The Heartland Bee Newsletter

July 2023 (33rd edition)

Florida Honey Report: June 2023

By: USDA AMS

Rainfall was inadequate in most of the state until late in the month. The Panhandle experienced the least amount of rain with Central Florida also receiving lower than normal amounts. This directly affected the amount of gallberry and palmetto honey produced in these areas. South Florida may have been a little closer to normal, but palmetto and gallberry still produced lower than normal yields.
Temperatures varied during the month but were about average overall. Rain began late in the month but was too late to avoid supplemental feeding especially in Northern and Central Florida. Bee health was considered to be about average.
Tupelo production was very low in the Panhandle with some prices reported to be around $6.00/pound in drum quantities. Central and South Florida also produced some mangrove honey during the month. Most of the honey produced was pulled near the end of the month and was still being pulled into June. Some bees were pollinating watermelons in the state for part of May.
Many bees were relocated north to states ranging from the Dakotas to Maine and were still being moved in early June. Clover honey production was prevalent in the Dakotas with most bees pollinating crops in the Northeastern states. Crops being pollinated in the north include blueberries, cranberries, and watermelons.
The next major source will be Brazilian Pepper which should start blooming in September. Stored amounts of honey were estimated to be fairly light with moderate demand at the end of the month.

Heartland Beekeepers Association Honey Extraction Class was a Great Learning Experience for Everyone!

by: Colleen Rafatti, Highlands County Master Gardener

The Heartland Beekeepers Association presented a very informative honey extraction class on Saturday, June 24, 2023.  This well attended event was taught by Amanda Johnson (Heartland Beekeepers and Highlands County Master Gardener Volunteer) and others who engaged the participants in a hands on demonstration of the processes involved.  Included in the class was a popular honey tasting, which allowed participants to sample honey produced from a variety of sources.

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

June 2023 (32nd edition)

Sweet Traditions

by Amanda Johnson

One of the oldest human traditions is harvesting honey. Before the invention of agriculture or the written word, people beelined to wild hives for the golden nectar inside.  

Honey was one of the earliest sweeteners used by humankind. Ancient civilizations, including Egyptian, Greek, Hindu, and Islamic practitioners, harnessed its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory attributes for medicinal purposes. The famous scientist Hippocrates utilized honey for pain, fever, baldness, cough, sore throat, antisepsis, and the prevention of scars. Chinese monks committed self-mummification with honey, called mellification; this undertaking was a decision made in old age, to serve others as corpse medicine.  

Honey has held a significant place in the cultural traditions of diverse societies. Honey is an important religious symbol of abundance, and is mentioned in the Bible, Quran, and Torah. More than ten languages have a word like “honeymoon” to describe the sweet nights that lovers spend together after they are first wed. 

Recent scientific investigation revealed honey contains a variety of antioxidant compounds and inhibits the growth of bacteria, fungi, and viruses, confirming this traditional ambrosia is useful in modern settings. While the exact mechanism of healing is still unknown, most types of wounds are responsive to honey therapy. Honey cleanses, stimulates regeneration, and reduces inflammation—free of adverse side effects. 

Honey has an enduring allure in food, medicine, and culture. Its unique flavors, versatility, and preservative qualities made it a staple ingredient from ancient apothecaries to modern pantries. 

Interested in being a part of this age-old tradition? Join the Highlands County Master Gardeners and the Heartland Beekeepers Association Saturday, June 24th from 10am to noon for a Honey Extraction and Bottling Class. See the process of taking honey from hive to bottle and enjoy Florida’s finest florals with a honey tasting.

Florida Honey Report: May 2023

By: USDA AMS

Weather played a big role in honey production in April with basically three different weather scenarios at work.
North Florida and the Panhandle were generally cold and dry. A freeze around the middle of the month essentially wiped out the tupelo honey crop and other sources of food for the bees leading to starving conditions for many hives. Supplemental feeding was necessary for most bees.
April usually sees a lot of hive splitting in the Panhandle, but conditions were not good for splitting this season. By late in the month palmetto, Gallberry, clover and wildflowers were beginning to bloom in the Panhandle.
Central Florida had about normal temperatures and precipitation for the month. By the middle of the month Gallberry and palmetto were blooming. Central Florida beekeepers had good yields from both during the rest of the month. Weather also was favorable for splitting hives during the month.
South Florida had too much rain at times during April and it literally washed away much of the pollen from palmetto and Gallberry. This resulted in a lower than expected yield of Gallberry honey in particular and less palmetto honey also.
Bee health was considered to be good in Central Florida, less than average in North Florida and about average in South Florida.
Demand was good for stored honey at the end of the month which was primarily Gallberry produced in Central Florida.

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

May 2023 (31st edition)

Florida Honey Report - April 2023

by USDA AMS
Precipitation and temperatures were about average for the month which is warm and generally dry. The Panhandle region received some rain near the end of the month. This rain is expected to benefit the upcoming Tupelo honey season. Tupelo may start blooming earlier next month than the normal time of mid to late April due to the unexpected moisture.
There were several sources of pollen and nectar. Holly, clover, black gum and wildflowers were all blooming late in the month. Some wildflower honey was produced with some extracted in March and more that will be extracted in April.
Bee health was considered to be about average with some supplemental feeding needed during the month. Some of the bees returning from California almond pollination season were weaker than bees that remained in the state. This could be partly caused by weaker than normal health when they were shipped to California due to earlier storms in Florida.
Orange blossom season in Central Florida was not very good this year. Shrinking groves are causing less production of pure orange blossom honey and more wildflower honey becoming mixed in with the orange honey. This reduces the value of the orange honey. As the production of orange blossom honey declines more beekeepers may elect to go to California next year and skip the orange blooming season in Florida.
Most of the honey stored in Florida at the end of the month was wildflower honey produced in the Panhandle. There was not much honey produced in Central and South Florida during the month.

World Bee Day: May 20th

NIFA AUTHOR Lori Tyler Gula, Senior Public Affairs Specialist

There are over 20,000 known bee species in the world, and 4,000 of them are native to the United States, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. They range from the tiny (2 mm) and solitary Perdita minima, known as the world’s smallest bee, to kumquat-sized species of carpenter bees. 

Native bees are the primary insect pollinator of agricultural plants in most of the country. Crops they pollinate include squash, tomatoes, cherries, blueberries and cranberries. Native bees were here long before non-native honey bees were brought to the country by European settlers. Honey bees are key to a few crops such as almonds and lemons, but native bees like the blue orchard bees are better and more efficient pollinators of many North American crops.

On World Bee Day, learn how Land-grant Universities are supporting the nation’s bee population with funding from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

Preventing viral threats to bees

Despite the importance of bees as pollinators in agricultural and natural landscapes and the importance of viruses to bee health, our understanding of bee viruses is surprisingly limited. To address this, an international team of researchers led by Pennsylvania State University collected samples of DNA and RNA from 12 bee species in nine countries. They then developed a novel high-throughput sequencing technique that efficiently detected in a single experiment both previously identified and 27 never-before-seen viruses belonging to at least six new families. The inexpensive and efficient new method allowed the team to sequence all the viruses present in a sample without having any prior knowledge about what might be there.

The findings could help scientists design strategies to prevent the spread of viral pathogens among these important pollinators. The results also highlight the importance of monitoring bee populations brought into the U. S. because of the potential for these species to transmit viruses to local pollinator populations.

Instituting safety measures in insecticide application

In Indiana, a potentially dire situation was developing in August of 2019 when horses and mosquitoes from Elkhart County tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus. The Indiana State Board of Health approached county commissioners about spraying the infected mosquitoes to stop the spread of EEE to horses and people. This solution posed negative consequences for organic farmers and beekeepers, including loss of organic certification and beehives.

Purdue Extension immediately responded and worked with Elkhart County Commissioners to notify organic farmers and local beekeepers, including the Michiana Beekeepers Association. Specialists quickly provided information on which insecticide should be used with information about how to protect bees, and an opt-out of spraying option for organic farmers. They also assisted in registering organic acreage and beehives on Driftwatch, a specialty crop and beehive registry and mapping program created by Purdue's College of Agriculture. The efforts resulted in 470 enrolled hives and more than 50 new organic farms. These measures set a precedent, instituting safety measures for insecticide applications for organic and beekeeper operations, including ongoing education and registration to prevent future incidents.

Creating a cell line for research

Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is a threat to the survival of honey bees and could significantly disrupt agricultural production. CCD research into how pathogens and toxic compounds affect honey bees is a rapidly expanding field. However, this research is limited by the lack of in vitro cultures composed of honey bee cells. Instead, researchers must use valuable whole organisms (bees) or colonies, limiting the progress and studies that can happen.

To address this limitation, University of Minnesota researchers developed the Apis mellifera-derived AmE-711 honey bee cell line to support continuous culturing of the insect cells to develop a powerful tool to explore the process of infection and the negative impact pathogens may have on honey bee biology and health. Since its release in 2013, the AmE-711 cell line has served as a powerful tool for studies of host-pathogen interactions and toxicology in honey bees at the University. Notably, in 2015 the line crashed, possibly because of virus infection, but has since been recovered from liquid nitrogen stocks and adapted for growth using a commercially available medium. It is now licensed to other universities, public institutes and private companies as the only continuous honey bee cell line available for research and experimental testing.

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

April 2023 (30th edition)

Florida Honey Report - March 2023

by USDA AMS

Temperatures and precipitation were about average for the month. There were few natural sources of food for the bees. There were some areas with varying amounts of wildflowers, maple and Spanish Needle. Supplemental feeding was necessary for most hives for the month.

Orange blossom began late in the month and will continue into March. It will be March before any orange blossom honey is pulled. Blueberry pollination in parts of Florida and Georgia began in January and is expected to continue into March.

The number of Florida bees transported to California for almond pollination may have been as much as 50% lower than the number sent last year. A large supply of stored almonds resulted in less hives needed for pollination this year.

Then two hurricanes in the fall not only destroyed many hives but also ruined large areas of Brazilian Pepper in the state. Brazilian Pepper is an important source of food for most Florida bees. Nutritionally deficient hives led to a larger percentage of Colony Collapse Disorder for many beekeepers. Normally most hives lost to CCD are offset by splitting and building more hives. The losses this year were in many cases impossible to replace, possibly reaching 50% or more for some beekeepers.

The freezing temperatures around Christmas also contributed to a more stressful environment for the bees and less natural sources of food. There was practically no honey produced in Florida during the month or stored at the end of the month. 

Bee a Part of Something Big: Participate in the Loss and Management Survey

by the Bee Informed Team

An important sign of spring is here: The Loss and Management Survey from the Bee Informed Partnership is live! We need your help to make this year’s survey the best one yet!

