboscis with sucrose been previously found to be key compounds learned from and/or the nutritional quality of the reward plays an the crop, thus supporting a mechanism for the selection important role in establishing a long lasting memory. of decisive compounds.” Three sugars, xylose, sorbitol and mannitol, are used “The level of response of sugar plays a role in many to investigate the relationship among learning, sensory aspects of honey bee behavior including age dependent perception and nutritional value. The proboscis extension polyethism and division of labor. Bees may tune their refl ex is used to show that honey bees cannot taste sensitivity to sugars so that they maximize collection these sugars, whereas mortality data suggest that bees of high quality nectar, but they must also be able to can metabolize all three sugars. Feeding with sorbitol or collect from less profi table sources when high quality xylose during olfactory associative conditioning restores Roberts Bee Company H & R Apiaries 2021 Italian Queens 1-9 $28 10-24 $26 25-99 $23 100-999 $21 1,000+ Call for Pricing Taking Summer and Fall Queen Orders Over 100 Years of Commercial Package Shipping and Queen Raising Experience

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34 BEE CULTURE August 2021 robust 24 hour memories. However, when given a free Goodman, L. 2003. Form and Function in the Honey Bee. choice between consuming sucrose alone or sucrose International Bee Research Association, Cardiff, UK, 220 pp. supplemented with these nutritional sugars, bees did Jung, J.W., K.W. Park, Y.-J. Ahn and H.W. Kwon 2015. not show a preference for food containing the higher Functional characterization of sugar receptors in the western nutritional content. Furthermore, bees did not ingest honeybee, Apis mellifera. J. Asia-Pacifi c Entomol. 18: 19-26. solutions containing only the tasteless sugar even when it Marshall, J. 1935. The location of olfactory receptors in insects; was the only food source. Together, these results suggest a review of experimental evidence. Trans. R Ent. Soc. Lond. that nutritional content and not just sensory information 83: 40-72. is important for establishing long term memories, but Mas, F., R. Horner, S. Brierley. A. Harper and D.M. Suckling that bees may not be able to assess nutritional content 2020. The scent of individual foraging bees. J. Chem. Ecol. when it is disassociated from taste (Mustard et al. 2018).” 46: 524-533. BC Mustard, J.A., V. Alvarez, S. Barocio, J. Matthews, A. Stoker, References and K. Malik 2018. Nutritional value and taste play different Bitterman, M.E., R. Menzel, A. Fietz and S. Sch�fer 1983. roles in learning and memory in the honey bee (Apis mellifera). Classical conditioning of the proboscis extension refl ex in J. Insect Physiol. 107: 250-256. honeybees (Apis mellifera). J. Comp. Psychol. 97: 107-119. Mustard, J.A., E. Akyol, K.D. Robles, C. Ozturk and O. De Brito Sanchez, M.G., M. Giurfa, T.R. De Paula Mota and Kaftanoglu 2019. Infl uence of sugar experience during M. Gauthier 2005. Electrophysiological and behavioural development on gustatory sensitivity of the honey bee. J. characterization of gustatory responses to antennal ‘bitter’ Insect Physiol. 116: 100-105. taste in honey bees. Eur. J. Neurosci. 22: 3161-3170. Takeda, K. 1961. Classical conditioned response in the De Brito Sanchez, M.G., J.R. Ortigao-Farias, M. Gauthier, F. honeybee. J. Insect Physiol. 6: 168-179. Liu and M. Giurfa 2007. Taste perception in honey bees: just Weinstein Teixeira, E., G. Negri, R.M.S.A. Meira, D. Message and a taste of honey? Arthropod Plant Interact. 1: 69-76. A. Salatino 2005, Plant origin of green propolis: bee behavior, De Brito Sanchez, M.G. 2011. Taste perception in honey bees. plant anatomy and chemistry. Evid. Based Complement Chem. Senses 36: 675-692. Alternat. Med. 2: 85-92. De Brito Sanchez, M.G., E. Lorenzo, S. Su, F. Liu, Y. Zhan and Whitehead, A.T. and J. Larsen 1976a. Ultrastructure of the M. Giurfa 2014. The tarsal taste of honey bees: behavioral contact chemoreceptors of Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: and electrophysiological analyses. Front. Behav. Neurosci. 8: Apidae). Int. J. Insect Morphol. Embryol. 5: 301-315. 1-16. Whitehead, A.T. and J. Larsen 1976b. Electrophysiological Esslen, J. and K.E. Kaissling 1976. Zahl und Verteilung responses of galeal contact chemoreceptors to selected sugars antennaler Sensillen bei der Honigbiene Apis mellifera (L.) and electrolytes. J. Insect Physiol. 22: 1609-1616. Zoomorphology 83: 227-251. Frings, H. and N. Frings 1949. The loci of contact chemoreceptors Clarence Collison is an Emeritus Professor of Entomology in insects. A review with new evidence. Am. Mid. Natl. 41: and Department Head Emeritus of Entomology and Plant 602-658. Pathology at Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS.

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36 BEE CULTURE August 2021 G F A R How Bees Caring Fungi Are Protecting Agoecosystems Charlotte Coates1, D. Susan Willis Chan1, Erica Shelley1,3, Saira Espinosa2, 1 Peter Kevan Figure 1. A honey bee vectoring biological control agent to a strawberry ﬂ ower. Photo credit Lorne McClinton, used with permission.

In recent years, the global decline in pollinator Apivectoring: Innovating agricultural systems populations has received a great deal of media attention. While biological control agents have slowly become Since the 1970s, the decline of bees has been increasingly more commonplace in organic and IPM programs, their associated with pesticide use in agriculture, as well as application method has mimicked traditional crop other factors such as habitat destruction and climate treatments using spray and soil applications. Why not change1,2. Pollinators play a crucial role in human food use the same pollinators that are already visiting every production that is mutually benefi cial for the pollinators fl ower to do the farmers’ work and protect the crops from and crops. In many agricultural systems, managed disease? Apivectoring uses managed pollinators as vectors pollinators such as honey bees and bumblebees ensure an to distribute biological control agents, particularly fungi, abundant harvest. An innovative technology, apivectoring, which are small enough to be easily carried by honey uses the symbiotic relationship between bees and crops bees and bumble bees3. Figure 1 shows a bee visiting a to improve the health of both crops and pollinators. strawberry fl ower dusted with fungal spores to protect As managed bees fl y from fl ower to fl ower, collecting against grey mold. Figure 2 shows a dead Lygus bug nectar and pollen, they may pick up nasty hitchhikers, killed by infection of the soil-fungus Beauveria bassiana. such as pathogenic microbes, which can cause harm to Besides improving the agroecosystem for both plants their colony and other wild pollinators, or may spread and pollinators, apivectoring also supplies economic diseases throughout an agroecosystem. On the other benefi ts to farmers. It can lead to increased profi ts by hand, managed bees also supply pollination services producing a higher quality and quantity of crops due and can even bring along friendly hitchhikers such as to the joint services of pollination and biological control benefi cial microscopic fungi that protect crops from pests agents2, reduced fuel and water use, and decreased use and disease. of heavy machinery. Apivectoring is also effi cient. Smaller Employing the natural enemies of a pest or disease amounts of biological control agents can be directly organism that harms crops can be part of a farmer’s delivered to fl owers where they are needed, thanks to the arsenal of crop protection tools. These natural enemies, bees. Apivectoring uniformly distributes biological control referred to as biological control agents, can include fungi, agents and provides continuous crop protection during parasitic wasps, nematodes, and viruses3. Biological fl owering, translating to an economically effi cient crop control agents are an increasingly popular alternative to protection method3,4. chemical crop protectants that can deteriorate ecosystem Importantly, apivectoring is an option in both health and drive pesticide-resistance in pests3. conventional and organic farming. The implementation Fungi are commonly used biological control agents of apivectoring has occurred worldwide, in the Americas, as they are already naturally found on farms and can Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Kenya3. There be highly effective against both pests and disease. Soil is a multitude of tested crops that benefit from fungi can control pests by growing directly on them, apivectoring. Notably, fungi carried by bees prevent simultaneously using mechanical pressure and enzymes serious mold growth on strawberries, raspberries, and to weaken the target insect’s outer coat, allowing the blueberries3. Apivectoring works well in greenhouses with fungus to penetrate the cuticle and kill the host after bumble bees and has successfully targeted pathogens colonization3. This multi-pronged attack greatly decreases and insect pests on greenhouse-grown tomatoes and the chance of pest and disease resistance when compared peppers. Other crops protected by apivectoring include to chemical pesticide methods. fi eld oilseed products such as sunfl owers and canola. Apivectoring can also be used to fi ght coffee berry borer and other coffee pests, as proven in studies from Brazil and Mexico 3. Registration of biological control agents for use in 1University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada apivectoring has begun in several countries due to 2 Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia the thorough work of researchers showing that this 3Best for Bees Ltd., Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

August 2021 BEE CULTURE 37  At the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, the Peter Kevan Lab is currently investigating apivectoring to crops and into honey bee hives using biological control agents already approved for use on crops. For those interested in learning more about apivectoring, please contact the International Organisation for Biological Control (IOBC), the International Commission for Plant Pollinator Relations (ICPPR) (https://www. icppr.com/), the Peter Kevan lab website (link) or visit the Weston Project website (https://www.facebook. com/2020BeeVectoring). BC

References 1.Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services I. Assessment Report on Pollinators, Figure 2. Each dead Lygus was kept on moist fi lter paper in Pollination and Food Production. 2016 Dec 7. https://zenodo. a Petri dish and stored in the dark for 7 days to monitor dis- org/record/3402857. doi:10.5281/ZENODO.3402857 ease (mycosis). The dead Lygus with white mycelia growth were 2.Kevan PG, Menzel R. The plight of pollination and the interface scored as killed by the soil fungus B. bassiana. Photo credit: Peter Kevan, used with permission. of neurobiology, ecology and food security. Environmentalist. 2012;32(3):300–310. doi:10.1007/s10669-012-9394-5 technology is safe for insect vectors, the environment, and 3.Smagghe G, Boecking O, Maccagnani B, Mänd M, Kevan human consumption3,4. Government input and support PG. Entomovectoring for precision biocontrol and enhanced is needed to implement apivectoring technology and its pollination of crops. Springer International Publishing; 2020. many benefi ts. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-18917-4 In 2019, the First International Advanced Course on 4.Espinosa, S.S., Andrés Sánchez, A., Kevan P.G. and Figueroa Using Managed Pollinators for Dissemination of Biological JR. Tecnología Apivector: origen, componentes y desarrollo. Control Agents for Suppression of Insect, Fungal and Other CienciAgro. 2018;1:42–57. Pests of Crops was hosted at the University of Belgrade, Serbia. The course was co-sponsored by the International Commission for Plant-Pollinator Relationships (ICPPR) which has signifi cantly contributed to the research and development of apivectoring technology. The ICPPR Mountain Grey Caucasian assembled apivectoring experts from around the world to share their fi ndings and methods using this novel Republic of Georgia technology. Their collaborative effort will hopefully result Queens 3# Packages in the successful adaptation of apivectoring into farming $60.00 $145.00 communities globally. How will apivectoring impact beekeepers? In Clip and/or Mark $5.00 Ea addition to honey and crop pollination, in the future, Prices do not include shipping, handling, or insurance beekeepers will be able to offer farmers crop protection Shipping season starts first week of May through apivectoring. As the bees are very effi cient at Winters Apiaries delivering biological controls, most crops only need a low hive stocking density. The expertise of beekeepers 3225 Long Creek Rd. Parrottsville, TN 37843 will be needed to maintain the beehives and manage the MEMBER biological control agents. A bonus to beekeepers is that (423) 465-8197 preliminary studies suggest that the health of honey bee http://www.caucasianbreeder.com colonies could also benefi t from apivectoring.

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August 2021 BEE CULTURE 39 protein (pollen) supplements to help treatment is environmentally friendly commercial beekeepers determine and poses no adverse health risks a suitable replacement in times of to humans, wildlife populations, or pollen unavailability. His fi ndings bees. Beer provides cost benefits indicated that AP23 is the most over the current chemical options, preferred protein supplement brand as well. It costs merely two cents for for honey bees. hive maintenance and a 12 pack of For his second-year project, beer for fi ve dollars is enough to treat he decided to tackle a devastating over 215 whole hives. predator of the honey bee, the small Kenneth Griner, a Central Florida hive beetle. Discovered in the U.S. beekeeper, was extremely encouraging only two decades ago, this pest of Atreya’s research. “Mr. Griner was species continues to spread across amiable and understanding. I was the globe. “One female hive beetle privileged to work with him. He even can deposit over 1000 to 2000 eggs allowed me to run tests on 24 whole upwards in a single lifetime,” notes beehives! That’s over 1.2 million Manaswi. Beetles wreak havoc once bees!” exclaimed Atreya. inside the hive and can destroy a Dr. Charles Stuhl, Ph.D., a colony in just a week’s time. Research Scientist at the USDA-ARS, In his research, Manaswi Center for Medical and Veterinary tested organic agents to discover a Entomology, Gainesville, Florida new, affordable, and safe alternative mentored Atreya on his second-year to the current treatment options. project. “He educated me on how fatal Most teens favor dogs, cats, The most common, EPA-approved hive beetles can be to a colony and or maybe fi sh. Atreya Manaswi, a chemical for in-hive treatment is informed me more about this ongoing 9th grader from Orlando, Florida, coumaphos (organophosphate) that global crisis,” stated Manaswi. Being prefers a very different creature: Apis is sold in the form of CheckMite+ a middle schooler, Atreya learned mellifera, the honey bee. In fact, after strips. Studies have shown that this from Dr. Stuhl about academic two successful research projects, compound is deadly to honey bees in research and how to present fi ndings Atreya is determined to save the certain exposure scenarios. Moreover, in a public setting. world’s honey bees from demise. “I research has also confi rmed chemical Atreya soon came to realize the think it can be easy to overlook such residues in beeswax, honey, propolis, struggles of fi eld work. “Last year, a small animal. But the truth is that and other hive products. working in a lab, I was not exposed we all need them,” claims Atreya. In his experimentation, to the diffi culties and harsh reality Manaswi can eloquently expound Atreya tested eight agents in beetle that beekeepers face daily. The heat on how bees pollinate 80% of global traps: apple cider vinegar with and working conditions in the fi eld crop supply and how important mineral oil (the natural currently were unbearable at times. Beekeepers bees are to Earth’s ecosystems and used treatment), mango puree are truly our unsung superheroes. biodiversity. “Bees are dying across with boric acid, cantaloupe puree And, during times of crisis, it’s the globe, and more attention needs with boric acid, yeast, peanut oil, even more important to appreciate to be drawn towards this crisis. We grapeseed oil, beer, and a control the effort it takes for food to reach can’t afford to lose them,” he explains. which had no treatment. Manaswi our dinner tables. Beekeepers and Captivated by honey bees, Atreya chose these agents because of their other agricultural workers alike toil attended the South Florida Bee attractive odor compounds. The test endlessly to ensure we get food,” College where he met Dr. Jamie was set up to determine which agent Manaswi affi rms. Ellis, a Professor at the University is most attractive to beetles in hive COVID-19 had a significant of Florida Honey Bee Research and traps. impact on Manaswi’s research. “It Extension Laboratory who specializes Through extensive testing and certainly did serve as a roadblock, in honey bee husbandry, ecology, and rigorous analysis, he discovered that but it taught me a lot. I had to be conservation. beer was a clear winner. He concluded creative and fi nd common household Atreya conducted his fi rst-year that beer was 33 times more effective items to serve as lab tools for my project on bee nutrition where he ran for beetle treatment than apple work. I used items like aprons, a choice-test on popular commercial cider vinegar. Manaswi claims his scissors, paper towels, plastic bags, and even Tupperware. Because of the pandemic, I had to count beetles in my kitchen! My mother wasn’t all that eager about that idea, though!” he states. “Admittedly, there were florida state countless instances when the beetles would go loose. My family and I would play tag, darting around the house science fair with tiny fi sh nets in hand!” Manaswi entered his Atreya Manaswi research into the State Science and

40 BEE CULTURE August 2021 Engineering Fair of Florida. He was selected as the 1st place winner in the Animal Science category. Atreya was also presented the “Best in Fair” Grand Award for the Biological Sciences. Additionally, Manaswi was awarded other accolades for his work. Although very appreciative, Atreya remarks, “the biggest prize for me is knowing that I am involved in something that could help save our bees.” Food is such a precious commodity and more than 80% of all plants are pollinated by bees. If these plants cease to exist, biodiversity, ecosystems, and the food chain would collapse. Manaswi states, “Bees are the key to stability on our planet. My greatest satisfaction lies in knowing that I am contributing towards their conservation.” He hopes to further his study of the honey bees in the future. A youth researcher at heart, Well, this year, I actually couldn't gain lab access due to the COVID-19 crisis, so I had to be creative. Using some household items I made a mini "home-lab" in my mother's he believes everyone has the power kitchen (though, she wasn't too eager about it). This is where I did all my treatment to discover and learn. “Most kids formulation, beetle collections, and analysis. find research boring or dull, but it’s really quite the opposite. I have fallen in love with the essence of learning about the unknown and exploring what our world has to offer,” Manaswi expresses, “I have come to understand the power of research and how, even as a kid, I can research ways to make life sustainable on our planet. I would tell anyone who wants to try something new to just look in their community and ﬁ nd the solution to an ongoing problem.” BC

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42 BEE CULTURE August 2021 Optimizing Bee Gut Immunit Varun Madan

