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Volume 158 No. 5 May 2018

Contents
Email
info@americanbeejournal.com
Web
www.americanbeejournal.com
Editor-Kirsten Traynor Advertising Manager-Marta Menn
Publishing Department- Dianne Behnke & Susan Nichols

Long View Choices Amidst the

Honey Fraud Landscape — 555

● Honey Harvest in a City

Jim Fisher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511
● ABRC at AAPA 2018
Elina L. Niño . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515
● Are Inferior Queens a Result of Contaminated Pollen?
Karen Pedersen and Gil Pedersen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521
● The Varroa Problem Part 16b: Bee Drift and Mite Dispersal Continued Robbing: How Honey Bees Fly &
Articles

Randy Oliver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527 Steal— 569

● Gaining New Insights on Honey Bees and Hive Health
Katie Coleman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535 Bee Brief . . . . . . . . . . . 483

Departments
● Blue Ribbon Beetle-trapping Bottom Board Letters to the
Luke Goembel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 545 Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485
● Long View Choices Amidst the Honey Fraud Landscape –
The Advantage of Building Trust Newsnotes . . . . . . . . . 491
Jodie Goldsworthy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 555
U .S . Honey Crops
● Robbing: How Honey Bees Fly & Steal and Markets . . . . . . . . 507
Seyed-Ali Mousavi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 569
● Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda: The Tragic Bombing of My Saratoga Hive Beekeepers: The Next
Jenny Dunn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575 Generation . . . . . . . . . 580
● Who Steals From a Honey Stand? Classified
Michael L. Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 585 Advertising . . . . . . . . . 599
● Musings of a Beekeeping Minister
John W. Jenkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595 Advertising Index . . . . 602

Columns
The Classroom Notes from the Lab: The Latest Bee Science Distilled
Jerry Hayes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503 Scott McArt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583
Bees & Beekeeping, Past & Present For the Love of Bees and Beekeeping
Wyatt A. Mangum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 539 Keith Delaplane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 591
The Curious Beekeeper
Rusty Burlew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563

May Cover Picture

American Bee Journal ISSN 0002-7626
Sarah Rath, wife and partner of Jack Rath of AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL (ISSN 002-7626) is
published monthly at American Bee Journal, 51 S.
Betterbee, during a queen catch. The photo was 2nd Street, Hamilton, IL 62341. Periodicals Postage
Paid at Hamilton, IL and at additional mailing offices.
taken by Jenny Dunn last summer at the Rath POSTMASTER: Send address changes to American
Bee Journal, 51 S. 2nd Street, Hamilton, IL 62341. In
apiary in Vermont. Sarah is wearing one medical the United States, $28.00 a year; two years, $53.00
glove, so she can easily pick up queens. Check and three years, $75.00. Canada $45.00 a year; two
years $88.00. Foreign $52.00 a year; two years $99.00.
out Dunn’s article on varroa in this month’s issue. Subscriptions stop at expiration date printed on label.
Available in microfilm form at moderate prices by writ-
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Road, P.O. Box 998, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106.
©Copyright Dadant & Sons, Inc., 2017. All rights re-
served, printed in USA. The Publishers cannot guar-
antee advertisements in this magazine, but we ask that
any advertising complaints be made known to us, so we
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publisher. American Bee Journal, 51 S. 2nd St., Hamil-
ton, IL 62341. (888) 922-1293. Fax (217) 847-3660.

May 2018 479

480 American Bee Journal
March 2018 481
482 American Bee Journal
 The face of beekeeping is changing.
When I started keeping bees in 2002,
I was one of the few women in the
many beekeeping clubs I joined, who
actively wanted to work colonies.
Most of the other women at the time
were the wives of beekeepers, lend-
ing support, but rarely opening up
colonies. Since then there has been an
influx of women, which has led to a
shift in equipment. It’s now common
to see more 8-frame and more all me-
dium operations. This month’s cover
features Sarah Rath of Betterbee,
deeply engaged in her work during a
queen catch.
I was tickled to learn that Playmobil
released a beekeeper recently, and the
figurine is a woman. Melinda Presley
posted these lovely photos of her bees
checking out her beekeeper toy on a
Facebook forum for female beekeep-
ers. The photos made me laugh, espe-
cially the one of the two bees checking
out their illustrated counterparts on The honey bees check out the new addition to the front of their hive, a Playmobil beekeeper
complete with a hive and jars of honey. Photo by Melinda Presley
the honey frame. We all need a little
quirkiness in our lives. beekeepers, because they are gener- local, we face similar issues world-
Gender is an interesting issue in ally more observant and nurturing. wide. I had a chance to visit Ireland
beekeeping. I received an email just I’ve taught lots of new beekeepers, this March, where I gave six talks in
the other day from a long time reader both men and women. They do seem four days. The questions posed were
insisting that women make better to approach beekeeping slightly dif- excellent and confirmed that although
ferently, bringing unique skillsets to we may make honey from different
their new pasttime. nectar sources and keep our bees in
I was recently in Boston, MA for different sized boxes, we all deal with
their spring meeting, where I met the same challenges to bee health.
the Essex Club Honey Ambassador
Ryan Duggan. I was happy to learn May we all keep perservering
that the association had changed against those challenges,
the honey princess title to ambassa- Kirsten S. Traynor
dor and opened it up to all genders.
While he can be an ambassodor at the
local level, the state competition is not
open to men. With all the advances in
equality, should we reconsider why
we limit the role of promoting bees
and honey to females? What are your
thoughts? I would love to hear from
former Honey Queens & Princesses as
to why they ran for the position and
what they achieved during their year-
long appointment.
Beekeeping is a worldwide en- Two bees inspect the frame of honey.
I was invited to Ireland for a spring speaking
deavor. Although all beekeeping is Photo by Melinda Presley
tour. Here I am in Tipperary, Ireland.

March 2018 483

 Send your letters to the editor,
Attn: Kirsten Traynor,
Dadant, 51 S. 2nd Street,
Hamilton, IL 62341,
Fax: 1-217-847-3660,
or email: editor@americanbeejournal.com
Due to size and content, we may be unable to publish all information received.
We may also edit your letter to avoid offensive language. Thank You!

THE SPIRIT OF BEEKEEPING
I felt the need to share a picture I
took. The man in the picture is Santos
Alonso. As a child he started keep-
ing bees with his father in Mexico.
Eventually he came to California and
found himself keeping bees for a com-
pany in Stanislaus County. Soon after,
he decided to start his own business
and in three years he has successfully
grown it into a thriving business.
As I have gotten to know other bee-
keepers in our area they all say the
same thing to me: Santos knows bees
and if you have a question or prob-
lem he’s the guy to talk to. Now that I
have worked along side Santos I con-
cur with what the local guys say. He
is like a local bee whisperer, he just
knows bees.
I feel fortunate to know this man.
There is nothing he won’t do to help
another beekeeper out. As I am a new
beekeeper, he has become my mentor
and support system as I begin my
journey.
The picture is a small example of
his hard work, determination, and in-
herent sense of bees. This apiary was
bursting at the seams coming out of
winter and just before being rented
out. In between the top and bottom
Santos Alonso
frames drone comb was thick and
full of larvae. Brood comb was almost
taking up whole frames in every hive
he had at this location.
Enough rambling, I hope you enjoy
the picture. Thank you for your hard
work producing the journal. I love
reading it!
GENETICALLY ENGINEERED
HONEY BEE
Dear Alison-
I read your recent article “What hap-
pened to the genetically engineered
honey bee?” in the March 2018 edition
of the American Bee Journal with great
interest. While the processes appear
meticulous and somewhat tedious, I
agree that their perfection could lead
to greater honey bee health. We need
help combating Varroa, viruses, non-
hygienic behavior, suboptimal tem-
perament etc.
As a beekeeper and biomedical en-
gineer, while I understand the major-
ity of processes involved in the genetic
engineering that you described so
well, I am wondering about your opin-
ion on the measurement and testing
of side effects that may occur. For ex-
ample, we improve Varroa resistance,
but negatively affect honey produc-
tion. Or, we improve hygienic behav-
ior and temperament, but somehow
make honey bees more susceptible to
vectored viruses. I would appreciate
your thoughts on how we control for
unintended consequences while opti-
mizing the positive outcomes.
Best regards,
Jason
ALI MCAFEE’S RESPONSE
Hi Jason,
That’s a great question. First, I want
to reiterate that we are a long way off
from actually implementing any sort of
engineered honey bee in industry. But
some research groups (not us) are in-
deed working toward that aim, so it is
a good time to discuss the implications.
There is no precise formula for
measuring and testing for potential
unintended consequences. How-
ever, whatever happens, it should
include the following elements: 1) a
large-scale field trial, 2) isolation, 3)
a mechanism for termination, and 4)
testing key trait interactions.
Some of this is akin to the field trials
for genetically engineered mosquitoes
which I discussed in the article - for
example, Oxitec conducted some of
their first large-scale field trials in the
Cayman Islands. Having a large scale
(in this case, maybe several hundred
engineered colonies, as an estimate)
is important because we would want
to be able to observe rare - but poten-
tially problematic - effects, in addition
to the usual ‘statistically significant’
results that scientists are after.
Islands are some of the easiest
places to control populations of or-
ganisms, since it’s easy to monitor
and dictate who comes and goes. We
do most of our selective honey bee
breeding on an island for a similar
reason (so we can control not only the
queens but the drone sources during
mating). An added benefit of doing
field trials on an island is for damage
control: if something goes wrong, the
issue is isolated to the island and not
to, e.g., a whole continent.
But doing field trials on islands is
only part of the equation, as far as
damage control goes. Responsible re-
searchers should also have an action
plan for how to terminate the experi-
ment, even in an isolated location.
Sticking with the island example, this
could look like removing all honey
bee colonies from the island prior to
the experiment, then destroying proj-
ect colonies upon termination and
bringing the original colonies back
in. If the original honey bee colonies
can’t be removed, the experiment
could include a genetic marker that,
upon experiment termination, could
be used to screen all the island’s non-
project colonies to flag those that
managed to interbreed for removal.
Finally, simple mechanical devices

May 2018 485

could prevent interbreeding in the
first place, such as a simple drone
guard. I’m sure there are many other,
more imaginative controlled termina-
tion methods, but basically, there has
to be a plan.
Finally, we would probably want to
test a few key trait interactions, such as
the ones you suggest (e.g., aspects of
innate immunity and social immunity,
honey production, gentleness, pollina-
tion efficiency, etc.). A typical experi-
mental design could be to compare the
performance of conventional colonies
from a common import source (e.g.
NZ), conventional colonies from a
local source, and the engineered colo-
nies. The colonies in each group could
be challenged with different diseases,
hive management practices, or polli-
nation efficiency for common crops to
see if one group outperforms another.
We used a very similar experimental
design when testing if our selective
breeding efforts for hygienic behavior,
Varroa-sensitive hygiene, and groom-
ing had undesirable effects on honey
production1 (they didn’t).
In reality, there are so many char-
acteristics to test, it would be hard
to know where to stop - this would
(unsurprisingly) be dictated by the
amount of time and money available,
as well as regulatory guidelines (if
they exist by then), and, effectively,
how much evidence is needed to con-
vincingly show that the technology is
a good or bad idea.
If there are unintended conse-
quences of the genetic engineering,
not all of them will necessarily be
deal-breakers; for instance, if you en-
gineer superb Varroa resistance at the
expense of a little aggression or No-
sema susceptibility, a beekeeper with
thick skin and historically low No-
sema loads (but high Varroa loads) in
their geographic location may decide
the trade-off is worth it. Another bee-
keeper who struggles with Nosema
may disagree. We could argue forever
about who gets to decide what, but
the point here is that it needs to be an
informed decision. Other unexpected
side effects (e.g., high rates of queen
failure) may be easier to unanimously
agree upon.
I hope this at least partially answers
your question, and thank you for the
insightful query!
Cheers
Ali
RefeRence:
1. Guarna MM et al. “Peptide biomarkers
used for the selective breeding of a com-
486
plex polygenic trait in honey bees” (2017).
Scientific Reports. 7(8381). doi:10.1038/
s41598-017-08464-2
GENETICALLY ENGINEERED
HONEY BEE
Kirsten
I just finished reading Alison
McAfee’s article about German re-
searchers attempts to genetically en-
gineer honey bees for specific traits.
I’m sure the researchers have the best
intentions but it sounds more like the
setting of a Philip K Dick dystopia
than better living through science.
Reading through the article I’m re-
minded of Monsanto and the harm
they have caused farmers with their
engineered seeds. Monsanto owns
the seeds and farmers can’t save them
from year to year, they must buy new
seeds from Monsanto. But if their
neighbor has a farm across the street
and the engineered seed cross-breeds
with the neighbor’s non-engineered
seeds then Monsanto has been known
to sue the farmer across the street for
“stealing” Monsanto’s patented seeds.
Not to mention the threat of the “ter-
minator gene.” A modification to the
gene that makes the plant sterile and
incapable of reproduction.
Let’s apply the same situation to
honey bees. Monsanto (or any com-
pany really, Monsanto is just the
boogeyman of our time) develop a bee
with certain traits. The drones from
those engineered bees fly out and mate
and now my bees carry the trait. Mon-
santo has proven they would be will-
ing to sue me for stealing their patent.
Worse yet, they may make a termina-
tor gene for the bees that kills them off
every year forcing the beekeeper to
buy more and more bees every year.
The same issue of ABJ has an article
about Chinese Tallow and biological
controls used to stem the propagation
of the plant. The article documents
that even with the best of intentions,
when we mess with nature we have a
10% success rate. The other 90% isn’t
just failure, we actually create more
problems. Maybe the answer lies in
learning to work more with nature
than to try and engineer it.
Thank you
Paul Buterick
Buterick Bulkheading
WHAT ABOUT THE FLY?
Hello Dr. Traynor,
I was very impressed by Jeff Zyl-
stra’s March cover photo. It’s a gor-
geous picture. But I was disappointed
that in the photo credit and explana-
tion there was no mention of the small
fly that has attached itself to the left
side of the bee’s thorax at the base of
the wing. This may be the most inter-
esting part of the photo!
The fly is almost certainly a klep-
toparasitic “flit fly” in the family
Chloropidae, though a fly taxonomist
could give you a more certain iden-
tification. Some of these flies associ-
ate with spiders, and after a spider
has pierced its prey, suck up bodily
fluids that ooze from the wounds. A
remarkably similar photo of mine-
-of a giant honey bee, Apis dorsata, in
the grips of a green lynx spider, with
a chloropid sucking at the neck of
the bee--was the cover photo of Bee
World, June, 2012.
By the way, that is not just any
“camouflaged spider,” but the gold-
enrod crab spider, Misumena vatia, one
of the best known and studied spiders
in the world. It slowly changes colors
to blend with the flower it is hunting
on, its background turning creamy
yellow to white and the red stripes
ranging into pink and purple. It is one
beautiful animal, commonly found on
goldenrod as its name implies. But
here in the western U.S. I regularly
see these crab spiders latching on to
various pollinators on rabbitbrush
and milkweed. I give credit to Dou-
glass Morse of Brown University for
much of what is known about gold-
enrod crab spiders.
Oh, and I guess there was a honey
bee in that photo, too!
Nice job,
Jeff
QUESTION ABOUT YOUR
MARCH BEE BRIEF
Congratulations to your new po-
sition – just read your current “Bee
Brief.“ Would you mind amplifying
what you mean by “the split is made
from nurse bees herded onto a wet
super…” I can’t quite visualize what
is happening.
Thanks very much!
Best regards,
Maggie Schwed, Beekeeper
editoR’s Response:
Hi Maggie,
Yes, sure. They extract the honey.
Then they return the wet supers onto
the hive above a queen excluder. Their
hives can tip, so they tip them apart
between the two brood boxes and
American Bee Journal
smoke from the bottom up, “herding”
bees from the broodnest onto the wet
honey supers. You could do the same
thing by smoking the bees from the
bottom entrance and waiting a few
minutes for bees to move up onto the
wet comb.
All the best,
Kirsten
Maggie’s Response:
Thanks very much! Also, it was
a pleasure to hear you speak at the
Backyard Beekeeper’s Association a
week or so ago.
I am someone who has religiously
used drone frames. So, it is your ex-
perience that a plain empty frame
will be filled with drone cells? I notice
that even in the late fall, drone cells
are being developed in my area—but
I can’t imagine they would be able
to build enough wax to fill a frame
at that time of year. It does seem im-
portant to keep testing for Varroa well
past the August 15 date that is widely
used as a convention. I keep roughly
24 colonies in two apiaries. Last year,
I tested each colony with an alcohol
wash each month from May into Sep-
tember. I now think I have to be sure
to test every colony in September and
October. I am thinking hard about
using a method Jennifer Berry spoke
of, from Italy: caging the queen for 14
days before the start-up of produc-
ing winter bees, in order to introduce
a period of broodlessness. In Italy,
on the 21st day, they would give an
oxalic acid treatment. I have usually
given an oxalic acid vapor treatment
in December.
At any rate, I certainly do love the
idea of spending less time with drone
frames. For a few years I froze them
and put them back into the hive. But
last year I decided it was disgusting
to put a bunch of dead thawed larvae,
with possible disease consequences,
back into the hive, so I would scrape
out the frozen larvae for the chickens.
Very time-consuming. I had seen a
sample of the drone frame recom-
mended by Rusty (nice to see her writ-
ing for ABJ!), derived, I think, from
Randy Oliver, in which the top part of
a frame is ordinary foundation, sepa-
rated by a bar from the bottom half
which is left without foundation. That
seemed complicated to create, so I feel
very interested in the idea of using one
whole empty frame per brood box.
If I have not understood your idea
correctly, please let me know! I will
be hoping to get them into the brood
boxes in early April or late March, de-
May 2018
THANK YOU
Hi Kirsten,
Thank you so much for sharing your time and knowledge with us at the South
Carolina State Beekeepers meeting on Saturday. I appreciate all the information
you shared with us.
Attached is a photo of a beautiful bee drinking honey from a saucer in my bee
yard. The color and lighting was perfect and the little bee was very photogenic.
Thank you again for your time.
pending on the weather, which has
been insane here in NY.
Best regards,
Maggie Schwed
editoR’s Response:
Hi Maggie,
I find my colonies will typically
draw out a full frame of drone brood
per brood box from mid-March-July.
Some colonies will continue to do so in
August, but not all of them. Yes, I use
a wooden frame with no foundation,
placed at the edge of the broodnest.
Thank you,
Kirsten
MARCH ABJ EDITION
Ms. Kirsten,
Just reading your Bee Brief on ABJ
page 247, which leaves me, a 75 year
old beekeeper feeling GaGa. Your
writings are like reading truthful
poetry.
SO GLAD YOU ACCEPTED EDI-
TORSHIP. YOU ARE A GIFT.
Bee Fearless,
Deborah Sasser
Augusta, GA
Can’t wait to read the rest of this
edition, but I’ve got bees and flow and
Q-cells to tend to.
Ron Weisburg
Lee Bees
OKATIE, SC
P.S. I suggest you find an article
to address the topic of high visibility
wildflowers on major highways. Great
pollinator resource. NC DOT has an
awesome very detailed website on
the topic. Planting grass on highway
medians to replace big trees which
kill people, only results in much more
deer, which also kill people when hit.
Use of wildflowers to replace danger-
ous trees is not only eye candy for the
traveler, it also attracts pollinators in-
sects, birds, mice, rabbits, and preda-
tor hawks who don’t have the killing
mass to harm people, if hit.
So many prisons could have in-
mates growing and harvesting wild-
flower seeds on prison property. So
many good articles to discover via
Google on this topic among various
State DOTs. NC DOT’s wildflower
website has every detail to prep soil,
487
plant, annual mow and fertilize. And
all planting details for use of about 25
botanicals which make sense for high-
way use. You could be the new Lady
Bird Wildflower promoter, and our
bees would benefit. Too many hedge-
rows have been destroyed in this
country. Much cheaper than mowing
medians every three weeks.
FOSTERING THE NEW
GENERATION
I just finished reading your latest
magazine. I am a 28 year old beekeeper
in Southern California and I was so
excited to see an article on young bee-
keepers! At least, until I read the article.
I am not certain the author really knew
what she was talking about, and the
general consensus seemed to be that
young beekeepers need an easier bar-
rier of entry, and that my generation is
just too lazy to be a hard working bee-
keeper. My entire team ranges from the
age of 18-30. The picture I am seeing is
completely different, and I really don’t
appreciate spreading the idea that
millenals are lazy. In the same article
the author wrote about how the older
generation should step down, or step
aside. Doesn’t she know beekeepers
love to work until they drop? That sim-
ply isn’t how this industry works. On
that same subject, not having young
beekeepers isn’t a crisis. Beekeepers’
average age is so high because many of
them get into the industry at an older
age. When the oldest beekeepers retire
there is typically a wave of 50 year old
beekeepers ready and willing to take
their place.
I am sorry about the rant, but if there
is going to be an article about young
beekeepers in the future I hope you
take the time to consult a few more of
the real young beekeepers.
TRUTH IN LABELING
A farmer’s market is a wonderful
place to purchase local goods that are
pure and simple, provided by real
people trying to make a few dollars off
of their labor. As a beekeeper, I try to
stop at the tables of fellow beekeepers,
who are selling their honey, wax, and
cosmetic items. I met Randy Spaide
last fall at just such an event. We got to
talking and I learned that Randy was
frustrated. He was selling his raw, local
honey at the market, but was being
undercut by others claiming to sell the
very same thing, but at a cheaper price.
He knew that his products were what
the label indicated, but questioned
488
whether the others were being truthful.
So, let’s define what raw, local honey
actually is. Honey is “raw” when it has
not been heated, or at least not above
105F, a temperature that is plenty high
enough to get the viscous liquid flow-
ing. Raw honey is also only strained,
not filtered. The strainer has a mesh
size capable of removing large chunks
of wax and other debris, but pollen and
sugar crystals can get through. Because
of the lack of heating and minimal fil-
tering, raw honey will crystallize. The
speed at which crystallization occurs
depends on the nectar source(s) the
honey was made from, but it will cer-
tainly crystallize within the first 9-12
months unless it has a very low glucose
content. The definition of “local” is less
clear. I personally avoid the use of that
term on my honey jars by labeling my
honey with the town name where the
bees were kept. However, larger scale
beekeepers will have honey from a mix
of locations. Certainly, actual distance
from the point of sale could be used as
a measure of how local a product is;
perhaps honey collected within a 50-
mile radius of the point of sale can be
considered local. Perhaps honey col-
lected within a single state, like PA, or
within the region, like New England,
can be considered local. Perhaps it’s
enough to have been collected within
the country. Unfortunately, the defini-
tion is too vague and so are the expec-
tations of consumers.
Randy sells raw, local honey as de-
fined here. Some of his rivals do not.
How do we know this? Randy inves-
tigated his suspicions by testing his ri-
vals’ honey. He and his friends bought
jars of honey from two rivals at the
farmers markets, one from a roadside
stand and one from a grocery store
claiming to be selling local honey. Then
he sent them, as well as a sample of his
own honey, to a food lab for analysis.
The results did not surprise him.
Sample #1, which was purchased at
the grocery store, was shown to have
been highly filtered. Only a few pollen
grains remained in the honey. There
were less than 1000 pollen grains per 10
g of honey. The pollen that did remain
was identified as being from plants
only present in the American South-
west, Southern California, and North-
ern Mexico. Those plants included
eucalyptus, joyweed, buttonwood, and
mesquite; not at all local to PA. Sample
#2, which was purchased from a road-
side stand, contained mostly pollen
from brassicaceae, which was likely
canola, a sizeable amount of soybean
and clover pollens, and minimal quan-
tities of pollen from other plants, which
did not give an indication of location
due to their cosmopolitan distribu-
tions. It is unknown whether sample 2
is from PA or somewhere else. Samples
3-5 were purchased at various farmer’s
markets. Sample #3 was ultra-filtered
(or in their words, very effectively fil-
tered) to the point that only 8 grains of
pollen were found in the entire sam-
ple (translates to 40 grains per 10 g of
honey). There were so few grains that
the scientists could not give any indi-
cation of where the honey might have
been made. Sample #4 was obviously
from an agricultural area with the
main pollens being sunflower and clo-
ver, but it also contained pollen from
maple, birch, chestnut, ash, oak, honey-
suckle, and rose, which are PA plants.
This sample lived up to its label with
over 100,000 pollen grains per 10 g of
honey. Sample #5 proved to be an ex-
treme example, as it contained no pol-
len at all! This can only have happened
through heating and ultrafiltration. It
raises suspicions about whether it was
illegally imported honey and whether
it has been adulterated with alternative
syrup sources. How can this be sold as
local, raw honey?
Naturally, Randy sent in some of
his own honey and got the results to
back up his claims of having raw, local
honey. His honey contained pollen
from maples, dandelions, honeysuckle,
poison ivy, clover, oak, and touch-me-
not; all PA plants. The pollen count for
Randy’s honey was 30,715 grains per
10 g of honey. Definitely honey from
PA that was only strained, not filtered.
So, Randy is frustrated. He would
like for his rivals to stop misrepresent-
ing their goods. However, they are
not breaking any laws. So, what is his
response? He educates his customers.
They are amazed when they taste his
honey after thinking they were buy-
ing local, raw honey from others. He
shows them the analysis of his own
honey to show them how great it is. He
mentions vaguely that there are others
selling lesser products to justify the
higher price of his genuine raw, local
honey. This situation is frustrating for
the seller and also for the consumer.
It degrades the trust that is implied at
farmers’ markets. Something should be
done to rectify this problem. But what?
Robyn Underwood
POLLEN BOUNTY
The delightful sound of buzzing in
and around crocus patches caught my
American Bee Journal
attention when I stepped outside this
morning, brilliant sunshine warming
the girls long before the mercury even
reached 50 degrees as they eagerly col-
lected rich pollen in crocus blooms.
Note to self: I need to plant more cro-
cus bulbs this fall to further support
these girls as they search for food in
late winter.

Connie Young
Sykesville, MD

High Quality Beekeeping

Equipment & Bottling
Machines at swienty.com

... for better honey

May 2018 489

490 American Bee Journal

News
Notes
THE ‘WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION’
THAT’S KILLING HONEY BEES
The underbelly of a Varroa destructor
The weapons of destruction, red spikes are Varroa destructor’s
deadly claws
These are new close-up images of one of the mites re-
sponsible for killing billions of honey bees around the
world.
The magnified photographs of the pinhead-sized mite,
aptly named Varroa destructor, were captured by Dr. Jona-
than Salvage of the University of Brighton (UK), using a
state-of-the-art scanning electron microscope (SEM).
Dr. Salvage, a Research Fellow in the University’s
School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, has been
May 2018
working with Adam Leitch, a Master Beekeeper, on both
a study of plant pollen that honey bees pollinate and as-
pects of honey bee pest anatomy
Dr. Salvage said: “The mite, with its ice-axe-like weapon
of attack, the palptarsi claws, is a major threat to honey
bees globally. It is involved in the mass destruction and
deaths of billions of bees, which, in turn, threatens crop
pollination and food production.”
Mr. Leitch, a member of the Reigate Beekeepers Asso-
ciation, said it was originally thought that blood loss was
responsible for the death of parasitised bees: “But scien-
tists later discovered that these bee mites carry and trans-
mit deadly viruses to bees whilst feeding.
“The large red spikes on the claws pierce the body of a
victim bee so that the mite can hold on tightly. The mite
then feeds on adult bees and larvae using its mouthparts,
coloured yellow in Picture 2, like a harpoon to penetrate
and secure itself onto the host bee.”
The University has been studying pollen types and
morphology associated with honey bees and honey pro-
duction, to contribute to beekeeper training and educa-
tion, which Mr Leitch delivers to beekeeping societies.
The mite images will be contributing to the teaching
material to furnish amateur beekeepers with the skills to
manage mite populations.
There are miticides and non-chemical methods to help
combat the mites for beekeepers. Researchers, mean-
while, are studying how ribonucleic acid interference
might knock out genes in the mite, and there is also re-
search under way into breeding defensive changes in
honey bees.
Dr. Salvage said the £500,000 SEM facility, which
provides electron microscopy imaging and analysis, is
“proving an invaluable resource for teaching and re-
search which external commercial clients are now ben-
efiting from”.
For more information, contact: KnowledgeExchange@
brighton.ac.uk
COMMERCIAL PESTICIDES:
NOT AS SAFE AS THEY SEEM
Lack of information on the effects of all pesticide ingre-
dients makes them appear safer than they are — poten-
tially causing serious harm to people and the environment.
New regulations are needed to protect people and the
environment from toxic pesticide ingredients that are not
currently subject to safety assessments. This is the conclu-
sion of the first comprehensive review of gaps in risk as-
sessments for “adjuvants” - ingredients added to pesticide
formulations to enhance the function or application of the
active ingredient. Ignoring the potential dangers of other
ingredients in commonly used commercial pesticides
leads to inaccuracies in the safety profile of the pesticide
solution, as well as confusion in scientific literature on
pesticide effects, finds the review published in Frontiers
in Public Health.
“Exposure to environmental levels of some of these ad-
juvant mixtures can affect non-target organisms — and
even can cause chronic human disease,” says Dr. Robin
Mesnage from King’s College London, who co-wrote the
review with Dr. Michael Antoniou. “Despite this, adju-
vants are not currently subject to an acceptable daily in-
take and are not included in the health risk assessment of
dietary exposures to pesticide residues.”
491

Pesticides are a mixture of chemicals made up of an ac-
tive ingredient - the substance that kills or repels a pest
- along with a mixture of other ingredients that help with
the application or function of the active ingredient. These
other ingredients are known as adjuvants, and include
dyes, anti-foaming agents and surfactants.
Regulatory tests for pesticide safety are currently only
done on the active ingredient, which assumes the other
ingredients have no effects. This means the full toxicity
of a pesticide formulation — including those used in both
agriculture and domestic gardens — is not shown.
“Currently, the health risk assessment of pesticides in
the European Union and in the United States focuses al-
most exclusively on the active ingredient,” explains Dr.
Mesnage. “Despite the known toxicity of adjuvants, they
are regulated differently from active principles, with their
toxic effects being generally ignored.”
Based on a review of current pesticide literature, the au-
thors describe how unregulated chemicals present in com-
mercial formulations of pesticides could provide a missing
link between pesticide exposure and observed negative
outcomes.
The researchers focused on glyphosate-based herbi-
cides, the most used pesticide worldwide. They point out
that this weed killer has so many different adjuvant for-
mulations that a safety test of one weed killer does not test
the safety of another.
“Studies comparing the toxicity of commercial weed-
killer formulations to that of glyphosate alone have shown
that several formulations are up to 1,000 times more toxic
than glyphosate on human cells. We believe that the adju-
vants are responsible for this additional toxic effect,” says
Dr. Mesnage.
The authors also highlight neonicotinoid insecticides
— strongly suspected to be involved in the collapsing
of bee colonies — as another example of adjuvant toxic-
ity affecting non-target organisms. An adjuvant used in
these insecticides to increase the penetration of the active
ingredient has been shown to cause varying toxic effects
in bees. On top of this, residues of the toxin have also
been found in honey, pollen and beeswax produced by
contaminated bees.
The authors hope their review will stimulate discussion
on the toxicity of commonly used pesticides and encour-
age more thorough regulations.
“Testing of whole pesticide formulations instead of just
active ingredients alone would create a precautionary ap-
proach, ensuring that the guidance value for the pesti-
cide is valid for the worst-case exposure scenario,” says
Dr. Mesnage.
492
Their findings have already had a considerable impact.
The European Food Safety Authority is now reassessing
the validity of pesticide risk assessment in the EU, and
authors hope that this reassessment can extend to entire
commercial formulations of pesticides and their other in-
gredients.
HOW ROYAL JELLY HELPS HONEY
BEE LARVAE DEFY GRAVITY
AND BECOME QUEENS
Honeybee larvae develop into queen bees only when
they are fed large quantities of royal jelly. But royal jelly
does more than determine whether a larva becomes a
queen: it also keeps her safely anchored to the roof of the
queen cell in which she develops. Research published in
Current Biology on March 15 explains the role that the
pH of royal jelly plays in making the substance viscous
enough to keep the queen-to-be from falling.
“Royal jelly is kind of viscous and sticky and jelly-like;
that’s why it’s called ‘jelly.’ It’s like a mixture of marma-
lade and honey,” says senior author Anja Buttstedt, a
molecular ecologist who performed the study at Martin
Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. And like jam in a jar
turned upside down, it’s viscous enough to cling to the
ceiling of the queen cell and to keep the larva hanging as
she grows.
Larvae destined to become queens don’t have to hang to
develop properly. But they are too large to fit into the cells
of the hive’s honeycomb, and often the only place on the
hive with enough room for the queen cells is hanging off
the bottom of it. While other larvae are fed small amounts
of food jelly directly, the worker bees stuff royal jelly into
the queen cell in vast quantities, building up a sticky mass
that both feeds the larva and keeps her in place.
This space constraint makes royal jelly’s viscosity ex-
tremely important, so Buttstedt and her team were sur-
prised when their experiments on the proteins that make
up the substance completely changed its consistency. “It
was totally liquid, almost watery,” she says. To under-
stand what had happened, the researchers looked at royal
jelly, which normally has a pH of 4, at several different
pH levels. They found that between pH 4 and pH 5, the
viscosity of royal jelly changed dramatically, and that at a
neutral pH, it had that strange, runny consistency.
“And then we realized that the protein that we were
purifying at pH 4 was somehow much bigger in size than
what we would expect from its amino acid sequence. Most
purification protocols use pH 7, so other people never ex-
pected or saw the huge size of the protein,” she says. She
Two cells with royal jelly. The 3rd cup from the left has royal jelly
with a pH of 4.0, while the 4th cup has a pH of 5.8. When turned
upside down, the larva falls out of the 4th cup. Credit: Buttstedt
et al./Current Biology
American Bee Journal
found that the main protein in royal jelly, MRJP1, polym-
erized with another protein in more acidic conditions to
form a network of fibers. These fibers both increased the
size of the protein and played a crucial role in changing
the jelly’s viscosity. “That was, in the end, the missing link
between the pH, the viscosity change, and the protein,”
she says.
It’s still unclear how these fibers change the viscosity
of royal jelly. But she does have a good hypothesis for
why the change is necessary: royal jelly is produced in
the glands of worker bees and needs to be fluid enough
to travel through their glandular ducts. Production of the
jelly actually happens in two separate glands, one that
produces the proteins in a neutral pH and one that pro-
duces fatty acids that can reduce said pH when the two
secretions finally meet. Kayla Fusselman (l) and Jenny Gross
Other species have similar pH mechanisms that regu-
late the formation of crucial proteins. In humans, a protein
that serves as scaffold for melanin synthesis only forms Kayla and Jenny will spend the next year promoting
fibers at pH 6 in specific organelles. Another example is the beekeeping industry throughout the United States in a
spider silk. “You don’t want it to be too sticky in the gland wide variety of venues, including fairs, festivals, schools,
where it’s being produced, but when the silk is coming and media interviews. To schedule an appearance with
out, there are changes in pH that contribute to turning it American Honey Queen Kayla Fusselman or American
into the real, strong silk,” she explains. So royal jelly’s pH- Honey Princess Jenny Gross, please contact American
dependent viscosity change does make a lot of sense—it’s Honey Queen Program Chairperson Anna Kettlewell at
just that no one had ever looked at it before. 414.545.5514.
“The longer I think about it, the less surprising I find
it,” Buttstedt says. Still, she plans to continue studying
royal jelly and the ways it works to turn normal larvae ST. PETER’S CATHEDRAL, BEES
into queens. “There are many other proteins in royal jelly, PRESERVED FROM DESTRUCTION
and I would like to find out what all of them are doing.
Because these proteins exist in this way just in honey bees, Last week, Durable Restoration began historic renova-
they most likely use them to do something very special.” tions on the Cathedral of St. Peter, which included the
This work was supported by the German Research safe removal of endangered bees from this church in Jack-
Foundation and an ERASMUS+ exchange program grant. son, Mississippi.
Current Biology, Buttstedt et al.: “How honey bees defy Under the guidance of a local beekeeper, Durable Res-
gravity with royal jelly to raise queens” http://www.cell. toration cut out a section of the church’s column to pro-
com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)30207-0 vide access to the Italian bees. Donning protective hats,
suits and gloves, the beekeeper and Durable Restoration
employees kept the 6-foot hive intact for transportation
2018 AMERICAN HONEY QUEEN & from the site.
“We’ve built a relationship with this church,” said Brad
PRINCESS HAIL FROM Brobeck, a Durable Restoration branch manager. “When
PENNYSLVANIA & WISCONSIN we run into situations like this, we work with the com-
munity to handle the situation responsibly. And so, we
The American Beekeeping Federation is proud to an- are preserving the building and protecting an essential
nounce that Kayla Fusselman and Jenny Gross were se- part of nature.”
lected as the 2018 American Honey Queen and Princess Local beekeeper Michael Everett transported the bees
at its annual January convention in Reno, NV. to the Truck Crops Branch of Mississippi State Univer-
Queen Kayla is the 23-year-old daughter of Brian and
Diane Fusselman of Kempton, PA, and the granddaughter
of Margaret Weller of Fleetwood, PA. She is a 2017 gradu-
ate of Kutztown University, where she earned a bachelor’s
degree in art education. Kayla is an active alumna with
the Kutztown High School FFA chapter and the Kutztown
University Presidential Ambassadors. She previously
served as the Pennsylvania Honey Queen
Princess Jenny is the 20-year-old daughter of Bill and
Mary Gross of Sheboygan, WI, and granddaughter of
Shirley and Herman Gross of DePere, WI. She is a sopho-
more at Concordia University Wisconsin studying hos-
pitality and event management through the Accelerated
Business Scholars Program, earning dual bachelor’s and
master’s degrees. Jenny is a student ambassador, social
media copywriter, and orientation leader at school. She
previously served as the Wisconsin Honey Queen.

May 2018 493

 nent as long as the program continues to be authorized
by Congress.
Since we first lobbied to include this program in the
2008 Farm Bill, spending has been capped by statute,
which in recent years has meant that eligible beekeepers
have received as little as 50% of the payments they other-
wise would be entitled to under the program. Maximum
claims will now be paid annually at the full $125,000 per
claimant. While it is never easy to watch your bees die
off, it is at least comforting to know that this federal sup-
port exists.
We hope you will join us in thanking our hard-working
Washington team and Executive Committee members for
the time, travel and treasure they have spent ensuring this
important result for beekeepers across the country.
And we would be remiss not to thank our Senators and
Representatives. Help us help you by making a quick call
to your members of Congress and letting them know that
we appreciate their support. Specific names and phone
numbers are included below, but never hesitate to reach
out to other House and Senate members to let them know
that you appreciate this provision being included in the
disaster assistance portion of the budget bill.
Regardless of where you live, please thank:
sity’s Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station in • Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) for leading on this
Crystal Springs, Miss. issue and for keeping us apprised throughout the
“Bees are more than just pests. They’re important to process. / (202) 224-2043
the agricultural community,” said Everett, a certified bee- • Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Rob-
keeper who has more than 13 years of experience. “Crop erts (R-KS) / (202) 224-4774
farmers rely on bees for pollination. You can’t grow any- • Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member
thing without bees.” Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) / (202) 224-4822
While the complete restoration of the church is still • House Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael
months away, St. Peter’s Office Manager Traci Avalon Conaway (R-TX) / (202) 225-3605
has been pleased with the progress thus far. • House Agriculture Ranking Member Collin Peter-
“From the people in the office to the field crews, I son (D-MN) / (202) 225-2165
couldn’t ask for any better people to work with,” Avalon
said.
Aside from the repair of the church’s six exterior col-
umns, Durable Restoration’s scope of work will include
exterior masonry repairs of the chimney and portions
of the walls. Durable Restoration’s sister company Du-
rable Slate will take on repairs of the tile roof, which will
include installation of a tile and metal underlayment.
Coppersmiths will also custom fabricate and solder vent
boots and a section of the roof’s valley.
Avalon said she chose Durable Restoration and Du-
rable Slate because of our previous work on the church’s
steeple several years ago.
“We’re all about history down here,” Avalon said.
“And this church is part of that, we’re really proud to
maintain it for future generations.”
Father Charles Oliver Sr., St. Peter’s first American-
born pastor, built the present church of modified Gothic
design on June 3, 1900.

MORE ELAP $$ FOR BEEKEEPERS!!

