From SYSAM@UACSC2.ALBANY.EDUMon May 22 06:45:21 1995 Date: Mon, 22 May 95 08:34:54 EDT From: Aaron Morris To: dicka@cuug.ab.ca ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 Sep 90 08:10:00 EDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: General Delivery Subject: AUGUST APIS--PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT TO BITNET: MTS@IFASGNV Apis--Apicultural Information and Issues Florida Extension Beekeeping Newsletter Volume 8, Number 8, August 1990 MOSQUITO CONTROL Beekeepers around the state should be allert to a potential for increased mosquito spraying. At the present time, a Saint Louis Encephalitis (SLE) epidemic alert for Orange, Brevard and Indian River counties has been issued. One may be announced for two other counties (Hillsborough and Lake) as well. This will probably result in stepping up mosquito control efforts in these areas. The Entomology Department of the Florida's Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services indicates conditions are right for a large outbreak of SLE, similar to one in 1977. Beekeepers should keep close contact with county mosquito control agencies to ensure not being caught off guard if large-scale adulticiding begins. Beekeepers and mosquito control offices can consult IFAS Circular 534 "Protecting Honey Bees From Pesticides," for recommendations to limit bee losses when pesticide application for mosquito control begins. CONTAMINATED HONEY It was only a matter of time. The Boston Herald reported that honey from a specific outfit had been contaminated with fluvalinate, the active ingredient in Zoecon's Apistan (R) plastic strips. Taking this conclusion further, the newspaper then implied that the contamination came from the strips themselves. The facts do not bear this out, the Corporation says, in a packet of information sent to industry leaders. According to the Corporation, it would take some 96 strips placed into a colony all at once to reach contamination levels reported by the newspaper (1.14 parts per million). If used according to the label, Zoecon points out, honey cannot be contaminated using the strips. There are a number of ways that honey might become contaminated with fluvalinate. This active ingredient, also marketed in other products to control insects on ornamentals or turf, may be applied to beehives in an . Alternatively, plastic Apistan strips can be left in the brood nest too long. It is not legal, nor wise, to leave the strips in a colony longer than listed on the label. Wax and honey contamination, as well as build up of resistant mite populations, are the likely outcomes of this practice. Experience in Israel, where fluvalinate impregnated in wooden strips are often used to control Varroa, indicates the material builds up in wax and possibly honey. The result of this episode of contaminated honey and the attendant press coverage will be increased testing of product destined for the consumer market. The state of Florida has added fluvalinate to its honey testing protocol and this will probably be the case in other states as well. The message is clear: all misuse of fluvalinate (that includes at the present time, ANY USE EXCEPT Apistan strips applied ACCORDING TO THE LABEL accompanying the product) will be sought out by the authorities and is potentially damaging to the beekeeping industry. VARROA IN FLORIDA Conversation with bee inspectors around the state is now confirming what many have previously thought. Two kinds of beekeepers found infested with Varroa have emerged: those with healthy colonies (treated) and those with dead colonies (untreated). It is important to realize that once mites are detected, colonies can go rapidly downhill. Those who wait to treat often delay too long. Varroa is so new that many beekeepers have yet to detect or see the results of the parasite. Hint for the Hive Number 127 provides detailed information on the mite. It is available electronically through both the IFAS computer network and FAIRS to county extension offices. Individual copies can also be obtained from me. In addition, the video "Varroa Mite Detection," VT-249 is also available to extension offices through the IFAS Media Library, Bldg. 116, Mowry Rd., Gainesville, FL 32611, ph 904/392-2411. The video has no copyright and can be duplicated at will. I can also provide a copy if sent a blank tape (1/2" VHS). If you suspect or find Varroa, the local bee inspector should be contacted for assistance. In order to use Apistan for Varroa control, the beekeeper must enter into a compliance agreement with the Apiary Bureau, Division of Plant Industry, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (see survey article elsewhere in this newsletter). Those currently employed as bee inspectors are listed in Hint for the Hive Number 104. Again, extension offices can find these names, addresses and phone numbers through FAIRS. TESTING VARROA MITE CONTROL KNOWLEDGE The July issue of the Speedy Bee contains an article taken from the Nebraska Honey Producers Association's newsletter, Nebraska Bee Tidings. The following 25 questions are a portion of the Apistan certification program administered by the Nebraska State Apiarist, Marion Ellis. The questions are considered the most important for beekeepers to know, if they are to prosper in the 1990s. Instructions: Choose the best answer for each question. 