We have all heard the statistics. the top 30 fi nalists in the Broadcom The number of managed commercial MASTERS, a national middle school honey bee hives has been declining STEM competition organized by the by approximately 50% in the United Society for Science, while also re- States since 1940. We are also fa- ceiving a minor planet named after miliar with how important these an- me. As the years have progressed, imals are to our economy, pollinat- I tested my treatment’s effects at a ing over $20 billion worth of crops a laboratory cage-level against a par- year. Knowing the tremendous risks asite called Nosema ceranae. I even involved with letting these vital polli- successfully compared the probiot- nators decline, why haven’t we been ic’s performance to an antifungal able to fi nd effective solutions to ad- agent called Fumagillin, showing a dress these challenges within the statistically similar parasitical re- last 80 years? This is the question duction while strengthening the gut that I strived to answer when I fi rst microbiota (unlike its commercial started my research four years ago. counterpart). I found that previously, many Then the pandemic hit. Being perimental test values, it was found scientists had focused their atten- trapped in my room for an extend- that the model’s accuracy signifi - tion on containing just one external ed period enabled me to thoroughly cantly improved over time for all threat. This was not feasible, howev- think through ways to improve my six initial hive scenarios. To put the er because of the plethora of stress- project. How could I commercial- accuracy in perspective, the differ- ors threatening bees. I therefore ize my probiotic mixture? During ence between my model’s predic- looked for an effective solution that this time of refl ection, one problem tions and experimental cage values could improve overall immunity. stuck out to me in particular: farm- for each hive scenario in the fi nal To do this, I created a probiotic ers do not truly know how much of batch of training data was statisti- mixture of various lactic acid bac- the treatment to administer to their cally insignifi cant. Once this model teria to administer to the hives. I hives. Instead, they used trial and is continued at an even larger scale, chose lactic acid bacteria because error, an ineffi cient approach in ad- farmers might be able to determine it is the only type found in both the dressing this problem. To combat the optimal dosage of the treatment human and bee gut. Though I have these concerns, I have been develop- moments after recording the hive’s been stung a lot (42 times!), the ear- ing a novel multiple linear regression initial Nosema counts. ly results proved to be very effective model that can predict the optimal In recognition of my work over at the overall level, as the amount dosage of the probiotic treatment the last four years, I was honored of honey, brood and bees were all when given the initial Nosema con- to win fi rst place in the Animal signifi cantly greater after treatment centration of the hive. Sciences category at the 2021 when compared to the control. After training with carefully Regeneron International Science In recognition of my fi rst year vetted data in three batches and and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the of research, I was named as one of testing the predictions against ex- world’s largest international science competition for high school students. Even though the event was virtual this year, I was still able to meet so many amazing fellow fi nalists with a similar passion for agricultural sustainability and science as a whole. Additionally, getting to hear from some of the most distin- guished scientists from around the world at ISEF further inspired me to continue my research beyond high school. When used in conjunction with the predictive multiple linear regression model, I truly believe that my treatment can improve honeybee hive immunity and agricultural productivity throughout the world. BC

August 2021 BEE CULTURE 43 Loki Rucca, 5, PA Bee B. Queen Challenge John Paul Antalek, 11 HelloHe Friends,ds, HopeHope youyou had a great Send us a summer enjoying nature!e! bee joke! Bee B.Queen

Heads Up! Honey bees, like all insects, have three body parts – the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. Let’s take a closer look at the head of a worker bee. Mandibles The mandibles are the strong and useful jaws of the bee ĐŽŶƐŝƐƟŶŐŽĨƚǁŽƉĂƌƚƐƚŚĂƚĐĂŶŽƉĞŶĂŶĚĐůŽƐĞ͘dŚĞŵĂŶĚŝďůĞƐ of a honey bee are like a tool. They can cut, squeeze, or grasp.

Proboscis The proboscis is a straw-like tongue used for sucking up nectar, honey, and water. The bees also exchange food with each other using their proboscises.

Antennae ŶƚĞŶŶĂĞŚĞůƉŝŶƐĞĐƚƐĮŶĚŽƵƚŵŽƌĞĂďŽƵƚǁŚĂƚŝƐŚĂƉƉĞŶŝŶŐ around them. They are a sensing device. The antennae are Eyes covered in thousands of small sensory hairs that respond to ,ŽŶĞǇďĞĞƐŚĂǀĞĮǀĞĞǇĞƐ͗ƚǁŽůĂƌŐĞĐŽŵƉŽƵŶĚ touch and odor. Bees use their antennae to help measure the size eyes on the side of their head and three simple and depth of each cell while building comb. They communicate eyes, called ocelli, on their foreheads. Imagine by touching their antennae during the bee dances. what you would look like with three more eyes on your forehead! compound eyes The compound eyes of a honey bee have thou- ƐĂŶĚƐŽĨƟŶǇůĞŶƐĞƐŽƌĨĂĐĞƚƐ͘dŚĞĨĂĐĞƚƐŚĞůƉƚŚĞ ďĞĞƐƐĞĞĐŽůŽƌ͕ŵŽǀĞŵĞŶƚ͕ĂŶĚƉĂƩĞƌŶƐ͘/ŶŽƚŚĞƌ ocelli words compound eyes are like thousands of eyes ĂůůŝŶŽŶĞ͘^ĐŝĞŶƟƐƚƐďĞůŝĞǀĞƚŚĞŝŵĂŐĞƐĨƌŽŵĂůů the facets are joined in the bee’s brain to make one image kind of like a mosaic rather than the clear images that we see.

The ocelli have single lenses and use light to help antenna ƚŚĞďĞĞĮŶĚƚŚĞŝƌǁĂǇŚŽŵĞŽƌƚŽƐƉĞĐŝĮĐŇŽǁĞƌƐ͘ proboscis

These eyes can also see ultra-violet light.

Down: 1 mandibles, 4 antennae 4 mandibles, 1 Down: Across: 2 head, 3 proboscis, 5 compound eyes , 6 ocelli. 44ocelli. 6 , eyes compound 5 proboscis, 3 head, 2 Across: BEE CULTURE August 2021 Produced by Kim Lehman -www.kim.lehman.com www.beeculture.com Bee Word August 2021 Search Beecome B a Bee Buddy Send two self-addressed Walter anag stamped envelopes and the following information to: Bee Buddies, PO Box bee propolis 117, Smithville, TX 78957. nectar frame Name cell buzz Address comb swarm Age honey queen Birthday Month E-mail hive ŇŽǁĞƌ (optional) smoker drone wax larva beesuit eggs We will send you a membership card, a prize, and a birthday surprise!

Send all questions, photos, and artwork to: [email protected] or mail to the above address.

Heads Up Crossword

ACROSS 2. Contains the compound eyes, ocelli, antennae, mandibles, and proboscis. 3. Straw like tongue used to collect and consume nectar, honey and water. ϱ͘ǇĞƐŵĂĚĞƵƉŽĨƚŚŽƵƐĂŶĚƐŽĨƟŶǇůĞŶƐĞƐ͘ 6. Three simple eyes located on top of a bees head.

DOWN 1. Jaws of a honey bee. 4. Segmented feelers on the head of a bee with receptors to detect smell, touch, taste and sound.

Judy, 4, TX Antennae Fact A drone bee has 12 segments. The worker and queen have 11.

August 2021 BEE CULTURE 45 are required to register apiaries annually with the Ohio Department of Agriculture so that colonies may be counted and examined for pests and diseases. Ohio has diverse agriculture with 13.9 million acres of fruit, vegetables, oil and seed crops, nursery and row crops. This year, 6,220 beekeepers registered 9,455 apiaries and 46,282 colonies. About 75% of the beekeepers are hobbyists with the balance comprised of queen breeders, commercial honey producers and contract pollinators. Recently Ohio successfully implemented a Barbara Bloetscher, Ohio – new queen certiﬁ cate and inspection Ohio Department of Agriculture is process which provides a rapid a State Entomologist/Apiarist who certification process for queen Apiary oversees the Apiary Inspection breeders. This certification has Program. Ohio is unique compared allowed breeders to sell queens to other states because each county and nucleus colonies earlier in the appoints a Deputy Inspector each beekeeping season, while ensuring season which runs from April 1 buyers that they are purchasing until the end of October. Beekeepers healthy stock. BC Inspection Ohio

Brooke Decker

46 BEE CULTURE August 2021 abel Varroa reatents Pose Long-Ter Risks For Beekeeping Indust Matt Mulica Commercial beekeepers are fi nding success treating Bee Health Coalition facilitator, “we developed the guide Varroa, a parasitic mite that kills honey bees, in their to show that you can be a fi nancially viable beekeeper hives without relying exclusively on off-label chemical without consistency resorting to off-label products like treatments, according to a guide published this week by Taktic.” the Honey Bee Health Coalition. The guide is pivotal to This guide aims to help commercial beekeepers the industry as Varroa mites are already showing signs evaluate a variety of Varroa control methods that can of widespread resistance to existing varroacides. be integrated into a management plan to protect their “We set off to create a hands-on guide that covers bees and their business. It highlights the experiences what you might learn when talking to a commercial bee- of beekeepers who are having success as they explore keeper in the hallway of a bee convention.” remarked alternative strategies to limit their reliance on off-label Chris Hiatt, Vice President of the American Honey Pro- amitraz and avoid using unregistered products. ducers Association. “We stress the importance of not re- “I’m extremely uncomfortable using unregistered lying on one single product for your mite control. Com- products. Even if costs are higher short-term, I need to mercial beekeepers helped develop this for commercial fi nd other ways to control mites that will work and will beekeepers and the info in this guide can be put to use work over time. That will cost more initially but make into beekeeping operations now.” money down the line,” said George Hansen, former pres- “In the short term, relying on off-label products to ident of the American Beekeeping Federation, whose ap- treat Varroa may seem to be the lowest-cost strategy. proach to Varroa treatment is featured in the guide. But overuse of amitraz, for example, increases the long- In addition to documenting six case studies exam- term risk of mite resistance and signifi cant economic ining various approaches to Varroa treatment, the guide damage to the industry, as beekeepers may be left with- also reviews the causes and impacts of Varroa mite re- out effective control options. The operational decisions sistance to varroacides. It also highlights control meth- that each beekeeper makes will either promote or reduce ods that can be used in an integrated pest management the likelihood of developing resistance,” writes the Coa- (IPM) strategy or a highly specifi c, knowledge-driven ap- lition in the Guide. proach, referred to as precision apiculture. The Guide to Varroa Mite Controls for Commercial The full guide is available for free on the Honey Bee Beekeeping Operations lays out a vision that addresses Health Coalition’s website at: https://honeybeehealth- the risks of resistance created by off-label use. Wide- coalition.org/varroacontrolsguide/ spread resistance to amitraz poses a serious threat to the long-term fi nancial health of every commercial bee- About Keystone Policy Center keeping business. Continuous use of off-label amitraz, Keystone Policy Center brings together crucial teams with increasing dosages and frequency of use as it be- of stakeholders who have diverse individual perspec- comes less effective, is very likely to cause amitraz to tives but recognize a common need to address urgent lose its effectiveness more quickly, just as other prod- issues with lasting solutions. For more than 40 years, ucts like coumaphos and tau-fl uvalinate have become Keystone has helped leaders move beyond fi xed posi- largely ineffective for controlling Varroa mites. tions toward collaborative, action-oriented approaches “This new Guide was developed to try and stave off to problem-solving. In this age of polarized debate on amitraz resistance long enough for researchers to fi nd nearly every major topic in public policy, Keystone offers the next reliable varroacide.” said Matt Mulica, Honey a refreshing yet proven blueprint for progress. BC

August 2021 BEE CULTURECULULTULTURE 4477 TheBee Magazine OfCulture American Beekeeping BEEing Diverse: Inspiring Leaders in Beekeeping Mar or alendars or ctober The Return Of Bee Culture’s Annual Event We have an impressive lineup of speakers. The mee ng will be held in our Bee Culture Conference Room. Watch these pages and our web page for more details as we ﬁ rm up the details. Register now at www.BeeCulture.com.

san obey runs Honey Bee Insemina on ay orn Po er helped her grand- Service and holds a 50 appointment with WA father with his beehives beginning in State niversity. She founded the New World 1. In 2006-2010, she worked winter Carniolan Program, now in its 40th genera on. seasons with Big Island Queens in Ha- Her focus is enhancement of honey bee stocks waii. In 200, she started Coal Country and improvement of colony health through se- Beeworks, working with surface mine lec ve breeding. To diversify the .S. gene pool, companies to establish pollinator habi- this includes the collec on and incorpora on of tat and apiaries in astern K. In 2014, honey bee germplasm from their na ve uro- she became the K State Apiarist, help- pean range. She provides training, instruc on- ing create the K Department of Agri- al material and informa on in presenta ons, culture Pollinator Protec on Plan, the publica ons for both scien c and public audi- K Cer ed Honey Producers program, ences, worldwide to promote honey bee stock and the K Queen Bee Breeders Associ- improvement. Her experience includes man- a on. From 2015-2020, she has coordi- agement of Honey Bee Research Laboratories nated the SDA Honey Bee Health Survey in Kentucky. She also serves on at the OH State niversity and the niversity of the boards of astern Apicultural Society, Project Apis , Honey Bee Health CA, Davis. Coali on, and reen Forests Work. She is the author of the following books: eraldine rit is the Hope Professor of ntomol- Bees in America: How the Honey Bee Shaped a Na on 2005 Beeconomy: ogy in the Department of oology at the niversity What Women and Bees teach us about Local Trade and Global Markets of Oxford, K. Her lab specializes in research on the 2012 Flower Power: Establishing Pollinator Habitat 201 and Work I physiology and behavior of bees. She has over 25 Knew I Must: Reminiscence of Forty-one Years of Factory Life Root, 2021. years of experience in insect nutri on and has worked with honeybees for the past 20 years. Her research i yr is the current President of the program includes exper se in bee chemical senses Apiary Inspectors of America AIA and the olfac on and gusta on, the mechanisms of learning Chief Apiary Inspector for the A Depart- and memory, and bee nutri on. Her group has made ment of Agricultural Resources DAR. major contribu ons to what is known about the hon- Prior to these appointments, Dr. Skyrm re- ey bee and the bumblebee’s sense of taste. One of ceived a Ph.D from OR State niversity fo- her contribu ons in this eld published in the jour- cused on the environmental impacts a ect- nal, Nature, showed that bees had di culty detec ng ing bumble bees na ve to the Willame e neonico noid pes cides in nectar. Her lab discovered alley of Western OR, was a Research and that bees have special gustatory mechanisms medi- Development Scien st for Koppert Biologi- ated by gap junc ons for sugar detec on reported in cal Systems, Inc. specializing in commercial Current Biology. Her group was the rst to show that bumble bee rearing and a Post-Doctoral non-nutrient compounds like ca eine found in nectar Researcher at the niversity of A-Am- in uence the behavior of bees. Her lab is currently herst evalua ng bumble bee colonies in the inves ga ng the basis for addic ve behavior in bees. cranberry agroecosystem. Dr. Skyrm is an alumni of A Southern niversity Bachelors in Science, Biology and the niversity of N-Lincoln asters in ina aley has been an urban beekeeper Science, ntomology with duca on minor. In addi on to being a bombi- for 1 years. Nina worked with a master culturist i.e. bumble bee rearing, Kim is also a hobby honey beekeeper. beekeeper for eight years raising queens. Kim has always been driven by an intense love of bees to serve in support- She has several apiaries in the City, and she ing roles informed by the latest scien c research. This is evident since Kim raises her own Queens. Nina has completed has been working with na ve and managed bees, beekeepers, farmers, and Dr. Joe Latshaw’s instrumental insemina on pes cide applicators for the past 14 years through outreach educa on, re- class. She completed the aster Beekeep- search, and extension. Kim has a bees-eye view of the world and is truly ing classes taught by Dr. Jerry Bromen- passionate about con nuing to do work that preserves the viability and sus- shenk’s program through the niversity of tainability of bee popula ons! ontana. She is an avid collector of early bee books and history. Nina has managed the Bee Pavilion at the Ohio State Fair for ten years sponsored by OSBA. She over sees We hope to see you in October! the State House Bees. She also over sees the Frank Fetch Park. In 2010 it was the rst Be sure and visit www.BeeCulture.com pilot hive placed in a park in Downtown Co- lumbus, OH. She is currently the Franklin County Bee Inspector for OH. 48 BEE CULTURE August 2021  arbara loetscer has been the State Maie aote odrea is the sole ntomologistApiarist at the Ohio De- owner of Rayons de iel a 350 hive partment of Agriculture since 200, a er farm that produces 4000 queensyear. 23 years at The Ohio State niversity x- She recently enrolled for a aster’s De- tension. As State Apiarist, she oversees gree in beekeeping at Laval niversity in the Apiary Program and iden es insects order to keep improving her knowledge and other arthropods submi ed from of beekeeping sciences with the goal of Ohio Nursery inspectors and businesses. improving research throughout Canada Barb monitors the County Apiary Inspec- and more par cularly Quebec. All this for on Program and addresses honey bee the purpose of helping the beekeeping issues in the state. Barb has kept her own industry in its quest for self-su ciency colonies of honey bees for over 35 years in bees and especially in quality queens. and belongs to several beekeeping clubs Canadian commercial queen breeders as well as The Ohio Lepidopterists and are currently unable to supply queens other insect related organiza ons. before the beginning of June. Without access to queens early in the season, the opportuni es for beekeepers to oan nter was raised in rural ND on the family farm. She save their hives or create nucs very early in the season is greatly reduced, if a ended college and earned a degree in educa on and not impossible. Her farm is directly contribu ng to her research project by business. A er gradua ng, she taught school on all lev- producing queens during the previous Fall with the aim of inser ng them in els for 10 years while raising two boys with her husband a queenbank un l the following Spring so they can be used very early in Dwight. Joan and Dwight of Towner, ND, have been com- the season. These queens would save a considerable amount of hives from mercial migratory beekeepers for over 30 years traveling which the queen died, or to produce nucs su ciently early to contribute to to S, TX and CA. The family-owned company is primarily the pollina on e ort of crops. She also has many volunteer involvements engaged in honey produc on, queen rearing, pollina on with o cial beekeeping organiza ons such as the Quebec Beekeepers Asso- and the sale of bees. Joan currently serves as President cia on AADQ, the Quebec and astern Quebec Beekeepers Commi ee and of the American Beekeeping Federa on ABF as well as the na onal organiza on the Canadian Honey Council just to name a few. Trustee for the Founda on for the Preserva on of Honey Bees. She is also ac ve with the Na onal Honey Board, the acie Parrris was born into the Honey Bee Health Coali on and the state beekeeping orga- Park beekeeping family of Northern niza ons of ND, S and TX. CA. She managed the queen rearing por on of her parents bee business The Bee Informed Partnership BIP is a small non-pro t and a er the unexpected passing of organiza on with a broad reach. Our mission is to im- her beloved father, she purchased prove honey bee colony health across the .S. We do the business from her other. In so by working closely with beekeepers, researchers 14 Jackie Park-Burris Queens, Inc. and di erent sectors of the industry. We assess colony was started. She has concentrated on health and report back to beekeepers so they can make breeding a healthier, hygienic, honey data-driven management decisions in real- me. Seven producing queen, even incorpora ng women support mul ple BIP programs including the gene cs from Italy to improve the Annual Na onal Colony Loss and anagement Survey, diversity of Jackies line of popular the Sen nel Apiary Program for backyard beekeepers, Park Italian Queens. Jackie has also the Tech Transfer Team program in ve regions across con nued the family tradi on of be- the country working with commercial beekeepers and a ing ac ve in the bee industry. She has variety of other projects ranging from IT products to spe- served as President of the CA State ci c product andor management custom trials. Anne e Beekeepers Associa on, the rst eredith, PhD, BIP’s execu ve director brings a much needed non-pro t ex- woman President of the CA Bee Breeders Associa on and the rst woman per se. Nathalie Steinhauer, PhD is our Chief Science Coordinator and the Chairman of the CA State Apiary Board. She has served on the CA State Bee- brains behind BIP data. Jeri Parrent, PhD, our grants administrator keeps us keepers Associa on’s board of directors for over 25 years. She is currently funded and connected. Rachel Kuipers leads our Sen nel Apiary Program. serving as the Legisla ve Chairman and an xecu ve Director on the board. Anne arie Fauvel, the Tech Transfer Team Coordinator, facilitates eld work They have honored her with the oung Beekeeper of the year in 1, Bee- and data collec on. Our honey bee health database is designed, engineered keeper of the year in 200 and twice with the Presidents Award. Jackie is and maintained by ikayla Wilson, our IT and Database ngineer. Heather married to Jim Burris and is mom to Ryan wife Kimberly and Randal wife versole is the niv of D Bee Lab anager who has been processing sam- Andrea Burris. She is JJ to grandchildren Parker, Jack and averick Burris! ples since the start of BIP. Learn more at beeinoredor lianne rose is an Associate Professor in the racy arone is a Professor of Biology at Department of icrobiology and olecular Bi- rove City College in PA. She has worked ology at Brigham oung niversity. Her univer- in various areas of private prac ce, ac- sity posi on consists of 45 e ort for teaching, ademia, and research for over 21 years. 45 e ort for mentoringresearch and 10 ef- Since 2016, Dr. Farone has been research- fort for ci zenship. She teaches approximately ing beekeeping and bee medicine. In 201, 12 credit hours of undergraduate courses per she was granted a sabba cal to allow ad- year approximately six courses and currently di onal me to pursue apicultural studies mentors three graduate students and 15 under- and develop a teaching and research api- graduates in her research lab. Her teaching is ary at her college. In 201, she worked in dedicated to bringing novel research experienc- the eld with dozens of backyard, sideline, es into the classroom through an interna onal and commercial beekeepers. She visited program, Phage Hunters HHI SA- PHAS France, where she worked with mul ple program. Research in her laboratory is dedi- experts in bee medicine and research at cated to two main projects: 1 the study of me- ONIRIS College in Nantes and the OI in tabolism and its rela on to disease, and 2 the Paris. Addi onally, she visited The niversity of dinburgh and the Roslin Ins tute in Scotland, mee ng with addi- study of microbiomes and their contribu on onal bee experts. She traveled to ontanaCrow Reserva on to work with to the health of organisms, including bacterio- 10K hive, migratory, commercial beekeeping opera ons. She has published phages that infect the nterobacteriaceae fam- several ar cles on bee medicine, including a monthly Bee et series for ily of bacteria. The la er is a con nua on of the Bee Culture, wri en biosecurity industry guidelines for veterinarians enter- Phage Hunters courseprogram. Her long-term ing beeyards, and developed an educa onal website, sccbee goal is to mentor students in the classroom and roectco. Dr. Farone’s work has also been featured in the JAA. She lab through high quality research experiences is currently wri ng chapter on bee medicine for a veterinary textbook, con- as well as to contribute novel scien c ndings sul ng na onally and interna onally including Apimondia working groups to our elds of study. Augustwith industry 2021 stakeholders, and managing two beeyards with the helpBEE of her CULTURE 49 six research students. 50 BEE CULTURE August 2021 Since 1997