We at AHPA are thrilled to announce that our lobbying
has paid off!
The Emergency Livestock Assistance Program (ELAP)
will no longer be capped at $20 million annually. The fed-
eral budget deal passed last Friday included a provision
that uncaps ELAP spending for beekeepers. Even better,
the uncapping is retroactive to 2017 claims and perma-

494 American Bee Journal

 Finally, for those who have been losing bees but have
not yet signed up for ELAP, don’t forget to do so this
year. Reach out early to your local FSA office to make
sure you are keeping the records you need and filing
timely applications.
General information on the ELAP program can be
found at https://goo.gl/UfkHNE. Pay special attention to
the “ELAP Honeybee Assistance Fact Sheet”.
HONEY BEE HEALTH COALITION , PART-
NERS SECURE $475,000 GRANT
TO TEST POTENTIAL TREATMENTS
FOR DESTRUCTIVE VARROA
MITE INFESTATIONS
Varroa Mites Can Devastate Commercial,
Amateur Colonies
The Honey Bee Health Coalition announced today that
it has collaborated with an international team of 12 sci-
entists to secure more than $475,000 in grant funds from
the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research to
facilitate the testing of chemical compounds that could
help beekeepers more effectively treat Varroa mite (Var-
roa destructor) infestations. This funding, matched by par-
ticipants and industry members to provide more than $1
million in total support, also will document how mites
develop resistance to such treatment.
The funding will support the identification, lab testing,
and field testing over the next three years of “orphaned”
chemical compounds that have known acaricidal (miti-
cide) activity but have not been specifically tested against
Varroa mites. Many of these compounds are trapped in a
bottleneck where the costs of testing and commercializing
them are too steep for testing, effectively leaving them on
the shelf.
“Varroa mites pose serious challenges to bees and hives.
This grant will provide critical support for the development
and testing of new chemicals that could help beekeepers
better manage Varroa mite infestations,” said Principle
Investigator Steven Cook, Research Entomologist, USDA-
ARS, Bee Research Lab. “We look forward to sharing the
results of these efforts and support beekeepers’ efforts to
implement integrated pest management strategies.”
The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research
grant will provide crucial support for this $1.1 million ef-
fort, which is championed by a wide array of national and
international public, private, and NGO organizations, in-
cluding USDA-ARS, University of Nebraska, Alberta Ag-
riculture and Forestry Department (Canada), University
of Georgia, Universitat de València (Spain), Ohio State
University, and Auburn University.
In addition to the grant funding, Project Apis m. pro-
vided financial support. Other organizations also have
provided in-kind support, including bees from a number
of regional beekeepers and compounds from Bayer.
“Varroa mites are rapidly adapting to treatments bee-
keepers currently use. This project will not only address
this growing problem, but also break the bottleneck that
has formed around compounds we already know can
treat mites,” said Jennifer Berry, University of Georgia,
Honey Bee Lab. “We’re excited to work together with our
partners across the world as we strive to cooperatively ad-
dress the persistent problem of Varroa infestations.”
May 2018
Varroa mites are one of the driving factors in recent
colony losses, which threaten productive agriculture and
the crops that rely upon commercial pollination services.
Left untreated, a single infestation can wipe out colonies
and spread rapidly across a region. Given the scale of
these problematic parasites in North America, Europe,
and around the world, the Coalition has worked to help
beekeepers monitor and control Varroa mites through
the development and dissemination of key resources and
information.
In addition to this project, the Coalition has developed
an expansive guide laying out best practices to detect,
monitor, and control Varroa mite infestations. The Tools
for Varroa Management Guide, is now in its sixth edition
and has been downloaded by thousands of beekeepers
across the United States and Canada — and as far away
as New Zealand.
‘LAZY LAWN MOWERS’ CAN HELP
SUPPORT SUBURBAN BEE
POPULATIONS AND DIVERSITY
UMass aMherst research shows
less-freqUent Mowing May help sUbUrban bees
AMHERST, Mass. - Homeowners concerned about the
decline of bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects
need look no further than their own back yards, says ecolo-
gist Susannah Lerman at the University of Massachusetts
Amherst and the USDA Forest Service. In new research,
she and colleagues suggest that homeowners can help sup-
port bee habitat in suburban yards, specifically their lawns,
by changing lawn-mowing habits.
The researchers found that taking a “lazy lawn mower”
approach and mowing every two weeks rather than
weekly can help encourage bee habitat in suburban lawns
by allowing flowers to bloom. Longer intervals between
mowing lets the lawn flowers bloom, which helps bees.
She says, “Mowing less frequently is practical, economical
and a timesaving alternative to replacing lawns or even
planting pollinator gardens.”
Given the pervasiveness of lawns and other habitat loss
for pollinators, the research findings provide immediate
solutions for individual households to support bees in sub-
urban settings, she adds. Lerman conducted the study with
Ecologist Susannah Lerman of UMass Amherst mowing a sub-
urban lawn that was part of her study of bee populations and
diversity. In exchange for participation, homeowners got free
lawn mowing. Credit: UMass Amherst
495
her colleagues Joan Milam at UMass Amherst, Alix Con-
tosta at the University of New Hampshire and Christofer REGIONAL
Bang at Arizona State University. Findings appear in the
current issue of Biological Conservation.
For this study, supported by the National Science Foun-
dation’s (NSF) Science, Engineering and Education for
Sustainability (SEES) program, Lerman and colleagues
recruited 16 homeowners in Springfield, Massachusetts,
and during 2013 and 2014, assigned each yard one of three
mowing schedules so that yards were mowed either every
week, every two weeks, or every three weeks, and then
tested how the bees responded.
Before each of five bee-sampling occasions per season,
the scientists counted “yard” flowers - ornamentals not af-
fected by mowing - and “lawn flowers” such as clover and
dandelions growing within the grass, for the entire prop-
erty. They also measured average grass height, counted
and identified bees, and calculated several metrics to
understand how bees responded to changes in mowing
frequency: bee abundance, richness, and evenness, all of
which drive patterns in bee diversity, Lerman points out.
The authors observed a total of 4,587 bees representing Conference (Aug 15-17)
93 bee species, with supplemental observations reaching Speakers Include (subject to change):
111 bee species. Lawns mowed every three weeks had as
much as 2.5 times more lawn flowers than lawns mowed • Celia Davis, NOB (National Diploma in Beekeeping,
on the other schedules. The lawns mowed every two weeks UK)
had the greatest number of bees but the lowest diversity • Dr. Jamie Ellis, University of Florida
compared to the other two mowing intervals, they report. • Randy Oliver, Scientific Beekeeping
Lerman and colleagues point out that bees are essential • Mike Palmer, French Hill Apiaries, Vermont
for crop pollination and supporting natural ecosystems. • Freddy Proni, North Carolina Grown
But both domesticated and wild bee species are in decline • Sammy Ramsey, University of Maryland
around the world, due in part to urbanization, agricultural
• Dr.Juliana Rangel, Texas A&M
intensification and loss of habitat. However, co-author
• Dr. Jennifer Tsuruda, Clemson University
Milam says there’s reason to be cautiously optimistic: “I
was amazed at the high level of bee diversity and abun- • Dr. Kirsten Traynor, American Bee Journal
dance we documented in these lawns, and it speaks to the • Michael Young, MBe, Institute of Northern Ireland
value of the untreated lawn to support wildlife.” Beekeepers and many others
Further, says Contosta, “There is evidence that even Short Course (Aug 13 & 14) Topics Include:
though lawns are maintained to look uniform, they may • Beginners Track
support diverse plant communities and floral resources if • Intermediate Track
the owners refrain from using herbicides to kill ‘weeds’ • Apiary Track
such as dandelions and clover.” • Electronic Hive Monitoring
Bangs adds, “We acknowledge our small sample size • Excellence in Honey & Hive Products
and the study’s limitation to suburban Massachusetts, • Queen Rearing
though the findings may be applicable in all temperate
areas where lawns dominate.” Lerman says, “This research Special Events:
is a reminder that sustainability begins at home, and in this • Beekeepers’ Beach Bash
case involves doing less for more buzz.” • Tea with Celia Davis
Sam Scheiner, NSF’s SEES program director, says, “A • Queen of the Sun Film Screening
decrease in pollinators, and insects in general, is a growing • Honey Show and Awards Banquet
problem. This research shows that we all can help address • Silent Auction and Dinner
this problem with a change in how we manage our lawns, • Trip to historic Jamestown, entry point for honey
and demonstrates that basic research directly contributes bees into North America
to societal needs.” • Trip to St. George’s Brewery and Apiary
WORLDWIDE
3RD AUSTRALIAN BEE CONGRESS ELECTRONIC HIVE MONITORING
AT EAS 2018
Hosted by the
EAS 2018 will feature a day-long electronic hive moni-
Australian Honey Bee Industry Council Inc. toring track with speakers from current suppliers and
June 27th – 30th, 2018 researchers working on the next generation of these
technologies. Learn how weight, temperature, audio,
Theme of “Pollination and Beekeeping video, and other sensors can help you keep your colo-
for the Future”. nies healthy and productive. Details at: http://www.
www.australianbeecongres easternapiculture.org.

496 American Bee Journal

 HEARTLAND APICULTURAL SOCIETY
to host 16th annUal beekeeping workshop
at washington University in st. loUis on
July 11-13, 2018
Beekeeping Extension Specialists and Scientists
to Present Courses for
Beginners and Experienced Beekeepers
Program to feature Lectures, Labs, Queen Rearing, and
Classes, Field Trips to Sites of
National Significance, and Social Events
Planning continues for Heartland Apicultural Society’s
annual conference – HAS 2018 - to be held July 11-13,
2018 at Washington University, in St. Louis. HAS is an
annual conference focused on discussing the latest re-
search and methods in beekeeping. Established in 2001
by several professional entomologists, the conference ro-
tates through the Midwest to make it easier for Midwest
beekeepers to attend the sessions. The conference was
last held in Missouri in 2012. “We are excited about the
opportunity to bring this conference back to Missouri,”
said Bob Sears, Heartland Apicultural Society president,
and a St. Louis area beekeeper. Sears is among several
volunteers pulling together the organizational structure
that will support the three-day conference featuring
both keynote speakers as well as concurrent break-out
sessions and evening events. Among the speakers con-
firmed to date:
• Bee Squad, a collaborative, beekeeping instructional
and public outreach team at the University of Min-
nesota Bee Lab, directed by Rebecca Masterman, PhD
• Jennifer Berry, Apicultural Research Professional and
Lab Manager for the University of Georgia Honey Bee
Program
• Dr. Keith S. Delaplane, MBE Professor, Walter B. Hill
Fellow & Honey Bee Program Director University of
Georgia
• Samuel Ramsey, University of Maryland, PhD candi-
date and researcher
• Marla Spivak, PhD, Distinguished McKnight Univer-
sity Professor, Apiculture /Social Insects, University
of Minnesota
• Dr. Dennis vanEngelsdorp, Assistant Professor, Uni-
versity of Maryland
More details will be posted as they are finalized at http://
www.heartlandbees.org.
Save the Date: July 11-13, 2018
STATES
CALIFORNIA
Uc Davis beekeeping classes
Are you ready to become a beekeeper…or are you ready
to learn more about the bees you’re keeping?
Extension apiculturist Elina Lastro Niño of the Univer-
sity of California, Davis, and her lab have announced a
series of short courses for the new year--and folks can reg-
ister now and/or purchase gift certificates. All will take
May 2018
place at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Fa-
cility on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis campus.
• Bee-Breeding Basics: Saturday, June 9
• Varroa Management Strategies: Saturday, June 16
For more information, visit: https://elninobeelab.uc
davis.edu/courses.html.
COLORADO
coloraDo state beekeepers association
sUMMer bee college
Make new beekeeper frienDs anD learn a lot!
JUne 8-10
garfielD coUnty fairgroUnDs,
rifle, co
Friday, June 8
Cookout at Colby Farm, meet the speakers. Free tent and
van camping on the farm.
Saturday, June 9
Sam Ramsey, University of Maryland bee researcher
who discovered that Varroa feed on fat bodies, not bee
blood (two talks).
Bill Collins, associate chemistry professor, Fort Lewis
College, Durango, CO, speaking on plant-based chemicals
for pathogen control.
Hillary Eales, Meadery of the Rockies, Palisade, Colo-
rado, will explain how they magically transform honey,
yeast, and water into mead, nectar of the gods.
Beekeeper classroom roundtable
General meeting
In-the-hive time – bring your veil!
Beekeepers’ Banquet: Fine dining featuring varietal hon-
eys in every course – these gals can flat-out cook!
Sunday, June 10
Field trip to the Colorado Flat Tops to look at high-alti-
tude bees.
Details and registration at:
Coloradobeekeepers.org.
CONNECTICUT
back yarD beekeepers association
last tUesDays of the Month at 7:30pM
norfielD chUrch coMMUnity rooM,
64 norfielD roaD, weston, connecticUt
The Back Yard Beekeepers Association (BYBA) has been
educating the public about honey bees and beekeeping for
twenty + years. This regional club is dedicated to promot-
ing beekeeping as a hobby, and spreading the good word
about the remarkable honey bee.
497
 • May 22, 2018 Peter Borst: Comb Honey
• June 26, 2018 Pot Luck Dinner and Silent Auction
• September 25, 2018 Richard Cowles: The Queen of
Your Dreams
• October 30, 2018 Dewey Caron: Topic TBD
• November 27, 2018 Bill Hesbach: Over-wintering
For more information check our website for the latest up-
dates www.backyardbeekeepers.com
GEORGIA
the University of georgia honey bee prograM
beekeeping institUte
May 9-11th at
Young Harris College
in Young Harris, Georgia
The most comprehensive (and fun) beekeeping event in
the Southeast. Includes lectures, workshops and demon-
strations from local, national and international speakers.
Plus hands-on training, the Georgia Master Beekeeping
Certification Program, honey show and Welsh Honey
Judging Classes. For more information please visit www.
ent.uga.edu/bees.
GEORGIA
qUeen rearing classes
Jennifer Berry’s farm (UGA Honey Bee Lab Researcher)
Comer, Georgia
May 25th & 26th.
For more information please visit www.honeypondfarm.
com or email jennifer@honeypondfarm.com.
ILLINOIS
June 9, Saturday, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm.
Rain date: June 16.
Registration at 8:30am.
Lincoln Land Community College,
5250 Shepherd Rd., Springfield, IL 62703
Workshop designed to provide information and hands on
instruction for rearing quality queens. Grafting, and non-
grafting methods of queen rearing will be covered. Addi-
tional topics include the biology of queen rearing, handling
queen cells, establishing mating nuclei, selecting breeder
queens and “breeds” of varroa and disease resistant queens.
Each participant will take home a grafting tool, cell bar,
queen cups, class handouts, and a copy of “Queen Rear-
ing Essentials” 2nd edition by Larry Connor. Participants
should have a minimum of two years of beekeeping experi-
ence and should be conversant with queen rearing concepts.
Instructors are Stu Jacobson and Fred Gerberding.
Cost: $59 plus $25 for Connor’s book and supplies listed
above. Online registration taken at www.llcc.edu/commu-
498
nity-education or call 217-498-7223
Participants should bring their own lunches. Questions
contact Stu Jacobson: jsvforr@gmail.com.
*** This is an IQI approved workshop for
qualifying as an IQI Producer. ***
ILLINOIS
June 23, Saturday, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm.
Registration at 8:30am.
University of Illinois Extension Office
402 Ava Rd, Murphysboro, IL 62966
A queen-rearing workshop designed to provide infor-
mation and hands on instruction. Covers selecting queen
genetics as well identifying desired traits in bees and how
to breed for them. Grafting, and non-grafting methods of
queen rearing will be covered.
Each participant will take home a grafting tool, cell bar,
queen cups, class handouts, and a copy of “Queen Rearing
Essentials” Second Edition by Larry Connor. Participants
should have a minimum of two years of beekeeping expe-
rience & be conversant with queen rearing concepts. In-
structors are Joann & Pamela Rizkallah of Egyptian Queen
Breeders.
Cost: $91 non-members, $61 for IQI members . Registration
fee includes lunch.
www.Illinoisqueeninitiative.org.
Register by mailing a check payable to the Illinois Queen
Initiative to:
Tim Lindley, IQI Treasurer
1222 Airport Ave., Greenville, IL 62246
Questions contact Joann
Email: jrizkallah@hotmail.com
Phone: 618-967-1069.
*** This is an IQI approved workshop for
qualifying as an IQI Producer. ***
ILLINOIS
Saturday, June 16th - 10:00am till noon
Apiary Open House - This year’s event to be held at Jeff
Ludwig’s queen mating yard at 1721 Water Road in Byron,
Illinois. Hot dog, chips and a drink provided by Stateline
Beekeeping Association. Queen rearing questions and
answers, and hands-on demonstrations will be offered.
Please bring a guest. Free.
If planning to attend, please call 815-703-7436 so we can
get a head count for food.
American Bee Journal
 NEW YORK ing, the WSU bee team is offering an event to introduce
you to fundamental tools for stock improvement. This
conscioUs beekeeping: special session for beginners workshop is designed to improve your understanding of
queen rearing, bee breeding systems and selection meth-
how are My bees? UnDerstanDing anD Meeting ods though a combination of presentations and hands-on
yoUr bees’ MiDsUMMer neeDs demonstrations. We will also introduce you to the more
advanced techniques of instrumental insemination and
July 28, 2018 — 9am-5pm cryopreservation.
Instructors: Susan Cobey, Jennifer Han, Brandon Hop-
Ensure healthy hives and successful overwintering. Top- kins, Melanie Kirby, Tim Lawrence, Nick Naeger and
ics include: Assessing hive health, when to super, harvest- Steve Sheppard. We will also have two outstanding guest
ing honey, monitoring and managing varroa, and more. speakers from abroad, Jeri Wright from UK to discuss bee
All classes $95 each. nutrition and Gennaro Di Prisco from Italy to present his
breeding project in Italy.
The Pfeiffer Center,
260 Hungry Hollow Road Chestnut Ridge, NY 10977 Registration $ 275/person $ 450/ couple
www.pfeiffercenter.org http://bees.wsu.edu/
845-352-5020 x120

VIRGINIA
virginia state beekeepers association
100th anniversary

Meeting JUne 15 & 16, 2018

roanoke college, roanoke, va

Save the date for our 100th anniversary meeting, June

15 & 16, at Roanoke College in Roanoke, VA. The speak-
ers are:

• Tom Seeley, Professor at Cornell University and an

outstanding researcher into the behavior and social
life of honey bees.
• Dewey Caron, Emeritus Professor of Entomology &
Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware & Affiliate
Professor, Department of Horticulture, Oregon State
University, with 40+ years of teaching and doing
bee extension and bee research
• Kirsten Traynor, author of Two Million Blossoms:
Discovering the Medicinal Benefits of Honey and Simple,
Smart Beekeeping. Additionally she is the new editor
of American Bee Journal.
• Jessica Kern, who has been published in the Ameri-
can Bee Journal and teaches body mechanics for bee-
keepers. As a beekeeper, her primary focus is on
queen rearing, small scale honey production and
pollination. Jessica actively draws insights from her
studies of beekeeping, dressage, yoga, meditation,
and Qi Gong.

Sign-up information will be available on the website –

https://www.virginiabeekeepers.org/.

WASHINGTON
wsU qUeen rearing & bee breeDing workshop

pUllMan, wa
JUne 15th & 16th

Ready to take beekeeping to the next level? For those of

you who already have a working foundation in beekeep-

May 2018 499

500 American Bee Journal
May 2018 501

Q
Jerry:
LINSEED/
FLAXSEED OIL…
Its Natural
I have a student with a ton of lin-
seed oil who wants to know if he can
use it on his hives. Any idea if it is
OK? I note that varnish is acceptable.
It has a strong smell and a foul taste,
so linseed might be OK. Your section
has greatly expanded which I think is
a good move.
All the best,
Doug Morris
A
Linseed oil, also known as flaxseed
oil, has many uses. Flax is a crop that
has been propagated and grown by
our ancestors for millennia. It has
been used as a human food and in
recipes for thousands of years. It is
also a human nutritional supplement,
because of its important omega fatty
acids. Its use as a wood preservative
treatment has waned a bit as synthetic
alkyd resins have become cheaper.
The feature that makes it good on
wood is that it is a natural plant oil
May 2018
that is absorbed and then dries to a
protective finish. Perfect for beehives.
All that long answer—so typical of
Jerry—to say you can tell your stu-
dent to use it and let it air dry.
It will be great.
Q
VSH and HYGIENIC
Hey Jerry,
I have a question......could you
please explain the difference be-
tween Hygienic Behavior and V-S-H?
I have been looking at ads in ABJ for
Carniolan queens. I think they are the
strains of bees I want to start with. I
see the phrase hygienic behavior a lot,
but not so much VSH. What’s the dif-
ference or are they pretty much the
same!
Thanks for your help,
Joseph Fleming
A VSH and Hygienic Honey Bees are
kind of the same thing Joseph.
The trait is that the bees, and only
about 10% of the colony population,
possess a genetic trait that improves
their ability to recognize sick or para-
sitized brood and open up cells and
drag them out so they can be removed
from the colony.
I think any help a beekeeper can
get to enhance colony health even at a
low level is better than none.
Q
Hi Jerry,
HOW MANY SPECIES OF
VARROA ARE THERE?
We hear so much these days about
the Genus/Species Varroa destruc-
tor, the many ways they can be deadly
and how they may easily develop
resistance to various chemical treat-
ment options. However, we don’t
hear anything about any other spe-
cies within the genus Varroa, if they
are pathogenic and if there are any
lessons from them that can be applied
to V. destructor.
Keep up the advice in The Class-
room, great work.
Randy
A
Great question Randy. And my
answer is that we don’t really know.
The word Varroa is kind of a catch
all for several different species. Our
Varroa is Varroa destructor. Varroa ja-
cobsoni was/is a good parasite on
the Asian Honey Bee, Apis cerana. By
good, I mean that because of their
evolutionary history, Varroa and Apis
cerana reached an agreement in their
relationship: “I won’t kill you, if you
don’t kill me.” This resulted in the
very small colony size of A. cerana
and Varroa choosing to reproduce
only in drone brood.
I put a link below to the history of
Varroa and one to Purdue researchers
finding that Varroa jacobsoni is devel-
oping the ability to reproduce on our
European bees as well. A question
that I have always had is: at the right
place and the right time, can these
Varroa interbreed as they meet in a
honey bee larval cell? Could that re-
sult in a hybrid Varroa that has even
better survival qualities. No different
than hybrid corn or soybeans or….? A
super Varroa.
The genus Varroa contains these
species:
• Varroa destructor is a virulent
parasite that infests its natural
host, Apis cerana (Asian honey
bees) on mainland Asia and
also Apis mellifera (western honey
bee) worldwide.
• Varroa jacobsoni is a relatively
benign parasite of Apis cerana.
• Varroa rindereri
• Varroa sinhai
• Varroa wongsirii
503
https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/
releases/2016/Q4/another-species-
of-varroa-mite-threatens-european-
honeybees.html
https://beekeep.info/a-treatise-on-
modern-honey-bee-management/
managing-diseases-and-pests/
varroa-short-history/
Q
Queen Rearing
Books
I am a fourth year beekeeper, look-
ing to raise queens. What is, in your
opinion, the best book on queen rear-
ing.
Thanks again for the good info in
the Classroom.
Terry from Colorado
A
There are good ones out there. My
favorites are, “Rearing Queen Honey
Bees” by Roger Morse and “Queen
Rearing Essentials” by Larry Connor.
Have fun
Q
LAYING
WORKERS
I have heard that female workers,
because of queen loss or dysfunc-
tion of the queen, can develop into
fake queens that can lay eggs. The
eggs don’t develop into worker bees,
but drones because they are not fer-
tilized with sperm as these workers
didn’t mate. Soooo, if a worker that
can sting you can now lay an egg is
there a change in the sting egg laying
machinery in them?
Lauren
A Q THAT IS WHY!
Queens can sting and have all the
parts of a stinging apparatus. That is
how they get rid of rival queens. Their
stinger is just not a barbed stinger
like those of worker bees that would
get caught in the victim and pull out
and kill them when they sting. That
wouldn’t be a good strategy if you
wanted to survive as a honey bee
504
queen. Sexually undeveloped worker
honey bees are females in all respects,
except their reproductive organs are
not fully developed and operational
and they have not mated with drones.
When a queen is lost and not replaced,
those pheromones the queen produced
that stopped the other females in the
colony from developing functional
ovaries are not active any longer.
Workers can now develop ovaries
and lay eggs as a last gasp opportu-
nity to share their genetics through
drones they produce. These worker
laid drones may mate with a queen
from another colony in the DCA mat-
ing zone. The female workers exter-
nal body parts do not change, because
they are already mature. It is only
those internal reproductive structures
that mature and then are able to pro-
duce eggs. As the laying worker’s
abdomen is shorter than a queen’s
abdomen, when they lay eggs in a cell
they can’t control the number of eggs
well. There may be several in a single
cell. They are usually seen on the side
of the cell, as that is as far as their ab-
domen can reach, in contrast to the
bottom of the cell like a ‘real’ queen,
who is much longer.
Q
CRYSTALLIZED
HONEY
Hi Jerry,
I just opened a 2 gallon bucket of
honey I bought from a beekeeper
friend yesterday and was wondering
why would it be crystallizing already?
It’s thick and grainy and the last 5 gal
bucket I bought was the same. Does it
have more pollen that makes it thick
and grainy? I just haven’t seen honey
do that so soon after harvesting. The
taste is still awesome.
Nancy
A Honey is a super saturated sugar
solution. Ratios of sugars are differ-
ent based on the mixture of sugars in
flower nectar. If these ratios are not
balanced the honey will balance itself
by some sugars removing themselves
and forming crystals. Some honeys
never form sugar crystals to balance
and some will crystallize quickly right
in the comb such as canola honey. And
others are intermediate like the ones
made by my bees in Gray Summit.
This is a normal natural process
that is not caused or influenced by
anything other than sugar ratios. This
has nothing to do with pollen or de-
bris or anything else. It is just physics.
Most consumers in other countries
prefer a finely crystallized / granu-
lated honey as it is easier to spread
and not messy.
You can certainly gently heat the
honey if you want to dissolve the
sugar crystals and return them to
solution. The sugar crystals will re-
form over time. I hope that explains
what you are seeing in this natural
product.
Q
Hi Jerry,
ICKY FOREIGN
HONEY
I bought some Brazilian wild-
flower honey, curious about the taste,
and it is awful. Could I feed it to my
bees or should I just throw it away?
Thanks!
Spirit
A
Throw it away Spirit. You really
don’t know if it is real honey, or
something somebody made to make
a quick buck in the US, or what may
be in it—an environmental toxin
or a disease pathogen. Not worth
the risk.
I love your column. In a previous
Classroom I read and skipped over the
making thymol patties until the end of
the question and realized like the ox-
alic shop towel, he might be making
the thymol gel out of ‘off label’ stuff
one can get so easily online instead of
scooping from the Vita bucket of Api-
Guard gel or using the 50 g packets.
American Bee Journal
 Thanks for reminding me why we
use the commercially prepared treat-
ments! Another reason is like music
or software, there is time and expense
that goes into testing, licensing, pro-
ducing, and marketing. Currency
doesn’t work if it doesn’t circulate,
money or electricity!
Jon Reese
A
Good GOLLY!
Thank you for articulating that. I
get very few (maybe none) responses
like that. I am going to be perfectly
selfish and put that in the Classroom if
you don’t mind.
You have made my day. I’m going
home as I have peaked :)
Q
HONEYDEW
Jerry,
I am interested in learning more
about honeydew and its positive and
negative effects on bees. I know that
in some parts of the world “forest
honey”, which is nearly 100% hon-
eydew, is prized for its strong and
unique flavors and nutritional value.
It commands a high price and is a
boon to the beekeeper. In other places
honeydew is regarded as a contami-
nant that overpowers the floral fla-
vors and lessens the value of honey.
In America there are few places
where forest honey is gathered, but I
know that bees all over use the aphid
secretion as a food source, especially
in times of drought. My specific ques-
tion is whether someone has studied
the average amounts of honeydew
collected by bees in parts of America.
Is it just a small percentage of the
foraging or could it be a larger com-
ponent of the bee’s activities than we
expect? I see little of this discussed in
any of the books I have read.
Secondly, the agricultural industry
has long studied the many types of
aphids, because of their devastating
effects on crops. They are considered
the major vector of viruses for plants.
For many years we have heard about
the Varroa destructor as a carrier of vi-
ruses that weaken the bees and often
causes death. Could these plant vi-
ruses that the bees are carrying back
into the hive be as much a problem for
May 2018
their immune systems as the viruses
from Varroa?
Bob
A
Not being one to re-invent the wheel
take a look at this article written on
the BIP website, https://beeinformed.
org/2014/09/25/honeydew-a-mixed-
blessing/
I think, for me, this summarizes
nicely that honeydew isn’t honey, be-
cause it doesn’t originate from flower
nectar but rather aphid or psyllid
poop. It can be a source of some nu-
trition to honey bees, but because it is
not associated with a flowering plant
there is a disconnect from access to
pollen and the protein honey bees
need. And then there is the potential
for unexpected exposure to pesticides
that growers may be using to protect
their plants/crops from aphid and
psyllid damage. Pesticide labels often
indicate that many products should
not be used when the plants are flow-
ering and attractive to pollinators. But
here is an attractive food source, not
from flowers but from aphid excre-
ment; the labels do not address this.
Since this is not a consistent source of
honeydew in the US, exposure is spo-
radic as well.
I guess the good news is, if you are
in the right place at the right time and
there are enough aphids and psyllids
to suck on sap, honey bees can take ad-
vantage of this resource and store it at
times as surplus that the beekeeper can
collect and sell at a premium price. But,
generally it is not a consistent source of
surplus stored food by honey bees.
The honey bee immune system has
been primed for 10’s of thousands
of years to deal with bacteria and
viruses that also have a relationship
with plants and other insects. There
are very seldom jumps of plant patho-
gens to insects or other animals that
can cause disease or impact another
organism simply feeding on them like
a parasite.
Think of a flower blooming in your
yard that produces pollen and nectar
to act as attractants, so it can repro-
duce by having the insect move pol-
len from point A to point B. If you
watched that flower all day you may
see visits at different times of the day
by honey bees, solitary bees, bum-
ble bees, flies, syrphid flies, beetles,
moths, butterflies, etc. None of these
are sterile organisms. They all have a
microbiome that exist on and in them
that helps them to survive. No differ-
ent than us having viruses and bac-
teria that help us digest food, attack
other invasive organisms, and popu-
late our skin all over our body.
These insects visiting flowers de-
posit parts of their microbiome on the
flower anthers and stigma, and other
flower parts. A flower is like a door
knob or the cart handle at the big box
store. All that to say this is nothing
new for honey bees that forage in a
2-2.5 mile radius of their colony. They
have been exposed to lots of toxins
and pathogens as they evolved.
Varroa and the direct injection of
viruses into honey bee adults, larvae
and pupae along with immune sup-
pression are really the tipping point
for secondary disease issues in 2018
with honey bees. Control Varroa safely
and sanely and honey bee health re-
sponds accordingly.
I hope this makes sense,
Jerry
Q
CEDAR HOLLOW
LOG
Hello Jerry!
As always, you do an excellent job.
My question is, would you use a hol-
low cedar log hung up in a tree, with
some swarm lure, to attract a swarm.
In other words, does the smell of
cedar deter bees from using it? I’ve
got a nice hollow log I cut in half and
added hinges so as to be able to open
it, and I’m hoping to attract a swarm.
But, something tells me cedar is the
wrong material.
Ken
A
Thank you for the compliment Ken.
First, remember that one of the
honey bee’s methods of communi-
cation is by pheromones, which are
odors. These odors / smells are im-
portant for colony organization. This
is why we use a ‘smoker’ to over-
whelm these smells, so bees can’t talk
505
to each other and mount a defense to
drive you away.
I don’t think the cedar cavity you
made, if it is large enough, has a
strong enough odor to deter a swarm
if that is their only cavity option. If the
odor is too strong and they don’t have
a choice, they collect propolis and
apply it as a covering and coating to
mask extraneous odors and stabilize
them, which has the added benefit of
the antimicrobial activity that comes
from propolis. If there are other cav-
ity options that aren’t cedar and don’t
have a significant odor profile they
may select those over the cedar.
But with a swarm lure who knows.
Let me know how it works out for
you.
Jerry

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506 American Bee Journal


2
United States
017 honey stocks are mostly
sold or committed, with brisk
wholesale and retail sales in
much of the country. The demand
for local honey continues to grow,
with customers willing to pay a pre-
mium. Unfortunately this has also
driven an increase in honey fraud.
Many regions faced unusually cold
winters or fluctuating temperatures
in the spring that has negatively im-
pacted colony health.
Northeast—Beekeepers in the
Northeast faced a hard winter
with warm-cold cycles. From New
Hampshire “With a year like we
had, colonies will have to be fed
heavy this year.” They note that
beekeepers will need to “Hold on
tight! Of course some areas may
be ok, weather permitting.” Losses
are reported at 40-60% with slow
buildup and heavy feeding required.
From New York we hear that most
colonies overwintered well and are
strong, due to good weather last
fall. Colonies need feeding. “We
had colder than normal temps this
winter. There were two times in Jan.
when some yards could be checked.
Those hives checked seemed ok, but
deep snow has stopped all checks
for now.” Winter losses so far are
at 19%, whereas normal losses typi-
cally range in the 30-40%. “There
has been timely warm spells that al-
lowed bees to fly. Overall bee popu-
lations are good (cluster size). A few
cases of dysentery.”
Mideast—Kentucky notes that
overwintered bees look weak, be-
cause there was “no fall nectar flow
in 2017.” With light stores, colonies
need heavy feeding and losses are
expected to be higher than normal.
“Some losses of weaker clusters dur-
ing the extreme cold.” Beekeepers
are cleaning out “many spring dead
outs” though they fed in December
and added pollen patties in January.
Losses are reported at 40%, normally
15-20%. Bees in Tennessee are aver-
May 2018
age to weak. Beekeepers are feeding
to bulk them back up. Higher winter
losses than usual, with one reporter
noting 40% losses up from his usual
25%. From West Virginia we hear
that winter losses are elevated, com-
ing in at 25%, compared to 10-15%
normal losses. Spring buildup is
fair and beekeepers are attempting
to expand their operations by 20%.
Virginia reports losses of 50%, twice
what they usually experience.
Moisture conditions in Kentucky
have been good, but spring buildup
is poor to good as there is “no nectar
or pollen yet in eastern Kentucky”
and it has been a very cold spring.
Wet winters mean prospects for tulip
polar look good. “Autumn olive in
April, tulip poplar in May, both
look good if no late hard freeze.” A
reporter notes “hopefully enough
rain in the fall for clover.” From Ken-
tucky we hear “Pollen started from
willows Feb. 21st. Fed dry sub until
then.” From Tennessee we “need far
more or a wider variety of forage for
all pollinators, especially honey bees.
More attention should be placed on
sowing seeds and planting trees that
bloom through the warm months of
the year.” In West Virginia the good
moisture conditions indicate a flow
off tulip poplar, wildflower, and clo-
ver. Virginia has also experienced
good rain, so wildflower and tulip
poplar flows should be strong.
Honey prices are high and retail
sales are brisk, with beekeepers mar-
keting wares successfully via Face-
book. The economy is doing well,
Intermountain
Northeast
West West Central East Central
Mideast
Southeast
Southwest
which should pull up honey prices.
Demands for queens and packages
are up 10%, though delays of about 1
week are expected in delivery.
Southeast—Bulk honey is selling
briskly in Florida. Very little remains
in beekeeper’s hands. One reporter
notes “Hard to find orange blossom
honey.”
The nectar flow for orange blos-
som has been good. The 2nd rain on
January 28th helped soil conditions.
Florida “had some cold weather, by
our standards for SW Florida. A few
nights at or slightly below freezing.
With the small cluster so many hives
have this year, it chilled some brood
and even knocked out some hives.
Good hives were okay.” Losses in
Florida are reported to be around 25-
45%, whereas they normally are at
15-25%. The bees are already build-
ing up very well on incoming nectar
and pollen from red maple, cat mint,
wild turnips and radishes. It’s been
a good, wet winter, which bodes
well for the wildflower crop. Bee-
keepers are expanding production
to keep up with higher losses. From
Alabama we hear that the “very cold
weather set them back” and colonies
overwintered at average sizes. Some
require feeding and they are expect-
ing higher than normal winter losses.
It has been warm and wet in Ala-
bama, with bees foraging on red
maple, clover and dandelion. The
prospects for harvests on tulip popu-
lar look ok, while wildflower is good.
“Spring is 6 weeks early although
freezing temps later this week, which
may set things back. Lots of things
blooming early.”
“Orange crop is almost over. Cold
weather during the last ½ of the
bloom slowed the bees. Looks like
maybe 50-65% of a normal crop.”
Demand for packages and queens
are normal to high. From Florida
we hear that beekeepers are receiv-
ing “$150 to $225 for 3lb package
of bees!” Colonies are reported as
strong, due to “better mite control”.
Another reporter from Florida states
that colonies overwintered are av-
erage to weak, due to hurricane,
hard to kill mites, and cold winter,
all which has resulted in increased
winter losses. “Florida experienced
the coldest winter in 8 years, slowly
turning around now.” Nectar and
pollen are coming in, but the bees
no longer make a honey crop off the
citrus. “Very spotty crops. Poor bees,
lack of forage, looks like a long term
trend.” The weather has made for
a bad orange blossom crop, though
palmetto is hopeful and gallberry
possible.
507
 U.S. HONEY PRICES FROM OUR REPORTERS
North-
east
Mid-
east
South-
east
South-
west
East
Central
West-
Central
Inter-
Mountain West
HONEY MARKET FOR THE
MONTH OF MARCH 2018
Wholesale In volumes of 10,000 pounds or greater
White lb. Blk.$2.00-$3.00 $2.00-$4.25 $1.60-$3.00 $1.95-$2.30 $2.10-$4.00 $2.00-$3.30 $1.60-$2.60 $1.75-$2.50 unless otherwise stated
Amber lb. Blk $1.80-$2.65 $1.95-$4.25 $1.50-$2.50 $1.90-$2.25 $1.90-$4.00 $1.75-$2.50 $1.50-$2.50 $1.60-$2.35 (Courtesy March 2018
USDA National Honey Report)
1 lb. CS 24 $ 60.00- $ 55.00- $ 60.00- $ 80.00- $ 78.00- $ 84.00- $ 60.00- $ 58.00-
$119.76 $100.00 $126.00 $120.00 $168.00 $110.00 $180.00 $276.00 Prices paid to beekeepers for extracted, unprocessed
honey in major producing states by packers, han-
2 lb. CS 12 $ 60.00- $ 60.00- $ 60.00- $ 90.00- $ 60.00- $ 60.00- $ 57.00- $ 60.00- dlers & other large users, cents per pound, f.o.b. or
$ 117.20 $ 90.00 $ 114.00 $ 120.00 $114.00 $ 96.00 $ 110.00 $ 84.00 delivered nearby, containers exchanged or returned,
5 lb. CS 6 $ 72.00- $ 60.00- $ 60.00- $ 58.00- $ 87.00- $ 84.00 $ 60.00- $ 60.00- prompt delivery & payment unless otherwise stated.
$128.10 $127.50 $ 150.00 $ 98.00 $115.00 $134.00 $103.00 $104.00 -Report includes both new and old crop honey-
Retail
Jars 8 oz. $ 1.45- $ 2.40- $ 2.50- $ 2.50- $ 2.50- $ 2.25- $ 2.00- $ 2.25- (# Some in Small Lot — +Some delayed pay-
$ 4.00 $6.00 $ 4.00 $ 4.50 $ 6.00 $ 4.00 $ 6.00 $ 8.00 ments or previous commitment)
Squeeze $ 3.10- $ 3.00- $ 3.69- $ 2.80- $ 3.00- $ 4.00- $ 3.50- $ 3.19-
Bear 12 oz.$ 6.00 $ 7.00 $ 5.95 $ 4.75 $10.00 $ 6.00 $ 4.85 $ 6.00 Dakotas
Clover White $2.08 - $2.10
Jars 1 lb. $ 4.58- $ 5.55- $ 5.69- $ 6.00- $ 4.00- $ 4.00- $ 3.75- $ 4.19- Clover Extra Light Amber $2.08 - $2.10
$ 12.00 $ 8.25 $10.00 $ 12.00 $ 8.75 $ 8.25 $ 10.00 $ 18.00 Wildflower Light Amber $1.80
Jars 11/2lb.$ 5.50- $ 5.25- $ 5.69- $ 5.45- $ 6.00- $ 5.50- $ 4.75- $ 4.75- Florida
(Pint) $ 13.00 $ 11.00 $ 10.70 $ 10.00 $ 12.00 $ 9.50 $ 10.00 $ 10.25 Wildflower Extra Light Amber $1.70
Jars 2 lb. $ 7.58- $ 6.95- $ 12.99- $ 7.00- $ 6.50- $ 7.25- $ 6.25- $ 6.50- Iowa
$ 15.00 $ 15.00 $ 18.00 $ 18.00 $ 16.00 $ 12.00 $ 11.25 $ 11.50 Clover White $2.12
Jars 3 lb. $ 9.50- $ 13.00- $ 8.79- $ 8.25- $ 11.00- $ 10.00- $ 8.10- $ 8.00- Mississippi
(Quart) $ 25.00 $ 22.00 $ 18.00 $ 21.00 $ 29.00 $ 22.00 $ 23.00 $ 25.00 Soybean Light Amber $1.75
Jars 4 lb. $ 10.00- $ 10.00- $ 11.00- $ 18.00- $ 13.50- $ 14.00- $ 11.00- $ 10.00- Montana
$ 35.00 $ 30.00 $ 29.75 $ 30.00 $ 30.00 $ 16.25 $ 28.50 $ 32.00 Alfalfa Extra Light Amber $2.08
Jars 5 lb. $ 22.00- $ 15.00- $ 15.50- $ 16.25- $ 14.00- $ 17.00- $ 16.00- $ 16.50- Nebraska
$ 40.00 $ 39.50 $ 35.50 $ 32.00 $ 40.00 $ 27.00 $ 33.25 $ 35.00 Clover White $2.08-$2.10
Creamed $ 5.50- $ 5.50- $ 5.49- $ 5.25- $ 2.60- $ 3.95- $ 4.75- $ 5.25- Clover Extra Light Amber $1.65-$2.08
12 oz. $ 7.50 $ 8.00 $ 6.95 $ 6.99 $ 9.00 $12.00 $ 7.00 $ 7.25 Spurge Light Amber $2.08
Ohio
Comb $ 6.00- $ 5.50- $ 5.25- $ 5.50- $ 8.00- $ 8.00- $ 5.50- $ 5.75-
Basswood White $2.08
12 oz. $14.00 $13.00 $13.25 $13.50 $15.00 $12.00 $13.75 $13.50
Oregon
Round $ 5.00- $ 4.50- $ 4.50- $ 4.00- $ 5.00- $ 4.00- $ 4.25- $ 4.50- Alfalfa White $2.08
Plas. Comb$ 8.50 $13.00 $ 7.50 $ 8.25 $ 10.00 $ 12.00 $ 7.00 $ 8.50 Alfalfa Extra Light $2.08
1 Gallon $ 76.00- $ 49.95- $ 45.00- $ 36.00- $ 36.00- $ 33.95- $ 24.00- $ 25.00- Mint Amber $1.60
$116.00 $ 59.99 $ 58.00 $ 100.00 $ 96.00 $ 55.00 $ 50.00 $ 50.00 Wildflower Extra Light $2.08
Wildflower Amber $1.60
60 lb. $180.00- $188.00- $150.00- $140.00- $160.00- $144.00- $140.00- $140.00- Texas
$225.00 $260.00 $250.00 $200.00 $420.00 $220.00 $225.00 $230.00 Tallow Light Amber $1.80
The above prices are not meant to provide a realistic picture of prices in all states of the
particular area. They are intended merely to show what a few beekeepers are receiving
for their honey and we realize prices may vary tremendously, even within individual
Prices paid to Canadian Beekeepers for unpro-
states. The bulk prices for honey are stated per pound, delivered buyer’s warehouse,
cessed, bulk honey by packers and importers in
containers exchanged or furnished by buyer, unless otherwise noted. Where prices are
U. S. currency, f.o.b. shipping point, containers in-
not shown, insufficient data were available.
cluded unless otherwise stated. Duty and crossing
charges extra. Cents per pound.
“On the packing side, I believe we pollen from maples. Beekeepers look Clover White $1.38 - $1.42
are heading to a European style retail forward to a good flow on sage and Mixed Flower White $1.35 - $1.42
market. It’s going to be impossible to tulip poplar. From New Mexico win-
compete against imports. So you will ter losses are reported to be just over
have low priced grocery store honey 40%, where they usually experience
filled with imports and local or high 50% loss. The colonies have plenty of last year’s stock still available. Retail
end supported with regionally pro- stores and very little feeding is done. sales in contrast are good. Wisconsin
duced honeys at a much higher price. Most colonies from Arizona were reports strong honey sales, with good
My biggest concern is unscrupulous moved to California for almond pol- movement in the wholesale mar-
packers packing foreign as local – we lination. Alfalfa and desert blooms ket and tight supply. In Illinois the
are already seeing this!!” were the main sources for nectar and wholesale movement has been poor,
From Alabama a reporter wrote pollen in the state, as well as citrus. but prices up as demand increases.
“Lots of new people wanting to be Demand for honey remained good Wintering has been fair. In Illinois
beekeepers and get into the honey across Arizona. colonies overwintered decently, but
business.” Demand for honey has in- Bees in Oklahoma are being fed the bees need feed; beekeepers are ex-
creased, as more stores seek out local to encourage early buildup. Winter pecting elevated winter losses. “IPM
honey. loses are at 10%. Hives are building failed to stop rampant mite growth,”
Southwest—The wholesale move- slowly but temps are warming which leading to increased winter losses.
ment of honey in Louisiana has been helps in the buildup, hives are weaker Losses of up to 90% of overwintered
fair with typical demand. It’s been than expected. Splits are anticipated colonies have been reported, with an-
easy to move large volumes of honey. as weather conditions improve. Nuc other noting that winter losses were
Overwintered colonies are of aver- prices are rising from $175 to $195 50%, when they’re normally 30%.
age strength with some honey stores and single boxes off almonds are Buildup has been poor with colonies
still holding up. Winter losses are ex- going for $225. Demand for queens needing heavy feeding. “Bees that
pected to be normal or below normal. and packages in the Southwest re- made it through look great. We will
The spring buildup so far has been mains high. probably split middle of May. Be-
average with good weather condi- East Central—Indiana sales of tween splits and replacements, we
tions. Bees are collecting nectar and bulk honey are fair with 25-40% of will be running 4 times more bees this

