Subject: April 94 'BUZZ':Iowa Beekeepers Newsletter

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 22 Apr 1994 20:42:04 GMT

Submitted by: Terry Dahms, Pres.
       East Central Iowa Beekeepers Assoc.
       internet: [email-masked]
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                    THE BUZZ                     APRIL, 1994
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       A newsletter published monthly as a cooperative effort by The  Iowa
       Department  of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and The Iowa  Honey 
       Producers  Association  (IHPA),  an affiliate member  of  the  Iowa
       Horticultural  Society.   Copy deadline is the 20th of each  month. 
       Your  ideas,  comments  and letters are  welcomed  and  encouraged. 
       EDITOR:   Bob  Cox,  State Apiarist,  Iowa  Dept.  of  Agriculture,
       Wallace Building,  Des Monies,  IA.   50319 Phone:  (515) 281-5736. 
       IHPA MEMBERSHIP:  Membership dues in the Iowa Honey Producers Assn.
       are $5.00/year.  Send to Gordon Powell, IHPA Treasurer.
       -------------------------------------------------------------------
       STATE APIARIST REPORT
            With the warm weather we have had in March,  the bees seem  to
       be  getting a strong start this Spring.   The more reports I  hear,
       the more encouraged I become about how the bees wintered this year. 
       I  would  guess  that the losses will average  between  25  and  30
       percent over the whole state, much better than last year.   Several
       beekeepers are reporting only a 5 percent loss.  
       To Do in the Beeyard:  
       SWARM  CONTROL - Because the colonies that survived are so full  of
       brood,  you  will need to split colonies,  equalize brood  or  make
       two-queen colonies to prevent swarming this Spring.   Reversing the
       two  hive  bodies when the top box fills up with brood,  honey  and
       bees will also help discourage swarming.
       FEEDING  -  It is also a good time to feed the bees a  light  sugar
       syrup  (1:1)  or honey so they don't starve.   Top  feeders,  frame
       feeders or frames of honey work well.  Adding Fumadil-B or Nosema-X
       to  sugar  syrup will control Nosema disease which can  retard  the
       build  up  of  colonies  in the spring.  I  would  like  to  really
       discourage open feeding, as this really spreads the parasitic mites
       around to all the neighboring colonies.  Reinfestation due to close
       contact  with mite-infested bees during open feeding  could  negate
       the effects of expensive mite treatments.
       DISEASE  &  MITE  CONTROL  - Be sure to  treat  all  colonies  with
       Terramycin  powder  or  grease  patties  to  prevent  a   foulbrood
       infection.   If you know that you have Varroa mites or if you don't
       want to check your bees for Varroa mites, please treat with Apistan
       strips.  Put these strips in as early as possible, so that the mite
       population  is knocked down before the first honey flows.   If  you
       need help checking for mites or foulbrood diseases,  call my office
       (515)  281-5736 to make an appointment for an inspection or send  a
       sample of suspect material.  Don't hesitate to call.
            Be  sure to get out to the beeyard and look inside the  hives. 
       This  is a great time of the year to work your bees.   The  weather
       can be pleasant and the bees are generally agreeable.  Get the bees
       ready  for  that good nectar flow we're going to have  starting  in
       June.
                               A HONEY OF A VERSE
                       "Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, 
                   Sweet to the soul and health to the bones."
                                (Proverbs 16:24)
       HONEY AVAILABLE IN DES MOINES AREA GROCERY STORES
       March 1 & 2, 1994