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August 2021 BEE CULTURE 51 Cell Punch Queen Rearing

Roland Gerner

With this method, even beekeepers who have 2. Prepare your breeding frame by placing a crossbar in diffi culties with grafting due to failing eyesight or other one frame and attaching the express clamps to it (see reasons can breed queens. It is based on the “Cell punch large picture above). If you want to cage the queen cells, method” described by the late English beekeeper David you can drill a hole in a queen cell cup according to the Cushman. outer diameter of the syringes and attach them to the syringe barrel with wax or superglue. Material 3. At the given time, remove a comb with open brood - one 2 ml disposable syringe per cell (a box of 100 costs from the colony from which you wish to graft eggs and less than fi ve euros on the Internet. If you only need a sweep off the bees. Then look for young larvae, which few syringes, you can also get them at a pharmacy. Or should be in the largest possible amount of royal jelly. ask your dentist or family doctor.) Place the moistened sponge cloth on a fl at surface and - Express clamps 7-12 mm, for example from the the comb on top of it. The area from which you want to hardware store punch out the cells should be above the sponge cloth. - a sponge cloth It prevents the wax from sticking to the table when - a sharp knife. punching out a cell. Pay attention to the wires so that you do not hit one. The steps of procedure 4. Hold the syringe barrel so that the two rings visible 1.Pull out the plunger completely from the syringe and inside are at the top and punch out the cells you have cut off the two ends of the syringe barrel with the knife. selected using circular movements. You must press until the cylinder hits the sponge cloth. Then pull the syringe cylinder out of the comb again, leaving the punched-out cell in the cylinder. 5. Then insert the syringe plunger on the side of the syringe where the punched-out piece of comb is located. Push the piece through the cylinder until the plunger is stopped by the lower ring in the syringe.

52 BEE CULTURE August 2021 6. Make three vertical incisions in the walls of the cell with the knife, fold the cell walls down, and press them onto the outer surface of the syringe barrel. 7. Then insert the syringes with the cells into the clamps of the breeding frame. Afterwards put it either in an incubator or in a nursing colony. The acceptance rate by the bees is normally quite high.

Additional tips Practice punching out first on old combs that you want to melt down anyway, or on drone combs. I recommend that you process all the cells you need up to step 4, then put the frame with the breeding material back in the colony and only then continue with steps 5 to 7. By the way, the holes created by the punching are rarely closed again by the bees. If you give a syringe with a nursed queen cell into a hopelessly queenless colony 36 hours after punching out the cell, you don’t need to cage the cell and the queen will hatch in the colony. The syringe can be hung between two frames.

Summary The method is much easier in practice than the description might suggest at ﬁ rst. Since I need only a few queens, it is ideal for me. In contrast to grafting, it can be done anywhere, even if the conditions are not optimal. Try it and you will see, it is really quite simple!

The advantages of the method - The larvae remain in their natural cells. - The queen does not have to be found in the colony. - The cost of materials is very low. - With a little practice, the cells are punched out very quickly, and the comb can be hung back in its colony after a short time. - The syringes with the queen cells can be easily removed and placed between two frames. BC Reprinted with permission from Deutsches Bienen Journal

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54 BEE CULTURE August 2021 B D M-L C, P 4 A S O T M F

James Masucci When I made my decision to become successful, selling at farmer’s want to sell. However, my land-owner focus on bees, I had several concerns. markets and restaurants. Not only friend said, “you know, you can have How big do I want my business to be? have we developed a friendship, a corner of my barn if you would like.” Where am I going to put all the bees? but we work together. He sells my I went to see it a couple of days ago What equipment do I need? Where am honey both at the farmer markets (see picture). It’s perfect. When I told I going to store it? My career was as a and to restaurants. A mutual benefi t him that he chuckled and said, “well, scientist, not a businessperson. Over for both of us. He recently gave my the price just went up” (it didn’t). the past six months, however, things number to a woman whose father-in- Now I have a home base to store have started to fall into place. What law was having trouble keeping bees. equipment, supplies, AND my truck. I realize is that it is not just me who She called and we talked for a while It buys me time to fi nd the property is responsible for my success, I owe about the various issues with keeping I really want to buy. a lot to people who have helped me bees. During the conversation, she The landowners aren’t the only along the way. Beekeepers think of asked if I’d be interested in putting people I depend on. My personal beekeeping as a solitary experience. bees on her property. I went to visit, beekeeping community, consisting of Just us and our little fl ying friends we toured the place and found a great both commercial beekeepers around sharing some time together. But the site. We chatted for about an hour. the country and local hobbyists, are reality for me is that my success is As I was leaving, she told me she constantly supporting my activities. dependent on a lot of people and owns another four acres surrounded After having the worst winter survival the relationships I’ve developed with by fi elds . . . if I was interested. Of of my career by far, I called a friend of them. course, I was interested! Two new mine in GA who sold me a truck load First and foremost are the beeyards because I was willing to help of bees (the joke here is that for him, a landowners. I now have more than someone out. truck load is a semi-load. I just fi lled a dozen yards and I don’t own the In my last article, I talked about up my pick-up (see picture)). These property of any of them. Commercial needing a bee truck and a place to bees allowed me to expand into new beekeepers know this well and a good put it. My son-in-law recently came areas without disrupting my sales of beeyard is more precious than gold. through for the bee truck. He is a local nucs. Locally, we beekeepers All they ask for is some honey, that fi refi ghter/paramedic who also sells provide each other with resources I respect their land, and that I keep ambulances. He found me a used we need to get through emergencies. them updated. The ripple effect of my ambulance chassis (see picture) that We help each other fi nding markets land-owner relationships has gone I’m in the process of outfi tting with and point our customers to each far beyond a place to put my hives. a fl atbed and lift-gate (I have a smile other when we can’t fill a need. They’ve led to new yards, markets, on my face just writing about it). Probably more importantly, we share and storage locations. However, I can’t park an F450 fl atbed information and troubleshoot each I have one yard at a small, all- in my suburban neighborhood! I went other’s problems. It’s become obvious natural vegetable farm. This is my only looking for property (still am) and I to me that though I may work my yard I got by knocking on someone’s found an old gas station in a great bees alone, the list of people who help door. The family was just starting the location for my bee operation. I talked me in this endeavor is large, and I’ll farm and I was just starting with my to one of my land-owner friends to be forever grateful for their support bees, so we both hit it off. They have fi nd out the owner. The guy didn’t in helping me succeed. BC

Forty-eight in the back and one in the front went from Southern GA to St. Louis. My future bee truck, thanks to my son-in- A perfect place for my stuff! Thanks to Thanks to Barry Hart who put them to- law and Osage Ambulance. one of my landowners. gether for me.

August 2021 BEE CULTURE 55 orin o Protect

oney ees ro Varroa Katie Harrington

You can tell the health of a beehive from its buzz. Just Originally associated with the Asian honey bee, ask Barry Hart, who bought his fi rst bees in 1987. Soon the Varroa destructor spread throughout Europe when after, the Georgia farmer saw a fi ve percent annual die-off Russian beekeepers introduced the higher-yield European of his hives. In the past decade, however, Hart experienced honey bee to Asia in the middle of the 20th century. up to a 60 percent loss – a troubling trend mirrored in a Spreading westward, the small arachnid reached the recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report. United States in the 1980s and today, USDA fi gures show It’s challenging to be a beekeeper these days, with that about 40 percent of U.S. hives have been affected, colonies collapsing in the face of habitat destruction and with a level of mites high enough to cause signifi cant pesticide pollution, but bee farmers also point to another bee mortality. mighty foe: the Varroa mite. When a queen bee lays a new egg, it is placed in a Resembling a tick, this destructive parasite damages hexagonal cell in the honeycomb. After three days or bees at an individual and population level by depleting so, the egg hatches into larva, where worker bees feed it bees’ fat reserves and carrying viruses that cause – in hundreds of times a day; fi ve or six days later, the larva addition to other illnesses – wing deformation. enters the pupal stage, where it transforms into the adult Current pest-management systems struggle to control bee. When the larva pupates, the worker bees cap its cell the increasingly resistant mite while preserving the health with wax, sealing it off from the rest of the hive. of bees and their supporting ecosystem. GreenLight’s The female Varroa mite enters the cell to lay its eggs solution, an RNA-based approach, targets the Varroa mite in the hive at a crucial juncture: just before the bee larva directly at all stages of its development while keeping the pupates and the cells are sealed. By the time the adult bees, their brood, and the surrounding biodiversity safe. bee emerges, the mite larvae have already hatched and A cousin to the mRNA used in some of the most effective attached themselves to the bee. Fully grown on a bee, the Covid vaccines, GreenLight’s product can be a more mite resembles a tick on the bee’s abdomen, equivalent sustainable alternative to traditional chemical pesticides, in relative size to a human’s fi st held to the chest. protecting pollinators and plant life. The mite population in the hive increases exponentially, doubling every few weeks while consuming the bees’ fatty tissues, thus lowering their body weight. Affected bees take longer to return to the hive, perhaps because they are unable to navigate well or fl y far due to their weakened state and the additional burden of carrying the mite. James Masucci, a Missouri research scientist and beekeeper who works at GreenLight, says that although the mites themselves may not kill the bees, they weaken immune systems and transmit viruses – most notably deformed wing virus – that eventually destroy the bee colonies. Although honey bees are susceptible to other parasites, climate stress, starvation, and pesticides such as neonicotinoids, Masucci is confi dent that the varroa mite is the chief culprit. “We consider mites to be 70 to 80 percent of the cause of decline in colony health,” he says. As U.S. farmers shift to crops like soybeans, which do not provide bees with much sustenance, it has become harder for colonies to survive “although beekeepers have been dealing with that since before the mites,” Masucci says. By around 2000, varroa mites became widespread and a few years later, colonies started dying in large numbers, a correlation confi rmed by the USDA.

Why Varroa mites are tough There are several pesticides now used against Varroa. Three synthetic chemicals – coumaphos, fl uvalinate, and amitraz – are put on plastic strips and hung outside the hive, where bees come into contact with them. Organic treatments, meanwhile, include formic acid, oxalic acid, thymol, and beta acids. Beekeeper Barry Hart checks his hive of honey bees in Barwick, Fluvalinate and coumaphos have been used so GA. In the background is a squash fi eld where the plants are much that the mites have started showing resistance: “If pollinated by the bees. 56 BEE CULTURE August 2021 Honey bee with parasitic Varroa mite attached being held by beekeeper Barry Hart in Barwick, GA. Honey bees feeding on top of a GreenLight pouch full of syrup at the hive of beekeeper Barry Hart in Barwick, GA. they develop resistance to amitraz,” says Masucci, “the US industry is in big trouble.” Meanwhile, the organic conventional treatments. “It’s a small bump,” he says, treatments mostly act as fumigants: The beekeeper takes “but it’s meaningful.” a lump of the material and places it in the hive, where it Hart, the Georgian bee farmer, has participated in releases the chemical over time. But that is temperature- a GreenLight trial of the new RNA solution. Compared dependent: if it’s too hot, too much of the fumigant will be to oxalic acid and amitraz strips, he says, the RNA- released and can damage or destroy the hive. Oxalic acid treated hives seem much healthier. “It helped bring down is safer but is only effective in Winter, when the colonies mites,” he says, and after 35 years of keeping bees, his are broodless. conclusion: Bees were more active, their hair was glossier The broader problem is that the life cycle of the mite and fl uffi er, and “even the sound a hive of bees makes limits the effectiveness of all traditional pesticides. The when you open the top – the hum” was promising. female Varroa mite enters the larval cell and lays its Changes in the beekeeping industry in recent eggs before the cell is capped; the cell remains capped years led Hart to transition from 100 percent honey for about two weeks. All the mites and their eggs inside production to renting out many of his almost 4,000 hives capped cells are protected from any pesticides that are as pollinators, trucking them around the country for put into the hive. Fumigants rely on two weeks of steady blueberries, squash, cucumbers, watermelon, almonds, temperatures while synthetic chemical pesticides often strawberries, pumpkins, apples. This Spring, six semis harm honey bees or their ecosystem. – each loaded with 480 hives – headed to California. He also sells hives to commercial and hobbyist beekeepers. GreenLight’s advantages Hart believes that GreenLight’s product promises a GreenLight’s Varroa treatment works differently. “We clear benefi t. This year, mainly due to the varroa mite, are targeting a protein that’s necessary for the normal he lost more than 300 hives. The cost of replacement functions of Varroa,” says Masucci. “Without it, their hives ranges from $225 to $250, and although Hart splits physiology is disrupted, and so this treatment is highly his hives to lessen the blow, it does end up diminishing detrimental to the mites.” A small amount of RNA, applied production. “We get paid on hive strength,” he says, “so with gloves rather than a hazmat suit used when applying another two frames [per hive] could mean another $15, chemical approaches to pest control, is all that’s needed $20 in my pocket.” to induce the effect. Mites have a receptor in their gut that A vital part of plant health as well as a business, allows them to import the double-stranded RNA into the honey bees are an indicator of ecosystem health. “You can cell, where it activates its normal cellular mechanisms. sit a hive of bees in one location, collect the pollen, and it “We are zeroing in on a different stage of their life will tell you the health of the environment within a mile of cycle than current products,” he says, “and what’s novel that hive,” says Hart. “You can see what’s growing from about this approach is that we are targeting reproductive the pollen. If a bee can survive there, the environment mites; we deliver it in sugar syrup, which the bees use is pretty good.” as they would nectar.” Bees place this syrup containing GreenLight’s RNA-based solution, which targets just the dsRNA into cells right before pupation, where the the mite, could go a long way toward helping beekeepers mites get exposed. manage the varroa mite while promoting sustainable The RNA in the syrup, which quickly degrades, farming. “You take care of the bees,” says Hart, “and measurably improves hive health. Masucci says that they’ll take care of you.” BC early studies show an extra frame’s worth of bees per hive, or about a 20 percent bump in production plus a Contact: Katie Harrigan: [email protected]; 10 percent increase in hive survival rate compared to +1(888) 262-0893