1. Varroa mites feed on: a. hive debris b. adult bees c. brood d. pollen and honey e. both b and c 2. Adult female varroa mites are: a. white b. black c. reddish-brown d. grey 3. How many legs do varroa mite have? a. eight b. six c. four d. two 4. How long after the introduction of a few varroa mites into an apiary will it be before colonies are lost due to varroa infestation? a. six weeks b. six months c. one year d. three years 5. Varroa mites can spread on adult bees through: a. drifting b. robbing c. purchasing infested packages and queens d. all of the above 6. In brood, varroa mites are most likely to be found in: a. unsealed larvae b. capped worker pupae c. capped drone pupae d. none of the above; found on adult bees only 7. The bee louse is an insect that is rarely found on honey bees and causes no harm to them. It is similar in size and color to the varroa mite. How many legs does the bee louse have? a. eight b. six c. four d. two 8. Varroa mites are: a. not visible to the naked eye b. about the size of quarter c. about the size of a penny d. smaller than a BB but readily visible to the naked eye 9. To ether-roll sample a colony for varroa, you: a. spray ether in the entrance and roll the colony over b. put a paper on the bottom board and spray ether over the top bars c. spray ether into a jar of 300 to 400 bees; then shake and roll the jar looking for mites on the sides of the jar 10. The only chemical currently registered for the control of varroa mites is: a. menthol b. Apistan c. amitraz b. all of the above 11. Which of the following is a true statement? a. Apistan is a fumigant and can be placed anywhere in the hive to kill mites. b. Apistan is a contact acaracide and must be placed where the bees cluster on the strips to kill mites. c. Apistan strips should be placed in a smoker and the bees smoked heavily. 12. When handling Apistan strips, beekeepers should wear: a. rubber or latex gloves b. leather gloves c. cotton gloves d. no gloves are necessary 13. For best results, when treated with Apistan colonies should be: a. well fed b. raising brood c. raising drones d. broodless 14. Apistan strips should be applied by placing the strips as follows: a. Laying the strips across the top bars b. Tacking the strips to the entrance c. Laying the strips on the bottom board d. Suspending the strips with a nail through the top between frames the bees are clus- tered upon 15. The recommended treatment period for Varroa abatement (control) is: a. 3 days b. 7 days c. 30 days d. 60 days 16. The danger in leaving Apistan strips in for longer than the recommended treatment period is: a. the mites developing resistance to the treatment b. the bees may be killed c. the strips may turn green d. the bees may eat the strips 17. Used strips should be disposed of by: a. burning them in a trash barrel b. placing used strips in a plastic bag, attaching a label identifying the material, and taking the material to a sanitary landfill c. taking the material to an EPA-approved highly toxic waste disposal site d. throwing them in the trash 18. Beekeepers applying Apistan under state department of agriculture supervision must provide the Department with: a. a list of the locations where the material was used b. the date the material was applied c. the date strips were removed d. all of the above 19. The penalty for using unregistered pesticides on honey bee colonies is: a. a fine of $5,000 from the EPA for misuse b. honey being ineligible for ASCS loan c. honey being condemned and destroyed d. all of the above 20. Colonies of honey bees may be treated with Apistan: a. any time of year b. only when surplus honey supers are not on the hives c. before removing surplus honey to assure that no mites are present in the honey d. only during the main honey flow 21. The waiting period required after Apistan treatment before surplus honey supers can be put on is: a. there is no waiting period b. 3 days c. 7 days d. 30 days 22. Which of the following storage and disposal precautions apply to Apistan strips: a. Keep strips in the original unopened package until ready to use b. Do not store unused strips in anything but the original package c. Do not store strips near pesticides or other chemical substances that could contami- nate the strips and result in bee toxicity. d. Do not store strips in direct sunlight. e. All of the above 23. The Apistan strips approved for use on package bees are: a. the same as the strips approved for use on established colonies b. weaker than the strips approved for use on established and should not be used to treat colonies c. stronger than the strips approved for use on established colonies and should be