            The average price for a 12 ounce clover honey bear was  $1.40
       and ranged from $0.99 to $1.79 at 30 Des Moines area large grocery
       stores.   Busy  Bee was usually the lowest price and Sue  Bee  the
       highest, with the local beekeepers somewhere in between.  Only one
       store  did  not  have 12 ounce honey bears for  sale.  All  stores
       offered liquid honey for sale.
            Many  stores  were running a $0.99 special on  Sue  Bee's  12
       ounce cylinders and two stores had a $0.99 special on Sue Bee's 12
       ounce Bears.  The average price for a 16 ounce jar or plastic skep
       of  clover  honey was $1.82 and ranged from $1.39 to  $2.17.   The
       lowest prices on honey were store or generic brands of dark  honey
       in 24 or 32 ounce sizes.   Some of these larger jars of honey were
       partly crystallized.
            Specialty   honey  products  brought  the   highest   prices. 
       Melissa's  12  ounce  square section comb honey  sold  for  $4.49. 
       Imported  and domestic honey creme spreads in fancy 8  ounce  jars
       brought over $4.00 per pound.   Many stores carried Sue Bee's  and
       Busy  Bee's  creamed  honey  in a 16  ounce  tub.   One  brand  of
       honey-butter  and  cinnamon honey-butter in 7 1/2 ounce  tubs  was
       found  in  three  stores  but it looked as  though  it  was  being
       discontinued.
            Honey  identified  by floral source brought a  premium  price
       also.  Basswood honey in 8 ounce jars sold in two stores for $1.49
       and buckwheat honey for $1.99.  Tupelo honey in one-pound jars was
       priced at $3.09 and Orange blossom at $2.49.   Some darker colored
       honeys  were  labelled as "Wildflower"  and  usually  commanded  a
       higher price.
            Cut comb was only available in two of the stores.   One brand
       of  cut  comb  honey  was  solid  crystallized.    One  brand   of
       combination  comb honey/liquid honey from Georgia was offered  for
       sale.  This honey was partly crystallized.
            Only  twelve of thirty stores offered a local Iowa honey  for
       sale. Five Iowa beekeepers besides Sue Bee offered honey for sale. 
       In addition,  five honey packers from Wisconsin and one each  from
       Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Kansas offered honey for sale.
            Honey was located on the top shelf in all the stores but one. 
       In  that store the honey was on the bottom shelf.   The  width  of
       shelf space occupied by honey was between two and five feet.

       TED GRUENHAGEN PASSES AWAY
             Lifetime member of IHPA, Ted Gruenhagen of Davenport,  passed
       away  February 2,  1994.   He had been in a nursing home  for  four
       years, not being able to walk or talk after a stroke.  However,  he
       did  look  forward  to Mrs.  Gruenhagen bringing him  the  BUZZ  or
       anything to do with honey to read.
             Ted  was  a  real bee man for over 65  years.   Many  members
       remember  Ted from the State Fair and the Mississippi Valley  Fair. 
       We  will really miss Ted's leadership.   Our sympathy goes to  Mrs.
       Ted Gruenhagen and the rest of the family.

       Dear Fellow Beekeepers,
            The  warm up this past week really put me in the mood to  work
       bees.   We had to walk into a couple of yards but the exercise  was
       good for us,  I guess.   You sure find out in a hurry what  muscles
       you haven't used in the past few winter months.
            Out of 150 colonies we checked, we found 63 dead.   Those that
       winter killed had starved.  Some had honey on, but never got to it. 
       Others didn't have any honey left.   The colonies that were  alive,
       were for the most part very strong and were raising a lot of brood. 
       We made sure all had plenty of honey stores.  Hopefully these  will
       be  fine until we start feeding (which we will do by the  time  you
       receive this newsletter).  When we get these warm days, it's a good
       idea to check your colonies for feed.  From now on we lose colonies
       for lack of feed.    Honey is the best feed,  but you can also  use
       sugar water or high fructose corn syrup.  Bob Cox has the following
       recipe for hard candy to feed bees:
                            Hard Candy Feeder Boards
       Ingredients: 100 pounds sugar, 2 gallons water and 1 cup of honey.
       Instructions:  Boil water and honey, then add sugar gradually until
       all  is dissolved and boiling.   Boil until mixture is  about  half
       foam and boil another 5 minutes only.  Cooking time is about one to
       one and half hours with tank cooking on four gas burners.
       Yield:  5 candy boards (20 lbs.@ - about 2 inches thick).
                                   - Leroy Kellogg, IHPA President

       PROFILE OF IOWA BEEKEEPERS   
            Listed below is a break down of the beekeepers on our  mailing
       list for the BUZZ.  These figures are approximate and only give you
       a rough idea of the make up of Iowa beekeepers.