508 American Bee Journal


Prices paid to importers for bulk honey, duty paid,
containers included, cents per pound, ex-dock or
point of entry unless otherwise stated.
Argentina
Mixed Flowers White $1.20 - 1.50
Mixed Flowers Extra Light $1.04 - $1.50
Mixed Flowers Light Amber $1.20
Brazil
ORGANIC White $1.94 - $2.8
ORGANIC Extra Light $1.89 - $1.92
ORGANIC Light Amber $1.89 - $1.92
ORGANIC Amber $1.89
India
Mixed Flower Extra Light $0.91
Mixed Flower Light Amber $0.89 - $0.97
Mustard Light Amber $1.07
Vietnam
Mixed Flower Light Amber $0.88 - $0.94
Mixed Flower Amber $0.82 - $0.87
Uruguay
Mixed Flower Light Amber $0.88
year.” In Michigan, the bees are “still
in the snow banks.” Winter losses in
this state range from 25-80%, whereas
beekeepers normally lose 15-20%.
“Well above normal winter losses and
still not done with the cold weather.”
Wisconsin losses are 35-60%, which
is right around or 20% above normal.
Indiana reports 35% winter losses
with fair buildup. “Some beekeepers
simply do not have the experience to
properly winter their bees, this is not
meant to look down on any particular
beekeeper, but simply that the combi-
nation of weather, cluster size, queens,
mites, and stores or lack thereof makes
winter losses a sure thing.”
“Bees have not been able to fly for
at least 4 weeks. This is a time of year
when it is hard to be patient. The bees
I have looked at seem to be winter-
ing and standing the cold well. How-
ever, I am getting anxious about the
bees being able to reach stores in the
prolonged cold.” From Wisconsin
and Illinois we hear that the weather
has been dry to normal, which may
impact spring flows. Indiana notes
“Waiting for spring, wishing for some
sunny 50 or 60 degree days, so we
could take a look at the bees.”
One reporter in Illinois writes in
that “I have had inquiries at whole-
sale level that turned my offer down,
because overseas honey was cheaper.
The market share I have has de-
creased in my area. I am looking into
alternative products to make up for
it.” Indiana reports “strong demand
and a shortage of good quality honey.
It could affect pollination contracts.”
From Wisconsin a reporter notes
that the Dept. of Ag is checking for
proper health inspections for all live
bees and used equipment shipped
into the state. “Any person not fol-
lowing (the law) may find a delay in
their delivery.”
West Central—Bulk honey is sell-
ing briskly, with very little up to 15%
May 2018
of last year’s crop still in beekeeper’s
hands. Price increases in both the
wholesale and retail markets, with
strong demand and brisk movement.
A Nebraska beekeeper reports
that he wintered his bees in an Idaho
potato shed. Beekeepers in this area
plan to expand operations by 20%.
Another reports that overwintered
colonies are very weak. “Only hives
here are ones I didn’t send to Cali,
but very weak or dead.” Stores on
these duds are holding up. He re-
ports “There is not much to talk
about, except the freezing weather.”
Brrrr! Varroa mites seem to be a big
concern, as they have really weak-
ened overwintered hives. Another
Nebraska report notes overwintered
colonies are strong, but need feed.
“Late fall flow put colonies in good
shape for winter. Extreme cold oc-
curred where no brood was present,
but did not hurt protected colonies.
Cold has had adequate breaks for
cleansing flights.” Losses of 20-75%
have been reported. From Iowa “We
lose a lot in March. Many are feeding.
Central and Southern Iowa beekeep-
ers are seeing pollen entering hives.”
Missouri notes overwintered colo-
nies pulled through okay, though
“feeding with a candy board on
most of the hives” and expects win-
ter losses to be higher than normal.
“We lost 39% of our 110 hives dur-
ing summer and fall. Some may
have been due to failing queens
and/or varroa mites, though we did
mite treatments and requeening.
We usually have almost no losses in
summer. Now we have lost 57% of
the remaining hives this winter al-
ready!! Something is going wrong. I
have kept bees for 33 years so it’s not
like I don’t have a lot of experience
(even though I always have plenty to
learn). I think Big Ag is killing us, er
I mean our bees.”
The “cost of package bees and
queens is getting to an unsustainable
level”. From North Dakota we hear
that beekeepers are increasing pro-
duction “due to high honey prices.”
From Iowa a beekeeper’s children
are expanding into bees, with the
“youngest son buying into our busi-
ness (2,000 colonies),” the daughter
ramping her hobby up to 50 colonies,
and the oldest son moving up to 100.
“Bees have become exciting!”
More large scale beekeepers are try-
ing to market directly to retail stores
for the higher profit margins. “Been
trying to sell more retail in local gro-
cery stores. I have gotten into 6 so
far.” Local honey sales remain strong,
while bulk honey will depend on the
US Crop and foreign dumping. Many
are looking to expand their market
into restaurants and mead making.
“With so many new beekeepers, I am
hearing that it is tough sales at Farm-
ers Markets. Many are talking about
or afraid of prices dropping due to
competition.” South Dakota reports
a shortage of honey, with strong de-
mand for wholesale supplies.
Intermountain—Commercial bee-
keepers had their colonies in Cali-
fornia for almonds. The bee’s that
remain look healthy. Winter losses
minimal with most beekeepers re-
porting less than 10% losses.
Beekeepers continue to feed su-
crose and pollen protein supplements
to keep their bees in good shape since
there is not usually much nectar accu-
mulated by bees from honey during
almonds. Many commercial beekeep-
ers will start heading home, prepar-
ing to make splits and divides.
Demand for honey exceeds the
supply. There is just not enough local
honey to fill the demand with most
of the 2017 commercial honey sold or
committed.
West—In Washington the bees
overwintered decently and stores
are “holding up”; beekeepers don’t
expect high losses or just slightly ele-
vated. Weather conditions have been
okay, but it’s too early for any real
foraging. Oregon reporters note that
the colonies that overwintered are
weak, due to “bad fall management,
did something wrong, mites.” Winter
losses are thus expected to be higher.
One Oregon reporter notes losses of
60%, when normally only 30% losses
are experienced, while another re-
ports losses of less than 5%, while
they usually experience losses of 10%.
Spring buildup has been slow, with
colonies requiring feed. From Cali-
fornia we hear losses are 15-20% with
fair spring buildup. “Collected data
from 22 club members in the Central
Coast Beekeepers Alliance. Between
the 22 of us we started winter with
460 colonies and as of a few days ago
had 377 for a winter loss of 18.04%. In
reality I imagine this number is much
higher. …The treatment free beekeep-
ers did not want to share their data
and I suspect it is due to high losses.”
Artisanal and location specific
honey sells better. The wholesale
market is brisk with increased de-
mand. In Oregon, beekeepers still
holding 50% of the 2017 crop. Whole-
sale market is fair, retail is stronger.
California has been dry and rain
is needed for a good sage flow. “Up
until this week prospects for sage
were looking poor. We just had a
large storm move in providing us
with much needed rain, so it’s look-
ing like we’ll be making some black
sage after all.”
509
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For information, pricing or ordering

call Eric (530) 228-3197

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1250 E Belmont St., Ontario, CA 91761 USA
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South Florida
Bees-N-Honey
18299 Clearbrook Circle
Boca Raton, FL 33498
Queens and Nucs
available for sale
For information and pricing
please call, text or fax.
Credit cards accepted.
Phone: (561) 715-5715
Fax: (561) 423-0304

510 American Bee Journal

I
t’s harvest time in the city that
doesn’t sleep, so there are extrac-
tors and other bulky gear to move
around, and if you want to avoid traf-
fic, and not be hassled by the cops
about loading and unloading, you
do the moving at 4 am. If you’ve ever
considered hosting a group honey ex-
tracting day, give a listen.
The equipment is stored in the base-
ment of a friend, who lives north of
the City. There are two extractors,
pails, mesh filters, stainless steel pans
used for uncapping, serrated bread
knives, boxes of hair nets and dispos-
able gloves, enough for a dozen bee-
keepers to work in parallel, and keep
the extractors spinning.
In New York City, no one has the
space to own their own extracting
gear, as apartments range from a few
hundred square feet to a thousand at
most for mere mortals who keep bees.
To illustrate the premium on space, I
do not subscribe to magazines, I get
downloads for my Kindle.
We’ve set up our very fly-by-night
operation at several places over the
years, as we need a largish kitchen
that can accommodate everyone, one
that is inspected by the city health de-
partment so that we comply with the
law on our “food to be sold”, honey.
We started with a seldom-used church
kitchen that could be used any day
but Sunday, moved to a Synagogue,
only to find that we could not work
there on Saturdays, then moved to
a hotel banquet kitchen, which was
great until the hotel closed down for
renovations. Once we even took over
May 2018
an entire bar/restaurant owned by
the boyfriend of a beekeeper, but had
to be out by 5pm so he could open for
paying customers.
The current trend that started with
the cupcake fad is toward more and
more commercial kitchens available
in the city, some of which are rented
by the day to small-scale artisans,
some associated with boutique gro-
cery stores where single avocados are
sold at prices seemingly linked to the
NASDAQ Composite Index. Some-
times we pay, sometimes we rely on
the kindness of strangers, sometimes
it’s a friend of a friend.
For some reason, none of them like
my drill and concrete bits, so there is a
lot of explaining to do about how ex-
tractors had to be bolted down to keep
them from “walking”. The lesson here
is that people don’t know much about
lag bolts and anchors, or the caps that
cover them and turn them into easily-
overlooked small silver circles until
they are needed again.
I drop the gear over at the location,
where a team of two will bolt the legs
on the extractors, run everything else
through the dishwasher, and set up
some semblance of a workflow. I hit
Dunkin’s for donuts, as this is first
and foremost a social event. Many
uber-urban beekeepers are so busy,
they only see each other on harvest
days, so we try to make it nice with
donuts and coffee and pizza and
soda. I am more of the reclusive/
elusive type myself, but I enjoy see-
ing my former students who have
become colleagues with a decade of
beekeeping under their belts. Those
who persevere in beekeeping are truly
exceptional people.
And then there’s the schedule: the
overly-optimistic one-hour blocks of
time. Elegantly managed by the lat-
est trendy web application, always a
new thing to learn every darn time.
I fight to make a simple printout to
tape to the wall, so we can see where
we are, and accommodate everyone.
Now, one hour sounds like more than
enough time to uncap and extract su-
pers from two hives, but things never
seem to work out that way, so we have
learned that we can’t book anyone for
the last 2 hours, as schedules are born
to slip. Any gathering of beekeep-
ers unerringly creates small dents in
spacetime, resulting in time moving
much faster than the beekeepers. On
average, the best that can be done
by any one beekeeper, start to finish,
is 3 or 4 supers per hour, most of it
cleanup and prep. Of this, only about
15-20 minutes utilize a 9-frame extrac-
tor, so you can work out your own
parameters for scheduling from these
averages, assuming motorized ex-
tractors, or lots of enthusiastic crank-
turners for the manual type. But the
key is to uncap at multiple uncapping
stations, 3 to 5 per extractor.
We don’t use any heated uncap-
ping knives. Bread knives are easier
to master, are cheaper to buy in doz-
ens, and don’t break or burn anyone.
They are VERY sharp, so Band-Aids
will be needed to keep the clumsy
among us from bleeding all over the
otherwise sterilized stainless steel. We
511

Mike uncapping honey using the Lega uncapper. Photo by Mackenzie Anne Smith.
have a Lega uncapper with the rows
of discs, and it works well for those
who run 9-frame supers, less well for
those who run 10-frame supers. The
photo above is of the Lega being run
by Mike, who is clearly in the zone.
The early birds arrive, some start
uncapping, some just drink coffee
and stand and chat. An elite few bring
comb honey supers and ostentatiously
go about the process of packaging
their combs for sale, all the while talk-
ing very loudly to no one in particular
and everyone within earshot about
how easy their work is.
The name of the game is “Catch the
Drips”. For each workstation, there is
one tray to catch cappings, and sev-
eral deeper pans in which to place
uncapped frames. These were bought
Extractor with a homemade motor constructed from parts salvaged at a junk yard.
512
at a restaurant supply store, so they
are stainless steel. The turnover and
bankruptcy rate in restaurants is such
that there are USED restaurant supply
stores, which can save you and your
gang some serious money, if you can
find one.
A “full sheet pan” is 18 inches by 26
inches, and a honey super is 16 x 20, so
we have a large number of sheet pans
to go under honey supers or stacks
thereof, and a few homemade dol-
lies to roll around larger stacks. Most
of them come in with their supers, as
extracted supers can still be drippy, so
we encourage individual ownership,
as many beekeepers will arrive in
taxis and ubers with the supers in the
trunk. A few have actual cargo trail-
ers for their bikes, but you can’t really
haul many full supers with a bike,
even on a flat road.
My favorite toy is the giant spatula,
the size of a canoe oar. With it, one
can scrape the honey off the side of
an extractor, and coax it down to the
gate, so everyone gets every last drop
of their honey, but there is no undue
delay between the current extractor
user and the next. Worth it!
Someone always brings one or an-
other new gadget claimed to make
things easier, so we conduct a mix
of a QVC pitchman show and Myth-
busters episode, to find out if the gad-
get is worthy of our attention. Most
fail to impress within the first few
minutes of use. Some are taken out in
the parking lot and ceremonially run
over with the largest vehicle we have,
as a “blight upon the craft”.
One phenomena that defies expla-
nation is the “Riddle of the Refrac-
tometers”. Over the decades, I bought,
dropped, and broke three expensive
Atago Refractometers in a row, one
of them taking a dramatic one-way
trip head over heels down an entire
flight of stairs, like a slinky that had
forgotten how to slink. But none of
the cheap Chinese knock-offs have
ever been dropped, although handled
hundreds of times by many differ-
ent people since they were bought. Is
gravity stronger on more expensive
items, or do the Chinese simply make
a more ergonomic product?
Don’t laugh too hard at the motor-
ized extractor – yes, that IS a junkyard
motor, junkyard pulley and a frame-
work made from stock steel from a
lumberyard. It works fine; one adjusts
the belt tension with the big red han-
dle, which adjusts rotational speed. It
is the best motorized add-on $30 can
buy! If you wanted pretty, you came
to the wrong place, and the multiple
glaring OSHA violations pale in com-
parison to the basic act of keeping
boxes full of stinging insects on roof-
tops in a city of 8 million people, of
which 7.999 million are absolutely cer-
tain that they are allergic to bee stings.
Food-grade plastic pails are the
55-gallon drums of urban beekeeping,
and we have a lot of them. There re-
ally isn’t time to do more than filter
from the extractor through (a) a col-
ander, (b) a very large stainless-steel
metal-mesh strainer, or (c) a 400 or
600 micron strainer. This means that
each beekeeper will be taking home
several pails to filter further, and to
put into yet another pail equipped
with a honey gate for hand bottling.
But we do not fill pails that are fitted
American Bee Journal
with honey gates, as they are a disas-
ter waiting to happen in transport.
The pails are bought from a packag-
ing supply wholesaler, so there is no
reason for anyone’s bottling set up to
be used to transport honey, even if it is
only across the room from the extrac-
tor. There’s no use crying over spilled
honey, the trick is to not spill it.
Brand new pail lids are an extra
level of safety for transporting honey,
as once they are hammered onto the
pail, they will not come off until the
tear-tab is removed, but few people
demand them, and so far, so good –
no spills in cars.
Bottling is most often done at home,
and we have found that even trying
to do a group purchase on glassware
quickly deteriorates into bickering, as
the minimums for “free shipping” are
low, and those of us with more than
a handful of hives order and pick up
our own glassware ourselves. Perhaps
you can work out a better solution.

Jim Fischer says that he is the “3rd

beekeeper from the left”, and keeps
bees on a small island off the east
coast of the US, having sold his ap-
ple-pollinating operation some time
ago.

May 2018 513

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514 American Bee Journal

W
hile many of you are busy
enjoying much celebrated
national beekeeping con-
ferences, chances are you might not
have even been aware that another
beneficial and thought-provoking
conference is taking place at the same
time and most likely in the same
place. The American Association of
Professional Apiculturists (AAPA)
has organized the American Beekeep-
ing Research Conference (ABRC) for
the past several decades with January
2018 marking the 31st gathering. Over
the two-day conference, a total of 55
oral presentations and 12 poster pre-
sentations were given, representing
work done from over 30 different re-
search groups located throughout the
United States and Canada. This year,
AAPA members met in conjunction
with the American Beekeeping Fed-
eration Conference and Tradeshow,
while in 2019 AAPA will be partner-
ing with the American Honey Pro-
ducers Convention and Tradeshow
in Phoenix, AZ.
So what is AAPA and what do we
do? AAPA was established by Mal-
colm Sanford, Eric Mussen and John
Harbo following the founding of the
Canadian Association of Professional
Apiculturists (CAPA). AAPA has
three main goals:
1) Promote communication
within and between industry,
academia and the beekeeping
community.
2) Develop and foster research on
fundamental and applied ques-
tions to gain a greater under-
standing of bee biology in an
aim to assist and improve the
beekeeping industry.
May 2018
3) Create a venue to rapidly share
new techniques and current re-
search to advance the field.
But perhaps one of the most noble
endeavors of the association is pro-
moting the junior and early career
researchers through awards and
scholarships and by providing a
friendly platform for scientific discus-
sion. This year’s winner of the AAPA
Student Scholarship was Elizabeth
Walsh from Juliana Rangel’s Labora-
tory at Texas A&M University. In 2018
we established additional awards:
Postdoctoral travel award won by
Kaira Wagoner from University of
North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG)
and an extension award won by Ra-
chael Bonoan from Tufts University.
In addition, there were three student
presentation winners. Please make
sure you pass the word of these op-
portunities to the deserving young
researchers you know. You can learn
more from our website http://aapa.
cyberbee.net/awards/.
Many great contemporary apicul-
turists have served the association by
providing insights on important bee-
keeping topics ranging from input on
neonicotinoid effects on bees to put-
ting forth a White Paper on Colony
Collapse Disorder and Bee Health.1
The professional members strive to
report on the most up-to-date research
findings and their possible applica-
tion for the industry (see Bee World
volume 94, Issue 3).2 The next time
when you are attending the ABF or
AHPA conference consider stopping
by ABRC; your registration for those
conferences automatically grants you
free access to ABRC. And just in case
you were not able to join us this year,
we bring you a brief synopsis of the
research presented.
We kicked off the conference with
a bit of a look into the future with Dr.
Marla Spivak (University of Minne-
sota). Dr. Spivak asked the question:
What would happen if we were to
flip our perspective on bee health and
consider the “super” to be half full
instead of half empty? For example,
instead of considering that there is
30-40% annual colony mortality we
could look at it as having a 60-70%
survival which would mean lots of
stock with good breeding potential.
Our wide ranging differences in treat-
ment or no treatment approaches for
colony management both have pluses
and minuses that could be harnessed
for improving honey bee health. For
instance, while treatments for various
maladies can help with herd immu-
nity and ensure there is a sufficient
supply for pollination, it might lead to
propagation of susceptible bee stock.
Dr. Spivak also discussed the idea and
the need to revisit certain standards
established in the industry such as
the varroa mite thresholds. She spoke
about the need for refining those to
apply to different types of situations
and particularly in light of our lack of
understanding how viral infections
may influence these thresholds. For
example, more remote locations or
smaller apiaries might be able to with-
stand higher mite pressure.
Dr. Spivak continued by discuss-
ing the need for furthering our un-
derstanding of the mechanisms of
infested brood and varroa removal,
including more general hygienic be-
havior in addition to varroa sensi-
tive hygiene, as well as other traits,
like grooming where bees remove
515
varroa mites from other adult bees.
This understanding would allow us
to improve our breeding efforts to
include multiple traits of resistance
against pathogens and other mala-
dies. She suggested we rethink what
we know about microbiota of honey
bees including pathogens and the way
we deal with them. For example, why
does treating a bacterial infection with
antibiotics help control a Black queen
cell virus (BQCV) infection? Dr. Spiv-
ak’s self-proclaimed wild speculation
was dysbiosis where antibiotics kill
off an opportunistic bacterium, allow-
ing beneficial microbiota to control the
virus. Lastly, Dr. Spivak reminded us
that we should be working towards
helping honey bees help themselves
by providing them what they natu-
rally utilize such as propolis and other
naturally occurring phytochemicals in
nectar and pollen. It would be wise of
us to keep moving forward by looking
for novel ways to be better researchers
and better beekeepers and improve
bee health by promoting these natural
defenses.
This was a nice segue into the
remainder of the session where
speakers discussed a range of top-
ics including varroa mite physiol-
ogy and behavior, viral resistance
and even how ants can be involved
in viral transmission to honey bees.
Shilpi Bahtia (University of North
Carolina at Greensboro, Rueppell
Lab) presented her efforts in identi-
fying colonies with resistance to spe-
cifically Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus
(IAPV), once thought to be correlated
with CCD. She was able to identify
some colonies exhibiting desirable
viral resistance characteristics. How-
ever, these are only the first steps in
starting a breeding program and ad-
ditional efforts will be discussed.
A real crowd pleaser was the pre-
sentation by Samuel Ramsey (Univer-
Elizabeth Walsh Student Scholarship winner presenting
516
sity of MD, vanEnglesdorp Lab). You
might have heard about his very cool
and ground breaking research chal-
lenging a long-standing idea that var-
roa mites feed on hemolymph of the
bees and further questioned the as-
sumption of whether the mites actually
feed on adults. Well, as it turns out the
female mites are indeed going after the
fat of the honey bees (Burnham, 2018),3
which means that varroa mites are not
actually “phoretic” when on adults
because a phoretic phase would mean
the mites are just waiting around on
the adult bees until they find another
suitable larval cell to infest. Because
the mites are actually feeding on adult
honey bees too, this prompted Ramsey
and the team to propose a change in
terminology from phoretic to dispersal
phase. These findings can prove to be
a game changer in the combat against
varroa and may likely influence the
way we think about and develop new
miticides.
The following session discussed
nutritional needs of the honey bees.
Topics ranged from evaluating polli-
nator communities in different habi-
tats such as turfgrass and prairies to
determining honey bee pollen forag-
ing preferences. While not directly re-
lated to honey bee nutrition, the most
curious talk of the session was cer-
tainly a discussion of how we could
harness the drone brood removal not
only for varroa mite management but
also for human consumption. Bridget
Gross (Ohio State University, Reed
Johnson Lab) gave a compelling ar-
gument for using this highly protena-
ceous snack as a part of our every-day
diet while potentially making some
additional income. Hey, no need to
be grossed out – I hear drones taste
like almonds.
AAPA often meets with our coun-
terparts to the North – CAPA, but
on the years we don’t organize joint
meetings we are very grateful to have
CAPA members share their research
updates. This year Dr. Stephen Pernal
shared with us the results of the Cana-
dian Honey Bee Health Survey. From
2014-2017, 944 samples were included
with most coming from Alberta. Data
provided insight into Nosema species
composition with the majority of the
positive samples across the board pre-
senting with primarily Nosema cera-
nae infection while a small portion of
samples presented with a mixed infec-
tion of N. ceranae and N. apis. In terms
of bacterial infections, more specifi-
cally American Foulbrood (AFB), ap-
proximately 12% national samples
tested positive for AFB, with all of the
samples testing sensitive to Tylosin
(meaning Tylosin should still be an
effective treatment of choice for Ca-
nadian infections). Interestingly, there
was a high prevalence of BQCV, SBV
(Sacbrood virus), and LSV 1-4 (Lake
Sinai virus), with over 80% of na-
tional 2014-2017 samples testing posi-
tive. It is still not quite clear what the
presence of these viruses means for
colony health, but Daughenbaugh et
al (2015)4 did find a negative correla-
tion between LSV variants and colony
survival. You can learn more about
the Canadian Honey Bee Health Sur-
vey here.5 The final talks of the session
included discussion of the impact of
various pesticides on honey bee phys-
iology and health.
Presentations on the first day were
concluded with a “Shark Tank” style
competition sponsored by the Honey
Bee Health Coalition where selected
researchers, beekeepers and students
battled for additional funds to sup-
port further development of their
original ideas for honey bee health
improvement. Out of six competitors,
four were awarded the funds and you
can read more about their projects in
the March 2018 issue of ABJ. But in
Shilpi presenting
American Bee Journal
our book, the real stars were a group
of students from Georgia Institute
of Technology who presented their
idea for a Honey Bee Ultrasound that
would be used for rapid colony eval-
uations in the field. Make sure you
watch the presentations at https://
www.facebook.com/pg/beehealt-
horg/videos/. Our attendees then
had an opportunity to continue their
discussion at an evening social and
poster session. We want to extend our
sincerest thanks to our sponsor Véto-
pharma6 and particularly Phil Craft.
The second day of the conference
began by honoring the winners of the
Honey Bee Health Coalition challenge
and the student paper winners. There
were excellent student presenters and
the top three ranked by the judges
were (in no particular order): Morgan
Carr-Markell, (University of Min-
nesota, Spivak Lab), Joseph Milone
(North Carolina State University,
Tarpy Lab), and Taylor Reams, (Uni-
versity of North Carolina at Greens-
boro, Rueppell Lab). Winners received
a monetary award so make sure you
encourage your students to enter the
ABRC student paper competition.
Research presentations continued
with a discussion of chemical im-
pacts on honey bee health as well as
the newest developments for varroa
management. The main message was
not so surprising and that is the more
stressors bees face, the more likely it
is their health will suffer. For example,
Dr. Christina Mogren (University of
Hawaii, Manoa) pondered the nega-
tive impacts of larval dietary stress on
susceptibility to clothianidin (neonic-
otinoids) and in turn Dr. Scott O’Neal
(University of Nebraska, Lincoln)
reported on the correlation between
amitraz (commonly used miticide by
beekeepers) and viral susceptibility
leading to increased mortality. While
AAPA attendees congratulating the HBHC winners
May 2018
sometimes these data tend to throw
us into a pit of despair, these stud-
ies can also be extremely valuable in
modulating colony management ap-
proaches (for example, timing of spe-
cific miticide treatments) for reduced
bee stress.
Keeping with the theme of the
plenary talk, a presentation by Dr.
Margarita López-Uribe (The Pennsyl-
vania State University) explored the
differences in immunocompetence
between feral and managed honey
bee populations. Dr. López-Uribe and
her team identified higher expression
of some genes involved in antivi-
ral resistance in feral PA colonies as
compared to managed counterparts.
Interestingly, DWV levels were lower
in managed colonies suggesting that
the antiviral response in honey bees
involves additional antiviral mecha-
nisms. The next steps will examine the
survival rates of theses distinct honey
bee populations and the possibility of
co-opting these beneficial resistance
traits found in feral populations into
breeding programs focused on pro-
moting resistance to viruses. In fact,
Dr. Michael Simone-Finstrom from
the Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics
and Physiology Laboratory in Baton
Rouge, LA has already started efforts
towards breeding virus resistant/
tolerant stock7 with some success in
identifying colonies with promising
tolerance traits.
The conference ended on a fun but
informative note. Dr. Jennifer Tsuruda
(Clemson University) in collabora-
tion with Dr. Olav Rueppell (UNC-G)
took advantage of the last year’s solar
eclipse to study the effects on honey
bee behavior. This behavioral plas-
ticity allows the bees to respond to
changes in their environment, as for
example, with migratory movement.
Interestingly, drones were seemingly
Steve Pernalpresenting
better at finding their way back home
during the eclipse, while workers had
the fastest return rate after the eclipse.
Combined, the results suggest that
both workers and drones are able
to quickly adjust to new challenges.
These changes do not seem to be in
response to changes in light intensity
or temperature considering minimal
changes in these parameters, but the
humidity dropped significantly dur-
ing the eclipse. Unfortunately, we will
have to wait for some time to explore
this phenomenon further as the next
total solar eclipse visible from North
America will be on April 8, 2024.
Luckily, you will not have to wait this
long for the next ABRC to be held in
January 2019 in Phoenix, AZ.
If this article peaked your inter-
est and you want to learn more, you
can find the abstracts of the talks
and posters in the complete confer-
ence proceedings available on-line in
April 2018 at Bee World volume 95,
Issue 2 (https://www.tandfonline.
com/loi/tbee20).8 The link to the pro-
ceedings can be accessed through the
AAPA website (http://aapa.cyberbee.
net/meeting-archive/) as well. We
once again extend sincere thanks to
all of the presenters and participants
and we congratulate all the award
winners. Finally, we thank you for
reading and we hope to see you all
next year!
Disclaimer: Mention of any company
or commercial entity does not consti-
tute an endorsement.
references:
1. American Association of Professional
Apiculturists. “White Paper on Colony
Collapse Disorder and Bee Health”
http://aapa.cyberbee.net/wp-content/up-
loads/2013/06/Final_AAPA_POSITION_
STATEMENT_COLONY_HEALTH-1-1.
pdf
517
2. Proceedings of the 2017 American Bee Re-
search Conference. Bee World. 93(4): 104-
127. doi:10.1080/0005772X.2017.1294471
3. Burnham, T. Downtown new hope in
the fight against Varroa. 2018. Bee Culture.
(January)
4. Daughenbaugh, K.F., Martin, M.,
Brutscher, L.M., Cavigli, I., Garcia, E.,
Lavin, M. and Flenniken, M.L., 2015.
Honey bee infecting Lake Sinai viruses. Vi-
ruses, 7(6), pp.3285-3309.
5. National Honey Bee Health Survey
Canada https://www.gprc.ab.ca/research/
initiatives/nbdc/projects/current/nat_sur-
vey.html
6. Véto-pharma, http://www.veto-pharma.
com/
7.Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics and Physi-
ology Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Baton
Rouge, LA (efforts towards breeding virus
resistant/tolerant stock) https://www.ars.
usda.gov/southeast-area/baton-rouge-
la/honeybeelab/people/mike-simone-
finstrom/
8. Proceedings of the 2018 American Bee
Research Conference. Bee World. 95(2), in
press.

518 American Bee Journal

May 2018 519
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AND ARE INSURED TO MOST UNITED STATES CUSTOMERS.