As you know, the survey helps us understand the challenges that beekeepers across the country face. This informs extension specialists, scientists, and policy makers about the issues that matter to beekeepers. By participating in the survey, you can help us gather data on colony conditions, management practices, and other important factors that affect the health, productivity, and survival of your bees. Our survey is a long-term effort: We have run the loss section of the survey since 2007. With each additional year of data collection, the dataset becomes more valuable.

The survey allows us to document the level of colony loss experienced by U.S. beekeepers. Comparing the present to the past allows us to see how colony loss improves (or remains high). We also use the survey to understand how management practices and other factors are correlated with colony loss. This epidemiological approach is also used in human health to identify habits that are associated with worse or better health. Just like in human health, this first level of investigation of risk factors paves the way for further investigations in the lab and in the field. Finally, we document trends in beekeeping itself: What management practices do beekeepers employ throughout the country? Why do beekeepers adopt certain practices and not others? The survey offers a quantitative measure of popular practices as well as beekeepers’ perception of issues.

Starting in 2021, each year’s Management Survey now focuses on a specific theme which will recur based on a regular rotation schedule. By focusing on one topic each year, the survey is shorter and more focused! Last year, the survey focused on “Nutrition and Environment” and led to insights on how beekeepers perceive the impacts of unusual and extreme weather events (available in the 2023 proceedings of the American Bee Research Conference). This year, the focus is “Pest and Disease Management” and will provide valuable information about the impact of pests and pathogens, and what beekeepers are doing to manage these stressors.

To take the survey, head over to beeinformed.org. If you want to have a look at the questions beforehand, we have pdf previews that you can download and print. Once you are ready, follow the links to take the survey online!

All beekeepers who keep bees in the U.S. are invited to participate: from backyard hobbyists managing fewer than 50 colonies to large, multistate commercial operations with thousands of colonies. In previous years, about one in 10 U.S. beekeepers – and 14% of the nation’s estimated 2.6 million colonies – were represented in the survey. The more beekeepers spend a few minutes to participate, the more accurate and representative the data from the survey will be. 

Thank you for your continued support, and we wish you a happy year of beekeeping!

Safe and happy travels to all of our snowbird beekeepers! Swarm wishes!

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

March 2023 (29th edition)

Florida Honey Report - February 2023

 by USDA AMS
 

Temperatures were about average with a few colder than normal days in northern Florida. Precipitation amounts were about normal during January, typically a fairly dry month in Florida. Bee health was considered to be below average primarily due to the lingering effects from Hurricane Ian.

The freezing temperatures around Christmas and another shorter freezing event in January wiped out most sources of food for the bees. Maple did begin blooming in the middle of the month in the south and had moved up to Central Florida by later in the month. This was one of the few sources of nectar and pollen for bees. Supplemental feeding was required for almost all of the state during most of the month. Some bees were pollinating blueberries for part of the month and are expected to continue into February.

Partly due to hive losses from Ian, Florida may only send about 50% as many bees to California for almond pollination this year. There also appears to be a surplus of almonds left over from last year’s crop and more almond growers are beginning to use self-pollinating almond trees. With reduced demand for bees, pollination rates may be similar to last year’s rates.

Orange trees are expected to begin blooming around the middle to late February. Last year’s production of orange blossom honey was very light. Producers are hoping for a larger yield this year, but citrus greening continues to remain a problem for Florida citrus growers and beekeepers. Some beekeepers will try to return home from California in time for orange honey production.

No honey was produced during the month for commercial use and practically no honey was stored at the end of the month.

Introducing Sonja Tyus
Highlands County Master Gardener Volunteer 

 by Colleen Rafatti

You don’t have to look far to find an enthusiastic Highlands County Master Gardener volunteer with a deep love of nature, plants… and bees!  Meet Sonja Tyus!  Sonja has been a Highlands County Master Gardener Volunteer since 2019.  She’s extremely active with our group, serving as our MG President in 2021 and currently as a Board Member-at-Large.  She’s quick to volunteer to help with activities, always enthusiastic and positive, and has taught/co-taught several educational workshops on her favorite topics… bees and beekeeping!
 
Sonja, a full-time resident of Sebring, Florida since 2019, moved here from Colorado with her Florida-native husband.  Sonja was also a Master Gardener Volunteer in Colorado, and joining our group was a natural extension.  She noted that, despite that prior MG experience in Colorado, she had absolutely no idea what to plant, or when, after her move to Florida! She was eager to learn more about Florida gardening- and the MG training was very helpful.  Sonja’s sister also lives in Sebring and her two grown children reside in New York. Sonja recently started a new full-time job with the Florida State Department of Health as an Environmental Specialist II, conducting health inspections in a variety of venues and  describes herself as now “firmly rooted in Highlands County”.   
 
Sonja’s love of growing and gardening goes back many years, having begun as a young child.  She fondly recalls helping her Mother work in the family gardens.  She also studied environmental science in college.  Her interest in bees and beekeeping resulted from years of mentoring in this specialized topic by her late husband and partner, zoologist Dr. Harold Tyus.  In an article describing how Sonja was drawn into this activity in our September 2022 MG Newsletter Sonja explained:
 
I began beekeeping as a helper to my partner back in 2006, basically just tagging along as we
began our life together. He gave me a brand new bee suit that was a bit too big, and gloves that
very much were too big. I was surprisingly unafraid, as I put great faith in my partner, and the
protective gear he furnished me with that first foray into the apiary with him and his bees. I found
myself being gently drawn into that world, soothed by the slow and steady timbre of his voice as
he explained what he was doing, and the steady hum of the bees as he carefully moved frames of
brood and honey around while he inspected the hive. I fell in love with the craft of keeping
bees in short time. 
 
Sonja is the Vice President of Heartland Beekeepers and maintains hives at her home.  She noted that this is a difficult time to be a beekeeper in Florida.  Beekeeping involves a big learning curve at first and a considerable outlay of expense to get started. Besides the variable weather and hurricanes, challenges for Florida beekeepers include battling varroa mites (which infect and kill the bees), small hive beetles (which feed on the pollen and honey, kill the bee brood and workers, and spoil the honey), wax moths (which feed on the hive wax), and ants and bears (both which seek out the sweet honey in the hives).  Sonja has had a “close encounter” with a bear that tore through a powerful electric fence to reach her hives.  Despite these, she has been successful in raising healthy bees and hives and in producing great honey. 
 
When asked what a home gardener could do to help maintain our local bee populations Sonja suggested that they include plants in their landscaping that would attract and support bees such as bottlebrush, hibiscus, coral vine, plumbago, pentas, sweet almond, bulbine, porterweed and firebush- and not be so quick to eradicate natural wildflowers that are often considered weeds such as bidens alba (Spanish Needle).  Sonja has been working toward replanting and rebuilding her own landscaping which was damaged by recent freezes and hurricanes and is planting many of those bee favorites along with a variety of fruiting trees and plants including starfruit, figs, avocados, mango, guava and papaya.  Her goal is to create a personal “food forest” to nurture herself and her bees and other pollinators. 
 
Say hello to Sonja when you cross paths with her at our Highlands master gardener activities!  She is a wealth of knowledge and you’re certain to have an enjoyable and informative conversation with her!

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

February 2023 (28th edition)

Are You a Keeper?

by Amanda Johnson

Are you interested in learning about beekeeping and the important role that honey bees play in our ecosystem? Look no further! The Heartland Beekeepers Association is offering a Beginner Beekeeping Class for individuals who want to learn more about these fascinating creatures and how to properly care for them.

By pollinating crops, honey bees play a crucial role in our ecosystem and sustainable agriculture. Without honey bees, our food supply would be severely impacted as they play a vital role in the pollination of many of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts that we rely on. It is estimated that one-third to one-fourth of the food we eat is dependent on pollinators like bees.

Honey bees and other pollinators are facing many challenges, such as habitat loss, pesticides, and disease. That’s why individuals need to get involved and learn how to properly care for honey bees. Not only will you be helping to protect these important pollinators, but you’ll also reap the benefits of producing your honey and other bee products.

The beginner’s beekeeping class offered by the Heartland Beekeeping Association and UF/IFAS Extension, Highlands County is the perfect opportunity to learn everything you need to know to start your apiary. The class is taught by local, experienced beekeepers who will cover the basics of bee biology and behavior, as well as the equipment and techniques needed to set up and maintain a successful bee colony. Participants will learn about the different types of bees, their lifecycles, and the importance of bees in pollinating our food supply. They will also learn about properly caring for the bees, including inspecting the colony, managing disease and pests, and harvesting honey.

The course is open to individuals of all ages and experience levels, and no prior beekeeping experience is required. It will be held at the Bert J Harris Agriculture Civic Center (4509 George Blvd in Sebring) on Saturday, March 4th, from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. Registration is $20 and includes educational materials as well as a year’s membership with the Heartland Beekeepers Association. A $3.18 service charge is added to cover Eventbrite processing and handling.

Whether you’re a complete novice or have some experience with beekeeping, this class will provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to become a beekeeper. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to network with other beekeepers and learn from their experiences.

Enroll today and join the beekeeping community! With the knowledge you gain from this course, you can start your colony, and contribute to the preservation of bees. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to discover the joys of beekeeping for yourself. This course is a great way to learn more about these amazing creatures and the importance of preserving and protecting them. Become a part of the solution in protecting our ecosystems and food supplies.

Florida Honey Report - January 2023

by USDA AMS

The month enjoyed about normal temperatures until just before Christmas when temperatures plunged below freezing in most areas from Central Florida northward. There were several nights with lows around 26-28 depending upon how far north of Orlando you were located. Freezing or near freezing night-time temperatures extended further south in the state. Highs for several days were in the 40’s in Central and North Florida. Most vegetation except for cold weather crops like cabbage and greens were destroyed.

Temperatures had warmed back up to around 80 by New Year’s Day weekend. Precipitation was about normal for the month. Bee health was about average with heavy supplemental feeding needed for part of the month. There were scattered amounts of Spanish Needle available in some areas, but not many other alternatives. It should be mid to late January before maple, orange and Titi begin to bloom, depending upon weather conditions. Later in January is also when Florida bees are expected to begin pollinating blueberries in Florida and Georgia.

The Florida State Beekeepers Association released a report showing an estimate of 150-300 thousand hives destroyed by Hurricane Ian. These losses combined with average annual winter losses of around 25% means that Florida faces a potential loss of around 40% of their hives. Demand for almond pollination in California is expected to be a little less this year. Some beekeepers will elect to voluntarily skip California and rebuild their hive numbers for Florida honey production next spring.

Due to the lack of honey produced during the month, beekeepers may have received slightly higher prices for any previously stored honey which was mostly Brazilian Pepper. There was practically no stored honey available at the end of the month. 