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August 2021 BEE CULTURE 59 4Easy Steps Jason Carr

Four easy steps to minimize pollinator impact when Communicate with your neighbors spraying It may seem obvious, but good communication is Through my lifelong experiences in agriculture and as key to healthy relationships. Farmers are comfortable a beekeeper, I have sometimes observed confl ict between discussing herbicide platforms with their neighboring my fellow apiarists and row-crop farmers. For legitimate farmers, and conversations with residential neighbors reasons, beekeepers are very protective of their apiaries, can also help alleviate misunderstandings. Backyard and farmers need crop protection products to battle pests beekeeping is a popular hobby, and it’s a good practice to in their fi elds. These two goals can sometimes lead to help neighbors understand why crop protection products confl ict, with beekeepers worrying about the health of are being applied, why they are used, and when they are their colonies and farmers viewing managed beehives as going to be sprayed. Explain that pesticide labels are an annoyance they are forced to consider when managing developed with non-target species such as bees in mind their crops. However, as in most confl icts, communication and the precautions that are taken to limit the impact and education go a long way in helping row-crop farmers on pollinators. By letting beekeeping neighbors know of co-exist peaceably with their beekeeping neighbors. your plans in advance, they can shut their bees in the An important point to remember is that bees and hive the evening before pesticides are applied to limit row-crops are mutually benefi cial to one another. Despite their exposure. the fact that soybeans are self pollinated, studies have Since farm families account for only about 2% of the shown yield increases of over 15% when fi elds are in the U.S. population, misconceptions about farming abound. vicinity of managed apiaries. Honey bees also benefi t from Take time to explain why crop protections products are having soybeans on which to forage, and the crop provides important tools in maintaining the global food supply. a reliable pollen and nectar source throughout the Tell the story of modern agriculture in a positive way. summer, even when other fl owers may not be blooming. The adoption of genetically modifi ed crops has reduced As with food consumed by humans, all pollen sources insecticide use. When coupled with the improvements in are not equal in their nutritional value. Soybean pollen insecticides themselves, crop production is much safer is high quality and contains many antioxidants which for pollinators than it once was. contribute favorably to colony health. Consumption of these antioxidants helps the bees survive exposure to Check Driftwatch toxins that they may encounter while foraging. Fieldwatch is a database maintained by Purdue With these facts in mind, here are some practical tips University. Beekeepers and specialty crop growers register for soybean growers to avoid negative effects on honey their locations, and applicators can quickly check for bees and other pollinators when applying pesticides. sensitive areas when planning to apply crop protection products. Go to https://il.driftwatch.org/map and enter your location to view neighboring registrations.

60 BEE CULTURE August 2021 Always read and follow label directions management-what-are-economic-thresholds-and- As we all know, pesticide labels are the law. These how-are. If insect damage does not reach the threshold, labels are developed with protection of pollinators and application of a crop protection product will most likely the environment in mind. Be especially cautious when result in a negative ROI. Additionally, use the most applying a product that has a bee hazard label (Figure specifi c pesticide possible for the target insect. Don’t 1). Labels often recommend spraying at a time when bees apply a broad spectrum product if a more targeted one are less likely to be visiting, generally early morning or is available. late evening. Follow label instructions to limit off-target By following these simple steps, farmers can limit movement. Observe wind speed, application rate, nozzle their negative impact on honey bees and other pollinators. type and other label restrictions. This is benefi cial to all, as 35% of our food supply is dependent upon these insects. Additionally, improved Use an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach relationships with our neighbors are always desirable! BC One of the main principles of IPM is to consider the economics of a pesticide application. The This article was fi rst published on ILSoyAdvisor.com, an University of Illinois publishes economic thresholds agronomic content hub funded by the Illinois Soybean Association for common pests: https://extension.illinois.edu/ checkoff program. blogs/aroundcounty/2018-10-24-integrated-pest-

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August 2021 BEE CULTURE 61 62 BEE CULTURE August 2021 unreal drones in the apiary

Dewey Caron AgDrone courtesy HoneyComb corp

Have you ever fl own a drone? Not the live drones you fertilizers. The drones can sense leaf color variation, fi nd in your bee colony or tethered drones you might fl y at densities, crop stress, and even irrigation leaks. They a bee display but instead have ever fl own a robotic drone might even protect foraging honey bees by helping farmers or hired someone to do so? Drones, or unmanned aerial target their pesticide applications. Drones are only part of vehicles (UAV), sometimes referred to as “Bot fl ies,” were the equation. Also needed is computer support, broadly initially developed for war and espionage. Today they are termed AI (artifi cial intelligence), to analyze aerial images responsible for those breathtaking photos you see when and provide farmers with real-time data to monitor crop you open your computer. They are the best seat in the health. https://www.ordermentum.com/blog/how- house for coverage of sporting events. Real estate loves drones-computer-vision-and-ai-are-transforming-the- them. They help spot forest fi res as they start and their agricultural-industry use is expanding in research and farming. Startup companies are seeking ways to assist the Research is demonstrating how drones can help agricultural sector to expand drone use. A key is to use blueberry farmers. Flying drones can quickly spot the drones over a period of time. This will enable farmers troubled areas in a massive blueberry patch in a fraction to see changes in plant health and canopy structure of the time it would take on foot. Their use can help solve of their crop. It is not one and done. Changes can be labor shortage problems and help blueberry farmers due to insuffi cient soil nutrients, inappropriate soil improve their bottom line. “Flying robots” can fl y over a moisture, or pest attack, so ground-truthing is needed. fi eld as high or as low as needed. Equipped with cameras When a negative situation is detected, the drone then with different lens, farmers can use drones to recognize can be equipped to deliver corrective measures such as potential issues that cannot be seen by the human eye additional fertilizer or spot application of a pesticide. or easily detected from the ground. An example of a startup is Viewpoint Aerial Oregon Blueberry Commission Administrator Bryan Agriculture in Salem Oregon. Before the pandemic they Ostlund points out new technologies. He states drones started to fl y drones commercially over farms, fi tted with have become important “to help farmers lower production multi-spectral and infrared cameras to detect areas where costs and get an edge over climate change. Effi ciency crops may be experiencing stress from pests, disease or is key, and that’s what drones are all about.” In states drought. Our farmers, although having worker availability with rapidly expanding blueberry acreages of Oregon and issues with the pandemic, were reluctant to contract for Washington, David Bryla, USDA horticulturist, along the technology. To keep afl oat Viewpoint then partnered with Scott Orr, a USDA biological research technician, with Parabug, a California company, to use drones in are seeking to develop an app farmers will be able to biological pest control. They fi tted the drones with special download on their phones. The pair demonstrated drone holding cylinders to airdrop benefi cial insects into fi elds use at a blueberry pre-pandemic fi eld day hosted by to help farmers combat crop pests reducing the use of Oregon State University’s Extension Service. The audience chemical pesticides. During the rainy fall and winter, they was impressed. move to Florida to work the drones in citrus and other It is predicted that unmanned drones are a technology crops. https://www.capitalpress.com/ag_sectors/ that will continue to advance in agricultural applications. nursery/farm-drone-company-turns-to-beneficial- A camera carried by a drone enables crop farmers to insects-amid-pandemic/article_c6b1ecc8-7dd5-11eb- quickly and inexpensively capture information to identify b50d-733596f229be.html potential issues. They are especially useful in detection One giant in the ag fi eld, Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness, of cultivation issues around water, pests, soil, and a well-known prominent ag service and supply company,

August 2021 BEE CULTURE 63 Use of drones has not yet developed to the point to help beekeepers with such selections but there are still numerous uses for aerial drone service. A drone can check on apiaries to insure there is nobody bothering them, to check for colonies blown over or knocked over by irrigation booms. During winter, they can check on how the apiary is doing, saving having to go out and check. Following storms, they can likewise check to be sure all is OK in the apiary. They can be used to determine land patterns to possibly avoid an apiary site that might be fl ooded. Drones can be used to search the 8042 acres (two- Dropcopter. mile radius) your bees are currently visiting so you might better ID fl oral resources or fi nd better fl oral perhaps better known for their seeds and biocontrol opportunities. Or maybe you could use them to fi nd an benefi cial agents, are experimenting with AgDrone. This alternative apiary site since you made so many splits fl ying robot is made by startup HoneyComb Corp. of (for mite and swarm control) this year. We always need Wilsonville, Oregon. The company, started by three young another apiary site. It has been suggested they can fi nd entrepreneurs, makes a battery-powered winged drone Drone Congregation mating sites. A word of caution, equipped with visual and spectral-imagery cameras that however -- Drones can and reportedly have been used to can map fi elds and spot crop problems. Most drones have fi nd your apiary site and how you access the location to four rotors rather than fi xed wings. Wilbur-Ellis calls their enable hive thievery. Also, worker bees do not “like” the drones a critical tool in precision agriculture. drones and can be seen “attacking’ them when they are Precision Agriculture offers the opportunity for a fl own in the immediate vicinity of colonies. farmer to apply the right amount of treatment at the We know in beekeeping that drones, the real living right time and at the right location for crops/animals. variety, are critical in helping maintain stock lines. You Using drones and the support technology built into a may have heard about a new honey bee being developed computer, is an evolving tool that helps a farmer collect in Hawaii – not on the west side but in the Hilo area. timely high-resolution data. The key, in addition to the Hilo breeding site has focused on refi ning lines of bees use of drone-based sensing, is the program of highly that previously were identifi ed as having mite resistance/ sophisticated image interpretation required to interpret tolerance but were not consistently effective in controlling what the drone can sense. mites. The process produced a pool of Varroa resistant/ For beekeepers, the parallel is Precision Apiculture. tolerant bees. Drones with the same resistance/tolerance Beekeepers sample hives on a regular basis, count mites are critical to the stock improvement project. and keep records of things like seasonal weight gains The Hilo Bee project is a public-private partnership and mite numbers. Sampling is especially important developed with the USDA, Project Apis m., Hawaii before and after mite treatments to assess both treatment Island Honey Company, and Arista Bee Research. necessity and, once a control is used, to measure its Combining breeding tools and expertise in a commercial effectiveness. Drones, the real ones, can be raised and beekeeping operation, these partners have been working then eliminated before they emerge as adults, to assist to develop a honey bee that is naturally resistant/tolerant in limiting increase of mite populations in the spring. to Varroa mites with traits to be successful in commercial For many beekeepers, precision apiculture also means beekeeping. Maintaining suffi cient drone mother colonies selecting the best colonies to use to improve stock based is key. on overall colony performance. It is not just one quality Kim Flottum discussed drones in his June 2019 Bee but an overall performance; record keeping is critical for Culture editorial. He also included other perhaps more mite control and stock improvement. familiar present and future technology innovations in beekeeping. One drone technology fi rm he mentions was Dropcopter. Dropcopter reports they can help growers produce “. . . way more fruit using a drone than when using honey bees – a 25-60% pollination set on cherries and almonds and signifi cantly increasing the pollination of king blooms on applies.” King bloom provides the best apple of a blossom cluster. They also report use of their drone with pears. They operate in California, New York and Washington State. They collect dry pollen from the targeted crop and then fl y over trees in bloom to release the pollen. They use a large multi-rotor drone. They identify their service as specializing “. . . in dispensing the right pollen at the right time to the right places in an orchard to help growers achieve a better fruit set and harvest.” Bar graphics supplied show this advantage for almonds, cherries and apples. They suggest they can supply pollen to areas not covered well by rental honey bee colonies. Parabug. May Berenbaum Buzzwords columnist in American 64 BEE CULTURE August 2021 Entomologist discussed “bot fl ies” (artifi cial drones) in her summer 2019 column. She says Walmart the mega- marketer has taken out a patent on Pollinator “drones” entitled “Methods for pollinating crops via unmanned vehicles.“ According to Berenbaum, Walmart wishes “control over its future food supply chain in the post- bee-apocalypse hellscape”. Berenbaum, May. 2019. Bot- Flying. American Entomologist, 65(2), 76-78 https://doi. org/ 10.1093/ae/tmz029 The smallest drones are being investigated as substitutes for real fl ower pollinators. Harvard University Wyss Institute has developed a robot suitable for pollination. The project was funded by DARPA (Department of Defense Advanced Research Project Agency). The drone named “RoboBees “weighs less than two grams, beats its wings 120 times per second and can perch, fl y and swim but still can’t navigate around other fl ying objects.” That might limit their fi eld-worthiness. https://wyss. harvard.edu/technology/robobees-autonomous- fl ying-microrobots/ The Robo-Bee website calls their microbots “Insect- inspired robots with potential uses in crop pollination, search and rescue missions, surveillance, as well as high-resolution weather, climate, and environmental monitoring”. With a slightly greater than one inch Ready to fl y. wingspan, RoboBee, which took 12 years to develop, is the smallest man-made device modeled on an insect to problems caused by declining honey bee populations”. achieve fl ight. Currently it is controlled with a tether Chechetka. S.A. et al. 2017. Materially engineered line, but further development is seeking to make fl ight artifi cial pollinators. Chem 2(2):224-239. http://www. completely independent. cell.com/chem/fulltext/S2451-9294(17)30032-3 Eijiro Miyako, a chemist at Japan’s National Institute It is intriguing to think that maybe the pear growers of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) of southern China that rely on humans with chicken Nanomaterial Research Institute, demonstrated use of feather staffs might someday be replaced by artifi cial an artifi cial 4X4 cm (slightly more than 1½ inches) sized drone pollinators. What will be the cost-point of this drone to move pollen from one fl ower to another. He technology replacing human/bee pollinators? Currently simulated the bee’s hairy skin by using horse hair coated the growers fi nd human pollinators less expensive than with a gel. The drone hovered over pink-leaved Japanese rental of bee colonies for the necessary pollination. lilies (Lilium japonicum), to attract and hold the pollen and Technology is expensive and RoboBees and other drones then fl own to a second fl ower, where grains were deposited are no exception. accomplishing artificial pollination. Control drones Where the development of artifi cial fl ying drones (without the gel and hair) did not pollinate. Dr Miyako will eventually go is not clear. What is clear is they have states that “the fi ndings, which will have applications for the potential to change how farmers and eventually agriculture and robotics, among others, could lead to the beekeepers do business. Stay tuned for further development of artifi cial pollinators and help counter the developments in artifi cial drone technology. BC

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August 2021 BEE CULTURE 67 Minding Your Bees And Cues ene c iersi ca on and racin eslts Becky Masterman & Bridget Mendel