cut in half 24. Female varroa mites overwinter: a. in pollen cells b. in hive debris c. on adult bees d. on beekeepers e. all of the above 25. When hives containing brood are killed to abate varroa how long must the brood combs be stored away from live bees to prevent them from infesting colonies they are placed on? a. 4 hours b. 24 hours c. 48 hours d. 2 weeks SURVEY OF THE FLORIDA BEEKEEPING INDUSTRY Mr. Laurence Cutts, Florida State Apiarist, polled the beekeeping industry last spring on a number of issues. Of 158 surveys sent out by the Apiary Bureau, Division of Plant Industry, Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services, some 58 were returned. The results were as follows: Yes No 1. Do you consider Varroa mite a serious pest? 55 5* 2. Should the Department regulate Varroa mites? 47 10*# 3. Have you used Apistan to control Varroa mites? 50 8 4. Does Apistan control Varroa mites? 47 3*# 5. Do you support removal of Apistan for Varroa? 5 54*# 6. Do you consider American foulbrood (AFB) a serious pest? 37 22* 7. Should the Department continue to regulate AFB? 47 10*# * Surveys gave both yes and no answers. # No responses on some surveys. The above responses will be used to help guide the Apiary Bureau's programs in the future. If you have comments or questions, contact Mr. Cutts, P.O. Box 1269, Gainesville, FL 32602, ph 904/372-3505, ext 128. Sincerely, Malcolm T. Sanford 0312 IFAS 202 Newell Hall University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611-0312 Phone (904) 392-1801 FAX: 904-392-5660 BITNET Address: MTS@IFASGNV INTERNET Address: MTS@GNV.IFAS.UFL.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 Sep 90 09:28:00 EDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Barbara Fallon Subject: AUGUST APIS--PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT TO BITNET: MTS@IFASGNV In-Reply-To: Message of 09/04/90 at 08:10:00 from POSTMASTER@IFASGNV.BITNET Received APIS. Very informative. Will take information to regional beekeeper meeting. ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 9 Sep 90 14:33:00 MST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: INOUYE_D@CUBLDR.COLORADO.EDU Subject: Re: AUGUST APIS--PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT TO BITNET: MTS@IFASGNV OFFLINE Inouye David W. Z ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 17 Sep 90 23:23:59 CDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Zhiyong Huang Dear Bee-liners, Has anybody among you ever overwintered an observation hive indoor ? or are there any information, published or otherwise on this matter ? we are trying to overwinter 2 hives here in midwest (Illinois). what would be the opt imal temperature ? on a related matter, what is the minimal number of bees that is required t o readily thermoregulate ? 50 ? 500 ? no idea. Any comment would be appreciated. Yours Zhiyong Huang. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 18 Sep 90 13:44:59 -0100 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "W.D.J. Kirk" Subject: bee-l We are trying to overwinter an observation hive for the first time this year. The hive has 3 frames (2 deep and 1 shallow) vertically above each other. It is in an unheated corridor with a pipe to outside. I once spoke to someone who had overwintered a hive in this way in Scotland (colder than here), but I don't remember how he did it. I would also welcome advice. The problem is similar to that of overwintering full-size beehives indoors as in Canada. I have a paper by McCutcheon, D.M. (1984) Indoor wintering of hives. Bee World 65(1), 19-37. It is available from the International Bee Research Association as a reprint. It seems that 4 degrees C works well but who knows for an observation hive ? William Kirk, University of Keele, Staffs., U.K. bia69@seq1.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 19 Sep 90 08:51:00 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Ed Beary Subject: OBSERVATION HIVE I have tried unsuccessfully for two years to keep a hive over the winter. I devised a system to redirect cold air into the room without going through the hive. This helped some. It was not good enough. I would like help with this problem as well. Ed ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 19 Sep 90 16:10:00 EDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "David W. INOUYE" Subject: bee tags I'd like information about sources for the small, numbered, colored plastic tags (5 colors) that I've seen for marking queen bees. Referred to as "Opalith-Plattchen" in German, and made in Germany I believe. Sources in the U.S. would be most convenient, but I'd be glad to receive information about sources in Germany too. David Inouye Dept. of Zoology University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742 e-mail di5@umail.umd.edu ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 19 Sep 90 16:20:23 EDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: MILNE@WSUVM1.BITNET To those interested in overwintering observation hives: It is