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

January 2023 (27th edition)

Breeding Honey Bees for Adaptation to Regionalized Plants and Artificial Diets 

by Kim Kaplan, USDA ARS
 

Honey bees could be intentionally bred to thrive on plants that are already locally present or even solely on artificial diets, according to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (ARS) study.ARS researchers found individual bees respond differently to the same diet and that there is a strong genetic component involved in how they respond to nutrition. This points directly to the concept that managed bees can be intentionally bred to do better on different diets, whether you are talking about an artificial diet or a diet based on specific plants already growing in an area, explained lead researcher Vincent A. Ricigliano. He is with the ARS Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research Laboratory in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

"Urban development, modern agricultural systems and environmental alterations due to climate change, invasive plants, and even local landscaping preferences have all had a hand in regionalizing plants that dominate available pollen. It could potentially be more beneficial to tailor honey bees to do better on what is already available instead of working hard to fit the environment to the bees," Ricigliano said.

The overall aim would be breeding to improve nutrient use by managed honey bees, like we have done for poultry and cattle breeding programs, Ricigliano explained.

"Now that we know there is room for genetic adaptation to diet, we could also look at breeding honey bees with improved nutrient efficiency or identifying genotype biomarkers that respond to various supplements to promote honey bee health," he added.

In most commercial apiaries, honey bees do not have the opportunity to naturally breed to adapt to local conditions because commercial beekeepers typically replace the queen in each colony every year. The queen in a colony is the only bee that lays eggs to produce the next generation.

Beekeepers usually purchase new queens already inseminated from a handful of queen breeders in the United States. As a result, honey bees across the country generally have the same range of genes for nutritional responses without any specialized adaptation.

Honey bees have already been successfully bred for a very few selected traits, among them Varroa mite resistance. Varroa mites are among the single largest problem afflicting honey bees in the United States today.

"It was a little surprising to find when we started this study that, despite a sizable body of research pertaining to honey bee nutrition, relatively little is known about the effects of genetic variation on nutritional response," Ricigliano said.

His next step is to refine knowledge about what genes control which nutrient and metabolic pathways and where the greatest amount of genetic variation exists so that breeding plans can be specific and scientifically guided.

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

December 2022 (26th edition)

Thanks for a great year. May your holidays bee merry and bright. Swarm wishes, from us to you.

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

November 2022 (25th edition)

National Honey Report: Florida

by USDA AMS
The month began with slightly higher temperatures than normal and variable amounts of rain mainly depending upon the path of afternoon thunderstorms. Bees were returning from the Dakotas and other northern areas in preparation for the beginning of Brazilian Pepper bloom around the middle of the month. Beekeepers were finishing mite treatments, and everything was going as planned. Then over the period of a few days just past the middle of the month, it became apparent that Florida was likely to be struck by a potential major Category 4 hurricane. The impact to Florida was devastating. Rainfall amounts for most of the state were much above normal in most areas because of the arrival of Hurricane Ian. The Panhandle area was the only part of Florida that did not receive excessive rainfall. After making landfall on September 28th around the Fort Myers area, Ian tracked to the northeast and exited the state near the Kennedy Space Center on September 29th. Most areas directly in the storms’ path received 10-20 inches of rain. Other parts of the state, except for the Panhandle, received 3-10 inches of rain or even locally higher amounts. Flooding from rainfall was a major issue in most of the state because of the generally flat topography in Florida. Storm surge in many locations also contributed to massive amounts of water accumulating, even in inland areas. Wind damage, especially on the barrier islands and the Fort Myers area was severe. Other areas further from the storm also experience major wind damage to property and crops. The storm track of Ian through Southwest and Central Florida affected many hives and beekeepers with both wind and flood damage to hives and potential food sources. Further south of the main storm track in the Immokalee and adjoining areas beekeepers gather between mid-September and mid-October each year to split hives which requires many new queens. This area of Florida becomes a nursery for the creation of new hives. These hives are created here not only for Florida beekeepers, but beekeepers from many other states. This area is home to large amounts of Brazilian Pepper which normally blooms during this time frame providing ample nutrition for the hives. Flooding from Ian was severe in this area. Honey that had not been pulled yet was lost as well as potentially thousands of hives. Some beekeepers are presently estimating their hive losses between 33% and as high as 100%. It will take some time to get an accurate assessment of losses in Florida since flooding continued for days after the storm and water and wind damage from the storm was widespread. More accurate storm damage estimates should be available by next month.
Read the complete monthly national honey report here: https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/fvmhoney.pdf

Thanks to a Honeycomb, We Know The Secret to The Wax Worm's Ability to Destroy Plastic

by Felicity Nelson

Researchers have identified a pair of enzymes in wax worm saliva that naturally break down a common form of plastic within a few hours at room temperature.

Polyethylene is among the most widely used plastics in the world, having uses in everything from food containers to shopping bags. Unfortunately, its robustness also makes it a stubbornly persistent pollutant – the polymer needs to be treated with high temperatures to kickstart the degradation process.

Wax worm saliva contains the only enzymes we know of that can work on untreated polyethylene, which makes these naturally occurring proteins potentially rather useful for recycling.

Federica Bertocchini, a molecular biologist and amateur beekeeper, accidentally discovered wax worms have a talent for degrading plastic a few years ago.

"At the end of the season, usually beekeepers put some empty beehives in a storage room, to put them back in the field in the spring," Bertocchini recently explained, "One year I did that, and I found my stored honeycombs plagued with wax worms."

She cleaned the honeycomb and put all the wax worms in a plastic bag. When she came back a short time later, she found the bag "riddled with holes".

Wax worms (Galleria mellonella) are larvae that eventually transform into short-lived wax moths. In the larval stage, the worms make themselves right at home in bee hives where they feed on wax and pollen.

After this chance discovery, Bertocchini and her team at Madrid's Margarita Salas Center for Biological Studies set to work analyzing the wax worm saliva, publishing their findings in Nature Communications.

The researchers used two methods: gel permeation chromatography, which separates molecules based on their size, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, which identifies fragments of molecules based on their mass-charge ratio.

They confirmed that the saliva did in fact break the long hydrocarbon chains found in polyethylene into small, oxidized chains. They then used proteomic analyses to identify "a handful of enzymes" in the saliva, two of which were shown to oxidize polyethylene, the researchers write.

The researchers named these enzymes 'Demetra' and 'Ceres', after the ancient Greek and Roman goddesses of agriculture, respectively.

"To the best of our knowledge, these polyethyleneases are the first enzymes capable of producing such modifications on a polyethylene film working at room temperature and in a very short time," the researchers write. As these two enzymes overcome "the first and most difficult step in the degradation process", they add, the process could represent an "alternative paradigm" for waste management.

Although it's early days in investigations, these enzymes could potentially be mixed with water and poured over plastic in a waste management facility, Bertocchini said. They could be used in remote locations where waste facilities are not available, or even in individual homes.

As promising as their saliva is, wax worms aren't the only organisms known to degrade plastic. A 2021 study showed that microbes and bacteria in the oceans and the soil were evolving to eat plastic. In 2016, researchers reported a bacterium at a Japanese waste site that could break down polyethylene terephthalate, also known as PET or polyester. This later inspired scientists to create an enzyme that could quickly break down plastic drink bottles.

Around 400 million metric tons of plastic waste are generated every year worldwide, of which around 30 percent is in the form of polyethylene. Of the 7 billion tons generated by the world to date, only 10 percent has been recycled, leaving the world with a considerable legacy of waste.

Reducing consumption and reusing materials will undoubtedly limit the impact plastic waste has on the environment, but having a toolkit for cleaning up our mess could help us get on top of our plastic waste problem.

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

October 2022 (24th edition)

Polly the AI Robot Gets Busy Replacing Bumblebees

by Ariel Grossman

Robots are replacing bumblebees as a more efficient and reliable way of pollinating crops.

Arugga, a startup based in Israel, is, for the first time, commercializing robots that mimic the buzzing of a bumblebee. The robot, called Polly, produces strong vibrations to dislodge pollen from the flowers and fertilize them so they can produce fruit. It does what the bumblebee has always done, but with greater success.

Tests in commercial greenhouses in Israel, Australia and the United States, show tomatoes pollinated by Polly had yields up to five per cent higher than those pollinated by bumblebees in the traditional way, and up to 20 per cent higher than manual pollination.

The company says its robots could entirely replace bumblebees, which are vital for the production of tomatoes, blueberries, potatoes and many other crops.

The Polly is an autonomous ground robot that drives down rows of tomato plants in greenhouses, capturing images of every flower, and using artificial intelligence to detect which ones are ready to be pollinated. It then shoots out air pulses to replicate buzz pollination, the delicate process in which bumblebees vibrate the middle of their bodies hundreds of times a second to release the pollen and fertilize the flower. It works for tomatoes and other crops which contain both male and female parts.

The Polly has already been deployed at greenhouses in North America, Australia, and most recently in Finland with producer Agrifutura Oy, which grows nearly 500,000 square feet of tomatoes. Farmers lease the robots, and pay a monthly fee per hectare. Polly currently works only with tomatoes, but there are plans to expand to other crops requiring buzz pollination.

“We will slowly deploy robots over all of these growers’ hectares, and we already have 100 hectares booked that are waiting for our robots,” says Iddo Geltner, CEO and Co-founder of Arugga.

There are alternatives to bumblebees in greenhouses, but they are low-tech and impractical. Some farmers in Australia and South Africa actually use electric toothbrushes to manually pollinate their crops. Bumblebees also carry disease and have been known to escape greenhouses and damage native pollinators.

“There’s no reason for bumblebees to be bred – they don’t help the environment, they actually ruin it,” says Geltner, “In places where they are not indigenous, they have escaped greenhouses and destroyed the local bumblebee population. This happened in Japan, and that’s why countries like Australia buzz pollinate manually.”

Evidence also indicates that mass-produced bumblebees carry diseases harmful to wild honeybees, pollinators that are essential for producing crops that feed 90 per cent of the world, and are already declining around the world at rapid rates. They transmit viruses between flowers, they are unable to work in very cold or hot temperatures and they are sensitive to pesticides. And unlike robots, they cannot be monitored for precise measurement of their pollination success. 

Over the next year, Arugga aims to deploy its robots over several hundreds hectares, especially in North America, but also in Europe and Australia.

This isn’t the first time robot bumblebees have been created, but it is the first time they are being used commercially. US and UK scientists are building microrobots the size of a fingernail to understand how buzzing affects pollination, but they are still being developed. And researchers at Harvard University are developing the RoboBee, a fully autonomous swarm of flying robots for applications beyond artificial pollination, including search and rescue, and surveillance. The Polly is effective and reliable as a pollinator, but is also being developed as a greenhouse assistant, performing a range of other tasks.