So you’re a new beekeeper and behavioral traits like increased honey time, so you will have to wait a few need to purchase a new queen (Who production, gentleness, resistance to years to add these bees to your squashed the old one? Defi nitely not diseases and pests. Some researchers apiary. you). You are presented with various are digging into the DNA of some What else should you consider choices: you could get an Italian or of these lines to determine the when selecting queen stock? We Carniolan, a Saskatraz or a Buckfast genetic diversity of these stocks and love the way Italian bees brood up queen. We get a lot of questions from identify important traits (Saelao et in cold Minnesota springs, despite a new beekeepers about what kind al., 2020). Others select colonies serious lack of fl owers. Italian bees of queens to invest in, or where to that display particular behavioral are kind of like Minnesotans who will purchase those queens. And the traits that confer disease or mite immediately head for a rooftop bar in answer is complicated, because it’s resistance, like hygienic behavior a tank top on that one day the temps beekeeping. (like the MN Hygienic bees that were graze 50 degrees at the highest, even Genetics matter, but subtly. bred by Dr. Marla Spivak and Gary though there’s snow in the forecast. It’s like playing the guitar. Plenty of Reuter at the University of Minnesota They. Are. Ready. guitar nerds will recommend bidding Bee Lab in the 1990’s) and Varroa But we also love the more on Jerry Garcia’s “Tiger” guitar at Sensitive Hygiene (VSH; bred for conservative Carniolan bees who auction, but if you haven’t mastered Varroa resistance by the USDA-ARS tend to be keyed into our Minnesota’s your basic chords, the guitar you Bee Breeding lab in Baton Rouge, erratic spring weather: they will play isn’t going to matter much. Louisiana) or grooming behavior shut down brood production if Beekeeping is a total collaboration (“Ankle biters”, bred for Varroa the weather turns cold, and even between bees and beekeeper, and the resistance at Purdue University). The cannibalize their larvae waiting for nuances of different stock matters goal of these bred lines of bees is to warmer days. In fact, Carniolans can more as a beekeepers’ experience and decrease your need to use chemicals look queenless when they go from skills grow. in your hives (see links below for more brood to broodless, but really they When we are talking about bee information). are just being effi cient with resource stocks, we mean genetics. There Before you set out to fi nd the management. It is okay to hedge your are different subspecies or races of one perfect bee stock for your area bets with different stocks of bees that honey bees, like Italian, Carniolan, and operation, we suggest you don’t perform differently, allowing for some and Caucasian (Delaplane, 2007). search for a single perfect bee line success whether the weather. There are also genetic lines or for your apiary. Your apiary isn’t stocks of bees that have been bred static, so depending on the season’s Sourcing Queens from any subspecies for specific weather, nectar flows, or disease There are many ways to source pressures, the perfect bee for your queen bees. Understanding these apiary is subject to change. Stocking options will help you put together a your apiary with multiple queen solid, well-performing bee portfolio. sources spreads your risks among Professional queen breeders use different genetic traits. For an easy- inseminated queens for their grafting to-read chart of some of the different operations. This process controls bee stocks available, check out the both the genetic stock of the mothers article by Dr. David Tarpy referenced (queens) and fathers (drones). at the end of this article. Inseminated queens are expensive While you can’t have the perfect and are ideal for queen breeders bee, we do suggest that you research and researchers who want the most traits and have a list of them that control over their bee genes. you want checked off when selecting Some queen breeders sell both queen stock. Defi nitely put disease queen cells and mated queens. and pest resistance at the top of Commercial beekeepers who produce your list; it’s a crazy world out there. queens also maintain multiple gene We are excited about Spivak’s new stocks in their operations. Another breeding program that reinvests in advantage to the professional queen natural disease and pest resistance producer is that they are able to fl ood by focusing on traits like propolis mating areas with drones in order to collection, low mite population control the genetic contributions of Three-day-old queen cells. Photo by Dan- both the queens and the drones even iel Whitney, Whitney Lone Star Queen growth over the season, and hygienic Co. behavior. Breeding programs take without using artifi cial insemination. 68 BEE CULTURE August 2021 you can invest in a diverse set of References bricks and rocks that allow you to Delaplane, Keith S. (2007) First Lessons in track multiple traits (highly NOT Beekeeping reproduced with permission recommended) or you can join the by the publishers Dadant & Sons, Bee Informed Partnership’s Sentinel Hamilton, Illinois, USA, Copyright Apiary Program and let them get you https://beehealth.extension.org/ started with some accountability. subspecies-the-place-of-honey-bees- There are also great tracking programs in-the-world/ like HiveTracks (www.hivetracks. Tarpy, David (2016) https://content. com), that will help you keep track ces.ncsu.edu/the-different-types- of how different queen stocks fare in of-honey-bees Saelao, Perot; Simone- your apiary. Bricks and rocks on top Finstrom, Michael; Avalos, Arian; of your colonies is not a good way to Bilodeau, Lelania; Danka, Robert; track traits; writing things down or de Guzman, Lilia ; Rinkevich, Frank; logging colony information into an Tokarz, Philip (2020) LONDON: BMC app is the only way to really gather BMC genomics. Genome-wide patterns reliable information. of differentiation within and among US The goal of tracking is to commercial honey bee stocks Vol.21 understand how different bees (1), p.704-704 Commercial queen breeders rely on perform under the different Minnesota Hygienic Bees: https:// healthy, well fed and populous colonies environmental conditions (like the www.beelab.umn.edu/https%3A/ to rear grafted queens. Daniel Whitney behavioral differences of Italian www.beelab.umn.edu/honey-bees/ photo and Carniolan stock differ in a cold publications DIY beekeepers might just want spring); to note any supercedures Varroa Sensitive Hygiene Bees: https:// to raise their own queens. Whether or swarms (so you know what you beehealth.extension.org/varroa- you learn to graft your own queens or are tracking), and closely monitor sensitive-hygiene-and-mite- incorporate walk away splits into your diseases and pests. Tracking your reproduction/ operation, there are some advantages queens from the beekeeping get-go Purdue Ankle Biters: https://extension. and disadvantages. You will save sets you up for a future of geeking entm.purdue.edu/beehive/our- money and if you are letting the out on stocks and genetics ( https:// breeding-program/ bees raise their own queens via walk carolinahoneybees.com/mark- away splits, you will be incorporating your-queen-bee/). And yes, naming Acknowledgement a nice brood break which can help individual queens after Game of The authors would like to thank with Varroa management. The Thrones characters is appropriate for Dr. Marla Spivak for helpful edits and disadvantages include your inability most beekeepers (see list of queens suggestions. We are grateful to Daniel to control the genetic contributions past and present below https:// Whitney and John Miller for their queen of area drones, which depending on gameofthrones.fandom.com/wiki/ breeding insights. your apiary locations can be quite Category:Queens). BC limited. You also need to have a Authors larger apiary to solve queenlessness Becky Masterman led the UMN Bee should your rearing or mating efforts Squad from 2013-2019 and currently fail. One way to combat at least alternates between acting as an advisor some of these issues is to create a and worker bee for the program. Bridget bee network like the one organized Mendel joined the Bee Squad in 2013 and by Dr. Meghan Milbrath of Sand Hill has led the program since 2020. Photos Bees and Michigan State University. of Becky (left) and Bridget (right) each Milbrath’s Northern Bee Network demonstrating why meticulous notetaking (http://northernbeenetwork.org/) is is the best way to track your colonies. centered in Michigan, but there are Both of these hives need more supers. members from other Northern states. One of the goals of this network is to make local queens and bees available for sale or exchange. It’s a great way to support local queen breeders while incorporating locally-adapted genetics into your operation.

Tracking Stock Excellent record keeping is the key to tracking the queen stock that you use in your apiary, allowing you to learn what works and doesn’t work for you. Painting queens is helpful [include national colors below, or

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70 BEE CULTURE August 2021 Preparing Honey For Market Honey Processing

When it comes to processing Removal of honey without destroying machines that mechanically uncap honey, beekeepers have it relatively the comb allows the bees to reuse each frame to manual methods easy. The bees do the lion’s share of the frames of honeycomb, and allows such as the uncapping knife or the the work. beekeepers to harvest honey without capping scratcher (aka uncapping They gather the nectar, convert destroying the comb or the hive. fork). An uncapping knife with a the disaccharide sucrose into The comb is the furniture, serrated edge is the best way to primarily monosaccharides of pantry, nursery, and communication effectively remove cappings by hand glucose and fructose, and drive off aid that makes up the honey bees’ and without heat. The handle of the the moisture so the water content home and represents a substantial uncapping knife should be offset is below about 18 percent. Honey is investment on the part of the hive in and the blade long enough so that the only sweetener we use that can terms of time, labor, and resources. each end of the knife will ride along be eaten and enjoyed directly after It is estimated that worker bees the bottom and top bar of each harvesting. All other sweeteners must consume approximately seven frame, helping to guide the cut and require signifi cant processing often to eight pounds of honey for every prevent gouging into the delicate using energy intensive (and green- single pound of beeswax that they combs. Care must be taken to hold house gas producing) methods to excrete through their wax glands. the knife at the appropriate angle render a fi nal product. The only Aside from sacrifi cing some of the so that the blade will not shave off processing honey requires is to make honey harvest to allow combs to be parts of the wooden components the honey fi lled combs acceptable for built, the beekeeper’s investment lies of the frame like a wood planer. To marketing, or to separate the honey in the cost of acquiring foundation increase the ease of the uncapping from the comb and maybe fi lter it in and inserting it into each frame, process, some beekeepers will dip order to package the liquid honey for or repeated timely inspections to their knife into hot water to heat the marketplace. ensure foundationless frames are the blade. Others will invest in In the old days, hives were killed being drawn out straight within an electrically heated uncapping off and the harvested honeycomb the frame and not curved or cross- knife. The uncapping fork comes in was squeezed by hand to separate combed. handy for removing cappings from the honey from the wax. While Before frames of ripe honey the areas of comb that the bees do inexpensive, it was a very ineffi cient sealed neatly within the comb can not draw out past the edges of the and messy job. Today, extracting be extracted, the wax cappings must wooden parts of each frame. machines effi ciently remove honey fi rst be removed so that the honey In large operations when using centrifugal force in much the contained in each cell can fl ow out extremely high numbers of same way that water is forced out of freely. Ways of uncapping frames supers need to be extracted, a clothing in our washing machines. of honey range from the use of large automated electric-powered

Ross Conrad

Remember to keep your ﬁ ngers well out of the path of the blade when using an uncapping knife."

August 2021 BEE CULTURE 71  When extracted honey is shelf for a much longer period than stored in a settling tank, unheated honey before crystallizing, wax and other hive and because it is clear, it is typically components in the honey will fl oat to the top of the fi ltered to remove the tiny particles tank. By rigging up settling of pollen, propolis, and beeswax that tanks to each other in series may have entered the honey during so that the clean honey the extraction process. Not only moves up a tube from the bottom of each tank before do these minute particles detract running over to the next from the clarity of the fi nal product, tank, the wax gets left but they also act as nuclei around behind and the extracted which crystals may form, speeding honey gets progressively up the crystallization process and cleaner and cleaner. Very little wax will make it to shortening the shelf life of the liquid the third tank in this photo, honey. Non-fi ltered honey preserves allowing almost all the the nutritional and medicinal honey in the fi nal tank to be benefi ts that the bits of pollen, bottled without the need to use a sieve or fi lter. beeswax, and propolis impart to the fi nal product. As a result, most uncapping machine helps keep Honey can crystallize, wax worms natural and organic honey that is one’s wrists from tiring out, can get into the combs, or even available will be unheated and not although there are smaller, less worse, small hive beetle larvae can fi ltered and therefore crystallized, expensive models designed for ruin the entire honey crop. If stored with the exception being honey backyard and sideline beekeepers. in a place with high humidity, the that has been freshly harvested The decision whether to use moisture content of the honey may and honey from fl oral sources that deep supers, shallow or medium rise leading to fermentation. naturally resist crystallization, such supers to collect and harvest the Once honey extracting as Tupelo honey or Sourwood. honey is a personal one that each commences, variables such as While not necessary for taste beekeeper has to make for him- or temperature and the types of or storage, honey being prepared herself. In terms of strict effi ciency, materials that are allowed to come for market has the majority of the choice is simple. The deeper the in contact with the honey become the beeswax, pollen, and propolis honey super, the more honey it will important factors. As with all good removed from the honey. To do this hold and the faster the honey will production practices, uncapping, without using heat, a screen or sieve be extracted, since it takes about extracting, and bottling equipment can be used. However, running the same amount of time to uncap must be clean and free of foreign honey through a sieve can be a slow a shallow frame and run it through materials and debris prior to use. process, and when harvesting large an extractor as it does a deep frame Resist the temptation to get by with amounts of honey, settling tanks especially when uncapping by cheap plastic or metal materials and are the preferred method of making machine. equipment. Plastics can leach and the fi nal product presentable if On the other hand, the larger off-gas toxic chemicals and many one is not heating and fi ltering the the super, the heavier it will be metals will react with honey and can honey. As honey sits, miscellaneous when fi lled by the bees with the contaminate it. Stainless steel, food- hive material that has found its ambrosial gifts of their labor. Today, grade plastic, and other food-grade way into the honey will slowly rise bee supply companies promote materials must be utilized to reduce to the surface, where it will fl oat. smaller boxes that hold a maximum the possibility of compromising The relatively clear honey at the of eight frames as an alternative for the harvest’s integrity. In keeping bottom of the tank can then be those who wish to save their backs. with this train of thought, the drawn off and bottled. This process Whether you choose to utilize eight- temperature that honey is exposed is slow however, which is why most frame or ten-frame hive bodies and to should not exceed the 95° to commercial beekeepers will fi lter supers, I strongly recommend that 120°F (35° to 49°C) range. This is the honey and use a machine that once you have made your choice because all the enzymes in honey are separates the cappings wax from the you stick with one type or the other. adversely affected at temperatures honey rather than relying on gravity. Otherwise, the day will inevitably approaching 120°F, and high No matter how you decide to go come when you fi nd yourself temperatures will affect the honey’s about it, processing honey is a sticky needing a hive body or super for an color and fl avor. This temperature job. Just resist the temptation to eight-frame hive, and the only empty recommendation refers to the lick your fi ngers and not wash them equipment you have available to use temperature range of uncapping before you stick them back into the is made for ten frames, or vice versa. and bottling equipment, not room honey. BC Once the honey is removed from temperature. Room temperatures the hive and ready for extracting below 70 may cause the honey to Ross Conrad is the author of Natural the sooner it is processed the cool and thicken so it does not run Beekeeping: Organic approaches to better. There are a lot of problems out of the combs as readily which modern apiculture and co-author of The that can crop up and plague the slows down the extracting process. Land of Milk and Honey: A history of procrastinating beekeeper that Conventional honey that has beekeeping in Vermont. leaves honey supers sitting around. been heated will stay liquid on the

72 BEE CULTURE August 2021 August 2021 BEE CULTURE 73 A Closer Look Basic Honey Bee Biology

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Clarence H. Collison July74 2018 BEEBEE CULTURE CULTURE August 202165 WHOLESOME Alexandra Nastasa REMEDIES Somewhere in a Dutch laboratory, bees are report- chemical as yet unknown), the iridoid glycoside catalpol, edly being trained to test for COVID-19. Coaxed into as well as the alkaloids anabasine and gelsemine, have smelling samples, they’re rewarded for positive identifi - been shown to reduce loads of Crithidia bombi, an intes- cation with sugar syrup in a textbook effort to harness tinal parasite (Adler et al. 2020, Richardson et al. 2015, animal senses using classical conditioning (InsectSense Schmitt et al. 2021). Coumaric acid had antimicrobial and Wageningen Bioveterinary Research 2021). It’s just effects on American foulbrood without being overly toxic the newest in a string of attempts to reap medical wis- to honey bees (Szawarski et al. 2020). Honey bee sur- dom from the animal world stretching back throughout vival of Israeli acute paralysis virus was improved by human history, attempts that have often been dazzling dosing with caffeine at naturally occurring levels, and successes. But before we turn to the (unspecifi ed) bees a mixture of caffeine and arginine was shown to even to solve our human health problems, there are fi rst improve honey bee learning (Hsieh 2020, Marchi et al. questions to be asked about the medical wisdom (or fol- 2021). Many of these studies have also confi rmed the ly) of bees when it comes to their own health. toxic effects of these compounds in higher concentra- Medication is an integral part of the modern human tions or in the absence of a pathogen. However, evidence experience. From the occasional Advil before a physical- for the fi rst criterion of self-medication – the most im- ly demanding dance performance to lifesaving insulin, portant – is lacking. Pathogen-dependent bee choice of human beings have developed therapeutics that change nectar or pollen has not, thus far, been confi rmed in the way our bodies interact with problems and patho- scientifi c publications. gens that might otherwise have been incapacitating – Although many studies of medicinal phytochemicals and we aren’t the only animals to do so. Scientists de- have tested for bee choice, the majority have failed to fi ne self-medication in the animal kingdom according to fi nd any signifi cant preference and few results actual- these rules: 1. the medicine is purposely sought out; 2. ly support its existence. One study found an increased the medicine hurts the pathogen; 3. the medicine helps likelihood of a second visit to a fl ower containing high- the animal; and (somewhat debatably) 4. in the absence er concentrations of a medicinal compound in bumble- of illness, the medicine hurts the animal, creating a bees parasitized by Crithidia bombi (Richardson et al. trade-off (Spivak et al. 2019). When it comes to euso- 2016). Another found that nurse honey bees infected cial animals like honey bees and bumblebees, howev- with Nosema ceranae regularly chose sunfl ower honey er, the question of self-medication is complicated by the over sugar syrup and other honey options, while healthy group structure of a hive. Unlike most animals generally nurse bees did not show the same preference (Gherman discussed when talking about self-medication (such as et al. 2014). These fi ndings, in particular the second, primates, birds, and elephants), the functional unit of are promising indicators that honey bees may be able to these species is not the individual but rather the hive, make strategic choices based on their health and medi- and this leads to shifting defi nitions of cost and benefi t: cate themselves, or in the case of nurse bees, even those to the part, and to the whole. around them, but they are not, on their own, conclusive On an individual bee level, self-medication in hon- evidence of honey bees seeking out or having an under- ey and bumblebees makes plenty of sense. The primary standing of medication, especially since far more choice sources of nutrition for bees, nectar and honey, have assays have failed to show a pathogen-dependent effect. been shown to have vast assortments of active proteins, The lack of cooperation (or perhaps the outright lack volatiles and other phytochemicals that vary between of self-medication instincts) on the part of individual plant species, and both honey and bumblebees should bees suggests that an interrogation of social immunity be able to detect potential medicines in these nectars and medication might be more successful. Eusocial bee and pollens even at low concentrations, due to their sen- behaviour frequently supports a “hive over individual” sitive sense of smell (Schmitt et al. 2021). Honey bees mentality in defensive behaviours like self-sacrifi cial are also known to remember the location of quality fl o- stinging, and social immunity behaviours like hygien- ral resources and could likely remember more specifi c ic behaviour. And the potential for social medication characteristics of these resources. In other words, all among honey bees in particular is high; honey storage the equipment is there; the trouble appears to be that is often well-organized by nectar source and can be ac- the bees refuse to be seen using it. cessed and used on larvae, young adults, queens, and Over the last decade (and stretching back several drones by nurse bees, providing the perfect vehicle for more), numerous papers have characterized the effects medicating most of the hive, provided the nurse bees of naturally occurring plant compounds on various bee can differentiate between the honeys and select for cer- pathogens. In bumblebees, sunfl ower pollen (specifi c tain characteristics, which there is some evidence for (Erler and Moritz 2016, Gherman et al. 2014). The closely shared space of a bee hive also makes these sorts of Reprinted with thanks to BeeScene and the BC Honey Produc- social immunity behaviours vital to hive survival, since ers.