possible to overwinter observation hives indoors. At the University of Guelph, we regularly had an observation hive stocked and overwintered it with reasonable success. It had an entrance to the southeast, and was kept in a cool basement. The hive was provided thick insulation over the glass when not being viewed. The colony was two or three combs high and fed occasionally. To get the details, I recommend calling Alister Adie in Guelph at (519) 822-5433. Since he managed the observation hive, he should be able to give you more details. Best of luck! Chuck Milne Washington State University MILNE@WSUVM1 ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 21 Sep 90 08:11:24 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "James D. Thomson" Subject: Re: bee tags In-Reply-To: Message of Wed, 19 Sep 90 16:10:00 EDT from In answer to David Inouye's request for the address for "Opalith- Plattchen": CHR. GRAZE KG 7056 Weinstadt-Endersbach Bei Stuttgart WEST GERMANY telephone: (0 71 51) 6 11 47 telex: 7 262 213 apig d ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 21 Sep 90 09:51:15 EDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "Edward E. Southwick" Subject: Inside Overwintering An authority on overwintering hives inside is James Kuehl who overwinters 1000 colonies inside a building (made for the purpose) at 7 degrees C (45 degrees F). He insures good ventilation to get rid of moisture and CO2 with a fan ventilation system, and keeps the bees in the dark (NO light) from November through March. He uses colonies with about 3 pounds (1.5 kg) of bees. He's been doing it for 17 years successfully! A rundown on his methods is in the American Bee Journal- January 1990, Page 15-16. His address: James Kuehl, Cook and Beals, Inc., Loup City, NE 68853 telephone: 308/745-0154 ================================================================== º Edward E. Southwick Department of Biology º º Phone 716-395-5743 State University of New York º º FAX 716-395-2416 Brockport, New York 14420 º º BITNET SOUTHWIK@BROCK1P U.S.A. º ================================================================== ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 21 Sep 90 09:55:04 EDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "Edward E. Southwick" Subject: Bee Tags The colored bee tags are available from: Gustav Nenninger 8741 Saal A. Saale West Germany But, you might be able to get a few from the Cornell group...or from Davis. I have a couple of boxes and could send a couple of hundred. ================================================================== º Edward E. Southwick Department of Biology º º Phone 716-395-5743 State University of New York º º FAX 716-395-2416 Brockport, New York 14420 º º BITNET SOUTHWIK@BROCK1P U.S.A. º ================================================================== ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 22 Sep 90 13:05:00 CDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: RB02817@SWTEXAS.BITNET Subject: AMS I am currently examining the southern extent of Africanized honey bees in Argentina. The literature seems to define a zone of saturation which exists. The outer fringe of this zone corresponds with an isoline representing a mean high July temperature (coldest month south of Equator) of 16 C degrees (60 F degrees). The litureture that I have seen is a few years old. Are the Africanized honey bees found any further south? Also, are there any indications that the vegetation (desert and desert shrub) of southern Argentina has limited southern spread? Are there any other factors involved in limiting the spread of Africanized honey bees? Any comments would Bee appreciated. Thanks Robert Burke Southwest Texas State BITNET"RB02817@SWTEXAS" ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 21 Sep 90 13:26:09 -0400 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: RSMITH6@SCTNVE.BITNET Subject: Megachile samples for analysis I am Roy-Keith Smith, an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Southern College of Technology, 1100 South Marietta Parkway, Marietta, GA 30135. Most of my resea rch to date has dealt with analysis of cuticular hydrocarbons (particularly the unsaturated fractions) of honey bees. I have recently begun a project with Wm S tephen, Oregon State University to characterize the Megachilids of the United St ates and the Mediterranean Basin. I have already looked at M. apicalis and M. r otundata from the West Coast and Western Canada and find a rich diversity of uns aturated compounds to be present. These compounds can identify not only the spe cies but also the sex. As part of the project we are interested in examining ot her specimens of these two species, and others, from across the USA and Canada. The methodology involves immersion of the pinned or loose individual bee in hex ane for extraction of the hydrocarbons. The insect remains intact and can be re turned whole to the persons making loans. If you are interested contact me at B ITNET RSMITH6@SCTNVE or call me at 404-528-7316.