“Pollination is our first product, replacing bumblebees and human labor that pollinate around the world,” says Geltner.

Greenhouse farming is one of the most labor intensive sectors in agriculture. Thousands of laborers get sick from heat exposure, and they are at constant risk of injury from hazardous equipment and machinery. That’s why the company plans to increase the Polly’s functionality by adding plant lowering, non-contact pruning, and pest and disease detection in the coming years.

“The Polly will be able to monitor the plants and help growers understand what the situation of the plants are, how to treat them, as well as the early detection of pests and diseases,” says Geltner, “With every new year, we would like to add additional features and abilities to the robot to replace more and more tasks in the greenhouse. We’ve designed our robots to automate greenhouse farming and alleviate these labor issues.”

Geltner was fascinated the problem of using bees to pollinate crops, as well as their worldwide decline, and wanted a change after working for 14 years in the medical device industry developing technology for breast cancer surgery. He founded Arugga, which means flowerbed in Hebrew. It addresses problems with bumblebees, but not honey bees, which pollinate most of the crops we consume and do not use buzz pollination. Squash bees (which pollinate zucchini and butternut squashes), and leafcutter bees (which pollinate alfalfa, carrots, and other fruits and veg) are also used commercially, among other types of bees. 

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

September 2022 (23rd edition)

My Story - Becoming a Beekeeper

by Sonja Tyus

I began beekeeping as a helper to my partner back in 2006, basically just tagging along as we began our life together. He gave me a brand new bee suit that was a bit too big, and gloves that very much were too big. I was surprisingly unafraid, as I put great faith in my partner and the protective gear he furnished me with that first foray into the apiary with him and his bees. I found myself being gently drawn into that world, soothed by the slow and steady timbre of his voice as he explained what he was doing, and the steady hum of the bees as he carefully moved frames of brood and honey around while he inspected the hive. I fell in love with the craft of keeping bees in short time.

Then came the honey extracting part of this endeavor. It was hot and sticky work. You want it to be warm when you extract the honey from the comb as it makes it so much easier. It flows so much better when it is warm. Getting the taste of fresh honey right from the comb was such a delight, it spurred me on to want more. You don’t extract honey where you keep your bees, as they will find the robbed honey quickly, and will take it right back from you. I’ll never forget the time the Sheriff stopped to check out what my partner and I were doing in an empty construction lot where we thought we would be acceptable to work, away from people and the apiary. He listened to our explanation, and happily left us to finish the job, with a small taste of the honey and our phone number so that he could purchase some honey when we got it bottled. Empty frames got put back in the apiary so that the bees could clean them up in no time.

After the harvest came the bottling and selling. It did not take any time at all to sell the honey as my partner had customers in line already from prior years. The neighborhood was also very happy to know the honey was again available for purchase, and the honey stand at the end of the driveway was filled every day until every jar was gone. In our neighborhood we could still get away with a money box and the honor system. You get to know your neighbors when you sell honey! Gift giving is also made easy when you have your own honey from your bees.

My partner also taught me how to render beeswax, and I quickly took up making candles. He welded a special vessel from a bain-marie that I had in my kitchen supplies so that I could more easily collect the wax. It wasn’t long before I had beautiful golden slabs of beeswax that smell almost like honey.

So many good things come from the hive, and I am so grateful to have learned from him, and so many others, on how to keep bees and to enjoy the industrious nature of these fascinating insects and the lessons they bestow upon me.

The Heartland Beekeepers Association, in conjunction with the Highlands County Master Gardener Volunteers, are offering a Beginner’s Beekeeping Course at the Bert Harris Agriculture Center on September 10, 2022 from 9 am – 4 pm in Sebring, Fl. There is a fee of $30 which includes lunch.
Please call 863-402-6540 for more information on the course.

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

August 2022 (22nd edition)

The ABF Bee Practical Award

Apply By September 1st 2022!

The American Beekeeping Federation (ABF) is offering an award up to $2,000 to a beekeeper with a practical beekeeping idea.

Each application must include: 

• Applicant’s name, mailing address, email address, and phone number

• Summary of idea (1-2 sentences)

• If the idea has been completed or if it is an idea that will be developed with the award money

• One-page description of the idea for a practical beekeeping practice and how this is relevant to other beekeepers

• One or more images that show the idea and does not include the applicant

Qualifications: 

• Must be a member of the American Beekeeping Federation by the September 1 submission deadline. Go to abfnet.org to become a member.

• Must be a beekeeper. Researchers, including students, may apply if you are also a beekeeper.

Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfH17bjuDD-pk9ePyKmuRVDZOsO1NCADa7cY7ICVQ_z3GPLoQ/viewform

South Florida 2022 Bee Expo

Anticipated presenters at the South Florida Honey Bee Expo include Sam Comfort, Anarchy Apiaries; Brandon Stanford, FDACS Chief Apiary Inspector; and Jennifer Hagan, University of Florida. The Expo will also feature a Welsh honey judging competition with ribbons and certificates awarded in multiple categories. Additionally, an educational apiary will be set up on the event grounds, allowing attendees to get “hands-on” with a hive. An optional dinner with our Keynote speaker will be held at the same location the evening before.

Tickets:

10/1/22 event ticket prices will include lunch and refreshments:

• Early Bird Discounted tickets are available now through 9/15/2022, at $99.00 per person.

• Regular Admission tickets will be available from 9/16/2022 - 9/25/2022 at $125.00 per person.

• Event registration will close on 9/25/2002.

• Based on capacity, tickets may be available at the door for $150.00 per person.

A limited number of VIP Meet & Greet Dinner tickets will be available for the evening of 9/30/22. These tickets will be sold through 8/15/2022 for $35.00 per person. After 8/15/22, VIP Meet & Greet Dinner tickets will go up to $45.00 per person.

For more information: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/south-florida-honey-bee-expo-2022-tickets-373913303757

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

July 2022 (21st edition)

North American Mite-A-Thon: August 13th-28th

What is the Mite-A-Thon? Mite-A-Thon is an international effort twice a year to help beekeepers gain knowledge of the level of mite infestation that their hives are carrying at the beginning of the season and just before the overwintering season begins.
Who can participate? All beekeepers can participate from Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Their Varroa monitoring data will be uploaded to www.mitecheck.com and a report will be produced (without identifying individual participants). The data collected by participants also helps to visualize Varroa infestations in honey bee colonies across North America within a two-week window.
What can beekeepers gain by participating? The parasitic mite, Varroa destructor (Varroa), and the viruses it vectors is a significant driver honey bee colony mortality. Yet, indicators suggest that many beekeepers are not monitoring honey bee colony Varroa infestations and therefore aren’t able to connect infestation to colony loss.
What are the reasons the Mite-A-Thon is being held? There are two objectives of the Mite-A-Thon: 1) To raise awareness about honey bee colony Varroa infestations through effective monitoring methods. 2) To make available management strategies for discussion within bee organizations utilizing Mite-A-Thon partner developed information and outreach materials.
How will it work? Participants will monitor the level of mites (number of mites per 100 bees) using a standardized protocol utilizing two common methods of assessment (powdered sugar roll or alcohol wash) and then enter data, including location, total number of hives, number of hives tested, local habitat, and the number of Varroa mites counted from each hive. The published information will not identify individual participants, but will contribute greatly to ongoing research.
What is the next step for a beekeeper or beekeeping organization? Put these dates on your calendar NOW. Determine your preferred method of testing for mites and commit to testing in May, August, and throughout the summer. Report your data at www.mitecheck.com. There is a prize for the beekeeping organization that creates the best outreach and participation. Take photos of your group events and stay tuned for details near the fall Mite-A-Thon.
Who is organizing the Mite-A-Thons? The two Mite-A-Thons are being organized by a group of stakeholders dedicated to supporting beekeeping everywhere in North America, including the American Honey Producers Association, Bee Informed Partnership, USDA, University of Maryland, Pollinator Partnership, American Beekeeping Federation, Michigan State University, Honey Bee Health Coalition, University of Minnesota Bee Lab and Bee Squad, Canadian Honey Council, Mite-Check, Project Apis m., Bee Friendly Farming, Newfoundland and Labrador Beekeeping Association, Manitoba Ministry of Agriculture and Resource Development, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture and Almond Board of California.
Need Help? Visit the Mite-A-Thon Web site and sign up for updates at https://www.pollinator.org/miteathon/miteathonsignup or view the report from 2020 at https://www.pollinator.org/miteathon.

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

June 2022 (20th edition)

National Honey Report: Florida Colony, Honey Plant, and Market Conditions During April 2022

Temperatures and precipitation were about average for the month. Bee health was considered to be fairly good. Some bees were pollinating watermelons in Central Florida during April. The cold and windy weather in March did cause the orange blossom honey yield to be very low this year. Titi finished blooming early in the month. Tupelo began blooming around the middle of the month. Tupelo honey production was expected to be a little better than last year. Moisture levels were a little higher this year and seemed to contribute to more honey production. Some tupelo honey was pulled before the end of the month, but most of the tupelo honey is expected to be pulled in early May. Gallberry and palmetto also were both available before the end of the month. There were light supplies of tupelo honey stored at the end of the month with slightly larger supplies of stored Gallberry honey. Demand was very good for tupelo and good for Gallberry honey.

Honey-Powered Computers Could Cut Down e-Waste

by Shawn Knight

Washington State University researchers have developed a prototype memristor made from a rather unique material: honey. To create the sweet circuitry, researchers processed honey into a solid form and wedged it between two metal electrodes. The resulting structure loosely mimics a synapse, the part of the brain that connects neurons and allows them to communicate with each other.

The human brain is comprised of more than 100 billion neurons with north of 1,000 trillion synapses. Each neuron is capable of both processing and storing data, making them far more efficient than the architecture found in traditional computers.

The proof-of-concept memristor was built on a micro-scale and is about the size of a human hair.

Lead researcher Feng Zhao tested the honey memristors' switching speeds and found them to be comparable to human synapses (100ns on and 500ns off). They were also able to emulate functions called spike-timing dependent plasticity and spike-rate dependent plasticity, which assist with learning and retaining new information.

Honey was chosen due in part to its biodegradable and renewable nature. "Honey does not spoil," Zhao said. "It has a very low moisture concentration, so bacteria cannot survive in it. This means these computer chips will be very stable and reliable for a very long time."

Zhao is also looking into the viability of proteins and other sugars, like those found in Aloe vera leaves, for similar applications.

Future iterations will be developed on a nanoscale, or about 1/1000 the size of a human hair. By bundling millions or even billions together, the researchers eventually hope to construct a fully functional neuromorphic computing system.

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

April 2022 (19th edition)

Bee Informed

At the end of every year, we ask members of our club to fill out a survey to help us better understand their needs. The results from our last survey are in, and though we’ve learned a lot, we’ve been left with a lot of questions. 