520 American Bee Journal

W
e’ve all heard or said,
“Queens aren’t surviving as
long as they used to.” I think
we’ve also all heard, “Where are your
records to show that? Give us some-
thing to start with.” Like every other
beekeeper, we have limited time,
so we only keep records that have
a practical purpose and can tell us
something.
In 2011, we started to notice a prob-
lem in our operation with our queen
cells. While we have always kept
good records, as the years have pro-
gressed since 2011, the details of our
records increased so we could better
track that particular problem.
This is not going to be the story of
a nice experiment, where we were
able to hold all the variables constant
to isolate a certain effect. Instead, it is
a messy story of trying to figure out
the answer to a problem through ob-
servation, increased record keeping,
and implementing small changes.
Our experimentation has the advan-
tage of drawing on a large sample, but
because we’re a commercial farm and
not an academic research facility, and
we were looking for a particular de-
sired result (viable queens), that also
resulted in certain biases.
We surpassed the level of our com-
petence long ago, but until someone
else with competence volunteers to
help, it will continue to be something
we must endeavor to solve. Our pur-
pose in writing this article is first to
learn if other beekeepers are seeing
similar problems and, secondly, to
find out if there is a researcher out
there who might have the answer to
our problem.
May 2018
Pedersen Apiaries is a multi-gener-
ational commercial honey producing
operation near Cut Knife, Saskatch-
ewan in Canada. Sometime in the
late 80’s, Pedersen Apiaries started
grafting queen cells to raise queens
for our operation. By that point we
were overwintering our bees and it
made sense to breed from the best
of our own stock. By the late 1990’s
we had refined our queen raising
process. We bred from queens that
had survived 2 winters and had out-
produced their neighbouring/sister
hives the summer between those
winters. Not only were the winters
and poor honey production culling
out inferior queens, so were our fin-
gers as we judged and replaced them
if they did not build up well in the
spring, were defensive and showed
signs of diseases.
our Queen rearinG Process
We graft queen cells into swarm
boxes of bees that are broodless,
closed boxes with lots of pollen, liq-
uid honey and young bees. After 24
hours, the queen cells are transferred
into the top box of cell builder hives.
Each cell builder hive is queen-right
in the bottom brood box, which is
separated from the top cell box by
an excluder and a honey super. The
top cell box has hatching brood and
lots of pollen beside the cells. On day
14, the queen cells are separated and
moved into individual tiny mating
nucs to hatch and get mated. From
there they are marked and transferred
to our own hives or sold. The only
real change we made to this process
occurred somewhere around 2004,
when we converted from using a Jen-
ter comb to graft cells to hand graft-
ing into homemade wax cups. Raising
our own queens has become an inte-
gral part of our commercial honey
operation.
our exPeriences in 2011-12
Typically, we expect at least 75-80%
of the queen cells to develop into full
cells. Until we started having signifi-
cant issues, we had no reason to track
how many actually did develop into
full cells and so we didn’t. As long as
most of the batches were successful,
we were happy.
In 2011, the last couple of grafts had
a significant drop in the success rate.
We still didn’t record it, because it
was the end of the season and it just
seemed like a blip. We had enough
queens for the year, so it wasn’t a
huge loss. However, in 2012, our suc-
cess rate of grafted larvae developing
into full queen cells had dropped to
30% and we were frantically trying
to figure out what was going on. We
were blaming it on the weather, but
A scale attached to a Billet Ezyloader is
used to track honey production for evalu-
ating queens.
521
Lots of young bees are enclosed into
swarm boxes with a minimum of 1 comb
of pollen and 1 comb of liquid honey.
we also tried changing some other
things, all to no avail.
BeTTer TrackinG in 2013
By 2013, we started systematically
trying to figure out and track what we
might be doing that was causing the
queen cells to die. We hypothesized
that our equipment was carrying a
virus or another pathogen that was
causing the queen cells to die. We
started with new cell combs, cell bars
and wax to make the cell bars, making
sure that it was both new wood and
new wax. We disinfected the graft-
ing tool and the place where our cells
are grafted. We had someone else try
grafting to see if I had just lost my skill
or eyesight. None of these changes
had any effect.
We contacted Geoff Wilson M.Sc.,
P.Ag. Saskatchewan Provincial Spe-
cialist in Apiculture for help. He came
to observe and critique our grafting on
June 18, 2013. Geoff said that he could
see nothing wrong with our method.
As per his suggestions, we tried both
plastic cups and wax cups to compare,
we tried bee polished and unpolished
cups and we tried transporting the
swarm boxes at a crawl. We bought
a brand new grafting tool, used fresh
water in a glass jar as opposed to a
plastic bottle, and used a new fry-
ing pan without a Teflon coating and
more new wax to make new wax cups.
He suggested that perhaps we were
seeing a residue problem in our pro-
cess that was ending up in the water
or wax. He also suggested that we
closely observe the cells when they
were being transferred from the
swarm boxes to the cell builder hives
to determine if the cells were still alive
at the 24 hour stage. We marked those
cells grafted with the changes versus
those done in the same way we had
522
Mating nuc with cells just introduced.
always done them and waited to see
if there was any difference.
We determined that the grafted
queen cells were dead within 24 hours
of being grafted. They died within the
swarm boxes. We learned that plas-
tic cups gave us a better success rate
than wax cups, but still did not make
a huge difference to the success rate.
We ascertained that we still had not
identified the cause of the queen cell
deaths. One batch had an 80% suc-
cess rate, but we could not correlate
it to any changes we had made or not
made. The other batches ranged from
a 6% to 50% success rate and also
seemed to have no correlation to the
changes made or not made.
The difference in the plastic cups
versus the wax cups was the only clue
that led us to explore other routes of
chemical residues that might make a
difference in our success rate. By that
time our short season was over. We
thought we had enough queens for
ourselves, but barely.
Unfortunately, the pain continued
the next year as the queens we had
raised proceeded to die over winter
or were superseded. They just didn’t
last like they should.
By this point, we were tracking
the success rate of the queen cells
from grafting to mating nuc, but we
still weren’t tracking the entire chain
from the grafted batch to the queen
in the hive. We knew their parentage,
but could not correlate it to the exact
batch of cells and the success or failure
of that batch or at what point in the
season they had been raised.
advances in 2014
In 2014, we hypothesized that there
was a chemical residue in the pollen.
While not directly consumed by the
grafted larvae, it is consumed by the
nurse bees that create the royal jelly
for the developing queens. Somehow
this pollen was causing the larvae to
die. We further hypothesized that the
residue was from a fungicide, since the
problem of queen cells dying seemed
to coincide with when widespread
fungicide spraying of cereal crops
and canola began in our area. We also
wondered if Nosema spores might be
causing the problem, since emerging
research on Nosema ceranae seemed to
indicate that the beekeeping industry
understood little about this parasite.
We collected combs of pollen in the
spring of 2014 from our deadouts,
separating it into 2 lots. Lot 1 came
from two beeyards where there was
much less availability of cultivated
crop land (and thus canola) for the
bees. Lot 2 came from the rest of our
beeyards that are predominantly sur-
Queen cells in plastic cups coming out
of cell builders.
American Bee Journal
rounded by agricultural cropland.
(We will refer to these 2 groupings as
Lot 1 and Lot 2 in the rest of the article
to refer to the separation of the pollen
by location. In future years, the pollen
was mostly sourced from live hives
during the season.) We collected two
random pollen samples from each lot
to send to a lab, so it could be tested
for residues. We were unable to find
a lab that could test for all of the pos-
sible chemicals that were sprayed
in our area, but we found a lab that
would test for a lot of them. The re-
sults came back saying that there was
no measurable residue above the ac-
ceptable limits in either sample. How-
ever, since to my knowledge there is
no research confirming a safe dosage
of chemicals fed to Apis mellifera lar-
vae (particularly queen larvae), the
test told us nothing useful.
The pollen that we had separated
out from the hives in Lot 1 was then Cell builder hives
used in the swarm boxes with the
grafted queen cells. Every week, with percentage of the queen cells devel- They mostly raised the live cells that
the exception of one, we prepared oped into full cells. The lowest batch they received. However, in 2015, cell
the swarm boxes with pollen from coming out of the swarm boxes was development in the cell builders be-
Lot 1 and grafted into plastic cups in 36% which still indicated a problem, came more erratic. The lowest devel-
our traditional manner. I will admit but the next lowest was 69%. These opment rate in the cell builder hives
that because we are still commercial 2 low batches were from boxes that was 8%, and ranged up to 100%, with
honey producers, rather than profes- used pollen from Lot 2. In contrast, an average of 76%.
sional researchers, we specifically the lowest success rates of batches We did not have enough collected
used pollen from Lot 1 instead of Lot from Lot 1 were 75% and 78%. How- and identified pollen to use in the cell
2. Our first goal was to get queens. ever, while indicating that we might builder hives, so mostly random pol-
Our second goal was to figure out be on to something, the results were len from unknown yards was used in
what the problem was and we make still inconclusive, because the aver- those hives. To try and understand
no apologies for our priorities. age success rate coming out of all of what was causing the problems in
With the exception of one week, our the swarm boxes was 94% and that the cell builders, we started to sys-
success rate ranged from 75 – 85%. In included pollen from both Lot 1 and tematically collect pollen from hives
the one week that we experienced an Lot 2. during the summer and fall of 2015,
exception, we accidentally used pol- We weren’t able to recreate a con- noting where it was from and dur-
len from both Lot 1 and Lot 2. That sistently high death rate of the cells ing which season it was collected. We
week, the success rate dropped no- in the swarm boxes. Since realiz- don’t have the capacity or knowledge
ticeably, ranging from 30-80% in the ing that the cells were dying in the to identify the pollen microscopically,
different swarm boxes. This certainly swarm boxes, we had not been as but we are in the hives often enough
wasn’t a conclusive answer, but after concerned with the cell builder hives. that we can identify pollen by sea-
two years of dismal failure, it was
enough to give us hope and encour-
age us to believe that we might have
at least partially identified our prob-
lem. In 2014, we also fed all of our
hives one dose of Fumagillin B in
syrup during the spring. We then fed
50% of the first batch of swarm boxes
Fumagillin B, while not feeding the
other 50%. We could see no difference
in the Fumagillin B feeding.

MakinG ProGress in 2015

In 2015, we continued to separate
the pollen from the yards into Lot 1
and Lot 2. Then we used pollen from
both lots in the swarm boxes with the
grafted queen cells while tracking
where the pollen was from and what Hive ready to be wrapped for winter.

May 2018 523

son and color with some accuracy.
For example, bright yellow pollen in
the spring is most likely willow and
would not be canola, but bright yel-
low pollen in July would more likely
be from sweet clover or canola, but
would not be willow.
By this point, we identified where
the pollen was harvested, what sea-
son it was collected and whether or
not it was canola pollen. We labeled
each comb of pollen with the bee yard
it came from and either what type of
pollen it most likely came from or the
time of year that the bees stored it.
From our experiences, our hypoth-
esis had narrowed: we thought it was
canola pollen that was the problem.
Why canola pollen led to queen cell
death, we didn’t know. Was it be-
cause of fungicides, another type of
chemical, or a varietal issue? We had
no idea.
ever onward in 2016
By 2016, 5 years after we first no-
ticed the problem, we were now track-
ing which pollen we used in both the
swarm boxes and cell builder hives
and the percentage of queen cells that
were surviving in each. We were now
mostly stealing combs of pollen from
live hives and storing it until the next
season, so that we had a better idea
of when it was collected and what
it was. We were differentiating and
tracking whether pollen was from Lot
1 and Lot 2, as well as whether it was
from spring or summer. As commer-
cial beekeepers, we still prioritized
producing queens over doing re-
search, but by then we had realized it
was also important to track the pol-
len right through the life of the queen
cells that survived. Was the longevity
of the queen determined by the pollen
that it was raised on?
In 2016, the average survival rate
coming out of the swarm boxes was
93%, however, the median was 97%.
The average cell development com-
ing out of the cell builder hives was
81% and the median was 90%. There
were only a few batches that were
low in 2016, but four batches, in par-
ticular were exciting to find. In two
of those batches, cells from two dif-
ferent queen mothers, put into two
different cell builder hives, dropped
from a 94% success rate coming out
of the swarm boxes, to a 50% success
rate coming out of the cell builders.
In the end, from those two batches,
only 7% of the originally grafted
queen cells survived to become a 2016
queen going into winter. Another two
524
poor batches of cells came from the
same queen mother. They were put
into a swarm box and came out of
the swarm box at a 50% success rate.
This continued to drop until only 4%
of the grafted cells were still alive to
go into mating nucs and none made
it to queens. The common denomina-
tor between those four batches of cells
in both the cell builder hives and the
swarm boxes was canola pollen that
came from one beeyard.
We had no other pollen that came
from that particular beeyard. There-
fore, we put 2 combs of pollen into
cold storage at a research facility, one
from the swarm box with problems
and one from a swarm box without
problems. We think we have identi-
fied a problem and maybe even a
smoking gun. The problem now is
to find out who has the technology
to test and figure out what’s wrong.
Sending the frames to a lab that will
not test for everything and will not
test below the set acceptable limits is
a total waste of time and money. We
are definitely past our level of compe-
tence. What else can we do?
We are still learning how to track
the pollen straight through from
queen development to the queen’s
longevity. It has added quite a bit of
detail to our record keeping, but de-
spite the additional effort, the results
look promising. Obviously, we have
to continue tracking to see whether or
not we can find another comb of pol-
len that shows such striking differ-
ences in queen development. From a
research and investigation viewpoint,
the challenge is that the more we
learn, the less we want to risk using
canola pollen in queen development.
so where are we in 2017?
The winter of 2016-2017 was a long
winter with a cold spring, weather
that was hard on our bees. Our losses
meant that we couldn’t afford to risk
losing more hives to the possibility
of non-viable queens. As a result,
we specifically chose to avoid feed-
ing the combs of pollen that we had
collected from Lot 2, or more specifi-
cally we chose to avoid using combs
of pollen that we thought might be
predominately from canola. While
we couldn’t completely avoid canola
in our area, we tried to avoid using
pollen from beeyards with significant
exposure to canola.
The average survival rate coming
out of the swarm boxes was 89%,
however the median was 94%. The
average cell development coming out
of the cell builder hives was 82% and
the median was 88%. This year, the
lowest percentage of cells coming out
of a swarm box was 56%. That swarm
box was fed with summer pollen, so
we can’t rule out that it may have had
canola pollen in it. The first batches
coming out of the cell builders aver-
aged 58%, a low rate we believe to
have been due to the cold spring and
the cell builder hives not being strong
enough. Later in the season, we had
only one other batch of cells that stood
out. They dropped to 35% and 56% in
the cell builders that they were put
into. Again, they were fed summer
pollen that could have had canola pol-
len. We neither conclusively proved
nor disproved our hypothesis.
conclusion
While we know we have a prob-
lem, we are a long way from being
able to identify its cause or solution.
It would be easy enough to argue
that our hypothesis is doubtful, be-
cause we still had problems in 2017.
We would like nothing better than for
someone to definitively prove that
our hypothesis is wrong. That would
save us countless hours going down
the wrong path trying to track this
problem. It would certainly simplify
our lives if we didn’t have to worry
about avoiding canola. However, at
this time canola pollen is the only fac-
tor that we have been able to identify
as possibly holding the key to our
low queen cell survival rates. At least
we have a large sample size and rela-
tively detailed records that might help
narrow the search.
If you have noticed similar prob-
lems, please let us know. It should
be widespread if our hypothesis is
correct. If you have experienced the
problem and found a solution, we
would really like to hear that. This
isn’t clean academic research; it’s on
the ground commercial beekeepers,
scratching their heads and trying to
eliminate factors. We want to know
if anyone else out there is groping
around in the dark with us.
Gil and Karen Pedersen are a father/
daughter duo. They are commercial honey
producers who run single brood chamber
hives all year round. They are based near
Cut Knife, SK, Canada. They can be found at
www.pedersenapiaries.ca.
American Bee Journal
 Dadant & Sons, Inc., Hamilton, IL or your nearest branch
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Be sure you receive our big catalog in 2018. Check out our new
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May 2018 525

526 American Bee Journal
 It’s clear that there may be a considerable amount of hive-to-hive drifting
by bees and mites in the typical apiary. This then raises the question of
whether there is anything that we can do about it?

so why Do colonies allow Bees To drifT in? duction (similarly, a few bees in a “usurpation swarm” can
Let’s start with some definitions. As I’m sure that you’re enter a hive and overthrow the queen5). Just as a watch-
aware, the female members of the honey bee colony allo- ful police force is of necessity in human societies that hold
cate their work to two distinct morphological castes—the items of value, the guard caste is of paramount importance
fertile queen and the reproductively-suppressed work- for protecting the resource-rich honey bee nest from thieves
ers. The workers further divide up their labor between and predators (Fig. 1).
behaviorally and/or physiologically distinct subcastes.1
Some years ago, three heavyweight researchers in bee be-
havior—Breed, Robinson, and Page2—demonstrated that
there are distinct guarding and soldier behavioral castes.3
The guards are typically younger than the soldiers and sta-
tion themselves at the nest entrance(s). The soldiers don’t
fly much, but instead appear to “hang out” on the combs,
perhaps waiting for a signal of alarm pheromone from the
guards to stir them into action4 to drive off a large intruder
(by using warning bumps and/or stinging).

Practical application: I’m explaining this so that the

reader understands the difference between guarding be-
havior (which takes place at the hive entrance and pe-
riphery of the cluster), and soldiering behavior (the sort
of mass stinging response to disturbance that beekeep-
ers generally find distasteful). This may be an important
distinction, since we may be able to breed for bees with
good guarding behavior, without breeding for increased
soldiering behavior.
Guard bees are responsible for warding off potential
robbers attempting to enter the hive to steal the colony’s
precious food stores, or other insects (such as hive beetles
or yellowjackets) interested in the protein-rich beebread or
brood. Guarding is also important to prevent “social para-
sitism,” such as that practiced by the Cape bee, in which
a foreign “queen” can enter a hive and take over repro-
Figure 1. The guarding subcaste is the first line of defense at
any opening to the resource-rich nest cavity. These guard bees
are harassing a foreign worker that drifted, and may not allow
her to enter their hive. Should the guards emit alarm phero-
mone, that cue would then trigger the soldier bees inside to
launch a defensive attack.
Worker bees typically engage in guarding behavior
when they are around 2-3 weeks old.6 There is a genetic
component to the proportion of the worker population that
act as guards, as well as in determining their persistence.7

May 2018 527

Guard bees normally reject non-nestmates attempting to
gain entrance to the hive—recognizing them by smell or
by their behavior.8-10
The importance of foreign worker rejection due to their
exhibiting the wrong odor is even more important since
the invasion of varroa—in an intriguing recent study out of
Italy, the researchers discovered that the odor (volatile cu-
ticular hydrocarbons) of adult workers changes when they
are parasitized by a phoretic mite. Guard bees mounted
a greater defense against previously parasitized workers
than against those that hadn’t carried a mite.11
Practical application: perhaps we could breed for this
trait, thus helping to prevent invasion of mites into a
hive.
Keep in mind, however, that allocating a proportion of
the worker caste as guards comes at a cost to the colony
as a whole. As explained in a nice overview by Rivera-
Marchand:12
The cost of defense is minor for Africanized bees in the main-
land where resources are abundant. These bees can afford to
defend instead of storing food, because flowers are available
through the year. However, for temperate bees… defense can
affect [colony] growth… where resources are limited, it seems
that defensive colonies are not able to gather enough resources
for reproduction. Colonies with low defensive levels may have
a reproductive advantage over the more aggressive colonies …”
Practical application: we can only hope that the fitness
advantage gained by the extreme defensiveness of the
Africanized bees may be lost as African alleles introgress
northward into the established European populations in
North America. This may, however, be wishful thinking,
since the Western European (“German Black”) feral bees
already established in some areas have long been known
for their “nastiness”.13 Only time will tell…
In order to overcome the costs involved in defense, Eu-
ropean races of honey bees adjust the number of engaged
guards conditional to the state of attractivness of their
stored resources to competitors—that is, they set plenty of
guards when they are protecting their stores from robbers,
but once the nectar flow begins in earnest (and robbing
pressure presumably decreases), the number of guards at
the entrance decreases, and the rejection rate of foreign
bees drops to nearly zero.14
Butler and Free15 found that the appearance of bees
exhibiting the characteristic swaying-bobbing flight of
robbers (which to a human appears “sneaky”) alerts the
guards and increases the amount of guard bee interception
of foreign bees. Ditto for the introduction of foreign intrud-
ers into the hive. Perhaps surprisingly, they also observed
marked bees switching back and forth between guarding,
foraging, and robbing. And as anyone who has spent time
watching the hive entrance has seen, drifted foragers that
act either “self confident” or “submissive” are generally
allowed free passage by the guards; if instead they attempt
to escape, the guards will grab them and try to sting them.
If a drifted foreign bee spends 2-3 hours in a hive, it picks
up enough of its new colony’s scent that it is no longer
challenged by the guards of that hive.
Since drifting workers may be foragers intent upon rob-
bing, or may carry infectious parasites or pathogens,16
it’s surprising to me that guards ever allow any drifting
528
bees into a hive. However, it’s easy to observe that unless
there is a nectar dearth, colonies tend not to exhibit many
guards,17 and drifted bees are typically readily accepted. I
suspect that this may have more to do with our unnaturally
dense aggregation of hives in apiaries, rather than an in-
nate willingness of colonies to accept foreign workers into
their nest.
Investigating this further, I found a couple of studies of
interest. One18 found that ant colonies increased production
of their soldier caste when the foragers were exposed to
foreign ants. Similarly, Butler19 found that introducing for-
eign bees at the entrance increased the amount of guard-
ing, “suggesting that colonies regulate guard numbers in
response to robbing and intrusion.”
On the other hand, Rittschof20 found that colonies re-
peatedly experimentally disturbed exhibited less guarding
behavior—apparently becoming habituated to the distur-
bance. Perhaps this also occurs in response to the continual
drift occurring in an apiary.
The last question in my mind is related to the near-uni-
versal desire for beekeepers to breed for gentleness:
Practical breeding question: as much as I love to be
able to work my sweet-tempered bees in shorts and
t-shirt, has my selection for “gentleness” reduced their
propensity to guard the entrance against foreign bees?
So much for between-hive drifting of bees, which cer-
tainly accounts for some degree of mite diffusion in an
apiary. But far more mites appear to disperse during late-
season collapse and robbing.
The sheer nuMBers involved
Sadly, for the vast majority of colonies in which varroa
is inadequately managed, the combination of stress due to
the mites, coupled with an in-hive epidemic of one or more
viruses, ultimately results in that colony’s unfortunate col-
lapse. At that time, there can be a lot of mites in the hive
(Fig. 2).
Figure 2. The above simulation reflects the kind of alcohol wash
counts21 that I commonly see in untreated hives stocked with
non-resistant bees; to the right are the numbers of mites neces-
sary to produce such counts. That 17,000 figure may sound high,
but is supported by simple math and hard data.
Colonies with very high mite numbers often collapse
during the late summer or autumn, leaving behind a hive
devoid of bees, but full of honey (Fig. 3).
So here’s the question: I don’t see any mites remaining
in a hive after it’s collapsed—where the heck did they go?
Mites don’t just walk out of a hive—they hitch a ride on an
exiting bee.
An unanswered question: there are three main possi-
bilities as to where each mite ends up:
American Bee Journal

Figure 3. Typical signs of a colony that has collapsed due to
a varroa-vectored epidemic of DWV. Note the white fecal de-
posits from the mites, the bee with deformed wings, and the
workers unable to emerge from their cells. The hive may be full
of honey, but you’ll rarely see a mite.
1. The bee carrying it flies off toward the horizon, and
they both die.
2. The bee carrying it drifts to another hive.
3. The mite hops onto a robber bee to be carried to its
hive.
Obviously, options 2 and 3 have significant ramifica-
tions for other hives in the area.
The aMounT of MiTe drifT inTo oTher hives
There have been a few studies in which researchers have
quantified the amount of mite immigration into monitored
hives in an apiary. I put their published data into the chart
below (Fig. 4).
Figure 4. It is apparently not unusual for a colony to experi-
ence serious late-season varroa immigration numbering in the
hundreds, and sometimes in the thousands of mites, as in the
Greatti’s study, for which I used the most extreme values from
their monitored hives. Data from several sources.22
The hard data above indicate that mite immigration is
typically pretty low early in the season, and then spikes
when there is late-season robbing and collapse. Although
the counts by Greatti were substantially higher than those
of other observers, they may more closely reflect what
many of our colonies are experiencing these days.
Greatti counted between 2,000 and 3,500 mites invad-
ing each of their 10 monitored hives over the course of a
May 2018
season—with nearly 500 mites invading one hive over the
course of 4 days, despite the fact that all surrounding apiaries
either had been, or were undergoing, treatment with miticides.
Practical question: is this immigration of mites due
mainly to the drifting of workers abandoning their col-
lapsing hive, or instead due to bees engaged in robbing
inadvertently carrying them home? And if not the bees
in managed apiaries, is it from collapsing feral colonies
and/or escaped swarms?
I have yet to see data that answers the above questions.
Some research is already underway, and I hope to run an
experiment myself this summer in order to help to answer
the question. I’ll review some intriguing observations
below.
collaPse and roBBinG
As a colony begins to collapse, its virus-weakened work-
ers no longer mount a defense against robbing bees; if there
is a nectar dearth at the time, other colonies will help them-
selves to that unguarded honey. Some proportion of the
mites in the dying colony would be expected to climb onto
those robbers prior to their returning home.
What I found of great interest were the following obser-
vations by Greatti:
It was difficult to discover the source of the mites: the question
arises, where mites survive during acaricide treatments, since all
the apiaries in the neighborhood had been treated the year before,
and again during September and October, so infestation levels
of these colonies were low to moderate. Thus, it seems likely that
most mites came from feral swarms. Only two feral colonies were
detected near the experimental apiary (about 200 m from it); one
was caught, the second did not survive repeated robbing.
After I published Donald Aiken’s data on his mite drops
while he was applying oxalic acid vaporization (totaling
some 17,000 mites from a single hive), he shared an obser-
vation:
The hive I treated and recorded the resulting mite drops from
was very strong and produced over 200 lbs of honey. It actually
continued to bring in honey after all the flowers were gone from
my immediate neighborhood. I conjectured at the time that they
were sucking it out of the fence posts, but in retrospect they must
have been robbing out weak hives that were infested with varroa.
Think about the above. Let’s say that foragers robbing a
collapsing hive carry fairly heavy loads of honey (50 mg)
back home. That would mean that every pound of weight
gained by that hive would require 9,000 bee return trips
from the hive being robbed. If those returning foragers
brought back only 1 mite per every 10 trips, that would
still be 900 new mites being brought home for every pound
of honey gained!
I suspected that massive mite immigration occurred in
some of my monitored hives last fall,23 but upon further
modeling, I’m now not so sure—I need to monitor actual
immigration to confirm.
Research needed: Donald’s observation gives me an
idea for quantifying the correlation between robbing
and immigration of mites into the robbing hives. In
an area such as mine, where there is no natural colony
weight gain late in the season, set up a bunch of treated
529
hives on scales, and monitor the mite influx. Then look
for a correlation between late-season weight gain and
the increase in varroa immigration. This might help
to clarify why only some colonies exhibit late-season
spikes in mites. If you’re interested in helping to collect
such data, see my online post.24
Greatti had another interesting observation: 25
[In] only a few instances was robbing of infested colonies in
hives or feral colonies observed… perhaps robbing does not al-
ways lead to massive attacks, particularly when other sources of
forage are present, and thus it is difficult to observe.
The above observation brings to mind Wyatt Mangum’s
fascinating article on surreptitious robbing.26 Could it be
that as colonies begin to weaken from the varroa/virus
complex, this sort of surreptitious robbing allows mites to
rapidly disperse to new hives? Remember the previously
mentioned finding by Cervo that mites in highly-infested
colonies may be attracted to the odor of foreign bees.
Practical application: prior to varroa, it was evolution-
arily adaptive for a colony to steal honey from a weak-
ened neighbor. But today that serving of free honey will
likely come with a side order of mites.
I’ve yet to see good data as to the distance that foragers
will go to rob; Seeley27 suggests that at the low density in
Arnot forest, scant robbing occurs. On the other hand, he
and Loftus28 discuss observing a spike in mite infestation
levels in hives when a colony 60 meters distant collapsed.
But even once we figure out the range for robbing, I’m still
left struggling with yet another question:
whaT haPPens To all The MiTe-infesTed Bees when a
colony collaPses?
We’ve all seen it—an entire colony appears to “disap-
pear” overnight. Since there are no dead bees to be seen,
it’s clear that the entire workforce abandoned the hive.
The as-yet-unanswered question then is, where do those bees
(and all the mites they’re carrying) go? Do they simply fly
off towards the horizon to die? Or do some of them drift
into other hives? There is surprisingly little data on this, al-
though Dr. Dennis vanEngelsdorp has mentioned that one
of his team found marked bees drifting from a collapsing
colony into other hives at considerable distance.
Research needed: this is a crucial question crying for
an answer—do all those mite-infested bees just “disap-
pear,” or do they instead flood into surrounding hives?
We clearly need far more data on the drifting of marked
bees from collapsing colonies to other hives in order
to understand why we observe such high rates of late-
season mite immigration. It would be fairly simple to
quantify the amount of drifting that occurs at collapse
by stocking a yard with hives of yellow and black bee
stocks, and allowing the hives of one color to collapse,
then inspecting the hives of the other color to quantify
the number of drifted bees during those collapse events.
Please contact me if you’d like to run this important, yet
simple experiment in one of your yards.
OK, it’s pretty clear that drift and/or robbing could ac-
count for large amounts of mite dispersal into other hives.
But as pointed out by Greatti:
530
The degree of reinfestation of single colonies, on different days
of observation, varied greatly; however, the most reinfested or
the least reinfested colonies of a group often remained the same
in successive observations, and sometimes for long periods of
time…Marked differences among colonies of the same group in
the same day of observation were often observed…
That’s exactly what I observed with the potential breeder
queens that I was tracking last season. I observed huge mite
spikes in only half my monitored hives in any apiary—the
rest maintained low varroa levels, which then raises the
selective breeding question:
Some colonies appear to pick up a huge load of mites
in early autumn, yet others somehow manage to maintain
very low mite levels. Can we breed for colonies that pre-
vent such mite immigration?
We may not yet know the answers to the above ques-
tions, but there is an aspect of apiary management that may
be very helpful in minimizing autumn mite immigration.
swarMs coMinG Back To BiTe you in The BuTT
I often hear beekeepers shrug off, “yeah, I think that half
my colonies must’ve swarmed this spring” (Fig. 5). But it’s
not like those swarms just disappear once they fly off.
Figure 5. It’s easy to rationalize that it was just too hard to pre-
vent your colonies from swarming. But any escaped swarm has
the potential to become a “mite factory” whose output you may
later come to regret.
Allow me to share one final quote from Greatti:
A lost swarm can be a source of thousands of mites at the end
of the season or during the following year, and thus can endanger
several colonies, when it may be weakened by heavy Varroa in-
festation and is consequently liable to robbing by other colonies.
We frequently hear of the propensity of Africanized bees
to swarm frequently, but as pointed out by Medina-Flores,29
this strategy may be most adaptive in areas with short win-
ters, regular nectar flows, and plenty of nesting cavities:
In the temperate dry region that we studied, blossoms are
scarcer, colder temperatures reduce colony reproduction dur-
ing winter, and its vegetation provides fewer nesting sites than
in subtropical regions. Thus, it is less likely for bee colonies to
swarm frequently and to establish feral populations in temperate
climates than in more tropical environments.
American Bee Journal
 Nevertheless, both Winston and Loftus30 have docu-
mented that temperate colonies may swarm several times
a season if they crowd their cavity. And the cold-adapted
Primorsky Russian bees swarm at the drop of a hat. When
conditions are good, it would be normal for most of the
hives in an inadequately-managed apiary to swarm at least
once per season.
Those swarms carry a starting population of mites with
them, and if they are successful at establishing a nest, that
varroa population will build up. Depending upon timing,
that swarm colony will eventually collapse from the var-
roa/virus complex—typically with a population of approx-
imately 5,000-15,000 hungry mites. The question is, how
many of those mites will make it back into your hives when
that collapse inevitably takes place?
Practical application: it appears that one of the most
important mite management tools would be to minimize
the number of swarms that issue from your own apiary.
Remember that every lost swarm has the potential to
create a nuisance with your neighbors, to become com-
petition for your bees, and then a mite factory that will
eventually collapse. Controlling swarming is good man-
agement!
acknowledGeMenTs
Thanks as always to Pete Borst for research assistance,
and to all the dedicated and hard-working bee researchers
from whose publications I draw useful information.
endnoTes
1. There are genetic components as to how each patriline of sisters
behaves, as well as environmental cues and triggers.
2. Breed, MD, GE Robinson, RE Page (1990) Division of labor dur-
ing honey bee colony defense. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 27: 395-401.
Worth reading!
3. Reviewed in: Nouvian, M, et al (2016) The defensive response
of the honeybee Apis mellifera. Journal of Experimental Biology 219:
3505-3517 doi:10.1242/jeb.143016 Open access.
4. Suggested by Breed, and supported by my own observations.
5. http://scientificbeekeeping.com/whats-happening-to-the-bees-
part-2/
6. Winston, ML (1987) The Biology of the Honey Bee. Harvard Univer-
sity Press.
7. Breed MD, Rogers KB (1991) The behavioral-genetics of colony
defense in honeybees—genetic-variability for guarding behavior.
Behav Genet 21:295–303.
8. Dani, F, et al S (2005) Nestmate recognition cues in the honey bee:
differential importance of cuticular alkanes and alkenes. Chem
Senses 30:477–489.
Of interest is that attempting to mask the “foreign” smell with an added
odorant may not be effective.
Couvillon, MJ, FLW Ratnieks (2008) Odour transfer in stingless
bee marmelada (Frieseomelitta varia) demonstrates that entrance
guards use an “undesirable–absent” recognition system. Behav-
ioral ecology and sociobiology 62, Issue 7, pp 1099–1105.
Ratnieks FLW, et al. (2011) Acceptance by honey bee guards
of non-nestmates is not increased by treatment with nestmate
odours. Ethology 117: 1–9.
9. Breed, MD, et al (1998) Comb wax effects on the ontogeny of
honey bee nestmate recognition. Anim Behav 55:13–20.
10. Well reviewed by Breed, MD, et al (2015) Chapter 9 Nestmate
Recognition in Eusocial Insects: The Honeybee as a Model System
in L. Aquiloni and E. Tricarico (eds.), Social Recognition in Inver-
tebrates.
11. Cappa, F, et al (2016) Bee guards detect foreign foragers with cu-
ticular chemical profiles altered by phoretic varroa mites, Journal
of Apicultural Research 55(3): 268-277.
12. Rivera-Marchand, B, et al (2008) The cost of defense in social in-
sects: insights from the honey bee. Entomologia Experimentalis et
Applicata 129: 1–10.
May 2018
13. The dark Apis mellifera mellifera bloodline (M mitotype) established
itself as feral populations in the U.S. early on. This is one reason
that the “gentler” Italian and Carniolan (C mitotype) bloodlines
were more popular. Many of us older beekeepers remember the
“hot” dark feral bees that used to be common, and the studies by
Magnus and Szalanski (http://scientificbeekeeping.com/whats-
happening-to-the-bees-part-5-is-there-a-difference-between-
domesticated-and-feral-bees/) confirm that the M line of bees still
thrives in some areas.
14. Downs SG, Ratnieks FLW (2000) Adaptive shifts in honey bee
(Apis mellifera L.) guarding behavior support predictions of the ac-
ceptance threshold model. Behav Ecol 11:326–333.
15. Butler CG, Free JB (1952) The behaviour of worker honeybees at
the hive entrance. Behaviour 4:262–292.
16. As noted by Free, the “infrequency, or absence, of drifting of bees
between wild colonies may be one reason why they are compara-
tively free from disease.”
17. At least with the gentle bee stock the I keep; I’m curious as to
the degree of guarding exhibited by wild-type bees. Please let me
know if you have observations.
18. Passera, L, et al(1996) Increased soldier production in ant colonies
exposed to intraspecific competition. Nature, 379, 630-631.
19. Butler CB, Free JB (1952) The behaviour of worker honey bees at
the hive entrance.. Behaviour 4:262–292.
20. Rittschof, CC & GE Robinson (2013) Manipulation of colony en-
vironment modulates honey bee aggression and brain gene ex-
pression. Genes, Brain, and Behavior 12(8): 802–811.
21. Per half cup of bees.
22. I either took published numbers from tables, or scaled data off of pub-
lished graphs. Since the various authors collected data over different time
intervals, I needed to take some liberties in adjustment in order to create
the graph.
Sakofski, F, et al (1990) Seasonality of honeybee colony invasion
by Varroa jacobsoni Oud. Apidologie 21:547–550
Greatti M, Milani N, Nazzi F (1992) Reinfestation of an acaricide-
treated apiary by Varroa jacobsoni Oud. Exp Appl Acarol 16:279–286
B Kraus, Re Page Jr. Population growth of Varroa jacobsoni Oud in
Mediterranean climates of California. Apidologie, Springer Verlag,
1995, 26 (2), pp.149-157.
Mangum, WA (2011) Varroa immigration and resistant mites. ABJ
151(5): 475-477.
Frey E, Schnell H, Rosenkranz P (2011) Invasion of Varroa destruc-
tor into mite-free honeybee colonies under the controlled condi-
tions of a military training area. J Apic Res 50:138–144.
Frey E, Rosenkrantz P (2014) Autumn invasion rates of Varroa
destructor (Mesostigmata: Varroidae) into honey bee (Hymenoptera:
Apidae) colonies and the resulting increase in mite populations. J
Econ Entomol 107:508–515.
23. See my article “Selective Breeding for Mite Resistance,” which
should be posted to my website by the time of publication of this
piece.
24. http://scientificbeekeeping.com/suggested-protocol-to-deter-
mine-amount-of-mite-immigration/
25. I slightly paraphrased this quote to make it read better.
26. Mangum, W (2012) Robbing: Part 2: Progressive robbing. ABJ
152(8): 761-764.
27. Seeley, TD (2007) Honey bees of the Arnot Forest: a population of
feral colonies persisting with Varroa destructor in the northeastern
United States. Apidologie 38: 19–29.
28. Loftus JC, ML Smith, TD Seeley (2016) How honey bee colonies
survive in the wild: testing the importance of small nests and fre-
quent swarming. PLoS ONE 11(3): e0150362.
29. Medina-Flores CA, et al 2014. Africanized honey bees (Apis mel-
lifera) have low infestation levels of the mite Varroa destructor in
different ecological regions in Mexico. Genet.and Mol. Res. 13:7282-
7293.
30. Winston, ML (1987) The Biology of the Honey Bee. Harvard Univer-
sity Press.
Loftus JC (2016) op cit. (and Seeley, pers. comm.)
531
532 American Bee Journal
May 2018 533
534 American Bee Journal
T
he Bee Corp is blazing ahead From 2014 to 2015, U.S beekeep- that bee losses are likely caused by
with a one-year grant from the ers lost more than 40 percent of their a combination of stressors, includ-
National Science Foundation colonies, and in Indiana beekeepers ing poor bee nutrition, loss of for-
(NSF) of almost $225,000 to gain new lost 49 percent of their colonies. For- age lands, parasites, pathogens, lack
insights about honey bees through mer President Barack Obama issued of genetic diversity, and exposure to
hive data and analysis. The company The White House Pollinator Health pesticides.”
is an Indiana-based startup—born Task Force’s National Strategy to Pro- The Bee Corp realized there was a
through the Indiana University incu- mote the Health of Honey Bees and Other void in the data available to beekeep-
bator program—focused on harness- Pollinators in 2015. It stated, “Honey ers to help them address the ongo-
ing agricultural data and technology. bee pollination alone adds more than ing demise of bee colonies in the U.S.
Each year NSF awards close to $190 $15 billion in value to agricultural They came up with their business
million in funding to entrepreneurs crops each year in the United States… plan to address hive loss and queen
through America’s Seed Fund, or the severe yearly declines create concern failure with a sensor-monitoring de-
Small Business Innovation Research that bee colony losses could reach a vice, and pitched it to investors at the
(SBIR) Phase I grant. point from which the commercial pol- BEST Competition, the annual stu-
“We’re making grounds on a lot of lination industry would not be able to dent entrepreneurship competition
cool research,” said Ellie Symes, 23, adequately recover. Scientists believe at IU. The trio won the grand prize
CEO of The Bee Corp. “NSF allowed
us to really invest in this—both time
and money—so we’re super excited to
have our research continue on. When
we started this company, we wanted
to be on the cutting edge of informa-
tion and analytics coming out in the
beekeeping industry, with research
at the cornerstone. This grant etched
that into stone a little bit more for us.”
The Bee Corp was born in Febru-
ary 2016 and it all started with an
idea: When Ellie was a student at IU
she proposed bringing bee colonies to
campus. Co-Founders Simon Runtz,
23, chief operating officer, and Wy-
att Wells, 23, chief marketing officer,
learned about Ellie’s mission and
they collectively started the Beekeep-
ing Club at IU. Queen’s Guard, the remote sensor hive monitoring system developed by The Bee Corp