August 2021 BEE CULTURE 75 the proximity and genetic similarity of Gherman, B. I., Denner, A., Bobiş, O. et al. the bees would otherwise make them (2014). Pathogen-associated self-medication extremely susceptible to disease and behavior in the honeybee. Apis mellifera. Be- parasites (Spivak et al. 2019). hav Ecol Sociobiol, 68: 1777–1784. One well-known strategy that Hsieh, E. M., Berenbaum, M. R., and Dolezal, bees use to reduce the spread of A. G. (2020). Ameliorative Effects of Phyto- pathogens in such close quarters is chemical Ingestion on Viral Infection in Honey propolis, which acts as a sort of blan- Bees. Insects, 11: 698. ket antibiotic, partially sterilizing the InsectSense and Wageningen Bioveterinary hive environment (Simone-Finstrom Research (2021). Training bees to smell the and Spivak 2012). Multiple species of coronavirus. https://www.wur.nl/en/Re- eusocial bees, including the Western honey bee, have search-Results/Research-Institutes/Bioveterinary-Research/ signifi cantly reduced immune activity in the presence show-bvr/Training-bees-to-smell-the-coronavirus.htm of more propolis, suggesting that propolis acts a little Marchi I. L., Palottini F., and Farina W. M. (2021). Combined like an external immune system protecting the whole secondary compounds naturally found in nectars enhance hon- hive (Pusceddu et al. 2019). Bees fed propolis have also eybee cognition and survival. J Exp Biol., 224(6): jeb239616. shown decreased pathogen loads, although so far there Mura, A., Pusceddu, M., Theodorou, P., et al. (2020). Propolis is little evidence that bees ever purposefully eat propo- Consumption Reduces Nosema ceranae Infection of European lis, except accidentally while consuming pollen (Mura et Honey Bees (Apis mellifera). Insects, 11: 124. al. 2020). Most excitingly, however, propolis is the most Pusceddu, M., Piluzza, G., Theodorou, P., et al. (2019). Resin convincing avenue for social medication. Propolis gath- foraging dynamics in Varroa destructor-infested hives: a case ering in hives was shown to increase due to both in- of medication of kin? Insect Sci., 26(2): 297-310. creased Varroa mite counts and chalkbrood (Pusceddu Richardson L. L., Adler L. S., Leonard A. S., et al. (2015). Sec- et al. 2019, Simone-Finstrom and Spivak 2012). This ondary metabolites in fl oral nectar reduce parasite infections in bumblebees , behaviour was a clear response to the hive’s condition . Proc. R. Soc. B 282: 20142471. and reduced the number of pollen foragers available to Richardson, L. L., Bowers, M. D., and Irwin, R. E. (2016). Nectar the hive, which can be considered a negative side ef- chemistry mediates the behavior of parasitized bees: conse- fect, while also causing a decrease in the hives’ patho- quences for plant fi tness. Ecology, 97(2): 325–337. gen loads (Erler and Moritz 2016, Simone-Finstrom and Schmitt, A., Roy, R., and Carter, C. J. (2021). Nectar antimicrobial Spivak 2012). The propolis gathering response fulfi lls all compounds and their potential effects on pollinators. Current four requirements for “self”-medication, provided that Opinion in Insect Science, 44: 55–63. we consider the whole hive the “self”. Simone-Finstrom, M.D., and Spivak, M. (2012). Increased Resin Although propolis gathering is not as recognizable Collection after Parasite Challenge: A Case of Self-Medication a form of “medication” as seeking out therapeutic nec- in Honey Bees? PLoS ONE, 7(3): e34601. tars might be, medication in the human world can also Spivak, M., Goblirsch, M., and Simone-Finstrom, M. (2019). involve a variety of creams, sprays, environment adjust- Social-medication in bees: the line between individual and so- ments, etc. The intention shown in increased propolis cial regulation. Current Opinion in Insect Science, 33: 49-55. gathering to control outbreaks in the hive is still fasci- Szawarski, N., Giménez-Martínez, P., Mitton, G. et al. (2020). nating, and further reinforces a “superorganism” way of Short communication: Antimicrobial activity of indoleacetic, gib- thinking about eusocial bee behaviour because it tack- berellic and coumaric acids against Paenibacillus larvae and its les the needs of the hive over those of the individual. As toxicity against Apis mellifera. Spanish Journal of Agricultural for the nectars, pollens, and honeys, research is ongoing Research, 18(1): e05SC01. and the articles reviewed here are by no means exhaus- tive. Each compound found to improve bee health is another potential candidate for less harmful therapeutics beekeepers might be able to treat hives with in the future, even if the bees do not seek them out themselves. The question of bee self-medication is still understudied, but expanding it to include social medication can only improve our ability to understand eusocial bee de- fenses. And although the usefulness of bees in sniffi ng Made in MAINE Quantity Pricing Available! out COVID-19 is still up in the air, the lessons we can learn about how to protect a highly social community are perhaps worth a listen. BC • Frames • Boxes References • Outer Covers Manufacturers of Quality • Bottom Boards Adler, L. S., Fowler, A. E., Malfi , R. L. et al. (2020). Assessing • Nuc Boxes Chemical Mechanisms Underlying the Effects of Sunfl ower Apiary Woodenware Pollen on a Gut Pathogen in Bumble Bees. J Chem Ecol, 46: Try our budget frames & boxes today! 1-877-4-BEE-BOX 649–658. We think you’ll be pleased. (1-877-423-3269) Erler, S. and Moritz, R. F. A. (2016). 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August 2021 BEE CULTURE 77 One way to counter this resistance is to add elements C S E to solar farms that provide additional benefi ts for the local community. A novel approach is the replacement of onsite gravel or turf with well-planned landscaping F P intended to add conservation or economic value. Pollinator conservation requires adding fl owering vegetation and nesting habitat back to the landscape (Goulson et al. C? 2015). The native, perennial, fl owering plants of the Midwest are attractive to both wild and managed bees Adam G. Dolezal1, Jacob Torres1, and (Tuell et al. 2008), and when planted in a mixture (Gill 2,3 et al. 2014), increases the abundance of pollinators Matthew E. O’Neal , throughout the growing season. Adding fl owering plants to solar farms could provide much-needed forage for Abstract native bees which are in decline throughout the United As the expansion of solar power spreads through States (Koh et al. 2016). much of the United States, members of the solar The addition of native, fl owering vegetation could industry are working to change how solar energy also expand the use of solar farms for agriculture, or facilities are designed and presented to the public. This ‘agrivoltaics’, in which land developed for solar energy includes the addition of habitat to conserve pollinators. generation is concurrently used for farming (Dinesh We highlight and discuss ongoing efforts to couple solar and Pearce 2016). This can include planting shade- energy production with pollinator conservation, noting tolerant crops under panels or allowing certain livestock recent legal defi nitions of these practices. We summarize to forage within a solar farm (e.g., sheep). Incentivizing key studies from the fi eld of ecology, bee conservation, a ‘pollinator-friendly’ habitat for the conservation of and our experience working with members of the solar nonmanaged, native pollinators can support an agrivoltaic industry (e.g., contribution to legislation defining practice by contributing to more sustainable beekeeping. solar pollinator habitat). Several recently published Honey production has declined over the last two decades studies that employed similar practices to those (Sowell 2020), thought to be related to the transformation proposed for solar developments reveal features that of foraging habitat for corn and soybean agriculture (Otto should be replicated and encouraged by the industry. et al. 2016). Even in areas with pollinator-dependent These results suggest the addition of native, perennial crops that are a floral resource for honey bees, a fl owering vegetation will promote wild bee conservation dearth of forage occurs before and after crop anthesis. and more sustainable honey beekeeping. Going forward, Providing honey bees access to a location with plants there is a need for oversight and future research to that fl ower at key points in a growing season, like when avoid the misapplication of this promising but as of yet the surrounding crops cease fl owering, has been shown untested practice of coupling solar energy production to be a valuable contribution to beekeeping (Dolezal with pollinator- friendly habitat. We conclude with best et al. 2019). Expanding the defi nition of agrivoltiacs to practices for the implementation of these additions to include beekeeping would add a form of agriculture that realize conservation and agricultural benefi ts. produces a product (honey) that reveals the quantifi able benefi ts of the fl owering plants. While some small solar Key words: pollinator conservation, sustainability, establishments may not provide suffi cient fl owering renewable resources resources to signifi cantly affect honey production, others are seeing implementation at a very large scale. For Land dedicated to solar energy production continues example, the Aurora Solar farm in Minnesota spans over to increase as solar energy becomes more competitive with 1000 acres (Swinterton Renewable Energy 2021), and 15 nonrenewable sources (Anon. A. 2020). Solar developers developments of at least this size are currently planned buy or lease land accessible to the existing energy grid; or in progress in Indiana (Weaver 2021). In addition to in addition to technical concerns, this need presents increased honey production, diverse sources of pollen other hurdles. Solar developments composed of gravel have been shown to improve the response of honey bees or mowed turf grass surrounded by security fencing (Fig. to pathogens (DiPasquale et al. 2013, Dolezal et al. 2019), 1) increase ambient temperature (Barron-Gafford et al. and could help reduce colony losses and thus improve 2016) and are considered unsightly by the public. These profi tability and sustainability. factors invoke ‘not in my backyard’ (NIMBY) opposition Adding pollinator habitat can appeal to communities to the expansion of solar into urban or suburban areas that value conservation or agricultural production. These (Larson and Krannich 2016). Resistance can also be high two activities may be in confl ict, with growing evidence in rural areas, where the removal of land for agricultural revealing that wild pollinators and managed honey bee use will have economic impacts, especially where farmers hives compete for resources and share pathogens rent land for production. Ignoring environmental and (Mallinger et al. 2017). We have recently observed this social considerations produces unhappy communities, in Iowa prairies, where honey bee viruses are frequently generates negative media attention, increases costs, and found across many bee species (Dolezal et al. 2016), and can eventually derail solar development. an increase in viral infections occurred in Bombus spp. when managed honey bees were present (Pritchard et al. 1University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 320 Morrill Hall, 505 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA 2021). To what extent this may occur at a solar farm 2Iowa State University, 2003 ATRB, 2213 Pammel Drive, Ames, IA 50011, USA, is unclear, especially when the surrounding landscape 3Corresponding author, e-mail: [email protected] no longer offers fl owering resources. Ultimately, the risk

78 BEE CULTURE August 2021 of this interaction should be considered by the project managers and the local community. The decision to use a solar farm for wild bee conservation or apiculture will likely vary by site and the local community’s needs. If conservation is a goal, the potential costs to wild pollinators could be minimized by limiting access to managed honey bees. Regardless of which pollinators benefi t, the cost of this habitat is a small portion of the overall solar development budget with benefi ts that may affect energy production. The vegetation may improve solar effi ciency (Barron-Gafford et al. 2016) by reducing the ambient air temperature under solar panels. Figure 1. Top left – a conventional solar farm with gravel sub- While the addition of fl owering plants is an intuitive strate (Anon 2020). Bottom left – mature pollinator-friendly solar approach for pollinator conservation and has been farm. Right – solar farm with a honey bee apiary (photo credit, adopted by some solar farms (Fig. 1), we lack empirical Dennis Schroeder, National Renewable Energy Laboratory). evidence of the impact these farms may have on pollinator diversity, abundance, and honey bee productivity. Despite this defi ciency, we discuss several examples where habitat cover >1000 acres. One of these is planned to cover was added back into agricultural landscapes, resulting approximately 4500 acres (Weaver 2021); if planted with in a positive response by wild pollinators and honey pollinator habitat, this one development will provide bees. We recommend that the shared basic principles of almost as much habitat specifi cally for pollinators as the these success stories be adopted by the solar industry, entire state’s CP42 enrollment, which is at 5309 acres as noting key aspects for future investigations to ensure of 2020. In Minnesota, the North Star Solar project is the anticipated improvements of linking solar farms to already in place, covering approximately 1000 acres with pollinator conservation are realized. on-site pollinator habitat (Swinerton Renewable Energy Can solar energy increase land for pollinator 2021). This site alone covers more than 6.5% of all CP42 conservation? Research-based recommendations for plantings in Minnesota for 2020 (14,982 acres). Thus, if achieving conservation goals within working landscapes even a fraction of the land allotted to future developments indicate a need for restoring a signifi cant area with can be planted with effective pollinator habitat, these communities of native plants. However, transforming contributions could be substantial. privately-owned land from agricultural production Habitat enrolled in CRP is valuable for pollinators, to conservation is challenging as landowners require but when commodity prices increase and crop production compensation to justify this conversion. Federal becomes more profi table, the 10–15 year contracts that conservation initiatives, like the USDA Conservation support these practices can be broken or not renewed Reserve Program (CRP), provide economic incentives for (Secchi et al. 2010). Solar developers, on the other hand, this transformation, but are publicly funded and with follow other energy producers (Ziegler et al. 2018) using goals that are broader than pollinator conservation. private capital to lease land through long-term contracts The CRP program is comprised of many different with landowners. This compensation can exceed that conservation practice (CP) programs, including native provided by public initiatives (on a per-acre basis), grasses (CP2), shallow water for wildlife (CP9), contour representing an attractive pathway to privately-funded grass strips (CP15), fi lter strips (CP21), wetlands (CP30), land conversion. To what extent solar farms will add to and various tree plantings (e.g., CP3) (U.S. Department publically-funded attempts to conserve pollinators is of Agriculture (B) et al. 2021). While several of these not clear, as there is the potential to replace land in CRP may provide resources and habitat for pollinators, and with future solar developments. If solar farms are placed at least one (prairie strips, CP43) has been confi rmed within land currently enrolled in CRP, there is the risk to increase pollinator abundance and diversity (Schulte that there could be a net loss in habitat for pollinators. Moore et al. 2017, Kordbacheh et al. 2020), only CP42 We recommend that pollinator-friendly solar farms not (‘Pollinator Habitat Planting’) is explicitly designed for be a replacement for CRP but rather a supplement to pollinator conservation. As of 2020, CP42 made up only increase the amount of land available for conservation. around 2% of all CRP land (505,395 acres from a total While solar energy is rapidly expanding (Wintle et al. of 21,950,920 acres) (U.S. Department of Agriculture (C) 2019), land dedicated to these developments will remain et al. 2021). While land enrolled in CRP peaked in 2006 small relative to commodity crops (e.g., corn, soybean at 36 million acres, it has fallen to just under 22 million – each projected to be planted on more than 90 million acres as of 2020 (U.S. Department of Agriculture (A) acres of the United States in 2021 [U.S. Department of et al. 2021). This reduction has been linked to increases in Agriculture (D) et al. 2021]). Can small pollinator habitat corn cultivation driven by previous incentives to support enhancements scattered through a matrix dominated renewable fuel production (i.e., ethanol; Hart 2015, Otto by agriculture make a meaningful contribution? An et al. 2016). Therefore, there is a critical need for other inference drawn from island biogeography theory is mechanisms to facilitate conservation practices. that a single large area will provide greater conservation With many states experiencing expansions in the value than several smaller areas (Diamond 1975). acreage covered by solar facilities, these have the potential However, a recent synthesis of literature spanning four to rival and exceed the amount of pollinator habitat added continents revealed unexpected value to plant and animal by CP42. Currently, Indiana has at least 15 planned conservation in preserving or restoring small (2½ acres) solar energy farms in development, each projected to patches of native habitat when surrounded by cleared

August 2021 BEE CULTURE 79  or degraded areas (Wintle et al. 2019). This provides practiced, they could provide important connections quantitative support that the thoughtful development of with existing conservation practices. Established solar small patches of habitat, especially in regions committed farms could be a valuable addition to existing practices to agriculture where little native habitat remains, can supported by CRP, like prairie strips (CP43), pollinator attain conservation goals. While the impacts of pollinator- habitat (CP42), and nongovernmental organization friendly solar farms are still unknown, predictions can be efforts to conserve pollinators and Monarch butterfl ies. made by evaluating similarly-sized habitats containing By actively modifying the habitat within and around native, perennial fl owering vegetation within agricultural solar farms, this addition to the landscape could be part landscapes. of a larger plan to improve habitat availability through Achieving pollinator conservation through re-integration a mixture of public and private funding, i.e., as part of of native vegetation: Lessons from the Heartland. a land-sharing approach that fi lls gaps and improves Recognition that pollinators suffer from nutritional connectivity (Grass et al. 2019). deprivation and habitat restriction has led researchers, What are the administrative challenges? Currently, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations some US states administer the definition of solar to encourage the reintroduction of fl oral resources into pollinator habitat through a ‘scorecard’ system providing disturbed landscapes. Focusing on native species can defi ned standards (Fig. 2, Box A). This approach ‘scores’ reverse declines in plant communities, reestablishing habitat contributions, giving points for increasingly co-evolved relationships with native pollinators while ideal characteristics, and with enough points, earning a providing additional ecosystem services (Isaacs et al. development a ‘pollinator friendly’ designation. In some 2009). For example, the tallgrass prairie ecosystem states, this terminology has been encoded into law, once covered the U.S. Midwest, but conservation efforts requiring scorecard content oversight from a third party, in this region are focusing on reintegration within e.g., a state university or department (e.g., Illinois [Anon. agricultural landscapes, leading to increased pollinator B. 2020]). Rather than prescribing specifi c seed mixes abundance and diversity. Small patches (1.2–5 ac) of and habitat plans, this approach allows developers and fl owering perennial plants increased pollinator abundance landscapers fl exibility to choose plants and arrangements and diversity while also improving yields of adjacent appropriate for a site’s unique growing conditions. This blueberries, a valuable pollinator-dependent crop (Isaacs fl exibility can ensure that habitat enhancements are and Kirk 2010); solar-based habitat is predicted to add compatible with the realities of the solar array itself (e.g., to these effects (Walston et al. 2018. Larger patches (5- shade vs. sun, soil conditions). 10 ac) have also been integrated within commercially Once a solar farm is built and efforts made to managed corn and soybean fi elds through the ‘Science- establish the habitat outlined in the scorecard, success based Trials of Row-crops Integrated with Prairie Strips’ will require post-establishment evaluation. Many of the (STRIPS) project in Iowa. Despite the close proximity plants suggested for pollinator conservation (Tuell et to conventional herbicide and insecticide use, prairie al. 2008) often require years before signifi cant above- strips increased pollinator abundance and diversity ground biomass and fl owers are produced. Cultivation (Kordbacheh et al. 2020 These prairie strips increased of these native plants may require management to ensure plant biodiversity with the addition of 55 blooming forb that competition with annual, nonnative plants (i.e., species within conventional commercial farms, helping weeds) is suppressed. A best practice for confi rming that to realize multiple conservation goals. Outside of the the policy produces the desired outcome may require Midwest, other native habitats (i.e., hedgerows) added a third party to certify that the desired score has to geographic areas also conserve benefi cial insects been achieved. In Illinois, for example, developers must (Grass et al. 2019), and could be considered if they fi t complete a ‘planning’ scorecard, followed by an evaluation the constraints of solar development infrastructure. The of habitat establishment after three years and a follow-up successes achieved by these case studies can be replicated evaluation every fi ve years thereafter (Illinois Department within solar farms if the habitat under and around the of Natural Resources 2021). The most rigorous approach, solar panels is embedded with native, perennial fl owering however, would require these progressive evaluations to species appropriate for the location. be performed by independent, certifi ed third parties, an However, concerns have been raised about the value approach that currently faces logistical hurdles. To make of pollinator habitat in agricultural landscapes due to the most lasting impact, however, these evaluations the potential for nontarget pesticide exposure. The use will be critical. of pesticides within the adjacent crop may negatively While habitat within a solar farm is appealing on impact bees foraging on these resources (Mogren and the surface, the real-world application will take rigor to Lundgren 2016). Solar facilities have little or no use for achieve a meaningful impact. Beyond the initial ‘score’ insecticide applications, though herbicides may be used assigned to development, local involvement will be critical to aid habitat establishment and reduce weed pressure. for success, especially since the defi nition of success Further, most state scorecards specifi cally deduct points may vary by community. For example, concerns about for insecticide use. While solar developments may include competition between native bees and managed honey other aspects that negatively affect habitat use, their bees (and thus benefi ts to conservation or agriculture) potential as a refuge from insecticides could be of extra could be addressed at a local level, with stakeholder value. Future work will be necessary to see if and how input determining access to beekeepers. Perhaps most much reduction in insecticide exposure occurs when importantly, installation of perennial plant communities these facilities are available to pollinators. does not occur instantly as the many native perennials If solar developments implement these habitat require years to successfully establish. A maintenance features into areas where intensive agriculture is plan is critical to ensure the habitat is not degraded by

80 BEE CULTURE August 2021 invasive weeds. Ideally, those responsible for the scorecard policy should include timelines for reassessment to ensure if the habitat goals were achieved and continue through the lifetime of the solar farm.