A majority of our members are relatively new beekeepers, with less than three years of experience and an average of three colonies per person. Almost everybody started their journey with a more experienced beekeeper to guide them. Primary areas of interest are general beekeeping practices, varroa treatment, and honey production. 

Nearly all the respondents produce honey, but only a couple members produce any other bee products. Not a single person offers pollination services, and we’re left wondering if this is due to poor communication between local farmers and beekeepers, or simply a lack of need. 

We’re very proud to see a significant increase in the number of mite counts being performed, since our previous survey. A whopping 70% of our members perform mite counts at least sometimes, and more than half treat for varroa. Interestingly, a majority of respondents felt that their effort is the most important factor in the health of their colonies.  

More than half our members have bought queens. We’re curious to learn more about their experiences, as there aren’t many suppliers available in our area. Would local beekeepers be interested in learning different methods of raising queens, on their own? Or perhaps the club should consider offering queens for sale? 

Finally, and most pleasingly, none of our members are unsatisfied with our service. Everybody would recommend the Heartland Beekeepers to others—and many folks have! Half of respondents joined at the suggestion of another member. However, there is always room for improvement; it was suggested that we prioritize field days, workshops, and guest speakers. We can do that! Good to know. 

Thank you for taking the time to give us feedback, and for your membership.  

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

March 2022 (18th Edition)

Waxing Poetic

Beeswax is one of the most highly prized commodities that honey bees produce. It is inevitable that a beekeeper will end up having to process wax eventually, but as with most things Apidae, it is easier said than done. 

The commonly shared approach is to melt wax in a bain-marie. This is most easily done with cappings from honeycomb, as they are typically relatively clean and free of debris from the start. The wax will pool atop the water and eventually cool into a disc that can be handled readily, and the remaining slumgum can be fed to the plants. Any beekeeper that makes a habit of trimming burr comb has discovered the primary flaw in this technique: bees and their larvae also float, and will solidify like chips in a big wax cookie.  

The easy fix is to secure such combs in a paint strainer or similar, to filter out problematic detritus. On paper, this is straightforward, but the reality involves finding clever ways to suspend a messy sack of steaming bee matter over a hot pot in an effort to let strain the quickly cooling wax. This ends up feeling like a clumsy exercise in futility, as a significant amount of wax is wasted. In addition, any tools used in the process become coated in wax almost immediately.  

The real solution is simple: sink the bag below water level. This can be accomplished in a myriad of ways, primarily involving stones or other weighty objects. The wax will percolate to the water’s surface as it melts. After everything has cooled, the bag can be removed, emptied, and reused. Tools and other objects can be efficiently cleaned this way, as well.  

It requires an astounding amount of effort for honey bees to create wax. The least we, as beekeepers, can do, is try not to waste it. 

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

February 2022 (17th edition)

Beekeeping After Dark: The Red-Light District

Once upon a time, I heard a rumor that beekeepers in Arizona perform nuisance hive removals at night, using red lights. Anybody that has done a colony relocation in the sweltering Florida heat would obviously give this idea some merit. Upon further consideration, the logic seemed sound. After all, one of the most tedious parts of colony relocation is the extra effort to collect the returning foragers; were everybody home and accounted for, it’d be all the easier to get the whole bunch in one go. The use of red light should leave the bees essentially blind to our efforts, in the dark. It was an intriguing concept, but a difficult sell to the average homeowner seeking removal services. 

Then, one day, a rare opportunity arose: an exceedingly defensive honey bee colony had settled under a shipping container on a farm. Accessing them during the day would hinder employee operations. I recruited a couple friends from the club and got the materials together, and we set a date. 

The Roman philosopher Seneca once said: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” If that is true, then we were woefully unprepared, and decidedly unlucky. 

We arrived a bit before sunset to get set up while we still had some daylight. With our equipment laid out, we discussed our plan of attack; I decided we would delay using the vacuum and cut comb, piece by piece, looking for the queen. This is my typical approach, when possible, and my first mistake (aside from not doing more research into this before diving in).  

Access to the hive was far more restricted than it appeared. We could only reach into the void beneath the shipping container and grope for comb. The air smelled of alarm pheromone in minutes. As we yanked out messy handfuls, I realized it was difficult for me to tell the bees apart from the gravel around us, let alone spot the queen.  

We quickly abandoned any pretense of grace, and started up the vacuum. We grabbed shovels and sticks when our arms weren’t long enough. The bees stormed the red lights and us in a fury. It was chaos, but there was no going back, at that point.  

We took turns until the task was completed. We left some brood comb in a box near the remains of what was once a thriving honey bee colony, hoping it would attract any strays that had been left behind. It didn’t. I found them clustered under the shipping container, the next day. 

Ultimately, we completed our goal, but it was an unsatisfying end to our labor. Perhaps things would have gone differently if we had better access to the colony, or if they were less defensive, but no bee relocation is an ideal situation. 

All that said, I’d still try it again.  

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

January 2022 (16th edition)

Beekeeper Book Club - The Lives of Bees: The Untold Story of the Honey Bee in the Wild by Thomas D. Seeley

There are plenty of books about bees, and many of them are akin to textbooks and guides about keeping bees. As useful as these are, it is unsatisfying for the reader that wants to understand honey bees beyond the scope of their relationship with humans.
In this comprehensive novel, renowned researcher Thomas Seeley introduces us to honey bees in their purest state: wild. He takes the reader on a thorough tour through decades of his stunning fieldwork to investigate the mystery behind honey bees living in the forests near his home in New York. His passionate, lifelong knowledge of the area shines in his research to understand why these insects do what they do, without outside influence.
Following a brief history, each chapter is a fascinating deep dive into a different aspect of the life of undomesticated honey bees: the nest, the annual cycle, reproduction, food collection, defense, temperature control, pests and diseases. He outlines his methods and explains his conclusions in approachable language. Even the seasoned beekeeper will benefit from this unique perspective, and stands to learn quite a bit.
Dr. Seeley ends the book with a honest examination of the far-reaching effects of human manipulation and agricultural exploitation of honey bees, as well as an attempt to reconcile them: Darwinian beekeeping. Unfortunately, this is only a brief summarization of the theory, and it is obviously unlikely to be an approach that commercial beekeepers will take.
Overall, a backyard beekeeper has a lot to take away from this book. It provides a fresh, intimate understanding of honey bees without any expectations, and proactive options to improve our relationship with them.
Dr. Thomas Seeley will be providing a live presentation on the dance language of honey bees via Zoom, at 7pm on Tuesday, February 1st. This event is being hosted by a Florida nonprofit called Bees Beyond Borders, which works to provide beekeeping equipment and education to the Caribbean islands. Tickets are $1, and can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/x/dr-tom-seeleythe-dance-language-of-honey-bees-tickets-230498034827

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

December 2021 (15th edition)

Making a List, Checking It Twice

Winter is a period of preparation for beekeepers. With the citrus flow right around the corner, it can be a scramble to find good queens in time. To reduce stress, here is the most current list of registered queen breeders in Florida, along with their contact information:

Wild Honey Bee Farm LLC - HOLMES VIEW DR UMATILLA, FL 32784, wildhoneybeefarms@gmail.com, 910-546-5066 

Michael and Carolyn Peronti - 23539 WOLF BRANCH RD SORRENTO, FL 32776, 407-383-5577 

David Smith - 8414 EDISON RD LITHIA, FL 33547, smithhoney2@aol.com, 813-737-3122 

Jester Bee Company - 2600 HONEYBEE LN MIMS, FL 32754, order@jesterbee.com, 870-243-1596 

Miksa Honey Farms LLC - 13404 HONEYCOMB RD GROVELAND, FL 34736, miksahf@aol.com, 352-429-3447 

HR Honey Farms LLC - 40819 W 2ND AVE UMATILLA, FL 32784, HRHONEYFARMS@gmail.com, 352-406-8977 

S&S Apiaries LLC - 2429 PIONEER TRL NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL 32168, nswfljesse@yahoo.com, 386-478-9722 

Scott and Marjorie Mansfield - 1018 SE 50TH TER OCALA, FL 34471, scottandmarjoriemansfield@yahoo.com, 352-694-2232 

John Sheppard - 5320 LITTLE STREAM LN WESLEY CHAPEL, FL 33545, tranquilhook@gmail.com, 831-915-3863 

Sticky Cow Farm Inc. - 4419 SIESTA RD BROOKSVILLE, FL 34602, stickycowfarms@gmail.com, 727-808-7727 

Corley Bee LLC - 1110 W LAKE DR WIMAUMA, FL 33598, corleybeeco@gmail.com, 813-690-9808 

Snyder’s Hives & Honey - 1844 TIMBERS WEST BLVD ROCKLEDGE, FL 32955, snydershh@yahoo.com, 321-543-2702 

Smiley B Farms LLC - 735 GUM CREEK RD GRACEVILLE, FL 32440, allen.scheffer1@gmail.com, 352-538-3182 

Lake Indianhead Honey Farms LLC - 25025 BLACK BEAR LN EUSTIS, FL 32736, arussell08@winona.edu, 352-589-1231 

John Graf - 9470 ZAMBITO RD N JACKSONVILLE, FL 32210, missbeehaven4@gmail.com, 904-610-3470 

Bee Fussy Apiary - 32405 BEACH PARK RD LOT 5 LEESBURG, FL 34788, beefussyapiary@gmail.com, 352-445-2412 

Lanko Bee Farm - 227 E BANNERVILLE RD PALATKA, FL 32177, lankobeefarm@gmail.com, 212-365-8801 

Millie’s Bee Farm - PO BOX 105 MARIANNA, FL 32447, milliebeefarm@gmail.com, 850-762-2255 

Josh Ray - 6514 OLD FEDERAL RD QUINCY, FL 32351, josh.bca20@yahoo.com, 850-510-0401 

Seb-Bees LLC - 11727 KENT GROVE DR SPRING HILL, FL 34610, houston3d@hotmail.com, 727-512-4873 

Thomas Honey Co. - 14767 N US HIGHWAY 441 LAKE CITY, FL 32055, mike@thomashoney.com, 386-752-6979 

Mark Lally - 8181 LAKE LOWERY RD WINTER HAVEN, FL 33880, meel123@aol.com, 863-686-1102 

The Barnes & the Bees LLC - 218 NE LAFAYETTE PL LAKE CITY, FL 32055, davidbarnes123@bellsouth.net, 386-965-0990 

James and Elizabeth Wessman - 13243 LAVER LN ORLANDO, FL 32824, bottomstungbeekeepers@gmail.com, 321-331-6434 

Kranek Apiary - 604 LAKE ARIANA BLVD AUBURNDALE, FL 33823, kranekhome@msn.com, 863-412-6045 