May 2018 535


The drop in temperature indicative of a queenless hive
of $100,000, leading them to establish
The Bee Corp as a benefit corporation.
Their overall mission is to improve in-
formation available to and communi-
cation among beekeepers, so they can
better address threats to hive health.
Such advances are critical to ensur-
ing a sustainable number of educated
beekeepers, who can maintain healthy
bee populations.
The Bee Corp reached another mile-
stone in hiring their first non-founder
employee, Data Scientist Gretchen
Riggs. She now leads a team of IU
graduate students to interpret hive
data collected by Queen’s Guard, the
remote sensor monitor The Bee Corp
created in 2017 that tracks hive health
including temperature and humidity.
It is easily installed within colonies to
monitor queen health, temperature
and humidity, with live data stream-
ing back to The Bee Corp for analysis.
Indiana University Alumni and Founders of The Bee Corp Wyatt Wells, Ellie Symes,
and Simon Runtz
536
“We don’t too often get outside per-
spectives in coming up with solutions
to hive threats,” Wyatt said. “We’re
really excited for the outside perspec-
tive Gretchen has on the beekeeping
industry. She is a huge asset to us.”
Gretchen and the IU interns will be
searching for anomalies in hive data
to build predictive models for queen,
pest and disease-related problems in
the hive.
Beekeepers who install the sensor
within their hives can use it as an
‘alert system’ that informs when colo-
nies have become, or are about to be-
come, queenless. Quick alerts inform
beekeepers to immediately address
the threatened hive, introducing a
new queen or inspecting to determine
the disease issue.
Once The Bee Corp passed federal
review by NSF, they automatically
became eligible to receive matching
grant dollars from Elevate Ventures,
a venture capital firm in Indiana that
funds entrepreneurs and startups
during early stages of growth through
Indiana’s SBIR/Small Business Tech-
nology Transfer grant matching pro-
gram. Elevate Ventures matches up
to $.50 toward every federal dollar
that’s awarded with a $50,000 maxi-
mum per match, and they decided to
match the SBIR grant with $50,000 in
additional funding for The Bee Corp.
Funding for Elevate Ventures comes
from 11 different agencies (including
NSF) throughout the U.S with a focus
on different technological areas, and
each recipient can receive the lifetime
maximum of $150,000 in matching
grant dollars.
The programs are very competitive
and encourage small businesses to ex-
pand their technological potential.
“The funding from Elevate Ven-
tures will be used to ensure the suc-
cess of the SBIR grant, and the ad-
ditional support gives us flexibility
to ensure the work on the grant gets
completed,” Ellie said.
The Bee Corp collects hive data from
their customers, as well as close to 100
hives outfitted with sensors that Si-
mon manages for research and devel-
opment. As a stipulation to their grant
NSF requires The Bee Corp to inter-
view 50 potential customers this year
for feedback on their sensors and data
analysis. “We will be reaching out to
commercial beekeepers to learn their
big goals and roadblocks. We’re trying
to understand our customers and are
approaching this from a broad, non-
tech standpoint,” said Wyatt.
RJ Honey, an apiary in Lebanon,
Indiana is a sideline beekeeping busi-
ness co-owned by Jeff Singletary and
Richard Walton. They run around
eighty hives and sell hive equipment,
tools for beekeepers, raw honey, and
bees. They’d like to get up to 100
hives, but with full-time jobs they
have to be very efficient in order to
expand.
“My daughter saw an article in the
Indiana Business Journal and told me
about The Bee Corp,” said Jeff, a con-
trols technician, who has been keep-
ing bees for ten years. “I got in touch
with them and offered our availability
to test their sensor monitors and see
how things work out. It’s been very
helpful to be able to tell the health of
the hive, and if there’s a hive we need
to get to, we can go over to that hive
yard. It helps us hone our inspection
process for those hives that need to
get looked at more intensely.”
American Bee Journal
 The Bee Corp is working on devel-
oping a web app that customers can
use to track their hives, but they send
Jeff and Richard weekly updates on
their hives. Hive data did detect a
queen-less hive that needed attention.
“They picked up on that hive and we
worked with those bees a little more
intensely the rest of the year,” Jeff
said. According to a case study con-
ducted by The Bee Corp with RJ Hon-
ey, the sensor data helped reduce hive
losses in their operation by 11%.
With the extra help RJ Honey can
continue mentoring hobbyist bee-
keepers toward their goals: they
teach basic introductory information
on beekeeping, and they also bring
people out into the field, where they
provide hands-on instruction on how
to conduct hive inspections.
“We are hoping The Bee Corp can
help us anticipate those hives that
might be in swarming mode. That
would be immensely helpful,” Jeff
said. “We’ll give them feedback from
the field to tell them which hives we
think have swarmed, so they can do
their statistical analysis to come up
with some kind of data model. We’re
excited to see if we can help with that.”
Installing technology inside of
hives is a novel idea to many. Ac-
cording to Wyatt they have received
some pushback on using their hive-
monitoring device. “We do encoun-
ter pushback with technology and
introducing new things,” Wyatt said.
“I think beekeepers are very reason-
ably skeptical people when they hear
about a new solution that seems like
a little bit of magic. I think they like
to wrap their heads around things
and understand them. That’s why we
are trying to build a story of knowing
what’s going on in the hive 24/7, and
being precise about hive activity and
management.”
Wyatt Wells, 23, chief marketing officer
of The Bee Corp
May 2018
Richard Walton, co-owner of RJ Honey after catching swarms
Temperature continues to be at the
forefront of their research, since it re-
veals so much about hive health. Ac-
cording to The Bee Corp, “When hive
temperature drops, it’s a sign that the
workers are about to supersede the
queen. This can be extremely detri-
mental to hive production. Before the
new queen can begin laying, thou-
sands of foragers will die each day.
Honey production suffers and popu-
lation strength declines until new
bees emerge. This break in brood pro-
duction weakens the hive, increasing
the likelihood of overwinter colony
loss.”
However, as their research and un-
derstanding of healthy hive tempera-
ture grows, and the natural cycles
in colony development, their data
models are evolving to reflect new
discoveries. They learned that differ-
ent hives behave differently in how
they control temperature, and that
the nature of temperature analysis is
complex.
“We found there isn’t just a thresh-
old for hive temperature, so our mod-
el is improving to account for some of
those differences,” Ellie said. “We’ve
gathered a lot of information and Var-
roa mites are a big issue for beekeep-
ers, so we’re seeing if we can offer
anything in that sphere by finding a
pattern in sensor data.”
A significant Varroa infestation
leads to the death of honey bee colo-
nies; this parasite takes the heaviest
economic toll on the beekeeping in-
dustry, and is a leading contributor to
bee loss. The Bee Corp hopes within
the next year hive data can offer more
insight on how to detect and address
pest infestations.
QGPS Hive Theft Tracking Sys-
tem is another product The Bee Corp
piloted to help beekeepers against
hive theft. It is a discreet GPS sen-
sor placed inside the hive that tracks
unauthorized hive movement, and
alerts beekeepers if someone is tam-
pering with one of their hives. It can
detect motion, shock and change
in GPS location. According to Ellie,
QGPS gives beekeepers an instant
alert if a theft is occurring and can au-
tomatically notify local authorities to
dispatch a patrol car to the site of the
theft. This sensor is addressing hive
threats that beekeepers face all across
America, especially when colonies
are valuable for almond pollination.
As winter colony losses continue and
pollination prices rise, hive theft will
also escalate.
In the U.S commercial almond pol-
lination is a great financial boost for
commercial beekeepers, since almond
growers pay the highest pollination
rates and use 1.7 million honey bee
colonies. But with the influx of bee-
keepers moving colonies for bloom
season, coupled with the rising price
paid for almond pollination, hive
thefts were devastating to Califor-
nia beekeepers in the past two years.
Ellie Symes, 23, CEO of The Bee Corp
537

Data Scientist Gretchen Riggs, The Bee
Corp’s first non-founder hire
538
They are being stolen at an “unprec-
edented” rate, according to the Cali-
fornia State Beekeepers Association,
which issued a statewide advisory
to beekeepers to stay alert for hive
thieves. An entire tractor trailer load
of 488 colonies disappeared overnight
from a holding yard in California.
The Bee Corp’s grant cycle will
carry them through the end of 2018,
and their vision moving forward is to
continue their scientific research, en-
hance their hive data and monitoring
products, and actively apply for more
grants. Since companies that receive
a Phase I award are eligible to apply
for a Phase II award, The Bee Corp
plans to apply and could potentially
be awarded $750,000 for a grant cycle Jeff Singletary and Richard Walton run 80
of two years. They are even consider- hives as co-owners of RJ Honey in Leba-
ing a second hire in the near future. non, Indiana
American Bee Journal
T
he swarm season of 2017 started
earlier than I expected. Swarm
season typically begins well
into April here in Piedmont Virginia,
although one often hears about an
unusually early swarm. At the end
of March, news of my early swarm
arrived.
The sun was low in the sky when
a truck arrived at the house. I knew
the driver. He had previously had
bees in his country house. The colony
had taken up residency behind brick
masonry, a difficult and expensive
place for removal. The bee flight
from the entrance had been sparse. I
recommended waiting for the colony
to naturally expire. Then my friend
could seal the hole, which he did
the first spring he saw no bee flight
(after a period for robbing to remove
any honey stores, but before swarm
season, when a new colony could
reoccupy the site).
Now a swarm had landed on a
fence post by his cattle pasture and
near his house. The natural thought
would be, Here come the bees for my
house again. To save time, I followed
him in my bee truck, and he took me
through a gate and into a pasture. We
homed in on one line of fencing. Sure
enough, the swarm had clustered on
the flat side of a half-post (see Figure
1). Any hope quickly vanished of
merely shaking the bees into a hive.
Here is the situation that confronted
me. Darkness was coming quickly
and it was becoming cooler. I could
not return tomorrow, so the swarm
catching had to happen before sunset.
I needed to get the bees off the post
and into the hive without spilling
them into the grass. Bees scattered in
the grass would chill and die. Trying
to brush the bees off the post and into
the hive below would be a disaster.
Warm bees from the cluster’s interior
May 2018
would fly out, land in the grass, and them, and the swarm will erupt from
cool down in the shadows. Many the new hive.
would be lost. In the coming darkness, Back by the fence post in the fading
I would be left wondering–Where’s the light, I checked the last remaining
queen? Somewhere in the grass? bees for the queen. They were difficult
On the floor of the bee truck, I found to remove because of the fence wires.
the solution to my problem–a small Then I looked through the grass
plastic drink bottle, in need of minor around the post for any single bees, or
modification. With my pocket knife, I a small group of bees, which could be
cut off the spout top and discarded it. the queen and a few other attendant
That left an open-top cup for gently worker bees. Quite often the bees
scooping the bees off the fence post will find a lost queen first, so look for
(see Figure 2). I had the top-bar hive any small clump of bees. Convinced
beside the post, open at the top, so I I was leaving only a couple dozen
could pour in the bees. I removed the workers from a three-pound swarm,
bees from the bottom of the cluster, I closed up the top-bar hive, taped the
and worked upward. bars in place, and put it behind the
The goal was minimal bee cab, which is a standard position for
disturbance with each scoop. I let the traveling. My friend was glad to see
edges of the cup go into the cluster
parallel to the chains of bees. When
the cup overflowed with bees, I gently
broke the bee chains (called festoons).
Most of the bees in the cup only
felt the release in tension from the
festoons. Then, moments later, they
were in the hive, finding its attractive
empty combs. That transition is much
more tranquil than brushing the bees
off the post with a bee brush. (In
general, brushing irritates bees.) In a
few minutes, I had scooped most of
the bees off the post. However, I was
not done.
Swarm catching is essentially queen
catching. It does not matter if most of
the bees are in their new hive. It does
not matter if hundreds of bees scent
fan at the entrance of the new hive
and the other beekeepers with you
agree that the queen must be in the
new hive. Sure, those are very hopeful
signs–but they are not conclusive. Figure 1. A swarm on the fence post. The
Because if the queen happens to be bees were on the dark shadow side of
spilled on the ground nearby, we the post. I brightened the photograph to
know the bees will not stay in the new show them. When I arrived, daylight was
hive. After about 15-20 minutes, the decreasing rapidly. I quickly snapped a
bees will realize the queen is not with couple of pictures and went to work.
539
 its soft durable fiber for clothing. Less
well known is that cotton produces
honey.
Cotton honey is light in color, has
hardly any taste, and crystallizes fairly
quickly. Cotton honey alone is usually
not regarded as a table grade honey,
although it can be blended with other
honeys to achieve a uniform product.
For me, cotton honey is all for my
bees, since our fall nectar flow is so
weak. My top-bar hive colonies had
gained an average of 60 pounds on
cotton, and their bee populations had
become exceptionally strong.
Those good cotton conditions from
the previous summer carried over to
the following spring. When I checked
that apiary, those colonies were
almost a month ahead of my other
colonies, which were still building
queen cell cups, most with no eggs in
them. In contrast, the cotton colonies
were launching swarms. One colony
Figure 2. Simple but effective swarm-catching tools. These are my scoops for
had swarmed–gone for the woods.
removing swarms from flat surfaces made from plastic drink bottles. For the early
Another swarm was in a tree. Some
swarm, I did not have any homemade scoops because swarm season had not really
begun yet, so I just made one. I have one more thing to say about this complex device: colonies had sealed queen cells. They
“Patent Pending.” were ready to launch swarms at any
moment. About half of the colonies
the bees off, and I was happy to get an that had been making cotton honey were crowded with bees, but had
early swarm. the previous summer. I had moved refrained from building queen cells
The previous bee season has a strong those hives (about ten) to southern for swarming.
influence on the following season. In Virginia and put them in a shady Already late afternoon and
the spring of 2016, I witnessed the full place among huge fields of cotton. traveling in the truck without my
force of this fact. I checked my apiary This versatile plant is well known for equipment for splitting colonies, I
figured (and hoped) the colonies with
queen cells would not swarm that
day. The swarm in the tree might not
move, although I have seen swarms
enter my bait hives as late as 7:00
p.m. I decided to retrieve the long
extension ladder from the house and
capture the swarm. I had not used the
ladder for several years since I catch
most swarms in my bait hives. Figure
3 shows how I packed the ladder in
the truck for the road.
I set the ladder to one side of the
swarm, which is its proper placement
(see Figures 4 and 5). The standard
novice mistake is to set the ladder
directly under the swarm. With the
catching box under the swarm, it
blocks the beekeeper’s view of the
bees. That unfortunate predicament
can lead to the next painful lesson.
When dislodging the bees from the
branch, some of the bees may spill
Figure 3. The ladder packed on the truck. The ladder projected out quite far from the onto the beekeeper. The beekeeper
end of the tailgate. The cinderblocks kept the majority of the weight on the cab-end could be badly stung.
of the ladder (orange arrow). The board under the ladder on the tailgate shifted more It is well known that a bee
weight into the truck (orange arrow). If traveling far or on the interstate, I would have engorged with honey is less inclined
secured this small board to the ladder, so it could not work its way out from under to sting. An exception to that rule is
the ladder and fly out into traffic. The ropes secured the ladder from sliding sideways when bees from a swarm cluster fall
on curves (orange arrows). On the end of the ladder, I hung a big red flag as required on bare skin–most all of them sting
by Virginia law. at once. The blast of pain is intense.

540 American Bee Journal

Figure 4. Ladder to the tree swarm.
Before climbing on the ladder, make
sure it is at the correct leaning angle and
tied off, if necessary, so it cannot kick out
from the bottom. Sometimes the ladder
must be tied off higher up so it cannot
slip on the branches.
The beekeeper under the swarm may
see dancing stars or blackness. Then
comes a weightless thought, Where’s
the ladder?
Always work from the side of the
swarm. For another measure of safety,
I do not bring a bulky wooden hive
up the ladder, not even a short top-bar
hive or a small frame hive. Instead, I
take something lightweight, easy to
handle, like a cardboard box, modified
for capturing bees. And if needed, I
can drop it from the tree, no problem.
Figure 3 shows a simple cardboard
box (blue arrow) on the truck, easy
to close (just two flaps) and keep the
bees inside until brought down to the
hive. Then I pour the bees from the
cardboard box into the hive. I might
repeat that procedure if enough bees
cluster again on the swarm branch.
After checking the swarm branch
for the queen, I hang the smoker there
by its front wire hook to discourage
the straggler bees from returning. In a
wider area under the smoker, I inspect
the bees on the leaves, again looking
for the queen. If a small clump of bees
appears interested in something, I
need to know what it is. Usually the
bees are curious about something of
no consequence to swarm catching.
With other swarms, every so often,
up in the branches, off the ladder,
I have spotted a queen among a
few bees. If I do not have a queen
cage in my shirt pocket, I catch the
queen and climb down the ladder
one-handed, which is not really that
May 2018
Figure 5. Almost to the swarm. I am putting considerable trust in the branch under
the second rung from the top. These wild Holly trees have sturdy branches. On the
other hand, if that were a pine tree branch (to be safe I would include any eastern
species), I would not trust all the weight on it. Pine branches tend to snap off suddenly.
Understanding the wood characteristics of the swarm tree helps one avoid a nasty fall.
difficult. I usually just put her in the
hive, figuring the remaining bees will
follow. (Unless I suspect the swarm is
an after swarm with multiple queens,
then I would cage the queen and put
her in the hive. With after swarms, I
cage all the queens I find so I have the
most options, for example to divide
the swarm and mate more than one
queen.)
Figure 6 shows the situation that
drives beekeepers like me crazy. Not
only are the bees difficult to reach, the
swarm appears huge even from the
ground. Even if you could get to the
base of the swarm branch and slowly
saw it, a pine branch will probably
snap off, sending the bees flying and
scattering everywhere. Of course
the swarm will land again, higher or
lower in the trees. It’s a gamble. For
beekeepers with numerous apiaries,
the time spent trying to catch this one Figure 6. A big swarm high up on the
swarm usually means losing other end of a pine branch. Down through
swarms somewhere else. the decades, beekeepers have devised
At least for this swarm on its all kinds of creative contraptions and
citadel branch in the clouds, I had hatched numerous schemes to catch
the situation figured out. I knew its these swarms. It is a frustrating loss,
scout bees were at one of my bait made worse while the beekeeper
hives provisioned with an irresistible watches the cluster hanging there.
541
calling card: dark empty brood combs.
To up the attractive ante, the bait hive
was under a shed roof at virtually the
most enticing location of all the bait
hive places on our property. I kept
checking the branch. When the swarm
vanished, a big swarm appeared in
the bait hive.
This method is the best way to
catch swarms–let the swarms catch
themselves.

Acknowledgments
The author thanks Suzanne Sumner
for her comments on the manuscript.
Visit TBHSbyWAM.com

Dr. Wyatt Mangum,

author of Top-Bar
Hive Beekeeping:
Wisdom and Pleasure
Combined, is an inter-
nationally known top-
bar hive beekeeper,
who started keeping
bees at age 10. He switched all his colonies
to top-bar hives back in 1986, long before it
became popular. He is also an apicultural
historian, who blends his knowledge of
beekeeping history with his study of honey
bee behavior. email: wmangum@umw.edu.
www.TBHSbyWAM.com

rrthheerrNN CCaalliiffoorrN
t
NNooPPaCkage
aCkage B Bees
ees
Niiaa
QuAlity itAliAn And
CArniolAn Queens
All bees fed Fumagilin Fall & Spring
Powell APiAries
4140 Co. Rd. KK
Orland, CA 95963
Phone: 530-865-3346
Fax: 530-865-3043
Package Delivery Available
Member:
California Bee Breeders Assoc.
American Honey Producers Assoc.

542 American Bee Journal

May 2018 543
 Front
Completed bottom board minus the Rain Guard (for clarity).
B
efore I began keeping bees, I
searched the Internet for good
management practices. Be-
cause of this, my hives are mounted
on ant moats, I use Bacillus thuringi-
ensis var. aizawai (Bta) to limit wax
moth damage to stored comb, and I
use two homemade solutions to com-
bat varroa mites. I also use a small
hive beetle trapping bottom board
beneath each hive. The bottom board
I describe here is the latest of three de-
signs I’ve used since starting beekeep-
ing. In 2009, I installed two packages
of Italians (from Georgia, $67 each) in
my half-acre suburban back yard. I’ve
not bought a single bee (nor accepted
any bees offered to me) since then and
have averaged 10% overwinter losses
in my eight years of beekeeping.
The bottom boards made for this
article are functionally the same as
the one that won a blue ribbon at the
May 2018
Rear
Maryland State Fair (“Bee Related by counting the beetles that appeared
Gadgets” category) in 2016. Construc- in the photograph. More recently, a
tion has been simplified: pine, rather fellow beekeeper (Richard Ochs, Oc-
than oak, is used and the drawer is tober 23, 2017) built a bottom board
less bulky and complex. based on my design and reported that
The bottom board kills small hive he “got about 30 beetles in 2 days”
beetles as follows: after installation.
An oil pan is located directly be-
neath a slotted aluminum sheet that
serves as the bottom of the bees’ liv-
ing space. Bees harass small hive
beetles and the beetles enter the slots
to escape. Once they enter a slot, they
fall into the vegetable oil and die.
A test done before submission
of the bottom board in the Mary-
land State Fair demonstrates the ef-
fectiveness of the bottom board. I
cleaned out the oil pan and refilled
it with fresh oil then photographed
the contents 27 days later (6/27/16- Photograph of one corner of the oil pan
7/24/16). More than 100 small hive that contained over 100 small hive beetles
beetles were trapped, as determined after 27 days of trapping.
545
 ength
Width, L
ht,
IS T Heig
M AT E R IA L L ”, 20 ½”
3 ½”, 1 ½ 16 ¼”
”,
es (2) 2 ¾”, 1 ½ 16 ¼”
Long Sid 3½ ”, 1 ½ ”,
1 18”
Front ⅟₁ ₆” , 13 ¾”, ¼”
2
B a c k ”, 3
1
3 1 ¹³⁄₁₆”, ¾ 13”
Bottom* 1 ⅜”, 1 ⅛ ”,
4 ¾”
Brace n t .0 1 0 ”, 1 4 ½”, 18
5 w e r Fro 1 3 ”
Dra ”,
.010”, 13 ”, 12 ½”
6 heet**
Slotted S eet** 1 ⅛ ”, .010
7
Drawer eet**S h ”, 16 ¼”
8 e r S h .0 10”, 1 ½ 13 ¾”
Lou v 0”,
9 ard** 1 ½”, .01
Rain Gu nt Screen***
10 ro
Drawer F ood
11 w
* ³⁄₁₆” ply minum sheet
alu e screen
** .010” sh galvanized wir
e
*** ⅛” m

STEP-BY-STEP CONSTRUCTION
The following steps are for constructing
the sides of the bottom board. Refer to
the Cross section through Long Side
drawing for clarity.

1
Lengths of 2 x 4 for the four sides of the 5
bottom board are cut about ½” oversized The blade of the saw is raised so that it
to allow for waste when mitering. will cut through the side labeled ‘Front’.
This will make the entrance for the bees
at the front of the bottom board.
3
The depth of cut for the table saw is set
to ¾” and the table saw rail is set at 2 ¾”
from the inside edge of the blade.

6
2 4 The blade is lowered so that it will cut
Each piece for the sides is mitered at 45˚ The first cut is made in three sides (‘Long ¾” deep, and the rail is adjusted so that
(to the cut length listed) so that they fit Sides’ and ‘Back’) that will remove a ¾” x the outside edge of the blade is ¾” from
together as in a picture frame. ¾” section of wood. the rail.

546 American Bee Journal

 SUPPL
IE S N E E
DE D TO M
AKE TH
Pine 2 x E BOTT
4s (74” to OM BO
Pine 1 x ta A R D:
4 (13 ¼” l length)
³⁄₁₆” actua length)
l thickne
(13 ¾ ss plyw
Carpente ” x 18”) ood, “un
derlaym
r’s glue ent grad
1 ⅝” coa e”
rse dryw
1 ¼” coa all screw
rse dryw s (10)
⅛” mesh all screw
s
.010” thic galvanized wire (3)
k alumin screen,
28” le u m flashin (13 ¾
⅜” Stain ngth) g, 20” w ” x 1 ½”)
le ide (app
1” or 2” ss steel staples roximate
ly
wide HV (approxim
24” leng A C alumin ately 32
1, 18-ga th) um foil ta )
uge alum pe (app
in roximate
bun pan u m, wire ly
Special in rim, 1
tool: slott 3 ” x 9 .5” ¼-s
ing shea heet
r, .110” w
idth

7
A second cut in the long sides (2) and
back is made to remove a ¾” x ¾” sec- 9
tion of wood. The rail is adjusted so that a ³⁄₁₆” slot,
¼” deep, is made to accept the plywood
‘Bottom’. The slot starts at ¾” from the
bottom and extends far enough upward
for the plywood to fit snugly when glued
(about ³⁄₁₆”). If the saw blade is not wide
enough to make the slot in one pass,
multiple staggered cuts might be need-
ed. The ‘Front’ piece is shown in the pho-
tograph.

10
End view of one of the completed ‘Long
8 Sides’ that shows the profile made by
This is the appearance of a side with the table saw cuts. Dimensions are given in
¾” x ¾” section of wood removed. the drawing Cross section: Long Side.

May 2018 547

 11
Now the large slot is made in the ‘Back’
piece through which the oil pan drawer
will slide. A 1 ¼” forstner bit is used to
drill holes to start making the drawer
slot. The bit is centered so that it just
kisses the slot for the ‘Bottom’ and the
45˚ chamfer at the end of the piece (as
shown). Holes are drilled at both ends of
what will be the drawer slot.
14
Hand filing cleans up, sharpens the cor-
ners, and brings the slot to its finished
form.
17
Apply glue to the mating surfaces in
Not shown: The ‘Brace’ piece is cut to preparation for glue-up. I use carpenters
size from a 13 ¼” length of 1 x 4 (¾” (yellow) glue and an acid brush.
thick pine). See drawing The Brace for
dimensions.

12
A jigsaw is used to remove the majority of
the wood that must be removed to make
the slot. Two cuts are made that extend
from one hole to the other, as shown.
15
Dry fit the ‘Bottom’ to the four sides. Use
a square to mark the centerline for the
Brace and drill three countersunk holes 18
(evenly spaced) for the 1 ¼” screws that Glue is brushed into the groove for the
will connect the ‘Brace’ to the ‘Bottom’. ‘Bottom’ and then the four sides and
Consult the drawing Partial Assembly: ‘Bottom’ are assembled.
Bottom Board for clarity.

13
A router is used to shape the drawer slot
to the final dimensions of 13 ¼” by 1 7⁄₁₆”.
16
While dry fitted, drill countersunk guide
holes for the 8, 1 ⅝” screws (2 at each
corner). Also drill the countersunk guide
holes for the two 1 ⅝” screws (one for
each ‘Long Side’) that connect the ‘Long
Sides’ to the ‘Brace’.
19
The photo shows the ‘Back’, which was
the last piece assembled, being place
in position. Before the glue sets, care
is taken to make sure the corners are
square and all pieces are fitting snugly.

548 American Bee Journal


20
Also before the glue sets, the 8 screws
for the 4 corners are used to draw the
mating surfaces together. The ‘Brace’,
not shown, has glue applied, is insert-
ed, then screwed into place with three
screws from the bottom and one from
each ‘Long Side’.
21
Here is the appearance of the bottom
board at this stage of construction. Ex-
cess glue has been wiped away while
still liquid. This is the stage of construc-
tion for the drawing Partial Assembly:
Bottom Board
22
This is a bottom view of the assembly
after glue-up.
May 2018
23
After glue-up, the countersunk screw
holes are filled with an Epoxy-based
body filler, then sanded flush with the
wood when cured.
Much of the following is for those who
wish to include louvers for hive ventila-
tion. For those who want a simplified
construction, disregard instructions for
louvers.
24
11 one-half inch holes are drilled with
one inch between centers starting at
1 ¼” from one end of the ‘Drawer Front’.
Consult the drawing Drawer Front for
clarity.
25
The ‘Drawer Front’ is slotted with the ⅛”
wide table saw blade to make the slot
that will contain the ‘Louver Sheet’.
26
A piece of aluminum flashing is cut
about 2” longer than the finished length
for the ‘Louver Sheet’ to make room for
staples at either end. The ‘Louver Sheet’
is then stapled to an oversized sacrificial
board. A top oversized board is screwed
to the bottom one to sandwich the alu-
minum sheet(s) for drilling. Multiple
‘Louver Sheets’ can be drilled at one
time with this arrangement.
27
Eleven ½” holes are drilled with 1” be-
tween centers to make the holes in the
Louver Sheet. Refer to drawing Louver
Sheet for dimensions.
28
Here is a view of the partially complete
‘Louver Sheet’ with holes drilled after the
top section of the drilling jig is removed.
The ends of the sheet must be trimmed
to the finished length so that it will oper-
ate properly in the ‘Drawer Front’.
549

29
This photo shows the louver action. In
winter I close the ventilation holes; in
spring and summer I open them by slid-
ing the ‘Louver Sheet’ by ½” within the
slot in the ‘Drawer Front’.
30
At this stage of construction, the par-
tially completed, glued-up bottom board
and ‘Drawer Front’ (minus all sheet alu-
minum parts) are immersed for about
ten minutes in a melted paraffin and
gum rosin solution (at about 120˚ F)
to extend the life of the wooden parts.
Treatment of a medium super is shown
since illustrative photos of the bottom
board dipping are not available.
31
The ‘Drawer Sheet’ is now cut and
shaped to make the drawer that will hold
the oil pan. First, a 90˚ bend is made to
form the 1” tall back end of the drawer.
Since I don’t have a sheet-metal break,
I clamp the sheet in a vice to assist in
bending.
550
32
A slight (approximately 20˚) bend is
made in the front end of the ‘Drawer
Sheet’ so that rain will be diverted away
from the oil pan drawer when the bot-
tom board is exposed to weather.
33
After the sheet has been bent front and
back, it is checked for fit within the bot-
tom board. Then the ‘Drawer Front’ is
stapled in place. A tack hammer is used
to drive home any staples that stand
proud.
34
Here is a photo of the completed drawer
with the oil pan in place. See Assembly
Drawing: Drawer for dimensions of the
assembled drawer.
35
The Slotted Sheet is fabricated with the
assistance of a template. A template can
be made from the dimensions given in
the drawing “Slotted Sheet”.
36
After flashing is cut to the major dimen-
sions of the ‘Slotted Sheet’, the template
is attached and a center punch and
hammer are used to mark the beginning
and end point of each of the 24 slots.
37
Two additional divots are made by cen-
ter punch so that three 0.110” holes will
provide access for the slotting shear
used to cut the slots.
38
After three holes are drilled for the start
of each slot, the holes are conjoined into
a short slot with a rotary grinder. The re-
sulting slot will allow entry of the slotting
shear.
American Bee Journal

39
A 0.110” slotting shear is used to cut each
of the 24 slots.
40
Keeping the slots to .011” wide or less is
important. If the slots are too wide, or
some portion of a slot is too wide, bees
will access the oil pan and die. To avoid
this, apply tape as described next.
41
Due to their odd shape, the starting
slots made by drilling and grinding may
allow bees to access the oil pan. This is
remedied by applying a strip of alumi-
num foil HVAC tape to cover the starting
slots. I have found that no bees are killed
when this fix is made and that adhesive
backed aluminum foil (aluminum foil
HVAC tape, not cloth-backed ‘duck’- or
‘duct’- tape) lasts for at least 7 years in
the hive after application.
May 2018
42
After the ‘Slotted Sheet’ has been com-
pleted, it is secured to the bottom board
with stainless steel staples along each
edge and along the ‘Brace’. Staples that
stand proud are driven home by tack
hammer.
43
The ‘Drawer Front Screen’ is cut to di-
mension from ⅛” mesh galvanized
screen and attached with five evenly
spaced staples as shown. The screen
covers the louver holes and overlaps
gaps between the ‘Drawer Front’ and
the ‘Back’ to prevent the entry of small
hive beetles and other insects.
44
The ‘Rain Guard’ is cut from flashing,
bent at about 20˚, and secured to the
top back edge of the bottom board with
staples. The rain guard prevents rain
from entering the drawer. I remove the
exposed sharp corners of the drawer
and ‘Rain Guard’ by cutting them off.
45
The bottom board in use. A standard
10-frame Langstroth hive entrance re-
ducer fits, as does standard 10-frame
woodenware in general.
46
The bottom board drawer is accessed
from the rear of the hive to clean the pan
and add new oil, or to open or close the
louvers.
47
Filling the oil pan of a new bottom board.
I use inexpensive vegetable oil to fill the
pan. I replace the oil once or twice each
year, depending on how much detritus
(wax, dead beetles, etc.) fills the pan.
conclusion
Improvements to manufacture such
as punch-and-die fabrication of the
slotted aluminum sheet (or some other
method) could aid in mass production
of the bottom board. Other improve-
ments might include CNC milling of
the drawer slot and/or other features
of the sides and ‘Drawer Front’ that
are laborious to do as described here.
The bottom board as constructed in
this article has worked in reducing
one of the stresses on my bees and
may have contributed to the good
health of my colonies over the past
eight years.
For details on construction, see the
mechanical drawings on the next
page.
551
 MECHANICAL DRAWINGS

Drawer Front: Wooden piece for the front of the drawer.

Partial Assembly: Bottom Board: Drawing of bottom board

with dimensions.

Louver Sheet: This is slid to open and close ventilation holes.

Slotted Sheet: Dimensions for completed slotted sheet.

The Brace: This piece, cut from ¾” thick pine, defines the
back of the drawer, supports the aluminum slotted sheet, and
adds rigidity to the bottom board.

Cross section: Long Side: Cross-section through a ‘Long

Side’ showing the locations and dimensions of the ‘Bottom’
slot and the ¾” by ¾” cutout. Assembly Drawing: Drawer: Drawer for the bottom board.

552 American Bee Journal

F
ood fraud is big business. “Ac-
cording to Pricewaterhouse-
Coopers food fraud is estimated
to be worth $52 billion globally each
year. The illegal trade in firearms is
worth an estimated $8.5 billion a year
and heroin $30 billion. No wonder
food fraud is now among the high
rollers of crime.1” This is a sobering
fact for a fourth-generation beekeeper
situated in Beechworth, Victoria, Aus-
tralia. Knowing that honey is consis-
tently in the Top 10 foods most likely
to be adulterated, it’s little wonder
that Australia’s “Beechworth Honey”
are amongst a minority of honey
packers and traders who choose NOT
to be lured by low priced honey from
known adulteration countries.
“Character is much Easier Kept
than Recovered” -Thomas Paine
We realized that if the company
were to import honey, we would stop
feeding the product to our young chil-
dren, lacking confidence in the qual-
ity. It immediately became clear we
had to change direction. If we had no
confidence in the product for our own
breakfast table, then the company
would have to manage with what
quality Australian honey we could
still source.
This decision lead us to advise
supermarkets that we would vol-
untarily delete our products off the
supermarket shelves in order to man-
age the Australian honey shortfall,
because of the risk associated with
possible contamination and adul-
teration. It was very much a case of
putting our money where our mouth
was or rather cutting off our income
to mitigate the potential risk. Clearly
a significant financial disadvantage
was self-imposed, which in the short
term was difficult to manage. Wind-
ing back any company quickly is hard
but with agility, skill and creativity
the business forged a point of differ-
ence from our competitors, which
would help us build one of our most
important assets.
Coinciding with the shortage were
several investigative journalism sto-
ries on Australian national televi-
sion uncovering the contamination
found in imported honey and quickly
Beechworth Honey’s decision to stick
with Australian honey drew attention
and respect in the market. Beekeep-
ers horrified with low cost contami-

Back in 2004, Australia was a net

exporter of honey and honey was
banned from entering the country
for biosecurity reasons. Drought,
honey shortages and short sighted-
ness changed this almost overnight
when the large honey packers were
faced with running out of Austra-
lian honey. At the time our company
Beechworth Honey also faced run-
ning out of honey to supply Austra-
lia’s two major supermarket chains.
Despite the shortage, we were not
involved in seeking government sup-
port to let honey into Australia. The
small family company is owned by
my husband and I, Steven and Jodie
Goldsworthy—I’m a 4th generation
beekeeper. We assessed the quality of
the imported honey on offer and con-
sidered momentarily the option of im-
porting honey from countries where
production systems were vastly dif-
ferent from that of Australia (Austra-
lia does not have the deadly varroa
mite and therefore does not use any
chemicals to control for varroa). A jar of Beechworth Honey, delicious drizzled over fruit and yogurt

May 2018 555


Eucalypt Blossoms
nated honey entering their market when facing battles on every front to
redirected their wholesale honey to fight off competition, remain sustain-
supply us at Beechworth Honey. Cus- able and cut general business costs
tomer trust grew as we were the only to manage customer expectations of
major brand known not to contain value. But it is possible and in the long
imported honey that could have been term confirms the wisdom of Thomas
laced with contaminants. Paine’s quote that “character is much
Trust is vital. Trust influences buy- easier kept than recovered”.
ing decisions. Food trust is an advan-
tage that can be turned into an asset The coMPany’s hisTory:
and at Beechworth Honey we have I am a fourth-generation bee-
become experts at leveraging this keeper, and with my husband Ste-
trust to help stave off the competition ven, we began managing our own
of low priced imported honey. Trans- hives in 1992, focusing on producing
lating this into everyday business de- bulk honey. Since then we’ve grown
cisions can be challenging, especially into a honey packer and supplier.
Our Beechworth Honey is proudly
retailed in owned outlets including
the original concept store “Beech-
worth Honey Experience” in Beech-
worth, and in The Block Arcade in
Melbourne. We also sell Beechworth
Honey products through Australia’s
major retailers, food service, indus-
trial and to a growing export mar-
ket. Since the opening of Australia to
honey imports, Beechworth Honey
has emerged as Australia’s largest in-
dependently owned specialist honey
packing company. Our products
compete with honey imported from
markets such as China and despite
droughts and honey shortages our
products have remained 100% Aus-
tralian….always! We opted to down-
size our markets with major retailers
in times of shortage, rather than risk
quality or reputation through using
low priced imported honey at great
financial disadvantage.
As passionate supporters of the Aus-
Cute little honey bee beside an observa- tralian honey industry, we opened the
tion hive in our retail store. “The Beechworth Honey Experience”
556
in 2008. The Experience comprises an
interactive, state of the art virtual tour,
live bee display and concept store.
The tour showcases how honey is pro-
duced and the story of Beechworth
Honey past and present. The free tour
educates people on the diversity of
uses for honey and that one in every
three mouthfuls of food you eat re-
quires honey bees for pollination.
The druG of low Priced honey in a
MarkeT
Not surprisingly the supply of
Australian honey has returned after
the droughts eased, but the flow of
low priced imported honey has not
stopped for Australia. In 2015, Aus-
tralia imported 10,125 metric tons
of honey with 61% of it sourced
from China.2 This quantity is mas-
sive in percentage terms compared
to the estimated Australian produc-
tion quantity of between 16,000 and
20,000 metric tons for the same time.
(Production figures in Australia are
not made public by the Australian
Government and are estimated by in-
dividual honey packers based on the
best available market intelligence and
a range of data sources).
The lure of easy profits is too great
for the majority of the Australian
honey market, who chase volume
over value and sustainability. Massive
advantage and easy profits are gained
by players who choose to continue to
import low priced honey from places
like China for one third to one half of
what we at Beechworth Honey choose
to pay our Australian beekeepers. De-
spite the company’s strong stance, the
impact of low priced honey on the
Australian market has been keenly felt
in the last ten years.
An Australian Government sur-
vey confirmed in December 2016 that
the high costs of producing honey
in Australia combined with honey
prices impacted by a dysfunctional
market (influenced by the global
honey adulteration racquet) had a
major impact on the industry. The
number of Australia’s commercial
beekeepers had declined by 25% and
Australia’s colony numbers had also
decreased by 25% from 2004 – 2014.3
A positive agenda and strong support
of Australian honey helped to hold
the loss in the industry at a stagger-
ing 25%, but still many in the market
ponder how much worse things might
have been if there had not been Beech-
worth Honey advocating for “100%
Australian honey….always!” along
with beekeepers and others promot-
American Bee Journal
ing a positive agenda for Australian
honey. The impact for beekeeping in
Australia would surely have been
much worse.