Conclusions Energy policies infl uence land use and biodiversity (Konadu et al. 2015); for example, incentives for biofuel production drove conversion of CRP land to crop production, removing floral resources and reducing insect-derived ecosystem services (Landis et al. 2008) and signifi cantly reducing resources for pollinators (Otto et al. 2016). If energy policies can drive habitat loss, could new policies ameliorate or reverse these effects? The continuing surge in solar energy development could support the implementation of pollinator conservation on privately-owned land, helping address a nationally Figure 2. A) This outline highlights categories noted in the Illi- recognized need. For this practice to provide tangible nois pollinator scorecard to determine whether a solar site can results, cooperation between policymakers, researchers, be legally defi ned as ‘pollinator- friendly’. Each state has differ- and industry stakeholders is critical to producing ent points allotted to different categories based on stakeholder input, and point values can, and should, be reevaluated as new recommendations or requirements that benefi t pollinators data become available. Solar developments include land both while remaining realistic within the framework of utility- under solar panels and in the area surrounding them, each with scale solar developments. If pollinator habitat improves different constraints. The diversity of plants are evaluated in the public perceptions of these facilities by tapping into ‘solar array’ 1) and ‘buffer/perimeter’ areas (2–4). Plants chosen for cultivation under panels are limited due to height and shade widespread interest in pollinator health, without rigorous restrictions; thus, plants are judged primarily on diversity and implementation, assessment, and independent oversight, coverage with the understanding that nonnatives may be need- these efforts could be seen as little more than a form of ed. The buffer/perimeter, however, has fewer restrictions, so the ‘greenwashing’ that touts benefi ts to pollinators without scorecard incentivizes natives. For the whole site, coverage by fl fl providing them. BC owers (5), ower availability throughout the growing season (6), proper site preparation, e.g., weed control (7), availability of other benefi ts, like nesting habitat for wild bees and water sources Acknowledgments (8), proper site and administration planning (9), and insecticide Earlier versions of this manuscript were improved with use restrictions (10) are evaluated. B) Artistic rendering of a solar reviews by Ashley St. Clair, Kelly Dolezal, Lisa Schulte-Moore, development in an agricultural landscape; colors denote different John Tyndall, and Lauren Lynch. This research supported components of the land referred to by the scorecard. by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, Grant ID: 549025. This article is a product of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames, IA Project Land-sharing/-sparing connectivity landscapes for ecosystem No. 5351, and sponsored by Hatch Act and State of Iowa services and biodiversity conservation. People Nat. 1: 262–272. funds (to M.E.O.). Goulson, D., E. Nicholls, C. Botías, and E. L. Rotheray. 2015. Bee declines driven by combined stress from parasites, pesticides, References Cited and lack of fl owers. Science. 347: 1255957. Anonymous (A). 2020. Utility-Scale Solar has Grown rapidly Over Hart, C. E. 2015. Feeding the ethanol boom: Where will the corn the Past Five Years. 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August 2021 BEE CULTURE 81 Mogren, C., and J. Lundgren. 2016. Neonicotinoid-contaminated Pay ments by State, 1986–2019. Farm Service Agency. https:// pollinator strips adjacent to cropland reduce honey bee www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/conservation- nutritional status. Sci. Rep.. 6: 29608. programs/reports-and-statistics/conservation-reserve- Mallinger, R., J. Gibbs, and C. Gratton. 2017. Diverse landscapes program-statistics/index have a higher abundance and species richness of spring wild U.S. Department of Agriculture (B). 2021. Conservation bees by providing complementary fl oral resources over bees’ Reserve Program Statistics: 35-Year History of CRP. Farm foraging periods. Landsc. Ecol. 31: 1523–1535. Service Agency. https:// www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and- Otto, C. R. V., C. L. Roth, B. L. Carlson, and M. D. Smart. 2016. services/conservation-programs/ reports-and-statistics/ Land-use change reduces habitat suitability for supporting conservation-reserve-program-statistics/index managed honey bee colonies in the northern great plains. Proc. U.S. Department of Agriculture (C). 2021. Conservation Reserve Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A.. 113: 10430–10435. Program Statistics. Farm Service Agency. https://www.fsa. Pritchard, Z. A., H. P. Hendriksma, A. L. St Clair, D. S. Stein, usda.gov/programs-and-services/conservation-programs/ A. G. Dolezal, M. E. O’Neal, and A. L. Toth. 2021. Do viruses reports-and-statistics/ conservation-reserve-program- from managed honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) endanger statistics/index wild bees in native prairies? Environ. Entomol. 50: 455–466. U.S.Department of Agriculture (D). 2021. Agricultural Outlook Schulte, L. A., J. Niemi, M. J. Helmers, M. Liebman, J. G. Forum: Grains and Oilseeds Outlook for 2021. https://www. Arbuckle, D. E. James, R. K. Kolka, M. E. O’Neal, M. D. Tomer, usda.gov/sites/default/fi les/documents/grains-oilseeds- J. C. Tyndall, et al. 2017. Prairie strips improve biodiversity and outlook.pdf the delivery of multiple eco-system services from corn-soybean Wa lston, L. J., S. K. Mishra, H. M. Hartmann, I. Hlohowskyj, J. croplands. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A.. 114: 11247. McCall, and J. Macknick. 2018. Examining the potential for Secchi, S., L. Kurkalova, P. W. Gassman, and C. Hart. 2010. agricultural benefi ts from pollinator habitat at solar facilities in Land use change in a biofuels hotspot: The case of Iowa, USA. the United States. Environ. Sci. Technol.52:7566–7576. Biomass Bioenergy. 35: 2391–2400. Weaver, G. 2021. New Cash Crop: Industrial Solar Farm Boom Hits Sowell, A. 2020. Sugars and Sweeteners Yearbook Tables; Hoosier Backlash. The Republic. http://www.therepublic. Table 46. USDA, Economic Research Service, Washington, com/2021/01/10/ new_cash_crop_industrialsolarfarm_ DC. https://www.ers.usda.gov/ data-products/sugar-and- boom_hits_hoosier_backlash/ sweeteners-yearbook-tables/documentation/ Wintl e, B. A., H. Kujala, A. Whitehead, A. Cameron, S. Veloz, Swinerton Renewable Energy. 2021. Projects: North Star North A. Kukkala, A. Moilanen, A. Gordon, P. E. Lentini, N. C. R. Branch MN. Projects. https://www.swinertonrenewable. Cadenhead, et al. 2019. Global synthesis of conservation com /projects studies reveals the importance of small habitat patches for Tuell, J. K., A. K. Fiedler, D. Landis, and R. Isaacs. 2008. biodiversity. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 116: 909–914. Visitation by wild and managed bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) Ziegle r, L., E. Gonzalez, T. Rubert, U. Smolka, and J. J. Melero. to eastern U.S. native plants for use in conservation programs. 2018. Lifetime extension of onshore wind turbines: A review Environ. Entomol. 37: 707–718. covering Germany, Spain, Denmark, and the UK. Renew. U.S. Department of Agriculture (A). 2021. Conservation Sustain. Energy Rev. 82: 1261–1271. Reserve Program Statistics: CRP Enrollment and Rental

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82 BEE CULTURE August 2021 August 2021 BEE CULTURE 83 BIGGER PICTURE Jessica Louque The Devil’s In The Details Most of us have our bees in the rest of the tree. Then I realized are not sold with shells ever. Even fairly rural places. It can be shady, again that it was not part of the tree with these precautions, people who sunny, pristine, wild, in a backyard, but a poison ivy vine that was making are sensitive to urushiol can still in the woods – so many options. My its own branches off of the tree and have allergic reactions to these fruits neighbor has a swarm trap on his just tried to eat my face. My fi rst and should probably avoid them. It’s porch roof, probably to lure away reaction was to use a potato peeler an odd reaction because basically our miscreant hives. Almost all of and just take the skin off my face no other animal has an issue with ours are in some place that will end because it would be better than the urushiol, whether it be from lack of up with muddy tires in the lightest of rash, but I just went to the bathroom skin contact (fur, feathers) or just no rains and hitchhikers stuck to your and washed my face instead. immune system response. pants. Apparently, some of these I have always been severely Poison ivy is actually really good places aren’t deterrent enough since allergic to poison ivy. Some of our for local habitats. A lot of animals we had four hives stolen from one of farm workers when I was younger eat it with no ill effects. Birds eat our study sites a week ago – must could pull it up by their bare hands the berries, and lots of pollinators, have been too close to the highway. and never get anything. They used to including bees, like the fl owers. We It’s hard to not blame yourself for tell me it was because they were in have had poison ivy pollen show up things like this, but really it shouldn’t ‘nam and nothing else could bother in our pollen IDs multiple times in matter how I had my bees to not them after that. I had no idea what decent quantities. It’s really only a have people steal. Anyway. My fi rst that meant at the time, but I was bad plant if it is near humans. You thought of these bees when I went definitely jealous. As I got older, can get the oil from your pets, if your to check and see exactly what was it just got worse and I would have pet has it and you touch them. The stolen (they left the accompanying to go to the doctor for cortisone oil is pretty aggressive and can stay hive tools, lids as stands, and cinder creams or steroid shots, especially on pet fur for a long time. If you get blocks, but they were ratcheted if it was close to my eyes. The it on your skin, you have about ten and ready to move because we were problem is the chemical in poison minutes before it takes up permanent coming to get them in the next couple ivy called urushiol. Poison Ivy is in residence inside your epidermis. Soap days), I noticed that there was poison the Anacardiaceae family, which is and water will work to get rid of it, or ivy everywhere. I hope the bee thieves pistachios, cashews, mangoes, and some alcohol if you have it on hand. are covered in bee stings and rashes. other toxic plants. People who are It is not water soluble so just rinsing They were our most aggressive hives, allergic to urushiol do not build up after all. It made me think about how a tolerance by exposure as happens many times I’ve ended up with ivy with some things (like bee stings). rashes just from checking bees or Instead, it causes hypersensitivity wandering near them. with repeated exposure and can make Eastern poison ivy is scientifi cally you more sensitive to other carriers named Toxicodendron radicans and of urushiol. This chemical can be can grow just about anywhere. It can found throughout the cashew family. grow into just about any habit, and Improperly treated cashews can carry it can look wildly different just a few it, as can mangoes. Mangoes have feet away from another of its own their own irritant that can cause a kind. When it’s tiny, it appears to be reaction, and sometimes it can cause an innocent little plant with sweet a severe reaction by responding to soft leaves and happy little growths. urushiol as well. The fruits from this Then, it starts getting bigger, bushier, family, such as cashews, mangoes, or vining and can overtake trees and and pistachios, all have urushiol in put kudzu to shame. The trunks of them. With mangoes, the chemical is the vines can easily be larger than found in the skin and the stalk, and your forearm and produce aerial roots little beads of urushiol can be found all over. Mowing my mom’s yard, I around the break from the tree on pushed a tree branch out of my way what used to be the fl ower petiole. that made sure to gently caress my Cashews and Pistachios are always cheek on my way by. Then I realized it steamed or cooked to try to remove didn’t have the right leaves to match urushiol from the nuts, and cashews Massive poison ivy. 84 BEE CULTURE August 2021 won’t help. After that 10 minutes of Pumpkin and Pickle grace, it’s going to be cortisone cream getting into the poison ivy. and Benadryl for you after about three days. It normally takes at least 48 hours for the rash to show up on people, but it can be three or four days. It normally only lasts a week, but if you’re really lucky, you’ll keep your blister rash for almost a month. It also can’t spread like some people think. You can’t catch it from other people, or spread it around your body. The rash comes up exactly where the oil touches you. Now, if you take the oil and scratch a few places, not knowing it’s on your hands, you can spread it around on yourself the worst reactions I’ve ever heard of. and leave your Virginia Creeper pretty rapidly or put it in places you Her daughter required hospitalization alone. They look pretty similar, but might not want it to be. It’s the same and both her and her little brother creeper is a great bee plant that they with your pets. If you have dogs or had to have medical intervention love and has no detrimental qualities cats or goats that go outside and then to keep from suffering long-term to humans unless you just don’t like come in and hop on your furniture or damage. Poison ivy is no joke and vines. They are typically a larger bed, there’s a chance you’re going to you shouldn’t take it lightly, even portion of our pollen source ID’s over end up with the rash from secondary if you don’t have a reaction at the the Summer than poison ivy, and exposure. It’s not a bad idea to wipe present time. As a side note, this would be considered an important down your pets when they come in same friend gave me a remedy with food source. If you are particularly the house if you can. I gave up on this monkshood(aconite) in it for Henry’s anti-human, you may be like me because we leave all our doors open muscle issues when he ran track and and consider putting up a fence and there’s just too many animals to that’s how we found out he’s allergic and training poison ivy to grow on it deal with. to Aconite. Luckily the jewelweed around your property. I don’t think it There are a ton of things on the couldn’t have made their problem would stop the bears, but at least you market that are sold to prevent or get much worse even if it didn’t work! know where your bees went when the rid of poison ivy. I’m pretty sure most Now, in the panic to get rid of bears come. Either way, wash your pharmacies or medicine sections this devil plant, you may start pulling hands and exposed skin frequently have a shelf dedicated to it. These up all the ivy around your bees and and hopefully you can avoid rashes aren’t really useful. I mean, I guess house. Make sure you pay attention and illness for the summertime! BC they would work, but regular soap is just as good. Especially instead of something that scrubs. Never do that. You don’t want to potentially expose yourself more by causing microtears and giving the oil a free ride in your body. Regular soap is fi ne. Dish soap is probably better just because it’s meant to break up grease on dishes, but in general, buy yourself a drink and snack or save your money instead of buying fear products. If you already have it, nothing is going to make it go away. If you’re the hippie type or like home remedies, jewelweed is probably the best thing I’ve seen for it and I’ve bought a few variations off the internet for friends of mine that have been exposed. Just be careful with medicinal plants because you might have an allergic reaction and not expect it since you might not have been around it before. This post is inspired partly by my beautiful friend Cathia, who moved to Texas and had her kids in the emergency room with nearly necrosis after climbing trees covered in ivy and having some of

August 2021 BEE CULTURE 85 Book Reviews . . . Cont. from page 21 hive record; then Epidemiology and THE INTERVIEW ISSUE

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August 2021 BEE CULTURE 87 A Tanging Tempest In The Beeyard If it doesn’t work, why do so many beekeepers still perfor this swar-catching rital?