Kentucky Honey Farms - 1530 OTTO POLK RD FROSTPROOF, FL 33843, Jakeoz65@gmail.com, 270-993-0146 

Heritage Bees - 13339 MJ RD MYAKKA CITY, FL 34251, heritagebees@gmail.com, 813-784-0973 

Natural Bridge Honey Farm - 20069 S US HIGHWAY 441 HIGH SPRINGS, FL 32643, mthomas47@windstream.net, 352-284-3971 

Flippin Bee Company - 2991 NW 40TH LOOP JENNINGS, FL 32053, flippinbeecompany@yahoo.com, 678-509-4164 

Bryan Lee Albritton - 28131 NW 98TH ST ALACHUA, FL 32615, leesbees@rocketmail.com, 386-462-3461 

Honey Land Farms II LLC - 22146 OBRIEN RD HOWEY IN THE HILLS, FL 34737, HoneyLandFarms@aol.com, 352-429-3996 

Two Brothers Bee Farm LLC - 3319 WILLOW RD WIMAUMA, FL 33598, twobrothersbeefarm813@yahoo.com, 813-786-5048 

Dekorne Honey Farms - 1506 BAY LAKE LOOP GROVELAND, FL 34736, djdekorne@Charter.net, 352-429-4687 

R Wild Enterprise - PO BOX 591 SAN ANTONIO, FL 33576, radiost256@aol.com, 813-318-2284 

Santa Fe Queens - 15815 NW 188TH ST ALACHUA, FL 32615, santafequeens@gmail.com, 903-517-5940 

Scott Barnes - 16248 M 216 THREE RIVERS, FL 49093, barnesseven@juno.com, 269-506-5039 

Anothony Struthers - 8020 ROSE TER LAKE WALES, FL 33898, astruthers83@gmail.com, 863-205-0019 

Bellin Bee Honey Farms - 665 NE 696TH ST BRANFORD, FL 32008, bellinbee1966@gmail.com, 352-874-9626 

Indian Summer Honey Farm - 7269 SR 50 WEBSTER, FL 33597, chris@indiansummerhoneyfarm.com, 352-429-0054 

Michael’s Bee’s - 1715 N SCENIC HWY BABSON PARK, FL 33827, LLC, michael.bierling@gmail.com, 616-403-6323 

Suwannee Farms Inc. - 15445 51ST DR WELLBORN, FL 32094, 386-965-5662 

John Knox - 665 NE 696TH ST BRANFORD, FL 32008, buzzingjl@aol.com, 352-542-9776 

Simply Southern Bees LLC - PO BOX 1437 NEWBERRY, FL 32669, djellison@live.com, 352-494-9093 

Royalty Honey Bees LLC - 39401 SPARKMAN RD DADE CITY, FL 33525, royaltyhoneybees@gmail.com, 352-385-5075 

Legacy Honey Bees Inc. - 7090 RIVER RUN BLVD WEEKI WACHEE, FL 34607, mnbbeck@gmail.com, 352-220-4015 

Richard Hildreth - 707 NASSAU RD COCOA BEACH, FL 32931, hldr34@aol.com, 321-223-2019 

Priceless Health Farms - 5392 NW TWIN PONDS RD MARIANNA, FL 32448, allowaypalms@yahoo.com, 850-762-2555 

Jim Sunday - 9010 APALACHEE PKWY TALLAHASSEE, FL 32311, berrypatchhoneybeefarm@gmail.com, 850-661-9320 

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

November 2021 (14th edition)

Passing the Buck

The Florida State Beekeepers Association has developed a “Save the Bees” specialty license plate, with the goal of using the proceeds to fund outreach, education, and research. Crowdsourcing money to support various causes has become commonplace, but where does that cash actually go?

The National Honey Board and Project Apis m. have set out to answer that question by creating a prolific compendium: the Bee Health Collective website. Beekeepers have a unique opportunity to connect with and explore research currently underway. The keyword searchable platform provides easy access to projects, and can be sorted by when they were funded, the institution that provided the funding, and area of research.

Beekeepers line up to see presentations from “rock star” investigators like Randy Oliver and Thomas Seeley. Through the Bee Health Collective, beekeepers can search their names, find a list of associates working on various projects with them, and view their individual websites and blogs to keep current.

In addition to a wealth of credible information about honey bee health, hive management, and pollination, the Bee Health Collective offers bee-related job postings and funding opportunities on their Bee Bulletin Board.

This is a time of rampant support for pollinator wellness. This platform, and efforts like it, give beekeepers a chance at oversight in the process of funding research.

The Bee Health Collective can be accessed here: https://beehealthcollective.org/

Get a Presale Voucher for the FSBA “Save the Bees” specialty license plate here: https://myfloridaspecialtyplate.com/beesvoucherorder.html

Join us at the plant sale on Saturday, November 20th!

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

October 2021 (13th edition)

Bee Spooky, Honey

Across the state, beekeepers are harvesting honey and preparing their hives for the dry season. Autumn is a time of reaping, and perhaps that's the reason it is associated with death.

Honey, though usually a symbol of prosperity, also has correlations with death.

In South America, carrion bees primarily scavenge meat and cure it into a substance resembling honey--it is even resistant to decay. They use it as a replacement for pollen in their diet, as they do not have adaptations for carrying pollen. Though grotesque, this pales in comparison to the creative ways humans have combined honey and corpses.

Scaphism was a cruel method of execution, first recorded by the Greeks. Victims were restrained between two boats, with head and limbs exposed. They were drenched in, and force fed, milk and honey, until their stomachs distended. They were then left to be tormented and consumed by the multitude of insects attracted to the saccharine anointing and resulting excretions. Death via this torturous process could take weeks.

The same qualities that make honey medicinally relevant also make it good embalming material. Ancient Chinese medical scholars outlined the process of self-mummification with honey, called mellification. This undertaking was a decision made in old age, to serve others as corpse medicine. The donor ceased consumption of anything except honey until death came. Their cadaver was then sealed in honey, and steeped for decades. The resulting concoction--a human mummy confection--was sold as an expensive cure for a variety of ailments.

With Thanksgiving looming on the horizon, this might be a good opportunity to be grateful for the death of such bizarre practices.

 The Heartland Bee Newsletter

September 2021 (12th edition)

Introduced Species and Invasive Plants

Every September, Florida beekeepers stack their supers to collect the fall nectar flow: Brazilian pepper. Though it is known in bee circles for its bounty of late season, dark honey, the shrubby tree is one of the most aggressive and widespread invasive plants in the state. After honey bees are done visiting its white flowers, it produces clusters of red berries in December that are dispersed by wildlife and waterways. It is capable of damage in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats.

Due to the virulent nature of the Brazilian peppertree, biological controls have been implemented. After rigorous lab testing to ensure they wouldn’t stray from their intended target, the first wave of Brazilian peppertree thrips were released in 2019. These tiny insects evolved alongside the plant in South America, and eat its new foliage. USDA researchers anticipate these thrips will reduce the growth of this invasive species by eighty percent without negatively affecting native Florida plants and wildlife, on a timeline that spans decades.

Beekeepers across the state were put off by these efforts, citing valid reasons for their skepticism. There are numerous examples of prior biological control releases that have caused more harm than good. There are plenty of other invasive species that arguably deserve higher priority than one that feeds pollinators and wildlife. There are other insects already helping to control the Brazilian peppertree in Florida. Despite this, another biocontrol insect (the yellow Brazilian peppertree leaf galler) has been approved for the same purpose.

While this is a victory for the environment, what it means for honey bees is still unclear. Beekeepers depend upon the wealth of nectar provided by these invasive species to strengthen their colonies before the dry season. No immediate change in honey production is anticipated. The plants that grow to fill the void left by the Brazilian peppertree may not bloom at a similar time of year, if at all. Only time will tell the long-reaching effects of such experimentation. For now, the sweetness of Brazilian pepper honey has been made bitter by the knowledge that it’s only growing rarer.

Here are some alternative pollen and nectar source plants that compete and flower at the same time as the Brazilian peppertree:

Wild coffee (Psychotria nervosa), Coral vine (Antigonon leptopus), Prairie sunflower (Helianthus agrestis), Summer farewell (Petalostemon caroliniense), Camphorweed (Heterotheca subaxillaris), Florida milkweed (Asclepias feayi), Spanish needles (Bidens alba), Patridge pea (Cassia fasciculata), and Mexican clover (Richardia scabra)

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

August 2021 (11th edition)

The Old World and Honey Bees

In honor of National Honey Bee Day, we’d like to share some honey bee mythology and historical customs from around the world, starting with the earliest known:

Africa

• Egypt has the world's first definitive, recorded bee histories and rituals.

• "Egyptians linked bees to the maternity goddess Nut. The sky goddess Nut was thought to give birth to Ra, the sun god, every morning. Egyptian mythology attributed the origin of the honey bee to the tears Ra would cry. When Ra's tears fell on the ground, it was thought, honey bees emerged. Nut is the goddess responsible for music being used to encourage queen bees to emerge from their cells. Ancient Egyptian beekeepers knew that healthy hives swarmed, and they listened for the piping among queen and worker bees preceding a swarm. Because of Nut's role in the origin of bees, the ancient Egyptians made an analogy between maternal reproduction and swarming. In their word for "honey," ancient Egyptians used an image of Nut holding a reed, in effect, calling the swarm into the world."

• "Everything was collected from the hive, combs, pollen, honey, and any adhering bees, was put into each vessel with water. A piece of pith from the gourd Kigelia Africana, which carried the necessary yeast, was floated on top of the liquid and moved from one cask to the next. When all the honey was used up, the pith was dried on a hut rood and kept until the next honey harvest. Liquid in the vessels was bubbling away, and customers were served by dipping a [half gourd] into the brew..." (from Making a Beeline by Eva Crane)

• "[Beer is made] by placing comb in water and rubbing it by hand. After rubbing, the comb is set aside to be used for perfuming a hive. The solution is placed in a gourd, one with a wide mouth and a short neck to which fruit is added from the sausage tree muratina kigelia aethiopium as a fermenting agent. Gourds are allowed to stand in the sun, or near a fire, for twelve hours, and the liquid is ready to drink." (from Making a Beeline by Eva Crane)

India

• The Badagas had a honey goddess called Kunnimaara.

• Kama, the Indian god of love, flies with a bow whose string is made of bees.

• The traditional honeymoon night ritual involves smearing the bride’s genitals with honey while praying because “it is the second mouth of the creator: by that thou subduest all males, though unsubdued; by that thou art lively, and dost hold dominion."

Asia

• First continent to correlate honey bees with goddesses and icons (Artemis, Hannahanna, Hitam Manis).

• Catherine the Great provided much-needed political foundation for the beekeeping arts in Russia.