MoTivaTed To Take The lonG view

Beechworth Honey’s resolve to
sustain a massive financial disad-
vantage is motivated by a deep un-
derstanding of the fact that honey
bees in Australia pollinate 65% of
Australia’s agricultural production.
With only 1,280 commercial beekeep-
ing enterprises left in Australia, our
cause has evolved into securing the
future viability of the Australian bee-
keeping industry, rather than simply
putting honey into jars and selling it
at the lowest cost. I strongly believe
“It’s frankly short-sighted and lazy
to allow low prices to be the biggest
driver, even in an environment cor-
rupted by fraud.”
When I listened in 2009 to the head
of Australia’s chief science agency
CSIRO Dr. Megan Clark state that “It is
hard for me to comprehend that in the
next 50 years we will need to produce
as much food as has been consumed
over our entire human history, 4”
I realized the challenge Australia
faced with its precarious reliance on
honey bees.
This realization has driven Beech-
worth Honey’s unwavering quest to
play both an offensive and defensive
role in its long view game. Defense
has involved building creative strate-
gies that mitigate and defend against
low priced honey offers and the
“Down, Down” (Coles Supermarkets)
and “Prices Dropped” (Woolworths
Supermarkets) expectations of the
duopoly that make up the Australian
retail environment. Offense has in-
volved building creative marketing
and positive positioning of premium
Australian honey. The diversity of
over 780 subspecies of eucalypts from
which most of Australia’s honey is
sourced created the perfect opportu-
nity for Beechworth Honey to build
its own retail outlets and honey edu-
cation centers. These share a beautiful
story of Australian quality honey with
the public.
Beechworth Honey is an example of
a company that has swum against the
tide and been successful. It’s example
challenges those involved in all seg-
ments of the honey supply chain—
who believe in a future underpinned
by high quality food dependent on
honey bees—to take action. It is pos-
sible to make careful, albeit hard
choices that contribute to upsetting
Figure 1: The link between honey fraud and beekeeper viability
the criminals, who choose to profit come more difficult, beekeepers are
from greed in selling fraudulent and faced with difficult choices. Producers
adulterated honey. of quality honey need to align them-
selves with ethical supply chains and
honey aT a cross roads careful, clever marketers of honey,
If the global fraternity of beekeep- who seek higher value markets built
ing is to survive into the long term, on treating the customer with the re-
clusters of strong, honest players spect they deserve.
must unite. Disruption, combined We can expect that traders of low
with the reassurance of a positive priced honey involved in the honey
agenda for high quality natural honey, fraud network will do everything
is needed. Honest players will need to they can to weave beekeepers into
make good choices that help reset the the tangled web of honey adultera-
course against honey fraud.
The Australian market demon-
strates how quickly an industry can
be decimated by the complex, cumu-
lative and interrelated threats to bees
and beekeeping combined with low
priced competition. Other markets
around the world are following, sadly
by default taking advantage of the lu-
crative market for adulterated honey.
Now is the time for honest and ethical
members of the supply chain to eke
out advantages offered by ethical and
sustainable choices, to be more cre-
ative in their marketing and to speak
out against honey fraud and those
who choose to turn a blind eye, so
they can profit from low priced honey.
BeekeePer choices
Beekeepers need to be part of the
solution to honey fraud! As prices
drop around the world and the chal-
lenges for keeping bees healthy be- Steven and Jodie Goldsworthy

May 2018 557


Figure 2: The fine balance needed by beekeepers in choosing to produce quality
honey that will be trusted by customers for the long term
tion. The image of beekeeping must
be protected and enhanced. Bee-
keepers need to ask themselves what
message a short YouTube clip of
their honey operation and bee yards
would communicate to consumers of
their product.
In a consumer led era that is built
on transparency, it is worth recording
some images and checking in with the
neighbors or your city-based cousins
to get a read on how your operation
would be judged and what image it
would portray.
Beekeepers can expect consum-
ers to ask probing questions about
supplementary feeding of bees, hive
management practices, chemical ap-
plications and bee welfare as well.
Checking colonies in preparation for the eucalyptus flow
558
A well-informed customer, who has
the income to pay for quality honey,
expects to get the real deal. With ad-
vocacy groups and the viral digital
age, beekeepers will undoubtedly be
caught red-handed at some point, if
they choose to do things they would
prefer not to share with others. An ex-
cellent test is to ask, “would this look
good on the front page of the newspa-
per or would it go viral on Facebook
for all the wrong reasons?”
The answer to these questions will
determine the attention we need to
pay to the balance between quality
and profits. More work needs to be
done collectively to help reposition
the beekeeping industry towards a
more sustainable future, where higher
honey prices help offset choices that
impact quality.
sToP TurninG a Blind eye!
For honey traders, packers, indus-
trial honey users and retailers the time
has come to stop turning a blind eye
to honey fraud! Sophisticated NMR
testing, the largest global honey data-
base on record and a food fraud focus
from regulators and quality assurance
certification systems is making the
tangled web of deception more dif-
ficult. These developments with time
will make it increasingly unpleasant
for those who choose to profit from
low priced honey that is underpinned
by fraud.
The honest honey packers and trad-
ers must do more to expose the real
situation of the global honey market
and to support their supply chains
with the facts to help them manage
their legal obligations and food safety
certification requirements to VACCP
(Vulnerability Assessment at Critical
Control Points) and TACCP (Threat
Assessment at Critical Control Points).
The global food safety certification
system GFSI Version 7 now requires
companies to conduct a food fraud
vulnerability assessment and to pre-
pare a food fraud mitigation plan.
Traceability for honey is expected to
go back to the colony, the exact geo-
graphic location of production and
detail botanical nectar sources and
detailed production information in
addition to the well accepted HACCP
requirements. Traceability must go
beyond the exporter or factory from
which honey is sourced. Mass bal-
ances must determine that sources of
honey from various countries of ori-
gin can be reconciled with production
and sourcing verification records.
Companies such as Pricewater-
houseCoopers have set up a global
unit within their business network
that has “expertise in risk assessment,
forensic services, supplier manage-
ment and internal controls required
to help companies assess their vulner-
The Honey Shop
American Bee Journal
ability to food fraud, then design and
implement measures to mitigate food
fraud risk.5”
The days of easy deception are com-
ing to an end and there are examples
of large multinational food companies
shifting their honey supply to higher
priced honey that can be traced back
to quality beekeepers via trusted, ethi-
cal and honest honey packers in order
to manage their legal and customer
obligations.
honesT Players Band ToGeTher &
find friends
“A different approach is required
to prevent intentional adulteration
that is specifically devised to avoid
detection.6 ”Time is of the essence and
with honey fraud having as large an
impact on the future of beekeeping
as honey bee health, we need a more
concerted effort between honest bee-
keepers, traders, honey packers, re-
tailers, laboratories, media outlets and
regulators. In addition to unravelling
honey adulteration, the beekeeping
industry must work on a plan to re-
assure customers of the quality of
genuine honey. Those serious about
changing the future must find oth-
ers in the food supply network who
can assist in the quest for a disrupted
honey fraud environment. Boards,
food safety risk managers, regulators,
advocacy groups and the media must
be skillfully harnessed to broaden
the pool of solutions from within the
honey industry to the broader food
community.
Figure 3: The ripple effect of choices between companies who turn a blind eye vs. companies who trade pure honey & manage
their honey fraud risks well
May 2018
Steven working bees at Circular Creek
More people need to re-evaluate
and reframe their mission and man-
date as engaged as a custodian of our
future food supply, rather than sim-
ply as beekeepers or a cog in a supply
chain. Longer term thinking, planning
and strategizing across global board-
ers must occur. We need to build and
share more examples of creative mar-
keting of high quality honey, inspir-
ing other beekeepers and customers
to continue to believe in this wonder-
ful natural product: honey – produced
by honey bees gathering nectar from
plants, ripened in the colony and
treated with love and care until it
reaches the customer.
More effort needs to go into educat-
ing customers about the investment
they make in their future food security
when they choose to pay a little more
for honey that can be traced back to a
colony and a quality honey producer.
For all our sakes and the sake of our
great grandchildren who will live in
a vastly hungrier and more densely
populated world, we must ensure we
achieve this mission.
endnoTes
1. Weekly Times – Decision Ag, May 2017, p12
2. Australian Government Department of
Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT), 2016
3. ABARES, 2016, “Australian honey bee in-
dustry: 2014-15 survey results
4. https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/
world-hunger-50-years-food-history/
story?id=8736358
5. www.pwc.com/foodtrust
6. www.pwc.com/foodtrust
Jodie Goldsworthy
is a fourth-generation
apiarist and Director
of Beechworth Honey,
Australia’s largest in-
dependently owned
specialist honey com-
pany. Her family has
been keeping bees for
four generations. Her
great grandfather Ben-
jamin Robinson kept
bees in the Beechworth area during the gold
rush and found there was a better living to
be made beekeeping than searching for gold.
She is determined to increase public aware-
ness about the importance of bees to food
security and is a keen advocate for research
into the threats to nature’s most efficient pol-
linators. www.beechworthhoney.com.au
559
560 American Bee Journal
May 2018 561
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562 American Bee Journal

I
n the back of the feed store, where
pallets of fifty-pound sacks rise to
the ceiling and a calico cat naps on a
hanging scale, I watch two women ob-
sess over brands of layer ration. From
what I can hear, they are comparing the
protein content of various brands. It
makes sense. If you want healthy chick-
ens and many eggs, your birds need a
balanced diet that includes the proper
type and amount of protein. It works
the same way for horses, pigs, dogs,
cats, and even your kids.
Although we often speak of the pro-
tein content of foods, it is the selection
of amino acids that is most important.
Proteins are made from strings of amino
acids. When an animal needs a specific
protein, it can take the amino acids it
ate and string them together to build
protein. Even more awesome, if an ani-
mal eats one protein, it can take it apart
and re-string the amino acids to make
a different protein—the one it actu-
ally needs. It’s a bit like Legos: you use
single pieces (amino acids) to build the
object you want (protein).
Honey bees, too, need the proper mix
of amino acids to be healthy. Except for
trace amounts in honey, pollen is the sole
source of amino acids in the honey bee
diet. And just as humans need a variety
of foods to remain healthy, a honey bee
colony needs a variety of pollen types.
Variety is important because not all
the amino acids are found in a single
type of pollen. Some have a greater as-
sortment than others, so eating a vari-
ety of pollen types is the ticket to good
colony nutrition. In nature, this would
not be difficult. But in many modern
settings, especially those containing a
small number of flowering species, bees
may come up short in one or more of the
May 2018
essential amino acids. A shortage can
mean diminished life spans, less resis-
tance to disease, or poor foraging ability,
among other things.
Pollen and Brood rearinG
As beekeepers, we know that pol-
len is necessary for brood rearing. But
how does that work? It turns out that
the youngest honey bee larvae do not
eat pollen directly. Instead, the nurse
bees eat the pollen in the form of bee
bread. Such a protein-rich diet stimu-
lates their hypopharyngeal glands to
secrete royal jelly, which is then fed to
the young larvae.1 After about three
days, small amounts of pollen and di-
luted honey are mixed into the brood
food of both workers and drones, while
young queens continue on a diet of pure
royal jelly.
Adult workers eat energy-rich honey
almost exclusively. Because foragers
don’t eat bee bread or pollen directly,
when they do need protein, they beg
the nurse bees for it. 2 Although we
often don’t consider it, nurse bees feed
all members of the colony from time
to time.
iT looked Good aT The sTore
Since the foragers that collect pollen
don’t eat it, they are sometimes not too
picky about what they collect. Some-
times foragers will bring home other
stuff—sawdust or coffee grounds, for
example—that have a powdery consis-
tency and the right particle size. This
has led some researchers to believe that
honey bees cannot determine the food
value of pollen: if it looks like pollen, it
must be good.
Although foragers sometimes collect
inferior pollen or non-pollen, the nurse
bees—the ones that actually have to
eat the stuff—are much more selective.
Think of mom coming home from the
market with parsnips and rutabagas.
The kids sneer: “Really? Where’s the
food?” In fact, nurse bees often discard
some of the treasures their sisters bring
home from the field, especially things
with no food value, or even that expen-
sive pollen substitute.
But recent research shows that when
it comes to actual pollen, even the nurse
bees cannot determine the quality. Or,
even if they recognize poor quality,
they are unable to communicate that in-
formation to the foragers who are haul-
ing it in.3 In short, since we cannot rely
on the colony to adequately balance its
own diet, a variety of pollen choices is
the best solution.
The need varies wiTh Brood rearinG
When you understand how pollen
is used in the hive, you can see why a
colony doesn’t need a large supply dur-
ing winter. In late autumn through mid-
winter, when there is little brood rearing,
a colony can get by with a minimum of
pollen. However, heaps of good-quality
pollen are needed throughout the major
brood-rearing periods, especially in late
winter and early spring.
When pollen is scarce, a colony may
be forced to live off protein reserves
stored as vitellogenin in the workers
bees’ fat bodies. But that supply is lim-
ited, so beekeepers often opt for pollen
substitutes before the major flows begin.
a chanGinG environMenT
It is easy to fall into the trap of think-
ing that since our fathers, grandfathers,
and great uncles never worried about
bee nutrition, we shouldn’t either. Back
563

A male leafcutting bee foraging on goldenrod. Whereas managed honey bees can be
fed pollen supplements, wild bees must go without.
then, the bees gathered pollen on their
own and thrived. No one gave two
thoughts about its source or amino acid
content.
While that may be true, we have
substantially changed our environ-
ment in the intervening years. No lon-
ger are urban areas separated by large
swaths of natural vegetation. No longer
do farms grow an impressive array of
crops. And no longer do roadsides pro-
vide a sparkling display of wildflowers.
No. Instead we plant vast expanses of
one thing and poison the rest until the
landscape is uniform and easy to man-
age. Bee nourishment? Who cares?
A shortage of high-quality pollen is a
relatively new concern for beekeepers.
Today, a bountiful and diverse supply of
pollen is often lacking. Habitat loss, in-
vasive plants, monoculture farming, and
herbicides are just some of the reasons.
BiodiversiTy and Bee healTh
One of the main indicators of a
healthy environment is biodiversity.
Biodiversity is simply the sum of all liv-
ing things in a certain area. The area can
be as large as the earth or as small as a
drop of pond water.
The sum of living things in any nat-
ural system includes plants, animals,
fungi, and microbes. In a pristine natu-
ral community, each of the species stays
in balance with the others. They live to-
gether, fight, compete for resources, eat
each other, die, and scarf up the detritus
in seasonal cycles. Each species has a
special function in the community, and
no one species is poised to take over.
From an ecological point of view, more
diversity is better.
Modern farms are the antithesis of
natural environments. But far from
564
being a bad thing, modern farms are
necessary to feed burgeoning popula-
tions of humans. Still, it’s important for
beekeepers to understand that the ag-
ricultural environment is not great for
bees. Regardless of pesticide use, the
biggest hazard for bees in agriculture is
a low diversity of flowering plants.4
MonoculTure croPs fall shorT
For bees, pollen from flowering
plants is virtually the only source of
protein, lipids, vitamins, and minerals.
But in modern farmlands variety is sup-
pressed. The grower needs to minimize
competition from weeds, but he also
wants to protect his crop from roadside
plants that might harbor disease and de-
structive insects.
Bee colonies that pollinate large-acre-
age monocultures—such as almonds—
have a severe lack of variability in
their diets. Just as one fruit or vegeta-
ble doesn’t satisfy all your nutritional
needs, one type of pollen is not enough
for bees. Pollinating these crops with
honey bee colonies is fine, as long as the
beekeeper understands the nutritional
stress a monoculture can inflict.
Pollen from different plants varies
tremendously in both the quantity and
quality of protein. Researchers have
found that protein content can range
from about 2 to 61% by dry weight,
depending on the species.5 Further-
more, depending on protein source, it
may completely lack some of the amino
acids necessary for proper growth and
development.
An example of a mediocre pollen
source is the common dandelion, Tarax-
acum. Bees love dandelions, and they flit
from blossom to blossom in large num-
bers. But dandelions are missing some
of the essential amino acids. Research
has shown that a diet of pure dandelion
pollen will hinder larval development
in mason bees,6 prevent brood produc-
tion in honey bees,7 and cause 100% lar-
val rejection in bumble bees.8
Does this mean dandelions are bad
for bees? Of course not. The point to
remember is that no one type of pol-
len does what a variety of pollens can
do. Remember, honey bees evolved on
diverse vegetation and that is still what
serves them best.
In a natural environment, monocul-
tures aren’t much of a problem. A bee
would seldom—if ever—run into an
endless monoculture of dandelions,
so they don’t cause an issue. But bees
plunked down in the middle of acres
and acres of a single crop will have
trouble nourishing the next generation.
And even if the young bees survive and
mature, their immunity to diseases,
parasites, and even pesticides may be
compromised. Just like any other ani-
mal, bees need healthy immune systems
to survive, and adequate immunity de-
pends on proper nutrition.9
invasive sPecies Make a Poor dieT
Many beekeepers welcome the vast
acreages of invasive plants that are
swallowing the landscape. The reason is
nectar. Some of the invasive plants, in-
cluding star thistle, Japanese knotweed,
Chinese tallow, and kudzu are excel-
lent honey producers that fill the supers
and pay the bills. But although they are
a bonus for the beekeeper, they can be
hard on the bees.
Invasive species are simply another
form of monoculture. Like the planted
crop, the invasive weed reduces biodi-
versity. Instead of having a vast array
of flowers to choose from, the bees have
one main entree. Instead of forty differ-
ent types of pollen, each with a unique
amino acid profile, the bees are left with
one. Instead of a kaleidoscope of flowers
blooming one after the other across the
seasons, there is one ginormous bloom
followed by dearth.
The main difference between a
planted crop and an invasive weed is
that invasives don’t stop at the edge of
the farmer’s field. Instead, they creep
into neighborhoods, wildlands, median
strips, and abandoned properties. Some
patches stretch as far as you can see,
smothering everything beneath them
and restricting the selection of nectar
and pollen for uncounted species of
bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects.
Whenever the diversity of plant life
is compromised, all those that depend
on it are weakened as well. After forag-
ing on invasive plants, managed honey
bees may require pollen supplements to
keep them healthy. But the others—the
native bees, beneficial insects, and other
American Bee Journal
random invertebrates—are simply out
of luck. And when the insects disap-
pear, the birds, frogs, and mammals
that ate them go hungry as well. In any
biological system, nothing is as toxic as
uniformity.
use of herBicides
Herbicides hurt bees in multiple
ways. Although the direct effect of her-
bicides on honey bees is inconclusive,
some research has shown that the inges-
tion of glyphosate is linked to a reduced
ability to navigate.10 Perhaps more prob-
lematic is the fact that herbicides kill
natural bee forage, such as flowering
weeds, while simultaneously promot-
ing the spread of invasive plants.
Roadsides, croplands, cityscapes, and
playgrounds that are stripped of natural
vegetation are magnets for invasive spe-
cies. Just as farmers prepare the soil for
their monoculture crops by spraying the
weeds, other users of herbicides prepare
the soil by spraying the native vegeta-
tion, thus making it more attractive to in-
vasive weeds. It seems a shame to spray
roadside vegetation with herbicides and
then feed soybean meal to our bees.
cliMaTe chanGe
Although we don’t know much about
the long-term effects of climate change,
a few disturbing papers have suggested
subtle problems. One recent study ex-
amined the protein content of golden-
rod pollen in comparison to goldenrod
pollen obtained from herbarium collec-
tions where the plants were collected
years ago. The scientists found that the
amount of protein in goldenrod pollen
dropped by about one-third between
1842 and 2014.11
Similar studies have shown that
the protein content of grains used for
human food has also dropped during
this period, and the drop is believed
to be due to higher carbon dioxide lev-
els in the atmosphere. Apparently, an
abundance of carbon dioxide causes
plants to grow faster and bigger, but the
increased growth in the vegetative parts
reduces the amount of protein stored in
seeds and pollen.
Warmer spring temperatures are
also causing some plants to bloom out
of sync with the native bees that polli-
nate them. This occurs when the plants
bloom earlier in the year, while the bees
emerge at the regular time. In monolec-
tic relationships where one bee species
pollinates one plant species, both bee
and plant can go extinct.12
whaT can BeekeePers do?
Beekeepers can no longer ignore the
protein needs of their colonies. Instead,
we must keep in mind that, depending
on location, the pollen supply may not
be as plentiful, as diverse, or as nutri-
May 2018
tious as it was in the past. We shouldn’t Journal of Experimental Biology 218: 2799-
hesitate to use pollen supplements if 2805.
there is a chance our bees might need 11. Ziska L H, Pettis J S, Edwards J, Han-
them. Especially when we see disease, cock JE, Tomecek MB, Clark A, Pol-
poor overwintering, or lackluster per- ley HW. 2016. Rising atmospheric CO2
is reducing the protein concentration
formance, we need to remember that of a floral pollen source essential for
well-fed colonies will outperform their North American bees. Proceedings of the
malnourished counterparts. Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 283:
Looking at the larger picture, plant- 1828, 20160414. http://doi.org/10.1098/
ing a diverse assortment of flowers rspb.2016.0414
and flowering trees may be our best 12. Thomson JD. 2010. Flowering phenol-
long-term solution. Some groups have ogy, fruiting success and progressive
worked to alter the spraying regimens deterioration of pollination in an early-
in their local communities—simply flowering geophyte. Philosophical Trans-
changing the timing of maintenance actions of the Royal Society B: Biological
can make a big difference. Others are Sciences 365: 3187-3199.
working to build community awareness Rusty Burlew has
by planting pollinator gardens, utility studied agriculture,
easements, median strips, and parks honey bees, and envi-
with bee-friendly flowering species. ronmental science for
Planting flowers may seem like a small over 30 years. She is
thing, but if enough people understand a passionate advocate
the consequences of a diversity-starved of native bee conser-
environment, perhaps we could make a vation and founded
difference. the Native Bee Con-
servancy in Washington State. You can visit
references her website at https://honeybeesuite.com or
email her at rusty@honeybeesuite.com.
1. Snodgrss RE, Erickson EH, Fahrbach
SE. 2007. The Anatomy of the Honey
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Honey Bee (pp. 111-165). Hamilton, Illi- QUEEN REARING OPERATION.
nois: Dadant & Sons, Inc. Over 2000 colonies in established
2. De Mardo RJ, Farina WM. 2003. Troph- locations. Year round produc-
allaxis in forager honeybees (Apis mel- tion. Includes full honey extraction
lifera): resource uncertainly enhances facility and all other necessary
begging contacts. Journal of Comparative
structures and equipment. Land is
Physiology. 189(2):125-34.
for sale or lease. Only qualified and
3. Corby-Harris V, Snyder L, Meador C,
Ayotte T. 2018. Honey bee (Apis mellifera)
serious inquiries. mkrones@gmail.
com
nurses do not consume pollens based on
their nutritional quality. PLOS: January
11, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.
pone.0191050
4. Papanikolaou AD, Kuhn I, Frenzel
M, Kuhlmann M, Poschlod P, Potts
SG, Roberts SPM, Schweiger O. 2017.
Wild bee and floral diversity co-vary in
response to the direct and indirect im-
pacts of land use. Ecosphere 8(11):e02008.
10.1002/ecs2.2008
5. Galetto L, Kevan PG. 2007. The Produc-
tion of Nectar and Pollen. In JM Graham
(Ed) The Hive and the Honey Bee (pp. 345-
368). Hamilton, Illinois: Dadant & Sons,
Inc.
6. Levin MD, Haydak MH. 1957. Com-
parative value of different pollens in the
nutrition of Osmia lignaria. Bee World 38:
221-226.
7. Loper GM, Berdel RL. 1980. The effects
of nine pollen diets on brood rearing of
honeybees. Apidologie 11: 351-359.
8. Genissel A, Aupinel P, Bressac C, Tasei
JN, Chevrier C. 2002. Influence of pollen
origin on performance of Bombus terres-
tris micro-colonies. Entomologia Experi-
mentalis et Applicata 104:329-336.
9. Alaux C, Ducloz F, Crauser D, Le Conte
Y. 2010. Diet effects on honeybee immu-
nocompetence. Biology Letters 6: 562-5.
10. Sol Balbuena M, Tison L, Hahn ML,
Greggers U, Menzel R, Farina WM.
2015. Effects of sublethal doses of
glyphosate on honeybee navigation.
565
566 American Bee Journal
March 2018 567
568 American Bee Journal
F
inding a once robust hive with
a dwindled population or com-
pletely gone can take a bee-
keeper by surprise. What happened
to the bees? We’re sometimes left
scratching our heads with frustration.
Was robbing responsible for this
hive loss? By the time we realize rob-
bers have been attacking our hive, it
is often too late to remedy the situa-
tion. While it is sad to recognize that
honey bees attack each other’s hives
and kill their own kind to survive, it
is important to understand the funda-
mental events that can lead to robbing
as well as its early symptoms.
Can we stop robbing? Alternatively,
if we can’t stop robbing, can we at
least find a solution to the problem
that will reduce the impact of rob-
bing? In this article, we will attempt
to better understand robbing from the
following perspectives:
1) What are the causes of robbing?
2) Who is doing the robbing?
3) How honey bee aerodynamics
can help us recognize robbing
4) Once robbing is recognized, steps
to take to minimize its impact on
the target hive.
What is Robbing anD Why Does it
occuR?
Robbing, the removal of hive re-
sources by non-resident insects, typi-
cally is only problematic for a hive
that is already in trouble. Why does
robbing occur? As beekeepers we
should realize that when robbing oc-
curs, it is a two-sided problem. We
have a weak hive that is the target of
the robbing, but we also have a strong
May 2018
hive that’s hungry or starving send-
ing out robbers.
A weak hive in the apiary can be
caused by many factors that are not
mutually exclusive. These include
internal hive problems such as not
enough foragers, disease that has
weakened the hive or other possible
hive maladies, such as queenlessness.
Poor hive management and inap-
propriate entrance size are common
factors that encourage opportunistic
robbing.
When we observe a rapid decline
in nectar or honey content in a hive,
we should suspect robbing and begin
to identify the possible reasons why
the hive weakened, as well as identify
other borderline hives in our apiary
for similar signs. Is it disease, pests
or both? Sometimes varroa mites be-
come a serious threat to a hive and
can weaken it. Viral diseases, foul-
brood, or a small hive beetle burden
can also cause problems that eventu-
ally weaken a hive. The large Asian
hornets are notorious honey bee-kill-
ers that could obviously threaten and
weaken a hive, however they do not
yet appear to be present in the Unites
States (NCSU PDIC).
While robbing is obviously prob-
lematic, it does present an opportu-
nity to increase our understanding
of honey bee behavior, which can
contribute to improved hive manage-
ment. We should remember that rob-
bing is instinctual for honey bees as
the robbers are bringing back extra
food resources for survival. The key
is to identify what led to the robbing,
rather than punish ourselves when it
occurs. Learning from our bees and
our mistakes will enable us to be-
come better keepers of bees and more
attuned to their needs.
Who is Doing the Robbing?
Determining who is robbing a hive
is one of the first steps in addressing
the problem. Wasps, bumble bees,
and yellow jackets all love to pick on
hives, as well as a few other fast fly-
ers. However, most robbing is done
by other honey bee colonies living in
the vicinity. By the time we see non-
honey bee robbers around, they are
often scavenging and cleaning out
what little remains after honey bee
robbers have done their job. It will
likely be too late to rescue the robbed
hive. The best defense is learning
how to recognize the early signs of
robbing by honey bees, when you
still have a chance of saving the hive
being robbed. To identify the earli-
est signs of robbing, we need a better
understanding of honey bee behavior
and the fundamental aerodynamics of
honey bee flight.
Honey bee robbers look like any
other honey bee. We can’t distinguish
robbers from non-robbers by physical
features alone. Robbing is a type of
foraging, which of course is a normal
honey bee behavior, comparable to
any of the behaviors that bees perform
inside the hive. So what causes bees
to become robbers when foraging for
nectar and pollen from plants is their
routine? Bee behavior is directed by
both external (pheromone) and inter-
nal (hormone) chemical substances.
Food gathering activities and aggres-
siveness are behaviors governed in
large part by juvenile hormone, which
569
acts in the honey bee nervous sys-
tem to stimulate food gathering and
guarding behavior. Juvenile hormone
levels normally increase as newly
emerged bees mature within the hive
and peak just prior to these bees tran-
sitioning to foraging outside the hive
(Huang et al. 1991; Pearce et al. 2001).
When a hive’s summer food stores
are low and temperatures still pro-
mote foraging behavior, foragers will
continue to gather food since that is
their job. Foraging turns into robbing
when floral nectar and pollen sources
are limited (generally late summer in
the author’s locale) and the oppor-
tunistic presence of a weak or com-
promised hive can be found near the
forager’s food-strapped hive. The
perfect storm for robbing! The forag-
ers/robbers are simply behaving in a
manner that will help their own hive
survive during the winter. We may not
like robbing as a means of survival,
but recognizing robbing early on and
acting to remedy the situation in both
the target colony (robbed) and the
source (robbers) is key to improved
apiary management.
why is an undersTandinG of honey
Bee aerodynaMics iMPorTanT?
Flying is an amazing behavior,
whether it is performed by a bird,
insect or man-made object like an
airplane or helicopter. Essentially,
flight needs wings, some sort of en-
ergy source to power the wings and a
means to manipulate the wings to help
‘steer’ the flying object. Each wing has
two surfaces: an upper surface and a
lower surface. For all wings, the upper
surface (Figure 1, red curve) has a
greater curvature and therefore it has
more surface area compared to the
lower wing surface (Figure 1, green
curve). It is this difference in the sur-
face areas between the top and bottom
Figure 1. Wing cross section
570
of a wing that allows flight to happen.
Appreciating how flight happens just
requires understanding a simple basic
expression:
Pressure = Force/Area (P = F / A)
where P is Pressure (in lb./sq. inch), F
is Force (in lbs.), and A is Area (in sq.
inches).
Table 1. Effect of Wing Surface
Area on Pressure
Force Area Pressure
(lb.) (sq. in) (F/A; lb./
sq. in)
1 1 1 derstanding of lift to honey bee flight?
1 2 0.5
1 4 0.25
From this simple expression, we
can see that if the force is constant
at 1lb (Table 1) and we increase the
wing surface area from 1 to 4 square
inches, then the pressure on that wing
decreases 4-fold (from 1 to 0.25 lb./
sq. in). What this inverse relation-
ship means is that as a surface area
gets bigger, then the pressure exerted
on the wing surface becomes smaller.
How does this help to understand
flight?
Let’s look at the pressures on a
wing (Figure 2) with the upper sur-
face area being larger than that of the
lower surface. Remember that a wing
of any type has two surfaces. As an
airplane accelerates down a runway,
air passes over and under the wing,
we would develop 3 units (arrows)
of pressure pushing down on top of
the wing (with its larger surface area)
and 6 units of pressure pushing up on
the lower wing surface as the airplane
gains speed. Notice that the pressure
is always perpendicular to the surface.
The difference in pressure between the
American Bee Journal
top and bottom of the wing is 3 units
pushing upward. This net differ-
ence in pressure coming from under
the wing gives rise to lift (Figure 2),
which literally pushes the airplane
up and into the sky. A helicopter uses
similarly shaped wings, but instead
of moving the body of the craft down
a runway to force air over and under
the wings, the helicopter wings are
mechanically rotated through the air.
A resultant pressure difference be-
tween the lower and upper surfaces of
the wings provides lift and thus flight.
So how does flight work in honey
bees and can we apply this basic un-
As we observe honey bees on a hive
frame, we see that each bee has two
pairs of wings, flat and folded over its
back, covering about 60% to 75% of
the body. When extended, the wings
can create a large surface area (Figure
3; modified from Cushman, 2005). The
surface area of honey bee wings can
be further increased when the fore
and hind wings latch together with
the hamula, the tongue and groove
structures that allow the wings to re-
versibly connect (Figure 3).
The wing structure is key for honey
bee maneuverability during flight.
Each wing has a branching system
of innervated veins (Figure 3), which
conduct hemolymph through the
wings. Wing innervations allows the
honey bee to sense pressure on the
top and bottom of wings, as well as
the pressure difference. This real time
information allows the honey bee to
alter its wing configuration and cur-
vature to reduce speed, create lift, turn
or generate reverse thrust. The main
vein on the fore wing, called the cos-
tal vein, is an important section of the
honey bee wing. This large, thick vein
creates the leading edge around which
the flat resting wing curves to create
an airfoil with differing top and bot-
tom surface areas (Figures 1 & 2). As
discussed above, the airfoil structure
allows for lift and thus flight.
Despite their delicate appearance,
honey bee wings are strong enough
to create sufficient lift to carry the
relatively large body through the air
at speeds of up to 10 to 15 miles per
hour. Unlike an airplane that needs
a long runway and turbine engines,
a bee’s strong thoracic flight muscles
create curvature in the flat resting
wings, anchored at the costal vein.
This sets the stage to create lift, since
this curvature creates upper and lower
wing surfaces of unequal area. These
thoracic muscles move or flap these
wings about 300 times per second.
The wing flapping technique used by
honey bees borrows from the helicop-
ter technique of rotation. However,
honey bees further improve this tech-
nique by incorporating a figure eight
motion rather than a simple up-down
wing flapping movement.
An elegant demonstration of honey
bee flight captured in ultra-slow mo-
tion (Michiganshooter, 2014: https://
youtu.be/IcU-i7j0uYs) shows the
many features of honey bee flight and
aerodynamics. The rotational wing
movements are clear at approximately
2.5 min of this video. The combination
of rotational-wing flapping move-
ments and varying wing curvature
provide a mechanism for the honey
bee to change flight direction, take-off Figure 2. How a wing or airfoil creates lift
and land, and steer itself through the
air (Collison, 2016; Michiganshooter,
2014).

r esidenT versus r oBBer f liGhT

Behavior
Foragers return to their hive and
go directly to the landing board.
Landing at the bottom entrance is ac-
complished by creating a stall (like
an airplane that flies vertically until
it can no longer move upwards) and
then it glides onto the landing board,
wings spread wide to slow the bee’s
speed (Figure 4A). Once at the hive
entrance, the forager meets the guard
bees and transfers its nectar to other
bees. The takeoff and landing proce-
dures are carried out countless times
by resident bees as they forage. Resi-
dent foragers meet no resistance at the
hive entrance from their hive mates.
We know now that honey bee rob-
bers are just foragers, practicing their
craft opportunistically at a mostly Figure 3. Honey bee wing structure (modified from Cushman, 2005)
weak hive. Having worked as guard
bees before progressing to foraging
duty, robbing honey bees know that
entering a hive via the bottom en-
trance is not the best option. There-
fore, robbers will tend to look for
other entry points into an accessible
(primarily weak) hive to minimize
confrontation. This is the first behav-
ioral change that we can identify in
the robbing process (Figure 4B).
Imagine a person who is trying to
rob a house. From an outsider’s point
of view, what do we see that raises
suspicions about a potential robbery?
What points of entry will be vulnera-
ble? Clearly, the less guarded areas are
the best location to penetrate, for both
a human house robber or a honey bee
robber. Typically honey bee robbers
gain access under the top telescoping Figure 4. Differences in hive approach by resident (A) and robber honey bees (B)

May 2018 571


Figure 5. Robber scouts circle a telescoping outer cover to find an entrance without
using the front landing board.
outer cover, since there is often an ac-
cessible gap (~3/4in) between outer
and inner covers, or any other poorly
defended opening.
Scout bees (10 to 15) are the first to
analyze a suspected hive to evaluate
the status and strength of resident
bees therein. Their antennae are likely
the tool used for this purpose. These
highly specialized structures contain
numerous sensors (sensilla; Yokohari,
1983) that are sensitive to humidity,
temperature, odors, flight speed, and
magnetic field. Honey bees can likely
sense signals, such as smells coming
out of a hive via the outer cover-hive
body gap, that indicate the presence
of food resources.
Figure 6. Robbers have successfully gained access to the top of a hive (view after
outer cover removed).
572
The important question is how
do honey bees distinguish between
a weak hive and a strong hive? An-
swering this requires more research.
It is possible that detection of the con-
centration of queen substance phero-
mone informs the robbers about the
hive strength. Other potential signals
that could provide information on the
weak status of a hive are worker stress
pheromone and alarm pheromone
concentrations. In any case, avoiding
the attention of the resident bees, the
scouts begin their evaluation of the
target hive by flying in clear pendu-
lum-like arcs around the top of the
hive (Figure 4B, red and green arcs).
This behavior allows the scouts to
American Bee Journal
evaluate the hive and locate an entry
route into the target hive with mini-
mal confrontation (Figure 5). Once
an entry point is found, robbers can
work quickly to invade the weakened
hive (Figure 6).
The recognition of the pendulum-
like arched flight path around the
outer cover of a bee hive is an early
key indicator that robbing is immi-
nent. Resident bees do not exhibit
this type of flying behavior or flight
path around the outer cover. Resi-
dent foraging honey bees go straight
to the landing board, land like an
airplane, and then offload their
gatherings before returning to their
foraging activity. If robbing is sus-
pected, a confirmation of this activity,
using the Mousavi technique, can be
achieved by placing a couple of small
spots of honey on the landing board
(under cluster of bees in Figure 7) of
the weak/robbed hive and then ob-
serving the direction of movement of
bees after having fed on the honey.
Resident bees move into the hives,
whereas robbers fly away to their
home hive.
Robbers typically avoid the landing
board. If an alternative entry point is
not found, robbers may attempt to
gain entry via the bottom board en-
trance. Colony entrances are usually
guarded and increased aggressive
behavior between guard bees and
robbers is a second behavioral sign of
robbing. The robbers will move fast
and create a buzzing dance with their
wings. This signal excites other robber
bees and encourages them to follow
their lead.
s TePs To M iniMize The i MPacT of
roBBinG
Robbing is one of the most criti-
cal issues beekeepers face in the post
honey flow period. Early recognition
of the problem is key to minimizing
its impact. Observed behaviors of
honey bees can help guide us in di-
agnosing problems, if we take to time
to observe them. The sooner an obser-
vant beekeeper discovers the charac-
teristic flight behavior of robbers and
discovers them attempting to find
entry points into a weakened hive,
then the sooner s/he can take pre-
ventative steps to remedy the situa-
tion. Upon the discovery of robbing, a
thorough beekeeper will also evaluate
the status of other hives in the apiary
to categorize them as healthy, weak-
ened (and potentially threatened by
robbing), and perhaps identify a hive
as the local source of robbers.
 From a management standpoint,
regular hive inspections during the
spring and summer can help iden-
tify both successes and problems.
Low food stores can be addressed by
in-hive feeding of one’s honey bees
with sugar water (1:1, vol:vol) when
naturally occurring floral sources are
limited. The timing of in-hive feeding
will vary with location and seasonal
weather patterns, but it can be good
practice to help the hives build-up
healthy winter bees reared in late
summer.
In the context of addressing rob-
bing, this practice of feeding can aid
weaker hives, as they can reduce their
foraging numbers (potential target
of robbing) and those with thriving
populations but limited food stores
(potential source of robbers). When
feeding weak colonies during times
of dearth, be sure to minimize their
entrance size, so they can better patrol
against intruders. Inspections can also
help identify pest problems (observ-
ing pests themselves: mites, moths,
small hive beetles; or symptoms of in-
fections: deformed bees, brood anom-
alies) that weaken a hive.
When a beekeeper identifies a
weak hive, physical hive alterations
can enable it to better defend itself.
Preventative steps include adding
an entrance reducer or further reduc-
ing the entrance size if one is already
present. In addition, affixing a screen
mesh (hardware cloth or window
screen material) to the center hole in
the inner cover can limit entry of non-
resident bees or other insects with-
out compromising hive ventilation.
Changing a top telescoping outer
cover to a flush-fitting migratory top
cover would certainly eliminate the
entry point at the top of the hive, but
the resultant cost of reducing hive
ventilation is likely too great to utilize
such a strategy as a long-term solu-
tion to robbing.
Regular apiary visits are a good
management practice that should
ideally increase the powers of obser-
vation of beekeepers. Although being
a good, questioning observer does
not guarantee that one’s hives will
always be strong and healthy, it does
increase the likelihood that our honey
bees will benefit from our greater un-
derstanding of their behaviors when
problems arise. Early detection of
problems is key to better manage-
ment. Minimizing honey bee traffic
in and out of non-resident hives, as
would be the case in robbing, can also
help to minimize the potential trans-
May 2018
Cushman, DA. Legs and wings of honey
bees. (2005) http://www.dave-cushman.
net/bee/legwing.html, (accessed 2/1/18).
Huang, Z-Y,Robinson GE,. Tobe SS,. Yagi
KJ, Strambi C, Strambi A and Stay B.
Hormonal regulation of behavioural de-
velopment in the honey bee is based on
changes in the rate of juvenile hormone
biosynthesis. J. Insect Physiol. (1991) 37:
733-741.
Michiganshooter. Honey bees in ultra
slow motion. https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=IcU-i7j0uYs; (2014), (accessed
2/1/18).
North Carolina State University Plant Dis-
ease and Insect Clinic (NCSU PDIC).
Are Asian or Japanese giant hornets
Figure 7. The second Mousavi technique in the United States? (2015). http://nc-
for confirming the presence of robbers. supdicblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/are-
After placing a couple of small spots of asian-or-japanese-giant-hornets-in.html
honey on the landing board (under the (accessed 3/13/18).
two clusters of bees), residents are ob- Pearce AN, Huang ZY and Breed MD. Ju-
venile hormone and aggression in honey
served entering the hive after feeding bees. J. Insect Physiol. (2001) 47(11):1243-
on the honey, whereas robbers will fly 1247; https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-
away. 1910(01)00109-3.
Yokohari F. The coelocapitular sensillum, an
antennal hygro- and thermoreceptive sen-
fer of pests and diseases among hives sillum of the honey bee. Apis mellifera L.
in an apiary. Indeed, robbing, which Cell Tissue Res. (1983) 233:355-365.
is often a symptom of a larger prob-
lem, is one honey bee behavior that acknoWledgements
the observant beekeeper can detect The author would like to thank Dr.
early and address proactively. Im- Susan Sergeant for helpful discussions
portantly, understanding honey bee and proofreading the manuscript.
flight patterns and basic aerodynam-
ics are a key tool for discovering rob- Seyed-Ali Mousavi is an
bing at its earliest stages, permitting engineer, contractor and
a beekeeper to intervene before the home inspector with a
issue escalates. passion for bee behavior.
He passed his NC Mas-
ter Beekeeper exam last
references July and has been a small
Collison C. Wings and Flight. (2016) http:// farm owner since 2010.
www.beeculture.com/a-closer-look/ (ac-
cessed 12/22/17).
HERE WE GO WITH, TWO MORE BUCKETS!
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(318) 201-5379 (318) 964-2592 — e.J. BOrdelOn Owner
Prices fOr 2017 Queens — MinnesOta Hygienic italian
1-9 10-24 25-99 100 Up
Queens $22.00 $21.00 $20.00 $19.00
QUEENS SHIPPED PRIORITY OR EXPRESS MAIL ARE INSURED,
UPS OVERNIGHT IS NOT INSURED.
ALL POSTAL CLAIMS ARE TO BE MADE BY CUSTOMERS.
25% DOWN PAYMENT TO BOOK ALL ORDERS.
573
574 American Bee Journal
T
he swarm colony landed on the
ground 20 feet south of the hive
that cast it. It was rained on and
blown by wind for its first 24 hours, a
tight and glistening pyramid ascend-
ing the tallest blades of grass.
The swarm was rained on
These were particular bees, de-
clining to move over into the Jester
nuc I offered, but happy to move up
into the box of deeps I placed above
them. They moved quickly to build
out comb and start laying, rapidly ex-
panding and filling their box.
With the right accommodations, they
moved right up into the box.
May 2018
I moved them gradually back in-
side the electric fence, three feet per
day, and later into a Lyson nuc to
overwinter. In two months they were
a high-rise of four deeps, six frames
per box.
They were survivors, enduring a
rough repair of styrofoam, straw, and
duct tape when I found them, fallen
and cracked, one winter morning with
temperatures dipping into the teens.
And they were fertile, giving up
three new colonies in the splitting
days of last year’s long, wet spring.
They were also a perfect storm of con-
ditions for varroa.
With a hyper-productive queen, the
mites had opportunity and space to
reproduce. I didn’t monitor them the
first season because Lyson nucs have
closed bottom boards and, as a new A hasty repair
beekeeper, I wasn’t brave enough yet hive in my back yard. Again, I treated
for the sugar roll. I also just assumed each colony with a single pad of for-
they were okay — they were so tiny mic acid because they’d been split,
when I caught them, and their brood were small, and their brood cycles
cycle had been interrupted when they had been interrupted.
swarmed. The original queen and her bees
continued to do well. They built out
coulda, woulda, shoulda and filled two deeps and two supers
I didn’t want to hurt them, so I only in two months. Defying my expecta-
treated them with a single pad of for- tions, the queen moved right past a
mic acid going into their first fall, and full super of capped honey to lay in
that was it until the following May, drone cells the bees had built on comb
when during an inspection I observed foundation, effectively bombing
multiple mites attached to multiple themselves with varroa. I accidentally
bees on the frames. discovered this during an inspection
and decided I should probably do a
The sTorM conTinued mite count. It was crushing.
Having been trapped by rain in the But the bees didn’t look sick.
hive for most of March and April, the I treated them once in late August
colony was booming and primed to with a full dose of Formic Pro. I didn’t
swarm. Right in the middle of when I do a follow-up mite count, so there is
should have started emergency treat- no way of knowing if or how effective
ment, I ended up splitting the colony that treatment was.
three times, eventually moving the The embarrassing thing of this is
original queen and some brood to a that I should have done better by my
575

The swarm hive in December
bees. Whether negligence or igno-
rance, it was certainly informed, and
it cost me. An arctic system moved
into our area in late December.
Before it arrived I noticed dead
bees piling up around the mouse
guard, and that a large number of
bees seemed to be perishing in flight
on paths away from the hive. I didn’t
think much of it - usual winter loss
- and let snow build up around the
First sign of trouble
Winter loss
576
bottom entrance to provide some in-
sulation from the cold. I put a shim
on with some winter patties, left an
upper entrance, and gave the hive a
good knock to make sure the colony
was still alive. That was the last I
heard of them.
I tapped periodically during the
cold spell but only heard silence and
echos, completely different from what
I was hearing with my other colonies.
When temperatures finally lifted I
opened the hive to confirm the bees
had died.
I did a complete inspection, noting
the location of the bees (largely on the
south side, where the sun hits, or in a
pile an inch plus deep on the bottom
board), finding the queen, and ob-
serving tight patterns of eggs, larva,
and capped brood. There was a full
super of honey, and the winter pat-
ties hadn’t been touched. There were
still varroa visible on the bees and I
wonder, based on how I found them,
if they had tried to abscond, but been
blocked in by the snow.
The protocol for monitoring and
treating for varroa is well established:
monitor and if necessary treat in the
spring to hit overwintered mites;
monitor often and treat as needed
through the summer; treat in Septem-
Varroa infested bees on comb
Dead swarm
ber, and then again around Thanks-
giving. Monitor after every treatment
to determine its efficacy and if needed,
treat again. The consequence of not
following protocol is also well known:
bees become weakened by injury and
disease, and colonies collapse.
The scene inside my hive was
tragic, thousands of bees suspended
in some final act, a leg outstretched,
a head extending toward glistening
larva, curled bodies resting in piles on
the tops of frames.
Varroa destructor may have killed
them, but responsibility for the loss
is mine. I’ve learned a bit more about
my foe by recording varroa mites
through photography. See the photo
essay on the next page.
Jenny Dunn is a third
year beekeeper living
in upstate NY. When
she first took up bee-
keeping she found
herself spending so
much time at Better-
bee, she decided it would be more efficient
to just get a job there, an amazing experience
and opportunity. She’s a military spouse with
two kids, two dogs, two cats, two fish, and
originally two hives, now up to 14. She prom-
ised her husband there won’t be any added
this season, but her fingers might have been
crossed.
American Bee Journal
 The liTTle i know aBouT varroa
Varroa destructor is a parasitic mite originally found with colonies of Apis cerana, the eastern honey bee. Like other
invasive species varroa migrated as a stowaway on international trade routes, arriving in the US in the late 1980’s.