            Class                                     Number of beekeepers
       1.   Hobbyists                                         804
            (one to four and unknown number of colonies)
       2.   Small sideliner                                   289
            (5 - 99 colonies)
       3.   Large sideliner                                    56
            (100-499 colonies)
       4.   Small commercial                                   16
            (500-999)
       5.   Large commercial                                   20
            (1,000 or more colonies)                _____________
                                                    TOTAL    1185
                                          
       FOR SALE:  20-frame stainless extractor, 40 and 100 gal. stainless
       holding  tanks,  stainless  sump tank, gear sump  pump,  100  deep
       supers, 200 - 6 5/8" supers, 90 queen excluders, 100 2-gal. feeder
       pails,  stainless cappings melter, ca.  16 two-story colonies with
       bees, and other items too numerous to mention.
       SALE DATE:  May 15 at 1:00 p.m.   Dave Lambert,  8874 Metropolitan
       Heights, Dubuque, Iowa (319) 583-8958.

       FREE  PAINT:   Pick up at Metro Waste Authority Transfer  Station,
       4198 Delaware Ave. in Northeast Des Moines, 1:00 p.m. May 7th.
       1993 TRACHEAL MITE SURVEY
            Out  of  105 bee samples examined 70% were infested  with  the
       microscopic  tracheal mite.   Samples were either collected by  the
       beekeeper and sent to the office or collected by apiary  inspectors
       from  several colonies in an apiary.  Most of the samples had  less
       than  15  percent  of  the bees  infested  (71%  of  the  samples). 
       However,  29%  of the samples did have more than 15%  of  the  bees
       infested.   According  to  Department  of  Agriculture  rules,  any
       colonies with 15% or more bees infested with tracheal mites must be
       treated before sale or transport.
            Spring samples were more highly infested (16.0%) than  samples
       collected during the Summer (11.6%).   This could be due to  normal
       mite population decline relative to the increasing size of the  bee
       population or because Spring samples were sent to the office in  an
       attempt  to  determine  the cause of a  heavy  winterkill,  whereas
       Summer  samples were collected at random by apiary inspectors or  a
       combination of both.
            The  only  product  available for tracheal  mite  control  is
       menthol.   It is best to treat colonies in the spring,  right now. 
       Be  sure to remove any remaining menthol before adding  supers  to
       the colonies.
            Using  "grease patties"  in the hive continually,  year-round
       may  also  benefit  infested  colonies. When  supers  are  on  the
       colonies,  these  should not contain Terramycin  antibiotic,  only
       sugar and shortening.  The vegetable shortening is not intended to
       kill  the mites but does seem to help infested  colonies  tolerate
       the  mite  better than without it.  The short term use  of  grease
       patties  appears to be of little value for tracheal mite  infested
       colonies.

       IOWA HONEY PRODUCTION LOWEST SINCE 1982
            USDA/Ag.  Statistics reports a 49 pound per colony average  in
       1993, the lowest per colony yield since 1982.  Before 1982 you have
       to  go  back to 1948 for a per colony yield less  than  50  pounds. 
       Total production was 2,940,000 pounds from 60,000 colonies of  bees
       in  Iowa  in  1993.  These statistics are  based  on  a  survey  of
       beekeepers with five or more colonies.
            U.S.  honey production was 230 million pounds, up four percent
       from  1992.   There were 2.88 million colonies producing  honey  in
       1993,  compared  with  3.03  million in  1992.   Yield  per  colony
       averaged 80.1 pounds, up 7.3 pounds from the 72.8 pounds in 1992.
            Prices for the 1993 crop averaged 54.4 cents per pound, down 1
       percent  from the 1992 price of 55.0 cents per pound.   Prices  are
       based on retail sales by producers and sales to private packers and
       co-ops.  

       FOR SALE:   Complete bee operation - 100 two-story hives with bees
       plus  equipment  for  150  colonies.   Call  Bill  Eickholt  (712)
       225-5207.