• On Leo Tolstoy: "The apiary has become the center of the world for him now, and everybody has to be interested exclusively with bees." Both Anna Karenina and War and Peace involve beekeepers or bee metaphors.

• Two southeast Asian tribes, the Abkhazians and the Ossetes, were renowned beekeepers. The Ossetes worshipped the bee goddess Meritta (known also as Merissa, or Mereime) and mother of the god of thunder.

• Iranian marriage tradition: "...we plunged our fingers in honey and suck one another's fingers to begin our married life on a sweet note."

• Turkey is home to some of the first gardeners, agriculturalists, and devotees of powerful female goddesses associated with honey bees.

• If somebody stole a swarm, they were fined as punishment.

• Male worshippers of Artemis were called "Essenes," which means "king bee."

• Artemis worshippers believed in regeneration, and thought honey bees could be begotten from bulls.

• "When the moody god of agriculture Telepinu would storm off in a huff over some petty disturbance, Hannahanna would dispatch her bee to sting his hands and feet, wipe his eyes and feet with wax and bring him back to put things right." (from The Honey Spinner by Grace Pundyk)

• Asia has the greatest diversity of honey bees and the most land mass for forage.

Europe

• Southern Europe was where gendered analogies between women and bees began to be a literary trope.

• Many Greek goddesses were associated with honey: Demeter, Artemis, Ceres, Hecate, Persephone, Aphrodite, Selene, and the nymphs, especially the naiads.

• The myth of a member of Demeter's cult, named Melissa, being made to have bees emerge from her torn body, along with the propensity of bees to nest in caves and tombs, factors into public perception about bees being the incarnation of a soul.

• Priestesses of Apollo, Demeter, and Artemis were known as "bees".

• "There are certain honey ones, sisters born—three virgins gifted with wings: their heads are besprinkled with white meal and the dwell under a ridge of Parnassus...From their home they fly now here, now there, feeding on honeycomb and bringing all things to pass. And when they are inspired through eating yellow honey, they are willing to speak truth; but if they be deprived of the gods' sweet food, then they speak falsely and swarm in and out together." (from The Homeric Hymn to Hermes)

• Greek marriage tradition: "It is customary for the bride to dip her finger into honey and make the sign of the cross before entering her new home. This gesture would bring her a sweet married life and good relationship with her mother-in-law."

• The Hebrew word Deborah means "bee," deriving from the word debash, "honey."

• Early Christian beekeeping methods involved cylindrical hives like those used by the Hittite, Egyptian, and Greek cultures.

• Early Christian Romans removed impurities from wax so that candles would burn clearly and art would reflect the colors of encaustic paints.

• Modern European beekeepers make a practice of telling their bees about significant events, such as a wedding or a funeral, lest they swarm or die from offense.

Unless otherwise noted, this information was found in Beeconomy by Tammy Horn.

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

July 2021 (10th edition)

In Case You Missed It: Global, National, and Regional Bee News

• Preliminary results for the Bee Informed Partnership's loss survey have been made available: A total of 3,347 beekeepers from the United States that collectively managed 192,384 colonies provided validated survey responses. This represented 7% of the estimated 2.71 million managed honey-producing colonies in the country in 2020. Over the entire year (1 April 2020 – 1 April 2021), beekeepers in the United States lost an estimated 45.5% of their managed honey bee colonies. This is the second highest annual loss on record. Loss rates should not be interpreted as a change in population size because beekeepers are able to replace lost colonies throughout the year. To learn more, visit https://beeinformed.org/2021/06/21/united-states-honey-bee-colony-losses-2020-2021-preliminary-results/.

• Higher global temperatures mean more pests, in places they weren't before. The logic follows that more pesticides (specifically, organosilicon surfactants) will be implemented in those places, negatively impacting pollinator health. Dr. Scott McArt from Cornell University is inviting beekeepers to send samples for reduced price pesticide analyzation ($90 per 10 gram sample). For more information, visit https://blogs.cornell.edu/ccecf/.

• In international trade, should honey be defined as produced only by Apis mellifera, or the overall genus Apis, which includes eight species of bees? Honey made by different species have significantly different physiochemical properties. Honey is a very complicated product, both chemically and legally. The debate stretches beyond into hive products, such as pollen and propolis. Current regulations are seen as discriminatory against countries utilizing native Apis populations rather than imported European honey bees.

• International honey standards define composition and quality factors for honey, but biologically active properties are not discussed. To better identify quality honey with health-promoting properties, it is being suggested that the level of antibacterial activity in different varieties of honey be quantified.

• The U.S. Department of Commerce is investigating surging volumes of non-raw honey from Vietnam, Brazil, India, Ukraine, and Argentina. These imports are responsible for significantly depressed domestic honey prices.

• The Eastern Apicultural Society of North America is hosting a conference next month, in Kentucky. For more information, visit https://www.easternapiculture.org/.

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

June 2021 (9th edition)

Stormy Weather

It's that time of year again: hurricane season. Floridians are more intimately familiar with this tempestuous period than most other Americans, to the point of fatigue at the alarm raised every time a tropical wind blows. It is common practice, about now, to keep a full pantry and gas tank, trim branches, and check generators. Beekeepers have a few extra items to add to their hurricane prep checklist:

• Assess apiary sites for weak or dying tree limbs, along with unsecured structures or equipment. Lowland locations might require flood considerations, including access to colonies in standing water.

• Fix hives against wind. A popular option is ratchet straps, preferably fastened to a sturdy stand or pallet.

• Stock up on sugar. Severe storms can tear the flowers from plants, leaving little nectar forage for the following couple of weeks. Supplemental feeding during these times can be instrumental to colony health and survival.

By the time a hurricane threat becomes imminent, there is little to be done other than hunker down and wait for it to pass. Rumor has it that bees are prone to swarm afterwards, so once the barometric pressure evens out, management is a priority. 

Consider, also, reaching out to nearby beekeepers to exchange help. The beauty of having a community of likeminded peers is realized when they support each other. Coming together to trade brood, feed, equipment, and labor will ensure everybody's bees thrive in a time of crisis.

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

May 2021 (8th edition)

The Best Way to Feed Bees

A common beekeeper desire is to provide plentiful, year-round forage for honey bees. Multiple studies cite the importance of diverse floral sources, and their benefits over sugar feeds and pollen supplements. So, where to begin?

The easiest way to provide more forage for pollinators is to try doing less. One of Florida's most common weeds, Spanish needle (Bidens bipinnata), is a native pollinator powerhouse that will grow phenomenally with absolutely zero effort from the beekeeper. Butterflies, honey bees, and native bees will graze nearly year-round on the plentiful, creeping blooms. 

For those with more intent, Florida's state wildflower, tickseed (genus Coreopsis), can be easily found throughout the state, growing wild on roadsides and prairies. Seeds are commercially available, or they can be harvested locally when the yellow flowers wither. Tickseed can behave as a short-lived perennial in warmer parts of the state, and will reseed itself readily in moist soil. Trimming back blooms produces an additional flush of flowers.  

The ideal candidate: False rosemary (genus Conradina) is an evergreen, perennial shrub with short, needlelike leaves--similar in appearance to rosemary, but its foliage emits a minty scent when bruised. There are six species of Conradina native to Florida, but only one isn't endangered or threatened, limiting availability. False rosemary blooms abundantly from spring through fall, and prefers to be left alone in full sun and dry, sandy soil. Short-leaved false rosemary, C. brevifolia, is found only in scrub habitats in Polk and Highlands counties, making it a preferred planting for native pollinators; however, it releases a chemical that suppresses the growth of nearby plants, so its location should be chosen carefully. Seeds and cuttings can be collected from plants. 

Finally, a non-native flowering plant that deserves special recognition: tropical hydrangea (genus Dombeya). This shrub can grow to a towering twenty feet in record time, without being fussy about its care or maintenance. Tropical hydrangea blooms plentifully in the winter, when nectar availability is limited, and honey bees are unable to resist the intoxicating, cake-like smell of the immense pink flower clusters. This helps strengthen colonies at a vital time: just prior to the citrus blossom. These plants are available in nurseries, but can also be produced from cuttings kept in a moist growing medium. 

Floral forage can be spread beyond the beekeeper's space by gifting seeds and cuttings from nectar plants to neighbors and friends. A potted arrangement may not seem like much, but every little bit is more nutrition to feed not just honey bees, but also butterflies, birds, moths, flies, ants, and native bees. 

To find a native plant nursery, visit www.PlantRealFlorida.org
To purchase native wildflower seeds, visit www.FloridaWildflowers.com
To learn more about native plants, visit www.FNPS.org

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

April 2021 (7th edition)

Why Did These Bees Swarm?

Even the best beekeepers fail to prevent swarm events. Honey bees swarm for a large number of reasons, some of which science doesn't completely understand yet. It is known that the circulation of queen mandibular pheromone throughout the hive is measured and quantified by the bees, and if it is dispersed too weakly, the process of replacing the mature queen begins.

The most common cause of disproportionate queen mandibular pheromone is high colony population, which usually occurs alongside a nectar flow. However, that is far from the only reason for swarming events; it only explains why they are more common during bloom periods.

So did a colony swarm because of a sudden population explosion? It's a safe bet, in the spring, but not guaranteed. Colony inspection is the only surefire way to know, but a swarm typically occurs when the intended replacement queens' cells are capped, and capped queen cells should be treated delicately. Tread lightly when probing a hive that has swarmed within the past few days.

Typical swarm cells are found near the bottom of frames or comb, and are a sign of a thriving colony of bees preparing to reproduce. In these scenarios, capped honey can be found in the corners of brood frames. Resources should be plentiful.

Queen cells pulled from other areas imply supersedure, and are usually a response to an issue. The good news is that the bees are doing this for a reason. In the case of supersedure, the colony is righting itself--a solid brood break does wonders for the spread of pests and diseases within a hive. As long as they have enough pollen and nectar to carry them until the first of the new queen's brood emerges, they should be back up to snuff in no time.

About a month after a swarm, a mated queen or eggs should be found in the hive. Before then, however, they might swarm yet again. Fret not--sometimes, workers will accompany a virgin queen as she leaves on a mating flight. It is thought that this serves to disperse scent to help guide her back to her colony, while also disguising her from predators, similar to a shoal of fish.

Florida beekeepers should keep an eye out for one last type of swarm: usurpation by apis scutellata, or Africanized honey bees. It is documented that apis scutellata swarms will invade a virgin queen's hive, slaughter her and any workers that put up a fight, and take over. This event may be mistaken for aggressive robbing.

Swarming will be a topic of discussion for beekeepers into perpetuity, but the practice of maintaining swarm traps will make the conversation less regretful.