Varroa reproduce inside the brood cells
of honey bees. The mother, or foundress
mite, sneaks into a cell just before cap-
ping and hides beneath food left for the
larva by nurse bees. She emerges and
lays her first egg, a male, roughly 60
hours after the cell is capped. She lays
an additional egg about every 30 hours
thereafter, and these subsequent eggs
are all female. Mature mites mate inside
the capped cell. The viable, fertilized fe-
males emerge at uncapping, eventually
entering other cells and starting the re-
productive cycle over again.

May 2018 577

Varroa feed on developing and adult bees, physically wounding them and, if they are carriers, transmitting viruses directly into
the bees’ hemolymph. This type of horizontal transmission with varroa as a vector allows viruses to evolve greater virulence
than other methods of transmission, such as vertical transmission from a mother colony to the daughter colony, where the host
has to stay alive. In particular, varroa seems to have developed a symbiotic relationship of sorts with Deformed Wing Virus, which
manifests in several ways.
The viral load often peaks in conjunction
with the late summer dearth, weakening
colonies just as they may need to defend
themselves against robbing. As a weak-
ened hive is invaded, mites attach to the
robber bees, riding back with them en
masse and infesting the robbers’ hive. Fi-
nally, heavily infested colonies with high
viral loads may abscond, described by
some as a “helpless form of swarming,” in
a desperate attempt to escape the mites.
Unfortunately, this often occurs late in the
season, leaving colonies unable to estab-
lish adequate comb or stores, causing
them to perish during the winter.

Varroa have introduced new costs to

beekeeping: money and time for keep-
ers, health and life for bees. Because
they don’t respect property lines, state
lines, or national borders, they are a
problem for the entire beekeeping com-
munity to solve. There are many impor-
tant roles and tasks in the solution, but
perhaps the most vital of them all is for
individual keepers to simply, consistently
monitor and treat their hives.

578 American Bee Journal

March 2018 579
Beekeepers
the Generation
next
The Herb that Scented the Wash

L
avender has been harvested by
humans as an herb for 2,500
years. The strong, refreshing
scent of this plant meant it was often
used to perfume baths. This habit
of using it in tubs to perfume both
humans and clothes gave the herb
its name, which is believed to come
from the French word lavare which
means to wash. Large fields of laven-
der are grown in France, in a south-
ern region known as the Provence.
Honey bees make a light, aromatic
honey off lavender, so beekeepers
often pay to keep colonies nearby.

580 American Bee Journal

 Bath Salt Scrub For More Lavender Fun Visit:
https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/10-things-to-make-with-lavender

Ingredients
1 cup Epsom salt
1/4 cup sea salt
1/4 cup dried lavender flowers
5-15 drops of lavender essential oil

Preparation (Be sure to work with an adult)

In a large bowl combine the first three ingre-

dients and stir well.

Add in the essential oil, then spoon the mix-

ture into a tightly closed glass jar. Wide-
mouth jars work well.

To use, place the mixture into a cotton muslin

I
bag or an old clean sock. Tie up tightly and
n England, Queen Victoria was a huge
toss in the tub as it fills with warm water.
fan of this delightful plant, as the scent
Will stay fresh and usable for around 6 to 9
symbolized purity and cleanliness. She
months, or until the flower color fades.
enjoyed a fresh bundle every day.

Can You Spot the 10 Differences?

May 2018 581

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582 American Bee Journal

Notes from the Lab:
The Latest Bee Science Distilled
by Scott McArt
and Kaitlin Deutsch

I
t’s spring and you survived the lots of things but have mostly been damage. So, hoverflies are doubly
winter. As the sun re-emerges observed in bees? Because flowers important in agricultural systems!
and the weather warms, honey have been identified as a platform Many hoverflies also look like bees
bees begin taking their first real for disease transmission, interest (see photo), which helps protect
foraging trips to collect food for the has turned to insects that frequent them from becoming prey by fooling
colony. But of course, the flowers the same flowers as bees. the would-be predator into thinking
that are attractive to bees are also Hoverflies are particularly abun- they have a stinger for defense (no
attractive to a broad range of other dant floral visitors that share flowers hoverflies have stingers).
non-bee pollinators who are looking with bees. They’re widely regarded The visual similarities between
for food – from ants and wasps to as the second-most important polli- hoverflies and bees have tricked
beetles, butterflies, and flies. nators behind bees. And the larvae many humans, too. I can’t tell you
Interactions at flowers between of many hoverfly species eat crop how many times in just the last
these bee and non-bee pollinators pests such as aphids, providing key year I saw an article about bee de-
are oftentimes overlooked (they’re biocontrol services that limit crop clines in the popular media and
just getting food and don’t care
about their fellow foragers, right?).
However, new research indicates
that bee-mimicking flies may play
a role in spreading “bee” diseases
– suggesting it may be worthwhile
to look a bit closer at these interac-
tions. This is the topic of our fifth
“Notes from the Lab”, where we
highlight “First detection of bee
viruses in hoverfly (syrphid) pol-
linators”, written by Emily Bailes,
Kaitlin Deutsch and colleagues and
published in the journal Biology
Letters [14:20180001 (2018)].
Why focus on hoverflies? Amaz-
ingly, we know very little about how
“bee” viruses such as deformed
wing virus (DWV) and sacbrood
virus (SBV) impact non-bee insects,
despite these viruses being detected
in a broad range of distantly related
taxa, such as wax moths, small hive
beetles, earwigs, and even cock-
roaches! Are they actually “bee” vi-
ruses? Or are they viruses that infect

May 2018 583

that picture of a “bee” was actually
a hoverfly!
What did this new research find?
Scientists from the University of Ox-
ford, Royal Holloway, and Cornell
collected 4 common hoverfly spe-
cies from a meadow in Oxford, U.K.,
and screened them for common bee
viruses. Two species of Eristalis hov-
erflies were found to be positive for
sacbrood virus (SBV), black queen
cell virus (BQCV), and varroa de-
structor virus-1 (VDV-1, a virulent
strain of deformed wing virus).
Also, the strains of the viruses de-
tected in hoverflies were the same
as those found in co-foraging honey
bees in the same meadow, indicat-
ing that these two distantly-related
pollinators are likely sharing viruses
freely. However, it is still uncertain
whether the hoverflies are impacted
by these viruses, as not enough flies
Kaitlin Deutsch
were sampled.
Ok, so honey bee viruses were viruses, we may be able to improve
found in hoverflies – so what? not only honey bee health, but the
Finding these viruses in hoverflies health of the entire pollinator com-
is really important. First, it identi- munity. It also highlights how little
fies a previously unknown way for is understood about the role of non-
diseases to be moved around the bee insects in pollinator disease dy-
environment, as hoverflies may act namics, and how much we still have
as vectors of the viruses and trans- to learn!
mit them to susceptible bees. This Until next time, bee well and do
is vital to understanding the ways good work,
in which bees are exposed to patho- Kaitlin Deutsch & Scott McArt
gens outside the hive environment.
But don’t grab your fly-swatter Reference:
and begin smacking all the hover- Bailes, E.J., Deutsch, K.R., Bagi, J., Rondis-
flies off flowers in your apiary just sone, L., Brown, M.F.J., Lewis, O.T. 2018.
First detection of bee viruses in hoverfly
yet! The viral levels of SBV in the (syrphid) pollinators. Biology Letters, 14(2),
hoverflies were as high as those 20180001.
found in honey bees – which may
suggest that these Eristalis hover-
flies are also hosts for the viruses Kaitlin Deutsch
and may themselves be harmed. is a PhD student in
This is troubling given that dis- Dr. Scott McArt’s lab,
eases can spread from the bees in studying the role of
non-bee pollinators in
your apiary to wild pollinators. pollinator disease dy-
Thus, it is possible that “bee” vi- namics.
ruses are also an emerging threat
to wild hoverflies. There is ongo-
ing research in our lab to determine Scott McArt, an
whether these “bee” viruses can Assistant Professor of
cause active infections in hoverflies, Pollinator Health, helps
and whether hoverflies are also ex- run the Dyce Lab for
Honey Bee Studies at
periencing the declines that are cur- Cornell University in
rently so well-known for bees. Ithaca, New York. He is
What can be done? This research particularly interested
underscores the importance of Var- in scientific research that can inform manage-
roa management, since the mites are ment decisions by beekeepers, growers and
a known route of viral transmission the public.
to honey bees – which now appear Email: shm33@cornell.edu
to be spilling over into other pol- Lab website: blogs.cornell.edu/mcartlab
linators, including non-bees! By Pollinator Network: pollinator.cals.cornell.edu
controlling Varroa and its associated Facebook: facebook.com/dycelab

584 American Bee Journal

U
nlike researchers working
with E. coli, fruit flies, or bats,
we honey bee researchers get
a valuable, if unintentional, byprod-
uct: honey. The Liddell Lab at Cor-
nell University is certainly not in the
honey business, but once the heavy
lifting becomes a liability, it’s time for
a harvest. After inundating adminis-
trative assistants, collaborators, and
family members, we decided to sell
the lab’s surplus honey to the public.
We built a small stand, located on
the road that passes by the lab, with
pint jars of honey at $10 each. So that
The honey stand on Freese Road, next to the Liddell Lab at Cornell University in
Ithaca, NY.
May 2018
we could tend to our research undis-
turbed, we asked patrons to kindly
deposit their payment into a lockbox
attached to the stand. In 2015, how-
ever, we noticed that approximately
11% of the jars were being stolen. Re-
ally? We’re getting robbed? Right here
in Ithaca, NY? Therefore, in 2016, we
decided to do some casual research to
answer the question: Who steals from a
honey stand?
MeThods:
To collect our data, each member of
the lab noted the time, date, and num-
ber of jars put out for sale. As jars dis-
appeared, we collected and tallied the
funds left in the lockbox. Some jars
were fully paid for ($10), some were
partially paid for ($1 to $9), and some
were outright stolen ($0). With these
data, we began to answer questions
about theft at the honey stand.
QuesTion:
Are we getting robbed more often on the
weekend?
raTionale:
Maybe people prefer to steal from
us on the weekend, when they think
we’re not at the lab (we are). Or
maybe people steal during the week,
because it provides some excitement
during the long workweek.
daTa:
Figure 1: Here we show the proportion of
jars that were stolen on weekdays (Mon-
Fri) versus the weekend (Sat & Sun).
There was no significant difference be-
tween the two.
585
conclusion:
People who steal honey are just as
likely to strike during the week as on
the weekend.
QuesTion:
Does the day of the week matter?
raTionale:
Thieves don’t seem to distinguish
between weekdays versus weekends,
but maybe there’s a day of the week
that’s preferred? Mondays, we watch
football; Wednesdays, we steal honey.
Data:
Figure 2: The proportion of honey stolen
by days of the week. Letters above box-
plots denote statistical groups. Honey
put out on Saturdays had the highest
probability of being stolen (an average
of 31% was stolen or partially paid for).
conclusion:
Saturday is a popular day for steal-
ing honey, as are Mondays, Wednes-
days, and Thursdays (the outlier on
Thursday, indicated by the open circle,
likely groups it with the other high-
theft days). Sundays saw the lowest
rate of honey theft. Perhaps would-be
honey thieves are slightly religious?
QuesTion:
Do we get robbed more at certain times
of day?
Sign advertising the honey stand, as
seen in the background.
586
raTionale:
The early bird gets the worm, but
the second mouse gets the cheese – do
honey thieves have a preferred time
of day?
daTa:
Figure 3: Honey theft by time of day.
Honey put out for sale in the morning
(6am – 10am), midday (11am – 3pm), or
afternoon (4pm – 8pm) had the same
chance of being stolen.
conclusion:
Honey is stolen throughout the day.
Honey put out in the afternoon had a
15% chance of being stolen, compared
with 7% in the morning, but this dif-
ference was not statistically significant.
Therefore, honey thieves do not appear
to have preferred times to be active.
QuesTion:
Does it matter how long we’ve had the
honey stand up for?
raTionale:
We don’t have a honey stand up
all year, so maybe honey thieves get
especially excited when the stand
first goes up. Or maybe when they’ve
seen the honey stand up for a while,
they think we’re drowning in honey,
so they might as well help us out by
stealing some.
daTa:
Figure 4: The proportion of honey that
was stolen from the stand each day, from
19 July to 20 September 2016. The blue
line shows the statistically significant
negative relationship between theft and
date. The gaps (day 18-33 and 44-52)
show dates when the honey stand was
being repaired, and honey was not for
sale (see below).
conclusion:
Date had a significant effect on theft
rates, with more honey being stolen
when the honey stand was first set up.
Honey put out in the first 10 days had
an 18% chance of being stolen, com-
pared with 8% in the last 10 days. Con-
sumers didn’t know when we were
going to take down the honey stand,
so there wasn’t a risk of thieves rushing
to steal one last jar before the end of the
selling/stealing season. That thieves
were more likely to strike earlier in the
season might be because once they had
stolen one jar, they were satiated, and
didn’t need to steal additional jars. For
future experiments, we could see if/
when theft rates would increase again.
Perhaps it overlaps with the amount of
time it takes a honey thief to consume
a jar of honey? (“Dear, we’re running
low on honey, would you mind steal-
ing another jar from that quaint honey
stand run by the graduate students
down on Freese Road?”).
Question:
There are four of us in the lab… is one
of us stealing honey?
raTionale:
I mean, hey, it’s grad school, and
$10 is $10. Might one of us be pock-
eting funds and then saying it’s been
stolen? Sure, the PI is a respectable sci-
entist, but is he a good human being?
daTa:
Figure 5: The proportion of honey jars
that were stolen from different members
of the lab (PI: Principal Investigator, GS1-
3: three graduate students). Numbers in
parenthesis denote the total number of
jars that each person put out for sale.
There were no significant differences in
theft rates among lab members.
conclusion:
Theft rates did not change based on
the person who put out the honey. Un-
less each of us were skimming similar
amounts of honey money, it seems un-
likely that we have a thief in the lab
(phew!). Graduate students, and the
PI, you’re off the hook.
American Bee Journal
QuesTion:
Will adding information to the honey
stand reduce theft?
raTionale:
Would-be honey thieves might have
their hearts softened if they knew
more about the product they’re about
to steal. We made three different info
sheets (and one control) that we put
out on the honey stand on different
days. One sheet gave information
about the flower sources that contrib-
uted to the honey, another touted the
importance of honey bees and pollina-
tion, and one gave information about
the research being done in the lab.
daTa:
Figure 6: Proportion of honey stolen
based on the different info sheets that
were put up at the honey stand (Con-
trol had just the price of the honey, with
no additional information). When the
honey stand had information about the
research being done in the lab (Science
treatment group), only 6% of the jars
were stolen, compared with 20% of jars
that were stolen in the Control. This dif-
ference was significantly different, with
the Honey and Save Bees treatment
groups showing intermediate levels of
theft. Statistical differences denoted by
letters above boxplots.
conclusion:
Customers were more likely to pay-
in-full when the honey stand included
information about the research being
done in the lab. This info sheet read:
“Research in this lab investigates
aspects of honey bee behavior, nest
building, and reproduction. The sales
from this honey harvest support basic
scientific research. Honey is a deli-
cious natural sweetener that we hope
you’ll enjoy.”
Providing information about where
the honey came from (e.g. “This honey
comes from a diverse set of flowers,
including: basswood, black locust,
white clover, raspberry, and sumac”),
or about the importance of honey bees
(e.g. “Honey bees are a critical agri-
May 2018
cultural pollinator that have recently
been in decline”), did not reduce theft
from the control, which provided
no additional information. There-
fore, providing information that was
specific to the people in the lab was
more effective at deterring theft than
providing general information about
bees or honey. It seems that person-
alizing the honey stand was better
than simply providing the price and
weight of the honey jars.
Aside from our regular data collec-
tion, we had a couple notable thefts
that provided additional insights into
the world of a honey thief.
noTaBle ThefT #1:
On Friday, 5 August 2016, at ap-
proximately 5:30pm, a truck pulled
up to the honey stand. The male
driver got out of the truck, picked up
the honey stand, put it into the back
of the truck, and drove away. Dutch
tourists witnessed the theft from the
car behind, and took the photo below:
When the theft occurred, the “Save
the Bees” sign was being displayed.
We’re not sure if he noticed this in-
formation when he decided to steal
the honey, the honey stand, and the
lockbox. The theft was reported to
the Cornell Police, who followed up
on the incident, but no arrests were
made. The truck belonged to a female,
but she had lent it to the potential per-
petrator that day. He could no longer
be found, and was already wanted for
multiple parole violations. Still, with-
out a clear photo of his face, it would
be difficult to pin the crime on him.
The theft of a honey stand has been
added to the list of questions the local
police have for this gentleman.
The truck (license plate HGH-7878) with stolen honey stand visible in the back, as it
passes over a picturesque single lane bridge.
What we learned:
- It’s easy to steal a jar of honey,
but it’s also easy to steal the
whole honey stand, especially if
you have a truck.
- If you’re going to press charges
against a honey thief, you need
to get a photograph that clearly
shows their face.
- If you lend your car to a friend,
make sure they’re not going
to use it to commit crime.
Although, maybe he used the
honey as a “thank you gift” for
borrowing the car?
After this incident, I built a new
honey stand, and purchased a piece of
metal chain to secure the new stand
to the ground. This made it more
difficult to walk away with the whole
honey stand. The new stand was back
in business on 21 August 2016.
noTaBle ThefT #2:
On the morning of 31 August 2016,
I found that the lockbox had been
vandalized the night before; it was
torn open with a crowbar. There was
no cash in the lockbox when it was
broken into, which was unsettling,
because one can easily peer down
into the lockbox to see if there’s cash
available to steal. This must not have
occurred to the vandal, so their efforts
were in vain.
What we learned:
- Lockboxes are easy to break into.
- These aren’t world-class thieves
– they robbed an empty box.
- Should we consider providing a
flashlight so that future thieves
587
 can see that there’s nothing in
the lockbox at night?
After this incident, I fashioned a
new lockbox made of recycled ma-
terials. I used a long bolt to attach a
quart-sized tin to the honey stand,
with a hole for depositing payment
(or lack thereof). The lockbox could
be easily disassembled with a wrench,
which we brought inside each night.
On 9 September 2016, the honey stand
was back in business. We had no other
major incidents for the remainder
of the honey-selling season, which
ended when we ran out of honey, on
20 September 2016.
Conclusions:
Taking the results together, honey
theft was significantly predicted by:
the day of the week (Saturday is the
highest theft day), treatment group
(providing information about re-
search in the lab reduced theft), and
experimental day (theft decreased
with time). When all three aspects
were combined into a single statistical
model, all three remained as signifi-
cant predictors of honey theft.
Overall, our theft rate in 2016 was
12%, on a par with our 2015 theft rate
of 11%, when we didn’t take detailed
notes.
If we didn’t want people steal-
ing jars of honey, or breaking into
an empty lockbox, or stealing the
whole honey stand, we’d need some-
one to sell the honey in person. Sell-
ing honey isn’t a high priority for
Honey stand with broken lockbox. The chain secured the honey stand to the ground,
but it does not protect the lockbox from crowbars. I planted the buckwheat flowers
behind the honey stand as a landscaping accent, and for bee forage. I doubt the
thief noticed the flowers.
588
the members of a research lab (some Michael Smith is a
would also argue that analyzing theft postdoctoral re-
rates is an even lower priority). Even searcher in the
Couzin Group in
if we do have some theft, a roadside the Department of
stand that relies on the honor system Collective Behavior
is our best option, because it requires at the Max Planck
so little time. Institute for Orni-
In the future, we could refrain from thology / University of Konstanz. While not
selling honey on Saturdays, or put pondering the intricacies of honey theft, Mi-
someone out at the stand for the first chael is interested in how honey bees detect
the developmental state of their colony. For
week, but I expect thieves would sim- example, how does a bee “know” that her
ply modify their behavior. Our results colony can afford to invest in reproduction?
do suggest that providing information
about the research done in the lab will
reduce theft rates. This is a straight-
forward change that’s worthwhile.
Perhaps by knowing more about
the person behind the jar, the poten-
tial thief’s heart is softened. I wonder
if the same applies to us, the suppli-
ers. Are we more sympathetic to the
needs of a honey thief, now that we
know more about their habits?
I think of our statistically significant
thief, driving by on a Saturday, at any
time of day, probably in a truck, with
a crowbar in the back. Maybe after
skipping his parole meeting, he’s ex-
cited to see our stand up for the first
time that summer. He pulls over, sees
the price per jar with no other infor-
mation, and thinks of his honey-less
pantry. After a furtive glance to make
sure nobody is watching, and per-
haps slipping a single $1 bill into the
honor system jar, he drives away, to
bring a stolen jar of honey home to
his sweetie.
What a jerk. I hope he drives into
a ditch.
American Bee Journal
May 2018 589
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590 American Bee Journal

 The Elusive Genesis of Apis mellifera

I
was a young Assistant Profes- lifera was not native to Britain at all I have long since been confirmed
sor, dark-haired, my PhD merely but was instead a relative newcomer, in my conviction that beekeeping is
weeks old when I arrived, brief- imported there by the Romans. a passport to the world. A keeper of
case and 35-mm slide carousel in In any case, I left that experience honey bees can travel anywhere Apis
hand, for my first lecture to a bee- with new confidence, glad to learn mellifera is kept, open a hive, and im-
keeping club in London. As soon as that my Louisiana PhD could be so mediately feel at home. Details may
I entered the lecture hall I could tell useful at making the world right differ – things like hive parts and
something was up. There was a buzz again. It was my first exposure to the dimensions, and sometimes dra-
of agitation in the air. Tight knots passionate loyalty that British bee- matically so. The bees will differ too,
of tweedy, middle aged men were keepers, and Europeans in general, sometimes dramatically – especially
gathered here and there engaged in feel toward their local bee biotype. for keepers of European bees expe-
heated conversation, faces red, fin-
gers jabbing in the air. I paused for a
moment uncertain, my youthful con-
fidence wavering. Somehow word
got around that “the speaker had
arrived,” and within minutes I was
mobbed – those same angry red faces
now aimed at me.
“Tell us,” their spokesman de-
manded, “Is Apis mellifera native to
Britain?”
I was utterly unprepared for this.
I stuttered and hem-hawed. I could
see my positive first impression
draining from their expressions. But
otherwise the Englishmen were mo-
tionless, tense as a bowstring, await-
ing my answer.
“Um,” I ventured – desperately
wishing I’d paid more attention to
honey bee biogeography for my oral
exams – “Yeah, right. They’re native
to Britain.”
Instantly it was if the clouds parted
and the sun returned. Frowns melted
into smiles. They clapped me on the Figure 1. Subspecies of Apis mellifera indicated in their general natural ranges. The
back and drifted away, nodding to subspecies are further grouped by morphological and molecular characters into 4-5
one another with satisfaction. lineages with shared evolutionary and migration histories: the O group (shaded blue)
What was that all about, I won- of subspecies from the Middle East and western Asia; the A group (shaded red) from
dered. And when I put the question Africa; the M group (shaded orange) from western and northern Europe; and the C
to words I learned that the speaker group (shaded green) from southern and eastern Europe. Only 23 of 32 recognized
immediately before me, a bloke from subspecies are shown here. All subspecific names are those recognized by (Engel,
the British Museum, had ventured 1999) with the exception of post-1999 discoveries indicated directly on the map: (Chen
the preposterous notion that Apis mel- et al., 2016, Sheppard and Meixner, 2003, Meixner et al., 2011).

May 2018 591

riencing the African variety for the
first time. But the foundational biol-
ogy and life strategies are largely the
same, as are the handling skills and
beekeeping paraphernalia required
for human management.
But a beekeeper traveling to Eu-
rope, Asia, and Africa can witness
something we in North America,
South America, or Australia never
can – and that’s the races of honey
bee living in a high state of adapta-
tion in the native ranges in which
they evolved. And for the taxonomic
purists among us, now’s a good time
to point out that generic names are
capitalized and italicized, as in Apis,
whereas specific names are lower
case and italicized, as in mellifera. For
those species with recognized subspe-
cies or races (not all do), the subspe-
cies is indicated as a third name, also
lower case and italicized; thus, for ex-
ample, with the Italian honey bee we
have Apis mellifera ligustica, and with
the northern European honey bee we
have the curiously redundant Apis
mellifera mellifera.
The natural range of the western
honey bee Apis mellifera spreads across
all of Africa, the middle East, Europe
north to the Arctic Circle, and almost
a quarter of Asia. Across that vast
fraction of Earth’s terrestrial surface,
this one species has differentiated, by
my count, to no fewer than 32 recog-
nized subspecies or races, 23 of which
are mapped on Fig. 1. Moreover, these
subspecies cluster naturally, based on
morphology and molecular data, into
4 or 5 lineages which represent shared
evolutionary history and migration
patterns: the O group representing
subspecies from the Middle East and
west- to central-Asia; the A group
constituting subspecies in Africa; the
M group including subspecies from
northern and western Europe and
eastward into central Asia; and the C
group representing subspecies from
southern and eastern Europe. Some
authorities recognize a 5th lineage,
Y, from northeastern Africa and the
Middle East.
In a pattern consistent with our ear-
lier discussions about evolutionary
descent, for example the corbiculate
honey bee ancestors we addressed in
March, our reconstructions of honey
bee genealogy are partly technol-
ogy-dependent. Early studies were
limited to focusing on geographic
distributions and shared morphology
of current and fossil species. Later
studies take advantage of improv-
ing genomic technologies to include
592
shared genes in phylogenetic recon-
structions. And finally, the enormous
quantity of molecular data generated
by the genomics revolution has en-
gendered the practice of depositing
data in publicly-accessible banks
from which other scientists can draw
for their own reconstructions.
In this manner, newer phylogenetic
studies can be privileged over older
ones for the simple reason that they
can draw from more data and offer
better resolution of thorny relation-
ships. Increasingly sophisticated
statistical tools are available for dis-
covering networks of shared genes,
nearest genetic neighbors and most
parsimonious genetic reconstruc-
tions, all of which means we are liv-
ing in an age of unprecedented power
to understand and reconstruct natural
history. Another pattern that emerges
with more recent reconstructions is
a messier history. It’s as if the more
orderly earlier models were biased
with human expectations of “what
logically should be,” whereas later
models with their greater powers of
resolution are better at surprising us
with “what actually happened.”
In our present case – the origin of
Apis mellifera and subsequent evo-
lution of its many subspecies – the
existence and makeup of the 4-5
major lineages M, C, A, O (and pos-
sibly Y) have stood the test of time.
Originally constructed in the 1970s
based on shared morphology and
phylogeography (Ruttner, 1988) (Fig.
2A), these lineages and their mem-
ber subspecies have, for the most
part, remained intact with the addi-
tion of molecular data. Each lineage
is best understood as a branch of the
A. mellifera family tree with its own
unique geographic migration his-
tory, a branch within which member
populations diversified into geneti-
cally distinct subspecies.
Readers will recall from our Feb-
ruary column that these genetic di-
vergences occur when populations
are reproductively isolated such that
gene exchange with the parent popu-
lation is restricted or prevented alto-
gether. Responding to locally unique
conditions of natural selection, these
isolated populations become increas-
ingly distinct- behaviorally, mor-
phologically, and genetically. At the
earliest stages when these disparate
populations are still inter-fertile they
are properly known as subspecies.
But left unchecked, these same dy-
namics will produce entire new spe-
cies. Whether at the earliest stages or
latest, the process is one continuum
known as speciation.
The estimated timing of the split of
A. mellifera into its constituent lineages
has gotten more recent as studies ac-
cumulate. One of the first estimates
recognized only three lineages (M, C,
A) and, using mitochondrial DNA,
put the time of their diversification at
1 million years ago (mya) (Garnery et
al., 1992) (Fig. 2B). Another set of au-
thors, also using mitochondrial DNA,
bumped this estimate downward (this
time for M, C, A, and O) to 667,000
years ago (Arias and Sheppard, 1996).
The latest estimate, relying on whole
genome sequencing, posits a diver-
gence among A, C, and M at 300,000
years ago followed by the divergence
of O from C at a mere 165,000 years
ago (Wallberg et al., 2014) (Fig. 2D).
Another persistent puzzler has
been the geographic focal point of the
speciation event that birthed modern
Apis mellifera. One popular tool for
making these determinations is the
so-called “neighbor joining method”
that creates a phylogenetic tree based
on allele sharing distances between
groups under consideration. Allele
sharing distance is a measure of the
genetic divergence among groups.
Groups with more alleles in common
have shorter allele sharing distances,
are closely related, and share a recent
common ancestor. Groups with fewer
alleles in common have longer allele
sharing distances, are more distantly
related, and share a more remote
common ancestor.
The neighbor joining method also
requires genetic data from an out-
group to serve as a root to the tree
that results. Choice of an appropriate
outgroup is important; it must not it-
self be a member of the group under
consideration – the ingroup, but it
must be related closely enough that
comparisons are meaningful. Another
way to think of it is that the most re-
cent common ancestor shared by the
ingroup and outgroup must be older
than the most recent common ances-
tor of the ingroup alone. Where the
root appears in the final tree gives
important clues to where the ingroup
first speciated into existence.
In one well-known study (Whit-
field et al., 2006) (Fig. 2C), the authors
analyzed genotypes of 14 A. mellifera
subspecies representing lineages M,
C, A, and O from their native ranges
in Europe, Africa, and Asia. The
outgroup was represented by data
from two sister Asian species, Apis
cerana and A. dorsata. In the tree that
American Bee Journal
resulted, the outgroup, that is the
“root” of the tree, appeared squarely
in the data for the African A. mellifera
subspecies. This was interpreted as
strong evidence that Apis mellifera first
evolved in Africa. Moreover, modern
members of lineages M and C were
the most distantly related of the A.
mellifera subspecies in spite of their
modern proximity in Europe, with M
“more similar to A than to either C or
O.” This was taken as evidence for an
ancient divergence of M from A and
M’s migration into Europe across the
Strait of Gibraltar with a later migra-
tion of C and O via northeast Africa
(Fig. 2C).
The long genetic distance between
M and C bees may be of special inter-
est to beekeepers because these lin-
eages contain three of the subspecies
most well-known to commercial bee-
keeping, the German black bee A. m.
mellifera (M lineage), the Italian bee A.
m. ligustica (C lineage), and Carniolan
bee A. m. carnica (C lineage) (Fig. 1). I
suppose I could just as easily say that
beekeepers would be interested in
the short allelic distance between M
and A. I have considerable personal
experience with the (in)famous Ger-
man black bee A. m. mellifera of my
childhood, which was long enough
ago that this bee was still common in
the feral populations of rural Indiana
where I grew up. Infamous, I say, be-
cause these bees were simply vicious
to work with compared to the Italians
and Carniolans that I requeened them Figure 2. Competing theories of Apis mellifera origin and migration. The star symbol
with as fast as I could. At this point in is the proposed locus of speciation event. The M, C, O, and A lineages are described
time I can’t help but wonder if the ill in Figure 1. (Cridland et al., 2017) and (Franck et al., 2001) recognize a fifth lineage Y
temper of A. m. mellifera is an artifact centered around northeast Africa and the Middle East. The divergence times for Fig.
of its near kinship to lineage A. 2D are from (Wallberg et al., 2014).
The enthusiasm for an African ori-
gin for A. mellifera has been dampened Consistent with the model of (Whit- and C east across the Isthmus of Suez.
by a longstanding counter-claim for a field et al., 2006) (Fig. 2C), Cridland et O subsequently radiates off C. This
point of origin in the Middle East or al. note a close relationship between C model is not as contrarian to the “Out
Asia (Figs. 2A, 2B), an argument that and O, but while resurrecting lineage of Africa” hypothesis of Whitfield et
seems to be gaining strength (Han et Y they note its close relationship to A al. (2006) as may appear at first read,
al., 2012, Wallberg et al., 2014, Crid- and remote relationship to O – this in given that Cridland et al. recognize
land et al., 2017) (Fig. 2D). spite of the modern proximity of Y the significant African origin of much
The most recent team to tackle the and O. Consistent with other models, of the variation particular to the M,
problem (Cridland et al., 2017) com- M retains its distant relationship with C, and O lineages. It is the inclusion
bined data from publicly archived data C and O. of the Y lineage and its demonstrable
sets with new original data to “produce In what is admittedly the messi- shared antiquity with A that signifi-
the most comprehensive whole ge- est phylogeny to date, Cridland et al. cantly sets the two models apart. I
nome data set to date for A. mellifera.” harmonize their results with a kind am reminded once again of the self-
Among their many interesting find- of dual-origin hypothesis: A. mellifera correcting attribute of good science.
ings, the authors endorse a purported speciates into existence in northeast- More data lead to better resolution
5th lineage, Y, centered in northeastern ern Africa or the Middle East, and which leads to better understanding.
Africa and the Middle East and first A and Y are its earliest diverging It’s not so much that earlier models
proposed by (Franck et al., 2001). This lineages. From an ancestral African are rejected, but rather earlier models
region also corresponds to Cridland et (A) population, the earliest common are refined and elaborated upon as
al.’s best estimate for an origin for A. ancestors of M and C radiate off and new data or technology allow.
mellifera, with lineages A and Y consti- migrate northward, M in a westerly Against divergence dates for the
tuting its most ancient branches. route across the Strait of Gibraltar lineages M, C, A, O, Y ranging from