       WANTED:  1 or 2 colonies of bees to pollinate a small apple orchard
       (1 acre) at 3880 NW 128th St. in Urbandale.  Contact Ross Peterson
                                 (515) 276-4995.
                               CALENDAR OF EVENTS
       APRIL
       19           Southeast Iowa Beekeepers Meeting at Sirloin  Stockade
                    in Mt. Pleasant.  Meal at 6:30 and program following.
       22-23        Queen Rearing Short Course,  University of  Minnesota,
                    St. Paul Campus, Call Dr. Spivak at (612) 624-2275.
       23           Central Iowa Beekeepers Auction 11:00 a.m. at
                    Kellogg's Honeyhouse in Cambridge, Iowa.
       MAY 7-8      Queen Rearing Short Course,  University of  Minnesota,
                    St. Paul Campus, Call Dr. Spivak at (612) 624-2275.
       JUNE         
       11           IHPA Board Mtg. 1:00 p.m. at Royal Cafe in Huxley.
       13           Eastcentral Iowa Beekeepers Meeting 7:00 p.m. in
                    Montgomery Hall, Johnson County Fairgrounds, Iowa City
       18           Central Iowa Beekeepers Meeting 6:30 p.m. at Royal
                    Cafe in Huxley.
       JULY
       23           IHPA/CIBA Summer Field Day at Riverside Church Camp,
                    Story City, Iowa.  Bee Laboratory from University of
                    Minnesota will present program on queen management.
       NOVEMBER     
       11-12        Iowa Honey Producers Annual Meeting in Marshalltown.

       FOR SALE:  300 singles available in May $35.00; 1500 deeps, 200 - 6
       5/8"  supers,  a  1000-gal.  feed & storage tank &  stand,  50  new
       4-frame nuc  boxes,  500 shingle covers, 400 migratory covers & 400
       bottoms,  honey drums, deep boxes (shells), sugar mixer for 55-gal.
       drum,  1990 F-350 5-speed diesel truck w/8'x12'  flatbed,  18  h.p.
       electric boiler,  8'x16'  flatbed for a straight truck,  plus other
       misc.  Call John Onstank, Creston (515) 782-9522.

       AUCTION:   CIBA  Annual  Auction  April  Saturday  April  23rd   in
       Cambridge,  Iowa,  CONSIGNMENTS  so far are  Arvin  Foell:  several
       hundred deep frames, scraped, melted, and bundles in 10's, ca.  100
       entrance blocks, stainless holding tank & other items listed later. 
       Bob  Mitchell:  several 6 5/8 supers with 10 frames of  foundation,
       other items listed later.   Leroy Kellogg: ca.  150 - 6 5/8  supers
       with nine frames of drawn white comb.   John Onstank:  unsold items
       (see ad above).  Roger Smith: 100 deep boxes (shells), repaired and
       painted,  other misc.  Bill Van Roekel:  10-15 deep supers  with  9
       frames of drawn comb.   Tim Laughlin: 15 wooden pallets 42"  x  72"
       (will  fit between the wheel wells of a full size pickup).  Contact
       Margaret Hala for consignments.  1988 Vine Ave.,  Marshalltown,  IA
       50158  phone:  (515) 752-2981.   Consignments will be made  in  the
       order received.

       FOR SALE:   24-frame extractor, galvanized, electric powered $525. 
       Call Harry Hunter (515) 266-1984.
       FOR  SALE:   Bee hives,  singles and doubles  and  some  equipment. 
       Treated with Apistan, Menthol and Terramycin in 1993.   Mostly 1993
       queens.   Bottling business has grown and do not have time  to  run
       1,000 hives.  Most equipment in good to excellent condition.   Call
       (608) 568-7601 Days or (608) 748-4706 evenings.

                            BEEKEEPING INFORMATION SHEETS
           (Individual sheets available upon request from State Apiarist)

        1.   Africanized Honey Bees
        2.   Agricultural Diversification & Beekeeping
        3.   American Foulbrood Disease / Terramycin recipes
        4.   Basic Beekeeping Equipment / H-Frame Hive Stand
        5.   Beehive Plans - Drawings & Measurements
        6.   Beekeeping in the City
        7.   Beekeeping Supply Dealers Address list
        8.   Beeswax Production & Uses
        9.   Differences Between the Mites
        10.  Disinfecting Diseased Equipment / Comparison of Bee Diseases
              Chart
        11.  Extracting and Bottling Honey
        12.  Feeding Bees - methods
        13.  Honey Bees and Beekeepers - Pollination
        14.  Honey Bee Pollination of Fruits and Vegetables in Iowa
        15.  Manufactured Food Products with Honey
        16.  Marketing - How to Create and Maintain Direct Markets
        17.  Observation Beehive Plans
        18.  Solar Wax Melter Plans
        19.  Spring Management
        20.  Summer Management
        21.  Tracheal Mite Control
        22.  Tracheal Mite Detection
        23.  Varroa Mites: Biology, Detection and Control
        24.  When Honey Bees Become Pests
        25.  Wintering Bees in Iowa
                                          