For more information, see:

Swarm Control for Managed Beehives

Swarm Trapping for Pest Control Operators

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

March 2021 (6th edition)

The Politics of Beekeeping

Florida is a warm, safe harbor for commercial beekeepers to overwinter their hives. The weather is mild and floral resources are plentiful. There is a downside to beekeeping in a tropical paradise, however: Africanized honey bees. 

The best management practices with which registered beekeepers are to comply include provisions to stimy the spread of these potentially dangerous honey bees. Those best management practices have been quietly updated, and are more prohibitive than ever:

• Colony divisions and splits are to be re-queened with production queens, or cells from a reputable dealer.

• Swarm collection is discouraged, unless they can be immediately re-queened.

• Weak or empty colonies may attract Africanized honey bees, and should not be kept in an apiary.

• Colonies should be re-queened every six months unless using clipped or marked queens.

• If a previously installed marked or clipped queen is missing, the hive should be re-queened immediately with known European stock.

• One drone stock colony should be provided for every ten colonies.

These demands are substantial for the backyard beekeeper. Queens sourced from reputable European honey bee breeders can be limited in availability. Performing splits and collecting swarms are traditional, extremely affordable, and easily manageable methods to compensate for losses, which are common throughout every tier of the industry.

Queen breeders aren't shielded from the onslaught; it is now recommended that sixty European drone source colonies be housed within a mile of any mating yard. This complicated measure stands in direct opposition of current integrated pest management recommendations, and is nigh impossible to maintain without a rigorous feeding schedule--and that's without mention of the effect of that sort of saturation competing with local, native pollinator populations. It goes almost without saying that demand for European honey bee queens will increase, while supply becomes more constrained. Prices will go up, again. Which is more important: localized stock, or pure European genetics?

While the threat of Africanized honey bees cannot be dismissed, saddling beekeepers with more extreme burdens is not the future for which we hoped. It isn't difficult to imagine future restrictions on all honey bee sales, including packages and nucleus colonies. Is this where beekeeper-funded research has brought us?

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

February 2021 (5th edition)

Your Input: By the Numbers

The results of our member survey are in, and we’re grateful for your responses. The primary goal of the Heartland Beekeepers Association is to serve local beekeepers—it helps a lot to know what they want.  

The experience level of our members varies dramatically, from less than a year to nearly two decades, with the average sitting at about five years of beekeeping. The number of managed colonies is diverse, as well, with an average of ten hives per beekeeper. A majority of our respondents produce honey, and about half produce wax. Pollination services were minimal—perhaps due to a lack of communication pathways between beekeepers and farmers in need of such a service? 

A major focus of this survey was education. We learned that a whopping 71% of our members have had a mentor, and prefer to get their information from other experienced beekeepers, though they primarily find it through Facebook and YouTube, presently.  

With that in mind, we’re working to put together pandemic-friendly, in-person classes and workshops catering to hands-on education—starting this month! Discussion is under way for our annual beginner beekeeper class, as well as an online library of quick reference videos for things like mite counts, IPM techniques, and queen rearing. 

If you are interested in joining our list of mentors, please don’t hesitate to let us know! You don’t need to be an expert to share your knowledge and passion with a newbee, and we’re here to help however we can.  

I Heart Mite Counts

For the backyard beekeeper, mite counts can seem like an additional burden in the battle with Varroa. The loss of several hundred bees can seem wasteful, if not downright tragic. However, a combination of mite counts and bit of recordkeeping can save a considerable amount of time and money, and significantly improve the health of the entire apiary.

The basics of the mite count are straightforward: a sample of 300 bees (a half cup) are taken from a frame of open brood and placed in a container with a medium that will help to dislodge the mites while the beekeeper physically rolls and shakes them. The bees are then strained, and the mites remaining in the medium are counted.

Here's the really fun part: math! Divide the number of mites by three, and that's the varroa threshold of the colony. Many scholarly sources agree that if the resulting number is greater than three, pest management is recommended.

In Florida, a powdered sugar roll can be satisfactory, but humidity decreases effectiveness with each successive colony. An alcohol wash is the most reliable method of counting mites. As is always true of this industry, special gadgets designed to streamline the process are available for sale, but a beekeeper can get by just fine with a mesh screen cut to fit a Mason jar lid.

Sticky boards are a less invasive option, but are also considerably less accurate unless checked or replaced often. Their beauty lies in testing the mite drop following treatment.

The level of mites in a hive may not be readily apparent. A strong colony may be harboring a high number of pests. It may not be earmarked for spring treatment. This leads to a mite crash, which is commonly identified on beekeeper surveys as "weak in the fall". With the decrease in drone brood as nectar availability drops, large numbers of Varroa transition to harassing worker brood, instead.

Beekeepers that treat prophylactically may find themselves needing less costly chemical treatments, also reducing labor associated with applying and removing them. A count that's near the recommended threshold can be controlled with integrated pest management techniques, like swarming, splitting, requeening, and drone brood removal.

Keeping track of these insights provides confidence when addressing common issues, like spotty brood patterns or lack of queen success. Knowing the mite threshold in a colony allows the beekeeper to best manage those pests, and reduces unnecessary chemical exposure and costs.

For local beekeepers that are interested in learning more, the Heartland Beekeepers will be hosting a Field Day to perform an alcohol wash on Saturday, February 27th, 2021. Participation is limited due to the pandemic, so contact us to reserve a space!

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

January 2021 (4th edition)

Blue Latex Gloves: A Review

Gloves are an often necessary but underappreciated part of beekeeping. Most beekeepers have gone through several pairs of standard-issue leather gloves, and find them satisfactory enough. However, newer integrated pest management plans include sterilization of equipment between hive groups, and leather gloves don’t bear such a burden very well. 

So, when this beekeeper spotted a pair of blue latex gloves with a canvas gauntlet, they were ordered immediately. Since their arrival, they’ve exceeded expectations in a number of ways. 

The first feature is a favorite and one to be on the lookout for when shopping in the future: an extra wide elastic cuff. Elastic cuffs and seams are the first to give up in the face of a beekeeper’s abuse. Such consideration in design is appreciated.  

They are thick enough that I have not been stung through them, despite a number of attempts. I perform feral bee removals confidently in these gloves. I was surprised and pleased to find that stingers stand out noticeably on the blue latex, making them easy to pluck out. Despite the protection they offer, they’re easily as dexterous as leather gloves. 

Ultimately, the comeliest feature of latex gloves is the ability to wash them between hives. They clean easily, and there’s no downtime in the process. This is particularly useful when making a mess with honeycomb.  

The most noticeable downside to these gloves is all the sweat. Florida beekeepers have accepted that sweating is an inescapable part of the practice, but these gloves could be marketed as hand saunas. The flocked interior is a saving grace that ensures a good grip despite the moisture. It’s certainly not ideal. 

Since ordering from BJ Sherriff, similar gloves have been made available from the Mann Lake store in Winter Haven. This is beneficial for the sake of fitting, which is underrated for ease of use and comfort. 

Beekeepers should be encouraged to explore new equipment and clothing options, and find what works for them. These blue latex gloves are an impressive step in the right direction to accommodate better beekeeping practices. 

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

December 2020 (3rd edition)

Of Note: Nosema

Nosema can refer to one of several fungal parasites that prey upon insects. Honey bees consume Nosema spores from the environment, primarily through hygienic behaviors and sharing food. Once in the gut, Nosema spores invade the cells there and compete for energy resources. Infected workers are hungry all the time, and consume more honey. Diarrhea or dysentery may be present. In severe cases, the queen may be neglected by her ravenous attendants.

However, we have no effective treatment against Nosema. Research shows that colonies handle high parasite loads very differently. In many cases, healthy hives actually have a higher presence of the fungus. As with most parasites, the most proven measure a beekeeper can take is to ensure their colonies are well fed. To help with ongoing research, join the UF Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab mailing list.

May your holidays bee merry and bright.

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

November 2020 (2nd edition)

In Case You Missed It: Research Updates

• It has been discovered that Varroa mites do not actually feed on hemolymph (bee “blood”), but rather the fat body. The fat body is an organ that helps a bee maintain homeostasis, and is particularly important to survival over the winter. This may explain why colony losses spike as winter approaches.

• Bees have a symbiotic relationship with specific gut bacteria that produce the rest of the nutrients they need when overwintering, while they’re subsisting solely on stored honey.

• Tropilaelaps mite research in the Philippines is reaching a concerning conclusion: they’re coming. Tropilaelaps are tiny. When feeding on bee larvae, Varroa mites create a single wound from which to feed, whereas Tropilaelaps mites inflict multiple wounds. The scar tissue formed while these sites heal cause deformities in the adult bee, such as immobile joints.

• New, out-of-the-box strategies are being studied to battle mites, such as decoy bee larvae.

• Colonies with high disease loads bring in more propolis. The USDA is experimenting with rough-bodied hive interiors that encourage bees to copiously seal the inner surfaces with propolis. Results are promising. It is expected that future “trait stocking” will include a preference for heavy propolis users.

• Pollinator groups are battling commercial beekeepers over public land usage, citing competition for resources as a factor in the decline of native species. The American Honey Producers Association is leading the charge against them, demanding impact studies before restrictive legislation is passed.

The Rise of Accessibility During the Pandemic

The advent of a deadly global virus has at least one silver lining: participating in the beekeeping community has never been easier. Many state and local beekeeping associations have transitioned to hosting their meetings and events online, effectively removing the burden of travel. This is a great opportunity to explore different perspectives from sister associations, such as the Palm Beach County Beekeepers Association, or the Broward Beekeepers Association. The University of Florida, the American Beekeeping Federation, the USDA, and similar organizations are working to provide educational, digital seminars on a variety of useful topics. Connect with resources like these via their websites or social media accounts, and enjoy a calendar packed with beekeeping engagements.

The Heartland Bee Newsletter

October 2020 (1st edition)

Have your bees had a bad attitude recently? You're not alone.

It's so common that it has a name: cyclical aggression.
Here in Florida, our bees have just come out of the other side of a nectar dearth during the dog days of summer. Robbing behavior is at its peak. The heat and humidity make curing honey difficult. At the same time, food availability for carnivorous insects is dropping precipitously, making it worth it for them to risk attacking challenging prey, like bees.
So it seems reasonable that bees might be a bit grumpier than usual. However, our wild weather compounds the problem. Nectar flows stimulate swarming, but strong winds and heavy rains make for inconsistent resource availability and mating opportunities. Sudden queenlessness occurs frequently in the fall, for these reasons. A queenless hive is an unhappy hive--and without proper maintenance, they'll quickly grow honeybound.
Including weather conditions and hive attitudes in your apiary notes can help identify patterns, making it easier to solve them quickly.

The queen bee doesn't feed herself. Here a worker bee feeds her. Photo by David Austin