Should I apologize? I don’t remember who did it… to me that all swarms come down Should I immediately apologize Since the topic had been on honey all the time. On the other hand, for spending your reading time on bee reproductive swarming, and since unbelievers feel that nothing is an antiquated subject like “tanging” we had previously discussed the changed by implementing the noise- while other writers – in this very frustration of losing a swarm, either I making process, and that the swarm publication – are properly writing or someone else mentioned “tanging” either lands – or not – on its own. informative and current pieces for a swarm before it escaped. It’s an old Here’s the enduring tanging your beekeeping edifi cation? In my recommendation to tang the swarm quirk – there have been believers defense, my involvement in this to get it to settle. and unbelievers for hundreds and legacy swarm management topic Several participants had no hundreds of years. Yet, this concept started innocently enough and, opinion, but several did have strong has clearly not passed into history. ironically, some of my beekeeper beliefs that tanging did work – and It perseveres. Does this process work friends caused it. In a real way, this it worked dependably. I admitted or not? saga is not my fault. to the group that night, as I admit to you readers now, that I have no The Hive and the Honey Bee and A wearying zoom presentation technical information that could ABC & XYZ of Beekeeping Last April, I presented a zoom explain how this old process works The two hallmark books of U.S. talk on swarms and swarm biology or why it would work. At the time, beekeeping, The Hive and Honey Bee to the Broward County Bee Club in I was caught unawares and after and ABC and XYZ of Beekeeping have Florida – an energetic and organized thinking for a few days, I convinced insightful input (or not). So far as I group. I thank you for inviting me. Kim Flottum that we should use one could fi nd, the current Hive and the Though the group was engaged and of our podcast segments at Honey Honey Bee makes no mention of the supportive, it has been my sense Bee Obscura to discuss the swarm procedure – at all. If the procedure that, after a short time, most Zoom concept of tanging. was invaluable in its deployment, talks have a numbing effect on the The results of our tanging podcast and established in beekeeping lore, brains of both the listeners and the were much like the earlier experience would not this respected book have presenter. Try as I might, as the I had in Florida. Beekeepers who contained detailed information? Broward session went to Q&A, I had believe in tanging, devoutly believe in Authors of the ABC and XYZ the typical unfulfilled sense that it. We had follow-up communication of Beekeeping, wrote, “There is no somehow, I had not done my job as a with experienced beekeepers who evidence that tanging has any effect presenter, and I just hate that feeling. wanted to be on record as being on swarm behavior, although some “tangers.” They tang and they beekeepers still believe that it does.” recommend it. As is the usual case, the ABC & XYZ author presented the justifi cation A primer on tanging a swarm for tanging a swarm was to keep it In today’s language, a simple in sight and retain ownership of the defi nition of the process would be a mobile swarm as it crossed property swarm is tanged when noise – usually lines. made with metal pieces such as a metal pan being struck with a metal Nearly 400 years ago spoon – is produced near the moving In 1623, Charles Butler wrote swarm. It is generally thought that “The Feminine Monarchie: or The a swarm cannot be prevented by Historie of Bees. In chapter fi ve of tanging, but it can be convinced to his book, he discussed tinging the “pitch” (or land) at a nearby location. swarm. He did not use the more Believers feel that the tanged swarm recent term, tanging. Still other James E. Tew will come down – or at least – will authors, eons ago, used the word usually come down. No one has said tinkling in lieu of tanging or tinging. 88 BEE CULTURE August 2021 Engraving of a swarm tanging event. nearly 200 years old.

As best I can translate Old them begin to fl y aloft, which is habit of settling in a usual spot, would English to English, beginning at the a token that they would be gone, most likely be lost by the “apiator” if third paragraph of Butler’s work, cast dust among them to make not tinkled.” in the reproduction that I have them come down. If they cannot Secondly, “For prime swarms presented in this article, he wrote the be stayed, hastening on still, go (fi rst swarms), the noise should not following description. beyond your bounds, the ancient begin till such a quantity of bees have laws of Christendom permits you arisen as will for a good swarm, for When the swarm is up, and to pursue them, where to fore, fear of terrifying the princess (JTew busy in their dance, it is a common for the recovery of your own. comment: the queen) from issuing; way, for want of other music, to Notwithstanding, do what you and if so, all the bees will return, play them a fi t of mirth with a can, sometimes they will away, though hived.” pan, kettle, basin, candlestick, and perhaps fl y too far before Thirdly, “The noise should be or other like instrument, for to they settle, that though follow made on the contrary side to that stay them, forsooth, from fl ying them never so fast, you must be which will be most proper for settling.” away. Indeed, where other bee- content to leave them happily (JTew comment. Essentially, tang folds are not far off, this way to the happy fi nder. For when on the opposite side of the swarm at hath a good way: for thereby, you have lost the sight and the site where you would like them the place and time of their rising hearing of them, you have lost to settle.) is publicly noted, and for a clear all right and property in them Forth, “Nor should it (tanging) and open claim laid unto the (JTew bolding). continue longer than the bees begin swarm that otherwise some to cluster; there is no danger, but the neighbor might challenge for Yet another older literature rest will follow on hearing their buzz.” him, which undoubtedly was review on tanging Fifth, “The greater the noise, the the original cause of this custom. Harrod-Hempsall1 published sooner it (JTew comment: tanging) But the pretended reason is to a thorough discussion of tanging is likely to succeed. I fi nd a watch me a mere fancy: but I know in volume one of his two-volume rattle (used about London) the most it to be as ancient as common. beekeeping tome, Bee-Keeping, New effi cacious, and that when the common (At this point, Butler includes and Old. He cited John Keys2 who, method has failed.” several comments made by much in his earlier 1814 book, Treatise on A watch rattle is a noise ratchet. earlier scholars and writers – Breeding and Management of Bees, It was used by British and later, all relating to tanging and in gave explicit support to “tinkling” also used by US police, as a noise other languages. In fact, in other bees and offered several specific maker for attracting both attention publications, references are made recommendations that I present and other police persons. It now to Columella describing tanging below. has musical uses or sound effect 500 B.C. Pliny (AD 23-79), Virgil “If prime swarms, were not in the uses. Also, I have seen children’s’ (BC 70-19), and Claudian (c. 370- toys that were similar rachet devices. 404) instructed swarm chasers 1Harrod-Hempsall, William. 1930. Bee-Keeping, The watch rattle is nicely explainedp to “strike brazen vessels.” (This New and Old, Described with Pen and Camera. and shown at: https:// process of striking metal vessels The British Bee Journal. London, England. Vol. 1. www.youtube.com/ to bring down a swarm is clearly 772 pp. watch?v=BViVjh9mTeU. 2Keys, John. 1814. Treatise on the Breeding a very, very old swarm-gathering and Management of bees. McDonald and Son. Harrod-Hempsall wrote recommendation.) 308 pp. London https://archive.org/details/ that the during the last Butler continued: If you see treatiseonbreedi00keys/page/96/mode/2up century, it was felt that an August 2021 BEE CULTURE 89 swarm, ferae naturae, and I confi ne it (so much as possible), so they do not escape and reclaim their natural liberty. If they abscond or swarm again, and regain their natural liberty, my ownership of the swarm immediately ceases. Readers, at this point, things really become contorted. Apparently, a summary of the situation could be that I have wild animals (bees) in a box on my property. They swarm, and I see them go. I make noise to alert others. The bees are mine so long as I can keep them in sight and so long as others confi rm that the bees were mine. Maybe the bees, which I have kept in sight, land on a tree not on my property. Though they continue to be my bees, I am not free to trespass at will. Essentially, my wild animals are near to regaining their natural liberty, but by doing so, the ownership of the bees is now ratione soli (by reason of the soil). The person who owns the soil on which the tree stands becomes entitled to the bees. From above, I cite Butler again, “For when you have lost the sight and hearing of them, you have lost all right and property in them.” If they have been kept in sight, a claim of ownership could be justifi ed. As it were, the bees have simply temporarily gone astray. Harrod-Hempsall wrote, “When an action is fought, much depends on the attitude of the Judge with regard to defi ning the law, circumstances vary, and points which are debatable crop up.” He fi nished his comments by admonishing the reader that it was better to sacrifi ce the swarm than to go to the law. Tanging description from Butler’s 400-year-old book. My reason for putting you iron frying pan and door key were the if, you watched that neighbor put through this discussion. most effi cacious tanging instruments. what had been your bees in a hive The legal issues surrounding lost Obvious, this was the large, heavy box of his? What would you feel? swarms and ownership, in years past, keys much like the ones that always Rest assured that such feelings were were complex and complicated. Bee hang on the wall in jails in old long ago experienced by others. As skeps were common and provided western movies, and not the little is so often the case, the law has essential components for life. Swarms fl imsy key that I have in my pocket a long history of involvement in were coveted both then and now. at this very moment. determining, “who owns the transient Indeed, swarms were valuable enough Harrod-Hempsall wrote that John swarm?” to hire either the very young or the Keys presented very full instruction, I am in no way qualified to very old to watch for issuing swarms. “but they contain the only valid write about legal ramifications, When the swarm did finally reason for tanging, viz., as a means so I cite some dated (and tedious) issue, noise was made to alert the of claiming the swarm.” material from Harrod-Hempsall on community that bees were on the this subject. At the time, British law move and to maintain visual record of The swarm, the law, and polite was based on Roman law. Roman the bees in order to defend ownership society law designated honey bees as ferae when landing on the property of What if you saw a swarm issue naturae – being of a wild nature - others. Though I have never read from your colony and settle on your and were res nullius or belonging this, I know that the noise would neighbor’s property? Then, what to no one. So, let’s say that I hive a also alert others to help watch for the

90 BEE CULTURE August 2021 Butler telling the reader, when you have lost sight and sound, you have lost all rights to the swarm. directional movement of the swarm the swarm meandering along, at least – or worse – alert others to deviously it is something to the “apiator” can do try to capture the swarm. while the swarm is in motion. Whether or not tanging works, Don’t blame the messenger when beekeepers use noise to entice Herrod-Hempsall bluntly wrote, a swarm to settle, they are employing “The noise made by tanging has no an ancient method that has been effect whatever upon swarming bees, passed through many generations of therefore, instead of wasting time and earlier beekeepers. At that swarming annoying neighbors by making an moment, you are feeling what so abominable din, advantage should be many other now departed beekeepers taken of the known habits of bees.” have felt. You are “in the moment.” Feel free to tang. At least you are Some good news doing something. BC Realizing that after hundreds Honey Bee Obscura Podcasts and hundreds of years, no one’s Dr. James E. Tew, Emeritus Faculty, current mindset has been changed on Entomology, The Ohio State University and, this subject by my comments, I can One Tew Bee, LLC; [email protected]; conﬁ dently say that tanging a swarm http://www.onetew.com does no harm. In the excitement of

August 2021 BEE CULTURE 91 A oyal raa Stephen Bishop

[While working a hive, a BK: Tower of London? We’re in died over a century ago. BEEKEEPER carried on a thoughtful the foothills of North Carolina. HM: I assure you, sir, as the dot conversation with HER MAJESTY, HM: Ah, yes, whose capital is on my thorax signifi es, I am your who just happened to be in a chatty named after old Queen Elizabeth’s Queen, and as such, I command mood. As you likely know from good friend, Sir Walter Raleigh. You you, Royal Barkeeper, to bring me reading the tabloids, there’s been know, rumor has it, she and Raleigh that gin and tonic. Were I not so some royal intrigue, mostly concerning had a thing for one another. Too bad desperate for a drink, you would the relationship of the queen and her my great-great-great-great-great- already face stiff punishment for your daughters, the latter of whom have great grandfather, King James I, had wanton disregard for royal protocol. been spotted by paparazzi lazing Sir Walt sent to the chopping block. To think a mere barkeep has the gall about the landing board. Meanwhile, Judging from his portrait, Raleigh to question his Queen! her good-for-nothing sons have done wasn’t a bad looking chap, but don’t BK: But I’m not a barkeeper; I’m diddly squat, except drain a beekeeper. All I have the royal coffers of honey. is isopropyl alcohol for During all this drama, Varroa mite washes. And the queen had remained the only protocol I know is quiet – in fact, she hadn’t that six mites per three- been seen for weeks – but hundred bees means I upon opening the hive, need to treat the hive for the BEEKEEPER saw her Varroa. majesty frequenting a top HM: Do you continue bar, no doubt searching for to disobey the direct order a stiff drink.] of the Crown? Guards, seize him! [guard bees HER MAJESTY: start circling and buzzing Barkeep, a gin and tonic aggressively] please. I need a break BK: I swear I’m not from all this royal fuss. a barkeeper. I don’t even You would think, living drink. And you’re not a in a palace, I could fi nd former Queen of England some peace and quiet – you’re a talking bee! somewhere, but I can’t go HM: Seize Him! Off anywhere without these with his veil! dratted attendants. [guard bees start BEEKEEPER: (looking pelting BEEKEEPER’s around to see who said veil; he starts smoking that): What the heck? hive heavily, while taking HM: Hey, yeah, you stings in both arms. Then, – you’re the barkeep in anger, he grabs his hive right? This is your queen tool and smashes HER speaking, and I’m ordering MAJESTY. Suddenly, ALL you: bring me a gin and BEES stop moving.] tonic. ALL BEES (in unison): BK: But you’re a bee. The Queen is dead! Long You can’t speak. That’s live the Queen! BC not possible. tell Prince Albert that I said that – I HM: Ha! Funny, I needed a good wouldn’t want to make him jealous. Stephen Bishop is a humor writer laugh. All I do is speak, lay eggs, and BK: Wait, Prince Albert? Who are who lives in the foothills of North host garden parties. Last week, we you exactly? Carolina. Remember: if you talk to had representatives from the colonies HM: Dear sir, I am Her Majesty your bees and your bees talk back, of Australia – real delightful people, Victoria. By the grace of God, I am it’s best to change your smoker fuel. but all the press wanted to focus on Queen of the United Kingdom of You can see more of Stephen’s work was my children, who, let’s be honest, Great Britain and Ireland – and at misfi tfarmer.com or follow him on need to be taken behind the London Empress of India. twitter @themisfi tfarmer. Tower and whipped. BK: You can’t be Victoria; she

92 BEE CULTURE August 2021 Summer Recipes – Shana Archibald

Honey Garlic Pork Chops Season the pork chops with salt and ground 15 oz. (430 g) center cut boneless pork chops (3 black pepper, on both sides of the pork. You can pork chops) even add a dash of paprika, if you’d like! Mix all the salt ingredients in the Honey Garlic Glaze together. Stir ground black pepper to combine well. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil Heat up a cast-iron skillet (preferred) on high 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted heat. Add the vegetable oil and one tablespoon of the 3 cloves garlic, minced butter. Add the pork chops to the skillet and pan fry 1 teaspoon chopped Italian parsley, for garnishing each side of the pork chop, uninterrupted, for three to four minutes each, or until the surface turns brown. Honey Glaze Flip over to the other side and repeat the same. 2½ tablespoons honey Push the pork chops to one side of the skillet, 2 tablespoons warm water add the remaining butter. Add the garlic and saute ¼ teaspoon salt for about 10 seconds, or until they turn light brown. ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar Add the Honey Garlic Glaze, cook to reduce the glaze 3 dashes cayenne pepper to a thicker consistency or until the sauce turns amber brown. Spoon the glaze over the pork chops. Turn off the heat, garnish with the parsley and serve immediately. BC

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August 2021 BEE CULTURE 95 y bee-hauling rig is a 1983 converted E350 Ford van. A former owner cut out the middle of this poor vehicle and welded the last couple of feet of the van Mshell onto the front, right behind the driver’s seat. Then this Rube Goldberg attached an 8 X 20-foot wood-decked fl atbed behind that. So now it’s a fl atbed truck with a compressed van for a cab. It has an aftermarket four-wheel drive, with issues. If I bump the four-wheel-drive shifter lever a touch too far, it goes from four- wheel right past two-wheel, into neutral. Now the beast won’t move, and gears grind if I try to get back into two-wheel drive. I also can’t shut the engine off, because gears grind when I try to shift into park. Solution to a truck with automatic transmission that won’t move, coupled with an engine that won’t stop running? Simple! Pop the hood and pull the distributor wire. Be careful not to get shocked! Of course the engine stops, and I can now coax the shifter the second location, where I already had lever into two-wheel drive. a bear fence in place. Megan hooked up Paul found this mechanical marvel somewhere out in Utah the solar panel, battery and electrical decades ago. I bought it for $2,300 in 2004, when I ran bees for charger for the fence. She’s handy and Jack Holzberlein, out of Meeker, Colorado. requires very little supervision. My truck hauls 30 colonies with ease. A practically new battery- By the time I got back to the fi rst powered lift mounted on the receiver hitch takes the struggle out of yard, it was mid-day. The road and the loading bees. The lift is worth its weight in gold. This 74-year-old bike path were alive with bicyclists, no longer needs to hand-truck hives up a ramp, onto the fl atbed. dogs, runners, walkers and gawkers. Under the hood, a 1976 rebuilt 460 engine with only 60,000 Like people, bees can get cranky. These miles purrs at 65. colonies sat only 40 feet from the road. Most peculiar truck you ever laid eyes on, and not exactly My gut told me this was all wrong. pretty, but it works for me. I put fewer than 1,000 miles a year on The forecast high was 95 degrees. this relic, but driving it down the road at dawn with a load of bees There was already a bear fence here, is my idea of waking up in Heaven. from a previous beekeeper, but it was a I’m kind of a rebuilt 460 engine myself, trying to stay in the mess. I was short on sleep. Megan was game, against all odds. Like my ancient truck, I do require continual long gone. My post pounder was too hot maintenance. I suppose I could retire, but what would be the point to pick up without gloves. I looked at my of living without bees? bees, at the parade of passing humanity, Back in my Aspen Mountain ski patrol days, I rode the gondola at the steel posts and woven-wire bear with ski legend Klaus Obermeyer, then deep into his nineties. He fence I still had to erect. All this for four still turned ‘em left and right. “Klaus,” I said, “What’s your old-man hives too close to the road? I’d clearly secret to health and vigor?” blundered, but I’d given my word. He smiled and did not hesitate. “Never stop doing what you I refl ected on the teacher Aristotle, love to do.” he proclaimed. for whom all decisions were grounded in It’s early June as I write. Yesterday I got up before the robins, ethics. What would he have done, facing to load bees bound for two new yards, on open-space land owned such a dilemma? by Pitkin County, up towards Aspen. The deal almost fell through Just as I felt I was about to succumb over liability insurance concerns, but once the county got the to heatstroke, I had an epiphany. I drove message that I wasn’t buying any more insurance, they began to home and slept the rest of the afternoon. see things my way. For some reason, they really wanted bees on At sundown I came back, picked up my these properties. little darlings, and brought ‘em home. The two yards are only a mile or two apart. I’m downsizing, but when the county offered me these locations, I was intrigued. I already take care of my billionaire’s bees just down the road, and Ed Colby they do pretty well. I thought I’d split 10 hives between two yards and see what happens. My apprentice Megan likes to learn, and she offered to meet Aristotle And me at my second bee drop-off fi rst thing in the morning. I say “apprentice.” That’s not really the right word. She doesn’t want Bees to become a stressed-out sideliner like me. But Megan does have the bee bug. She’s obsessed, that’s all. And obsession is the most critical requirement for becoming a successful beekeeper. I dropped off four colonies at the fi rst location. The yard seemed a little too close to a road and a bike path, and I wondered why I hadn’t noticed this before. I unloaded the six remaining hives at BOTTOM BOARD 96 BEE CULTURE August 2021