                        OTHER BEEKEEPING INFORMATION SOURCES

        BEEKEEPING BOOKS:

        ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture.  1974 Edition.  A.I.  Root Co.,  Medina,
        Ohio. 712 pp. 
        The Hive and the Honey Bee.  1992 Edition.  Dadant & Sons, Hamilton,
        Illinois. 1324 pp.
        The  Dancing Bees.  by Karl von Frish.   1953.  A Harvest/HJB  Book.
        Walter T. Kelley Co. Clarkson, Kentucky. 182 pp.
        500 Answers to Bee Questions. 1978. A.I. Root Co., Medina, Ohio. 
        96 pp.
        How  to  Keep  Bees and Sell Honey.  1983.  Walter  T.  Kelley  Co.,
        Clarkson, Kentucky. 148 pp.
        First  Lessons  in  Beekeeping.  1976.  Dadant  &  Sons,   Hamilton,
        Illinois.  127 pp.
        Beekeeping in the Midwest.  by Elbert Jaycox.  1976.  University  of
        Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Cooperative Extension Service. 168 pp.
        Hive Management by Richard E. Bonney.  1990.  Garden Way Publishing.
        Pownal, VT 05261.  152 pp.
        Bees and the Law by Murray Loring.  1981.  Dadant & Sons.  Available
        from Wicwas Press, PO Box 817-L, Cheshire, CT 06410-0817.  128 pp.
        Honey  Bee  Diseases  &  Pests.   1991.   Canadian  Association   of
        Professional   Apiculturists.   Dept.  of   Environmental   Biology,
        University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G2W1  16 pp.
        Insect Pollination of Cultivated Crops Plants.  1976. S.E. McGregor. 
        Agriculture Handbook No. 496.  Out of print.  411 pp.

        BEEKEEPING PERIODICALS:

        American  Bee  Journal.  Dadant & Sons.  Hamilton,  Illinois  62341. 
        (monthly)
        Bee Culture. (formerly Gleanings) A.I. Root Co. Medina, Ohio 44256.
        (monthly)
        The Speedy Bee. P.O. Box 1038, Jesup, Georgia 31545. (monthly)
        The Buzz.  Apiary Bureau, Iowa Dept. of Agriculture,  Wallace Bldg.,
        Des Moines, IA 50319. (monthly)
        Bee  World.  Internation Bee Research Association,   18 North  Road,
        Cardiff, CF1 3DY, UK.  (quarterly)
        Bee Science.  Wicwas Press. PO Box 817-L,  Cheshire,  CT 06410-0817.
        (quarterly)

        NHB COOKBOOKS ARE HERE
            The National Honey Board Cookbook Sweetened with Honey --  The
       Natural Way is now available for purchase.   The cookbook  contains
       over  100 delectable honey recipes plus  full-color,  mouthwatering
       photographs throughout!   The cookbook will be sold at  supermarket
       checkout  stands  throughout the country this month at  a  cost  of
       $2.95  each.   You can sweeten your honey sales with this  cookbook
       available from the Iowa Honey Producers or the National Honey Board
       for  $2.50,  including shipping.   To order a single  copy  of  the
       cookbook, send a check or money order for $2.50 to:

            Iowa Honey Producers Assn.           National Honey Board
            Gordon Powell, Treas.       OR       Dept. BK
            4012 - 54th St.                      P.O. Box 7760
            Des Moines, IA 50310                 Marshfield, WI 54449
            (515) 278-1762
       Call or write for prices for large quantities.

                                             HONEY CHICKEN

                            1 fryer chicken
                            3/4 cup Honey
                            1/4 c prepared mustard
                            1/2 tsp curry powder
                            1/2 tsp salt
                            Dash of soy sauce

                            Cut up fryer.   Mix ingredients and pour  over
                            chicken.  Bake uncovered for one hour  at  325
                            degrees.  Baste every 1/2 hour.