May 2018 593

300,000 to 165,000 years ago, we can
place divergence dates for the subspe-
cies within them to a far more recent
13,000 to 38,000 years ago (Wallberg
et al., 2014). For context, consider that
anatomically modern human beings
are known from Africa by at least
150,000 years ago (McDougall et al.,
2005), and behaviorally modern hu-
mans by 77,000 years ago (Henshil-
wood et al., 2002). In every sense of
the word, Apis mellifera and Homo sa-
piens are sympatric – sharing the same
time and place in our early evolution.
How fitting is it that we are both pan-
global in our modern distributions –
spanning the globe, albeit in the case
of honey bees with a lot of help from
humans and modern travel technol-
ogy. But the point is, our two species
share a deep and common history.
Given that we both evolved “in the
same neighborhood,” so to speak, it
stands to reason that we both contrib-
uted to the natural selection factors to
which the other responded. In the case
of the massive colony-level defensive
response of honey bees to large mam-
malian predators, the influence of
ancient Homo sapiens on A. mellifera
evolution is obvious.
We have landed at a general over-
view of the 4-5 main lineages of this
highly versatile and biogeographi-
cally mobile species, Apis mellifera. But
we must wait until next time to talk
about the dizzying amount of diver-
sification that happened inside each
lineage to arrive at the ~32 subspecies
we know today.
And some of that dizzying diversi-
fication speaks to the conundrum that
London lecture audience was in that
day when a young American profes-
sor pretended to know something
about British bees. Fast-forwarding to
the year 2008, my colleague Norman
Carreck published an excellent review
that hits the nail on the head, “Are
honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) native
to the British isles?” (Carreck, 2008).
Norman cited archaeological evidence
of honey bee body parts from middle
Bronze age (3,700-4,000 years ago)
waste pits and even earlier Neolithic
(4,600-5,000 years ago) pot sherds
containing traces of beeswax. This not
only destroys the “Roman import”
hypothesis by a few thousand years,
but places evidence of A. m. mellifera
in the British Isles tantalizingly close
to the period, ~7,000 years ago, when
a land bridge connected Britain to Eu-
rope. Norman acknowledges that we
cannot discount the possibility that
Neolithic humans imported the bees
594
into Britain, but then again, there is no subspecies from Central Asia. Apidologie,
evidence that humans had hive tech- 34, 367-375.
nology for housing and moving bees WALLBERG, A., HAN, F., WELLHAGEN,
G., DAHLE, B., KAWATA, M., HAD-
in Britain until the Roman period. So DAD, N., SIMÕES, Z.L.P., ALLSOPP,
I agree with Norman that there is no M.H., KANDEMIR, I. & DE LA RÚA, P.
compelling reason to doubt that A. m. 2014. A worldwide survey of genome se-
mellifera has been naturally present in quence variation provides insight into the
Britain since the retreat of the last ice evolutionary history of the honey bee Apis
age. I just wish I had possessed this mellifera. Nature genetics, 46, 1081.
good news that day in London now WHITFIELD, C.W., BEHURA, S.K., BERLO-
CHER, S.H., CLARK, A.G., JOHNSTON,
nearly 30 years ago! J.S., SHEPPARD, W.S., SMITH, D.R., SU-
AREZ, A.V., WEAVER, D. & TSUTSUI,
References N.D. 2006. Thrice out of Africa: ancient
ARIAS, M. & SHEPPARD, W. 1996. Molecu- and recent expansions of the honey bee,
lar phylogenetics of honey bee subspecies
Apis mellifera. Science, 314, 642-645.
(Apis mellifera L.) inferred from mitochon-
drial DNA sequence. Molecular phylogenet-
ics and evolution, 5, 557-566.
CARRECK, N. L. 2008. Are honey bees (Apis Keith S. Delaplane
mellifera L.) native to the British Isles? is a Professor and
Journal of Apicultural Research, 47, 318-322. Walter B. Hill Fellow
CHEN, C., LIU, Z., PAN, Q., CHEN, X., at the University of
Georgia. He grew
WANG, H., GUO, H., LIU, S., LU, H.,
up on a small farm
TIAN, S. & LI, R. 2016. Genomic analyses
reveal demographic history and temperate in Indiana. and is an
adaptation of the newly discovered honey excellent artist, who
bee subspecies Apis mellifera sinisxinyuan illustrates his own
n. ssp. Molecular biology and evolution, 33, articles.
1337-1348.
CRIDLAND, J.M., TSUTSUI, N.D. &
RAMÍREZ, S.R. 2017. The Complex De-
mographic History and Evolutionary
Origin of the Western Honey Bee, Apis
Mellifera. Genome biology and evolution, 9,
457-472.
ENGEL, M.S. 1999. The taxonomy of recent
and fossil honey bees (Hymenoptera: Api-
dae; Apis).
FRANCK, P., GARNERY, L., LOISEAU, A.,
OLDROYD, B., HEPBURN, H., SOLIG-
NAC, M. & CORNUET, J. M. 2001. Ge-
netic diversity of the honeybee in Africa:
microsatellite and mitochondrial data. He-
redity, 86, 420-430.
GARNERY, L., CORNUET, J.M. & SOLIG-
NAC, M. 1992. Evolutionary history of the
honey bee Apis mellifera inferred from mi-
tochondrial DNA analysis. Molecular ecol-
ogy, 1, 145-154.
HAN, F., WALLBERG, A. & WEBSTER,
M.T. 2012. From where did the Western
honeybee (Apis mellifera) originate? Ecology
and evolution, 2, 1949-1957.
HENSHILWOOD, C.S., D’ERRICO, F.,
YATES, R., JACOBS, Z., TRIBOLO, C.,
DULLER, G.A., MERCIER, N., SEALY,
J.C., VALLADAS, H. & WATTS, I. 2002.
Emergence of modern human behavior:
Middle Stone Age engravings from South
Africa. Science, 295, 1278-1280.
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GLE, J.G. 2005. Stratigraphic placement
and age of modern humans from Kibish,
Ethiopia. Nature, 433, 733.
MEIXNER, M. D., LETA, M. A., KOENI-
GER, N. & FUCHS, S. 2011. The honey
bees of Ethiopia represent a new subspe-
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RUTTNER, F. 1988. Biogeography and tax-
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SHEPPARD, W.S. & MEIXNER, M.D. 2003.
Apis mellifera pomonella, a new honey bee
American Bee Journal
T
hrough the centuries people
believed beekeeping or bee
charming was a gift given to
people, who were gentle of heart and
slow to anger. These people talked to
bees, listened to their songs and un-
derstood their moods. Stoically, they
accepted stings. You can’t keep bees
if you don’t respect them and control
emotions. Swatting bees only angers
them. This I know: nervous, fearful,
impatient, distrustful, and angry peo-
ple do not keep bees for long.
I once placed half a dozen hives at
a ranch at the top of Copper Canyon
in Arizona. I was certain that these
hives were a safe distance from the
ranch house, horses and cattle. Fur-
thermore, I believed my bees would
fill a few supers with mesquite and
cat claw honey and I would give a
gallon or two to the rancher.
One day I attended my hives when
it was cool and the bees were restless,
but manageable. In full protection
near an open hive, I was examining
a frame of brood, and had set aside
frame of honey, when suddenly I felt
a presence behind me. I turned and
saw a bikini clad woman standing
close. This sudden sight of so much
bare skin was so out of context that at
first it didn’t seem real.
Obviously, she didn’t know my
bees would soon send guard bees and
if she swatted them, they would sting.
Since the odor of bee venom draws
bees, this was not a good place for her
to be. I firmly advised her to slowly
back away and go.
She did! Turns out she was a visitor
from California. Boy did she have a
bee encounter to remember.
May 2018
Once, hoping to harvest sweet clo-
ver honey, I placed several hives in a
meadow on the Apache Maid Ranch.
Always when I’ve been invited to
place hives, I promised to remove
them immediately if they become a
problem. One afternoon I received a
phone call from the ranch informing
me that cattle or horses had knocked
over my hives. I rushed up to the
ranch. The day was overcast, rain-
ing and cool. The bees were wet, cold
and angry. Although I knew I needed
a veil, gloves, and suit, I forgot my
boots and duct tape to wrap my pant
legs over said boots.
The bees found my ankles and
zeroed in. I couldn’t stop. I quickly
righted the hives, got into my pickup,
Beekeepers and hives
then scraped stingers out with my
finger nails. Although I am able to
receive multiple stings with little
or no swelling, it still hurts. Baking
soda helps.
a BiT of hisTory
In the days of horses and buggies,
before gentle bees were bred, bees
were a serious problem for horses
and communities. Bees and horses
didn’t get along. Their sweat, scent,
and actions angered bees. I don’t
know why. Of course if bees stung
a buggy horse, it could panic and
run. And if a horse was corralled and
couldn’t get into a barn, bees could
sting it to death. Stung horses could
be saved with bed sheets soaked in
baking soda.
Interestingly, cattle and bees get
along better. A cow may suffer multi-
ply stings and not get excited or maybe
the cow’s odor doesn’t excite bees or
its thicker hide protects it. Never the
less, if bees were kept safe distances
from farm animals and businesses,
communities welcomed them for their
honey, beeswax, and the pollination
of fruit, nuts, berries, alfalfa and other
nectar and pollen producing plants.
All bees are wild insects, but they
can be modified by selective breed-
ing. In the late 1800’s Catholic Monks
in Italy patiently crossed and bred
wild bees. Over time they produced
the Italian bee. These bees were good
honey producers and easy to handle.
Of course, others bred bees with simi-
lar success. My bees were Italian bees
and easy to manage compared with
what beekeepers now must contend
595

Beekeepers open hive
with due to the invasion of the Brazil-
ian Hybrid Africanized bee.
The Africanized bee has spread
to most southern states and beyond.
Fortunately many beekeepers have
learned to manage this bee. And for
now, requeening with gentle queens
is a temporary remedy. The African-
ized bees survive well, better adapted
to survive parasite pressure, but they
aggressively defend their nest, mak-
ing them less than ideal neighbors.
I placed bees among mesquite, cat
claw, and wild flowers along the Verde
River. Back then my domestic bees
were easy to place, as most people
didn’t fear them if I placed them a safe
distance from livestock and homes, or
behind borders of bushes or trees.
My hives in the 1970s and 80s in-
creased over time from my first colony
to 90 hives. And over the years these
Hives in Winter
596
bees annually produced nearly a ton
of honey, plus blocks of solar-melted
beeswax for trade.
The MysTerious Queen Bee
All worker bees are female; all
drones are male. Drones patrol above
hives searching for a virgin queen in
her maiden flight. She’s a fast flyer
and must be pursued for a midair
mating to take place. Though dozens
of drones pursue the queen, only the
fastest of drones can catch her to mate,
losing his life in the process. It’s na-
ture’s dance of life and death. It is also
a dance that determines the future of
the hive. In the mating, the queen re-
ceives her lifetime of sperm.
She is able to lay both fertile and
unfertile eggs. Fertile eggs produce
workers, unfertile eggs produce
drones. Young house bees secrete
flakes of beeswax with which they
form hexagonal comb cells for
honey, pollen storage, and brood
combs.
The Bee sPace
The Reverend Lorenzo Langstroth
(1852) discovered the bee space in the
beehive to be 3/8 inch. In this space,
bees do not glue frames to hive bod-
ies with propolis or bridge that space
with burr comb. This small space al-
lowed beekeepers to easily remove
frames from hive bodies to inspect
brood and honey. Honey is removed
from frames by centrifugal extrac-
tion. Empty honey frames are then
returned to the hive for repair and
refilling.
Consequently, the bee space gave
the beekeeper the gift of inspection
and honey harvesting without de-
stroying combs and unnecessarily
killing bees. It’s easy to see why this
Langstroth hive became popular.
Before, bees we kept in dome
shaped straw skeps or in sections of
hollow logs turned up. Honey was
harvested with a knife. This method
was messy, often killing bees, and de-
stroying combs. There was no way the
beekeeper could inspect a hive for the
queen or brood.
The MinisTer’s ideal hoBBy
Since beekeeping is seasonal, nor-
mally from spring into fall and since
beekeeping can be a hobby, like golf,
fishing, or hiking, it easily fits into
the church’s calendar and minis-
ter’s responsibilities. It’s also a good
hobby for a minister, who needs
some respite from his parishioners
and rest. While tending bees, there
are few interruptions.
From my perspective, it seems as if
modern man is killing bees through
insecticides, air pollutions, and loss of
environments. Will bees survive before
Eco-Man arrives? I wonder.
flowers & Bees
‘The relationship between bees and
flowers is a classic example of what is
known as “coevolution”. In a coevo-
lutionary bargain like the one struck
by bees and the apple tree, the two
parties act on each other to advance
their individual interests, but wind
up trading favors: food for the bee,
transportation for the apple genes.
Consciousness needn’t enter into it on
either side, or the traditional distinc-
tion between the subject and object is
meaningless.”
-The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan.
American Bee Journal
 Coevolution is complicated. Sim-
plicity—an innocent child looks at a
bee and a flower and knows only a
bee and flower.

John W. Jenkins is a retired minister,

artist, poet, beekeeper, fly fisherman,
reader, and thinker. He is the author of “A
Voice in the Wilderness” a book of inspi-
rational essays and “Catching a Dream:
A Bicycle Journey Across America.” John
lives in Camp Verde, Arizona continuing
his journey without Doris, his wife of 60
years who passed in 2011. He continues
to explore his love of nature, the mind,
and the spirit.

May 2018 597

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598 American Bee Journal


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date. Send typed copy to : Advertising Dept., American Bee Journal, 51 S. 2nd St., Hamilton, IL 62341 or FAX to 217-847-3660 or e-mail to: abjads@dadant.com.
May 2018
American Bee Journal
PARSONS’ GOLD SOLUTION - The
Only Solution For Keeping Your Honey
Bees Healthy! Herbal Treatment Oil &
Jelly - Bee Grooming Stimulant - Train
The Bees To Do The Work - Healthy
Bees Year Round. No Negative Effects
On Bees, Queen, Wax or Honey. Busi-
ness (419) 273-3066; Cell (419) 235-
7037. www.parsonsgold-honeybees.
com #33 Treatment Loaded Syringe -
$20.00 plus $8.00 S/H. Checks, Money
Orders, Credit Cards. Parsons’ Gold
Apiaries, c/o Robert B. Parsons, 2092
Twp. Rd., 195, Forest, OH 45843.
For Sale – 3000 10-frame singles. 2015
queens, new equipment. Also, 5-frame
nucs available. Call Chris (941) 720-
6025.
For Sale: 200 5-frame nucs and 400 single hives
in Florida. (772) 633-1134.
Bobcat, Hummerbee and Superbee Trailers cus-
tom built. New S450 Bobcat’s, set up with masts
and fifth wheels complete. Fifth Wheels sold
separately. Used Bobcat’s bought, sold and trade-
ins welcome. Custom truck bodies and Custom
smoker boxes, all built by a beekeeper FOR bee-
keepers. www.tropictrailer.com - Eli Mendes
239-340-0484, eli@tropictrailer.com
5-frame nucs for sale in NW Wisconsin. 2017
queens, nice equipment, no frame exchange. Will
be ready for pick-up end of April or first of May.
$125.00 each, quantity discounts on 50 or more.
Queen cells available March till May in Central
Florida (772) 215-2734. Sunnydellbees.com
Singles: Fresh queens, treated. Available Fall, Win-
ter, Spring - Hughson, CA. Call: 209-988-2823.
5 frame Nucs, 10 frame single hives on four-day
pallets, doubles, and story and a half hives, avail-
able year round in large and small quantities. Lo-
cated in the Florida Panhandle. Call for pricing,
Ryan Faircloth 850-510-4627.
New Beekeepers Forklift Trailers: 8000 lb. tork-
flex axle, 17.5/16 ply tires, electric brakes, tool-
box with lid, tilt bed, expanded metal treads. For
photos and price E-mail: gcamfab@yahoo.com
Singles on nice 4 way treated pallets available in
Late May in Texas. Plywood lids, mite treated.
8 frames with feeder. 2018 queens. Minimum
order 200. 20% to hold non refundable. Good
equipment. $150.00. Call 214-356-6791.
We have purchased Tom Industries
and we have these items for sale:
Handcrank Foundation Mills, 4 .9 or 5 .1
with preroller – Special this month (No-
vember) for pair - $2000 .00 . Flat style
(Waffle style) foundation embosser –
single sheet at a time - $650 .00 . New
honey pumps, several sizes – call or
e-mail for quote . New refractometers
- $65 .00 . (620) 365-5956 or email:
madelinecooper@sbcglobal .net
NEW 12 frame motorized stainless
steel extractor - $850 .00 . 24 frame
motorized, SS extractor -1200.00.
6 Frame motorized SS extractor
- 550 .00 . 3 frame manual extractor
- 225 .00 . 4 frame manual extractor -
275 .00 . Table saw resaw mandrel 15”
long -$1250, power feed, cuts several
top bars blank at a time . 4” Viking gear
pump -1000 .00, used very little . Stain-
less steel tank, 8’ 5” diameter 13’ 10”
tall - 5000 .00 . 3300 gal, insulated .
Stainless steel tank inside and out,
16’ long 5’ 1” wide - 4000 .00 - access
hole top. Waffle type foundation press
- 650 .00 . 55 gal . honey barrels - $5 .00
each . Nucs for sale . Will trade honey
or beeswax . Phone 1-620-365-5956 .
madelinecooper@sbcglobal .net
Doubles for sale after almonds. Call for details
and pricing Tim 507 217-9510.
FOR SALE: Deep extracting supers, 9-frames per
super. (308) 470-0177.
SWORDS APIARIES – retired. Good beekeeping
equipment for sale. 60-frame SS extractors, chain
uncapper, 2000 gallon SS honey tank, pumps,
hive bodies, 5 ¾ supers, nucs, etc. 229-502-4202.
Leave Message.
7 5/8” SUPERS WITH 9-FRAMES DRAWN
LIGHT COMB IN GOOD SHAPE - $27 EACH.
300 AVAILABLE - / 10 MINIMUM. ALSO,
METAL QUEEN EXCLUDERS, CLEANED -
$5.00 EACH. (417) 882-8008 (MISSOURI)
High Quality Michigan cutcomb: starthistle, wild-
flower. 2018 5-frame nucs, queens. Pine Creek
Honey, LaGrange, IN. Voice-mail (260) 499-
4628, ext. 1.
DD 8 frame on 4 way pallets $170; 10 frame
singles $135; 4 frame nucs $95; California,
Stockton 925-626-7800.
Doubles for sale after almonds $140. Also have
deep supers, hive bodies, and other equipment for
sale. Contact John (605) 760-5333.
Turnkey operation in Southwest Idaho 40 years
in business. 8 frame equipment - 3000 colonies.
4 trucks, 2 Swingers. 50+ locations. 3,000 sq.
ft. shop and extracting equipment. 2,800 sq. ft.
home and 17 acres available. Serious inquiries
only. goldenbeeinc.com or call Golden Millet
(208)250-8420.
Retiring! 700 colony turn key operation. 100%
of products sold retail/wholesale retail. 170K
average gross sales. (excluding almond pollina-
tion) Includes 10 acres, house, 40x60 honey shop.
1200 medium supers, 2015 hummerbee with
trailer, t300 kenworth, international yard truck,
locations in good standing, all sales accounts, ect.
Willing to sell bees only, or combo. $499k com-
plete. Serious inquiries only! Write: AMERICAN
BEE JOURNAL, PO BOX 151, HAMILTON, IL
62341.
FOR SALE: 1000 strong beehives after almonds
in California. One deep and a shallow on four way
pallets. $145.00 ea. 5000 medium depth supers in
very good condition in California $25.00 ea. Con-
tact (714) 745-2518 .
599
1000 hives for sale doubles and story and a half.
All 2017 queens with newer equipment. Also have
brood for sale. Prices depends on quantity. Please
call or text Allen @ 701-721-1773.
DADANT ELECTRIC MELT & SLUM RAKE.
1 YEAR OLD. $5500. amishtuken@gmail.com
5 Frame nucs in NorthEast Oklahoma. Available
Late April through Fall. No minimums. Taking
orders now for Spring 2018. www.RoarkAcres.
com Michael Roark (918)578-9201 nucs@
roarkacres.com
FOR SALE: Custom built oversized Gunness
uncapper with a custom built stand with tray and
auger system for cappings. 4-60 frame radials,
1 spin float (newly reconditioned), 1 L6 Cowen
VFD progressive pump. 605-680-0156.
Complete 50 year southern California beekeeping
operation. Some of the best locations in the state.
Currently have 2,.000 hives, enough locations and
equipment for 4000 hives. Available pollination.
Call Jack Wickerd (909) 286-8288.
HERBAL BEE BUTTER® – Bee groom-
ing stimulant, natural, edible product,
handcrafted by beekeeper 39 years.
Experience one caulk tube, treats
20 hives - $18.00. 5 lb. tub treats 200
hives - $160 plus $8.00 s/h. Credit
Cards. Herbal care. CO (239) 565-4420.
1000 colonies, 1 3/4 story new pallets good equip-
ment. Ready to split shake, make nucs after al-
monds in Red Bluff CA $225. Call Arrowsmith
and Sons. Also will have 1000 queen mothers, 3
story with 11,000 queen nucs - feed cans -new
pallets, $300,000. 530-515-4522.
Bee operation for sale in South Dakota. 90 loca-
tions – alfalfa, clover, Swinger lift trucks, honey
supers, extracting equipment, shops. Call Arrow-
smith & Sons - 530-515-4522.
FOR SALE: Singles with new queens, pallets (or
bottom boards) boxes full of bees. Near Sioux
City Iowa. Ready to make honey. 605.809.6291.
Bees for Sale - 1000 hives, Double deep. Good
condition. 916-802-0945.
5000 5 11/16” shallows for sale. $8/each call 559-
350-3066.
NUCS FOR SALE: 5-Frame NUCS @ $130
(Minimum order = 50). Available in GA/MI April
- August. 50% Deposit when ordering. Balance
due 2 weeks prior to pickup. Ray 229-921-8776.
Email: ray@weekshoneyfarm.com
Hundreds of boxes with drawn comb. Deeps +
shallows. Phoenix, Arizona (480) 206-8740.
Nice double colonies for sale in Minnesota. 1500
6 and 5/8’s supers for sale at 15.00 each. 8 foot
extension for a Guinness uncapped, 500$ - Call or
text, Gary, 320-360-1164.
Supers for Sale: 10-frame, cleated, drawn comb.
6 5/8 shallows and full depth - $22.50 each. Also
have shallow feeders with wooden inserts and
plastic ladders, ready to work - $10.00 each. Have
some nucs for May pickup. Call for price. Jack
(909) 286-8288.
500 deep, 700 shallow supers with good comb
$25/$20 each, extracting equipment, 4-way pal-
lets, lids, and boxes (209) 324-6873.
For sale: single hives on 4 way pallets, pick up
50 miles north of Bakersfield Ca. Also, supers for
sale, deep and med 9 frames of drawn comb, good
for honey box. Call Fred@ 559 719-9734.
Sale: 375 deeps w/brood comb. 50 4-way pal-
lets. Many covers. 75 5F nuc box. New frames w/
plastic foundation. Extracting machinery. SE MN
(507) 216-1703.
For sale: 5 frame nucs in cardboard boxes, 10
frame singles, and 10 frame double deeps. Call
for pricing (916) 801-0617.
600
Successful Mid-Western Honey Com-
pany for SALE ! Complete packaging fa-
cility with sales to over 400 stores and
warehouses. Very profitable company, will
show profit instantly in sales to organic stores.
Comes with a one year supply of honey. Due
to health, ready to sell. Will consider land for
trade. Write: AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL,
PO Box152, Hamilton, IL 62341.
For sale: Five frame NUCS, and 10-frame hives.
Located-Madison County--North Alabama. Call
Henry, 256-859-1747 Email: hroll67182@aol.
com
‘Food Grade” 275 gallon totes with galvanized
steel cage and pallet. Perfect for beekeepers.
100% recyclable. Dimensions 48x40x46. Great
condition. $90 each. Discount with purchase
of 10 or more. Pick up and cash only. TEXT
OR EMAIL ONLY! svhill98@yahoo.com (229)
560-9105.
Raphael Brua, 209-765-3753 - Bee Outfit for Sale
- Single hives on pallets $120/each, 9 5/8” supers
$25/each, 6 5/8” supers 15/each, 10-Frame recon-
ditioned hive clip pallets (200) $17/each, Black
2,500 gal. syrup tanks (2) $400/each, 1971 Ford
20’ wooden bed 2/hooks (tandem) $2,500, 1973
Chevy 18’ wooden bed w/hooks(tandem) $4,000,
Spyder forklift $7,500.
FOR SALE: 200 Five frame NUCS. Tampa
FL. 813-451-6334.
Mann Lake extracting equipment for sale. Chain
uncapper $5500. 80 frame extractor with tables
and pump $10,000. 3” inlet progressive cavity
pump $4500. Honey pump with motor $1000.
Stainless steel cappings pump $3000. Custom
made 55 gallon tank $1000. Hoses and fittings
$500. Maxant wax separator $8000. All items
purchased new in 2016. Excellent condition. 520-
240-3135.
1,000 Bee Hives for sale after almond
bloom. 100 hive minimum. (530) 476-
3211, (701) 226-6202 either 10fr. Singles
or doubles.
HONEY FOR SALE
Excellent clover honey in drums and light beeswax
available. Mark Gilberts Apiaries, (608) 482-1988.
U.S. sweet clover, alfalfa, thistle mix, (9 drums of
black locust-limited supply), white honey, melter
honey, filtered, new drums, excellent honey -
f.o.b. several loads available. Produced by Bald-
win Apiaries, Darlington, WI (608) 776-3700.
Very nice looking & good tasting Nebraska
bottling honey. (402) 319-5125.
CLOVER – Buckwheat, Orange, Tupelo, and
Wildflower – pails or drums. PURE SWEET
HONEY FARM, 514 Commerce Parkway,
Verona, Wisconsin 53593. (608) 845-9601.
Clover, Basswood, Wildflower honey available in
drums in WI. Great tasting! Light beeswax avail-
able. Call (262) 689-1000.
Honey and beeswax for sale. Clover, Orange
Blossom, Wildflower. Many varietals available.
Smitty Bee Honey (712) 748-4292.
PREMIUM HONEYS – Summer: Michigan
Blueberry, Thistle (Knapweed) – excellent for
creamed honeys, plus FL premium fall pepper
and FL spring orange blossom honeys. Call Ed
(231) 408-7485. Email: edeisele@gmail.com
QUALITY HONEY, barrels, your buckets.
Hollenbeck, Kirksville, Missouri. (660) 665-2542
evenings.
Viet Nam, Indian and Brazilian
honey for sale in bulk. Beeswax and
bee pollen in bulk. Please call 908-
967-1484. Email: info@Sarahimpex.
com
HONEY AND
BEESWAX WANTED
HONEY WANTED—Extracted or comb.
LEIGHTON’S HONEY, INC., 1203 Commerce
Ave. Haines City, Florida 33844. (863) 422-1773.
FAX (863) 421-2299
HONEY WANTED– all grades. Also, honey
barrels for sale. Contact Pure Sweet Honey Farm
Inc., 514 Commerce Parkway, Verona, WI. (608)
845-9601.
Round comb, Fresh, good tasting
Pollen, Varietal Honeys. 800-678-1226.
tasty@zspecialtyfood.com
HONEY PRICE UPDATES. Call Honey
Hot Line. (763) 658-4193.
ROYAL JELLY
BEST 100% PURE FRESH ROYAL JELLY.
$65.00 per kilo + shipping. HIGHEST PO-
TENCY. LOWEST PRICES guaranteed on
large orders. TOP QUALITY. Stakich, Inc.
248-642-7023 X 301
POLLEN
QUALITY, CLEAN, LOW MOISTURE POL-
LEN $5.50/lb. Min. 10 lbs. + shipping. LOW-
EST PRICES guaranteed for large orders.
Stakich, Inc. Phone 248-642-7023 X 301
Fresh 2018 Northern California raw bulk pollen
available. Available raw uncleaned and semi-dried
and cleaned. Call for pricing at (916) 224-2211.
POLLINATION
Bees wanted for the Almonds. Art Harris, 6301
Victor St. #63, Bakersfield, CA 93308 (661) 444-
1470.
Bees Wanted for 2018 Almond Pollination. We
Provide the Following: Hives are placed behind
locked gates. 24/7 security with nightly patrols.
Fungicide spraying only and only at night. Win-
tering yards with full service hive maintenance,
feeding, and medication. We have forklifts and
crew to place hives in orchards. You are paid 50%
on or before February 25th and 50% on or before
April 20th. Visit: www.almondbeepollination.
com for more details. Please Call: California
Almond Pollination Service, Inc. (209) 202-8915
E Mail: shousebee@gmail.com
BEES AND QUEENS
JERRY FOSTER QUEENS quality Carniolan and
hybrid Italian queens at competitive prices. Nucs
and packages also. Jerry Foster Apiaries, 937 9th
St., Colusa, CA 95932. Phone (530) 458-4234.
Pacific Northwest mated queens. Orders of 50 or
more. Treasure Valley Idaho. Call for Pricing, Jon
@ (208) 412-1092. www.goldenbeeinc.com
QUALITY QUEENS from HAWAII, available
year round. Call KARRUS QUEENS (808)
854-5308.
3 lb Packages Bees for sale, for pick up in
Wisconsin. Contact: Mark Gilberts Apiaries 608-
482-1988.
Let us put bees into your equipment with enough
time to feed them up for the almonds. May be
willing to do the feeding. Also, willing to fill your
equipment in the spring. Call Rick Riggs (661)
204-2631.
Doubles, singles, brood for sale
year round. FOB Jan-April, Oak-
dale, CA. April-Dec., Milton Freewa-
ter, OR. Queens less than 6 months,
great equipment. Ryan@sweetbee
honeyco.com (360) 907-0842. $5k min.
purchase.
American Bee Journal
Early-bird pricing for 2018. Italian & Russian
Hybrid package bees, queens and nucs. Pick
up in KY, ship to 5 zones. Web: www.school
housebees.com Pails of honey for sale year-
around. School House Bees (859) 356-1350.
NUCS & QUEENS – shipping available.
NorthFloridaBees@mail.com 850-661-8077
Minnesota Hygienic Italian mated
queens for sale. Call for pricing and
availability. Bayou Hives 9340 HWY 451
Moreauville, LA 71355 (318)359-2096
Email saucier.l@yahoo.com
Minnesota Hygienic Italian Queens
for sale. Proven 2018 laying queens.
Call for pricing and availability – Mark
Gaspard, PO Box 366, Moreauville,
Louisiana 71355. (225) 718-1378. Email:
mag_0424@yahoo.com
Cisneros & Sons Honey Bees is now taking or-
ders for 2018, Italians and Carniolan queen bees.
Available April to September. Call or email David
Cisneros (530) 592-7762. alex-cisneros@live.
com
SINGLE-BOX BEEHIVES AVAILABLE LATE
MAY. PICKUP SW MISSOURI. SIX FRAMES
BEES/ FIVE FRAMES BROOD/ ITALIAN
QUEEN/NEW HIVE BODY, MIGRATORY LID
AND BOTTOM. 5@$220. 10@$215/20@$210
EACH. THESE WILL MAKE YOUR HONEY!!
(417) 882-8008. ALSO 4-FRAME NUCS - $145
EACH.
Singles for sale out of MS available in April Semi
Load or pick-up only. All hives on a 4 way pal-
let with lid and a feeder. Price is $185 deposit
required on semi loads. Contact McCoy Family
Apiaries LLC at (989) 550-3111.
BUTTE BEES – Italian hybrid queens selected
for overwintering and honey production. Queens
available April to September. Packages pickup
2nd week April. Call for pricing (530) 713-4725.
YUBA CITY, CALIFORNIA.
5 frame nucs for sale best price. Sacramento CA.
www.paulsbees.com 916-600-6124.
Northern California Queens – Good Quality
Bred Italians. Call Jake: (530) 517-0359.
NUCS FOR SALE: 5-Frame NUCS @ $130
(Minimum order = 50). Available in GA/MI April
- August. 50% Deposit when ordering. Balance
due 2 weeks prior to pickup. Ray 229-921-8776.
Email: ray@weekshoneyfarm.com
Marked Queens - 25 minimum order, tested
on full size deep frames - Breeders selected
from our most productive hives-$28 per queen
+ UPS overnight. outwestapiary@gmail.com
(530) 908 1311.
WILD SURVIVOR BREEDER QUEENS
NW Feral Stock - Hardy - Hygienic
Mite Tolerant - Disease Resistant.
– OLYMPIC WILDERNESS APIARY
Isolated Yards – (360) 928-3125. www.
wildernessbees.com
2500 10- Frame hives, 5 frame nucs. Avail-
able in CA and CO. 970-856-6710 or irish
temperbees@yahoo.com
Singles or doubles for sale mostly new equipment
with Kona Queens, 661-204-2632.
WANTED
Honey and Beeswax wanted. All colors and
varietals. Send samples or call Smitty Bee Honey
(712) 748-4292.
Wanted Cowen Chainfed Uncapper. 563-580-
5575.
Wanted - Lease bees for Colorado Honey Flow,
June to August 2018, 50/50 split. Call Jon Soffel
701-871-2422
May 2018
HELP WANTED
Full time position available in Oregon. Bee-
keeping experience and CDL required. Contact
Ryan@sweetbeehoneyco.com PO Box 558,
Milton Freewater, OR 97862 (360)907-0842.
Seasonal and full-time help needed at our migratory
bee operation. We are located in FL and WI. We do
pollination, queen rearing and honey production.
Some experience preferred, team environment,
wages dependent on experience, good opportunity
or advancement. Prior work history and references
required. Contact Gary at (262) 689-1000.
Olivarez Honey Bees/Big Island Queens is seek-
ing motivated beekeepers to join our Hawaii
team! Experience preferred. Self-motivator and
ability to work in a team environment a plus. Po-
sitions are full time, salary based on experience.
Great Benefits Package. Prior work history and
references required. Advancement opportunities
available. Submit resume to info@ohbees.com
or Olivarez Honey Bees Inc/Big Island Queens,
P O Box 847 Orland Ca 95963, Fax: 530-865-
5570, Phone 530-865-0298
McCoy Honey Co. is looking for motivated in-
dividuals to work in a large commercial opera-
tion. Applicants should have some experience,
a valid driver’s license, and be willing to travel.
McCoy Honey Co. has operations in MI and MS
and pollinates in CA/MS/ME/WI. Pay is based
on experience and queen grafting is a major plus.
McCoy Honey Co. is a family business and a team
environment. Applicants should contact Ryan at
(989) 550-3111.
MISCELLANEOUS
The AMERICAN BEEKEEPING FEDERA-
TION has many benefits to offer its members. Send
for a membership packet of information today! We
also offer a free Beginning Beekeeping Packet.
Contact the AMERICAN BEEKEEPING
FEDERATION, 3525 Piedmont Rd. NE, Bld. 5.
Suite 300, Atlanta, GA 30305-1509, Phone (404)
760-2875, Fax 404-240-0998, or email info@
abfnet.org.
HONEY BEE INSEMINATION SERVICE
Susan Cobey - Instrumental Insemination Spe-
cialized Equipment, Consulting, Training,
Custom Service honeybeeinsemination.com
scobey@mac.com Tel. 360-969-9441.
PERIODICALS
L’ABEILLE DE FRANCE—The most important
of the monthly publications in France - for all
beekeepers, from the amateurs to the professional.
Each month: an article for beginners, reports from
specialists, a review of the latest information all
over the world. Ask for a sample Annual subscrip-
tion: 40$ US. ABEILLE DE FRANCE- 5, rue du
Copenhague-F 75008 PARIS.
THE AUSTRALASIAN BEEKEEPER—
Senior Beekeeping Journal of the Southern
Hemisphere. Complete coverage of all bee-
keeping topics in one of the world’s largest
beekeeping countries. Published by Pender
Beekeeping Supplies Pty. Ltd., “Bilga” 79 Nay-
lor Road, Urila, N.S.W. 2620, Australia. Annual
subscription paid in advance $160 AUD.
THE AUSTRALIAN BEE JOURNAL—
Caters to both amateur and commercial
apiarists. Subscription $120.00 Australian
currently for all overseas subscribers per annum.
Published monthly. Victorian Apiarists’ Asso-
ciation, Inc., P.O. Box 40, California Gully,Vic.
Australia 3556 Ph: 03 5446 1543, Email:
vaa@vicbeekeepers.com.au.
BEECRAFT The UK’s leading monthly beekeep-
ing magazine. View a digital copy and subscribe on
line at www.bee-craft.com.
DIE BIENE – ALLGEMEINE DEUTSCHE IM-
KERZEITUNG (ADIZ) – IMKERFREUND The
Bee magazines with special publications in bee
science and management for the hobbyist as well
as for the sideliner and professional beekeeper.
Three regional titles but same content today for
Germany except partly Imkerfreund for Bavaria.
Monthly publications with 64 pages. Subscription
Euro 44.50 per year – Deutscher Landwirtschafts-
verlag GmbH, Postfach 870324, 13162 Berlin, Tel.
+49(0)30/293974-87, Fax +49(0) 30/293974-59,
www.diebiene.de
HIVELIGHTS, National magazine of the Cana-
dian Honey Council. Published quarterly. Free
sample on request, write to Canadian Honey
Council, Suite 236, 234-5149 Country Hills
Blvd. NW, Calgary AB T3A 5K8, CANADA.
Subscription information available at www.
honeycouncil.ca.
HONEYBEE NEWS, The Journal of the New
South Wales Apiarists’ Association, Inc., Inter-
national Subscription AUS$50.00 (Airmail) Bank
Draft, Visa or MasterCard payable to NSW AA.
Published bi-monthly—For more information
contact: The Editor, PO Box 352, Leichhardt
NSW 2040 Australia. E-mail: honeybee@
accsoft.com.au
IBRA (the International Bee Research Associa-
tion) is a unique organization established in 1949
for the advancement of bee science and beekeep-
ing. It publishes two magazines: JAR – the Journal
of Apiculture Research, for scientists, and BW
- Bee World, for beekeepers who want broaden
their horizons by learning about other beekeeping
traditions, other bees, other ideas. Members chose
which magazine(s) to include in their membership.
IBRA is a vital bridge between the local (hive)
and global concerns. IBRA is registered under UK
charity law (Office: 91 Brinsea Road, Congresbury,
Bristol, BS49 5JJ, UK) www.ibrabee.org.uk
IRISH BEEKEEPING—Read An Beachaire
(The Irish Beekeeper). Published monthly. Sub-
scription $50.00 per annum post free. Dermot
O’Flaherty, Journal Manager, Rosbeg, Westport,
Co. Mayo, Ireland
ATTENTION LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS—
Ranch Magazine is your monthly information
guide for Angora, Cashmere and meat goats, as
well as sheep and cattle. Comprehensive Breeder
Directory. 1-Yr $27, 2-Yrs $54. Foreign &
Canada add $36 per yr. postage. Subscribe today!
Box 2678-ABJ, San Angelo, TX 76902. Call for
free sample. (325) 655-4434
THE SCOTTISH BEEKEEPER—Monthly Maga-
zine of the Scottish Beekeeper’s Association. Inter-
national in appeal, Scottish in character. View back
numbers and Subscription rates at: http://scottish
beekeepers.org.uk
SOUTH AFRICAN BEE JOURNAL—The offi-
cial organ of the S.A. Federation of Bee Farmers’
Associations. Published Bimonthly in English
and Afrikaans, primarily devoted to the African
and Cape Bee races. Subscriptions incl. postage
(six copies). All subscribers outside of South Af-
rica R100-00 surface mail, payment to be made
in S.A. Rands. NB. Sample copies only available
on receipt of a donation. P.O. Box 41 Modder-
fontein, 1645, South Africa.
ULADAG BEE JOURNAL - Publication of
Uludag Beekeeping Association, published quar-
terly in Turkish (with English titles and summaries
of all articles) and English in all aspects of bee-
keeping; beekeeping news, practical beekeeping,
and research articles, and considered a link be-
tween Turkish beekeeping and the world. Gazcilar
Cad. No. 9/2 16220 Bursa-TURKEY Fax:+90 224
224 3964 http://www.uludagaricilik.org.tr
601

A.N. Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 590
A & G Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598
A & O Forklift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480
Acorn Beekeeping Equip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532
American Honey Producers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501
Anderson Bee Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 590
Apistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553
Australian Bee Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526
Avant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520
Avoyelle’s Honey Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 573
Bastin Honey Bee Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582
Bee Box Wraps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513
Bee Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561
BeeCulture.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574
Bee Excellent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 590
Bee Hive Thermal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598
BeeInformed.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598
Beekeepingins.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603
Beeline Apiaries & Woodenware . . . . . . . . . . 560
Beelite Wax Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 584
Bee Smart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 588
Betterbee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502
BL Plastic Containers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598
Blue Ridge Honey Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 590
Blue Sky Bee Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484
Bordelon Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598
Borntrager, David. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562
Brand New Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 584
Brother Bee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 538
Brown Honey Co. Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513
Browning Cut Stock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582
Brumley Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598
Brushy Mountain Bee Farm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519
Bucko Gloves, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 594
Butte Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 538
Butte Valley Apiaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 588
Buzz’s Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 543
CC Pollen Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589
Chinabeeworld.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510
Complete Bee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501
Contract Pros Mfg.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589
Cook & Beals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565
Cowen Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533
Dadant & Sons, Inc. . . . . . 482, 499, 500, 525, 589,
598 & Back Cover
Dakota Gunness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 538
602
Advertising Index
Draper’s Super Bee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598
EAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Ernst Seeds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490
Globalpatties.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 566
GloryBee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 602
Groteguth Queens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490
Hardeman Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520
Hawaiian Queen Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562
Heilyser Technology Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510
Heitkams Honey Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501
Hilbert’s Honey Bees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Hogg Halfcomb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598
Honey B Healthy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562
Honey Land Farms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489
Horace Bell Honey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533
Jester Bee Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562
JJ’s Honey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598
KingBee Apiaries & Pollination . . . . . . . . . . . 582
Koehnen, C.F. & Sons, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519
Kona Queen Hawaii. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 590
Lassen Queen Bee Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510
Lohman Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562
Little Mule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534
M & N Apiary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534
Mann Lake Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 554
Maxant Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510
McKenna Boiler Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582
Medivet Pharmaceuticals Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568
Meyers, A.H. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 560
Miller Bee Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 543
Mother Lode Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514
Nod Apiary Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 567
Old Sol Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582
Olivarez Honey Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
OxaVap.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490
Park-Burris Queens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513
Pendell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582
Pierco.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 579
Plastic Packaging Concept. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 597
Powell Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542
Queen Right Colonies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489
QSI Honey and Food Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501
R.M. Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489
Resillience Apiary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510
Roberts Bee Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526
Ross Rounds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568
Rossman Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561
Sanders Honey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582
Selby Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 538
Shastina Millwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481
Sherriff, B.J. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534
Simpson’s Bee Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510
Smith Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534
South Florida Bees-N-Queens . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510
South Georgia Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582
Spell Bee Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514
Stan’s Pure Honey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562
Stayer’s Quality Queens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533
Strachan Apiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490
Strong Microbials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525
Suhre, Adam Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 590
Suhre, E. Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510
Sunshine Honey Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489
Superior Bee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Swienty Beekeeping Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 489
Taber’s Honey Bee Genetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506
Texas Insurance & Financial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 597
Tinoco Bee Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533
Tree’s for Bees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534
T.R.S. Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506
Veto-pharma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 544
Vidalia Apicultural Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542
VP Queen Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534
Weaver, R. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 597
Western Bee Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478
Wicwas Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506
Wilbanks Apiaries Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542
Wintersun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510
Wooten’s Queens and Bees, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . 525
Z Specialty Food, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 597
Z’s Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525
American Bee Journal
March 2018 603
604 American Bee Journal