May, 2002

The 2002 Mid-West Master Beekeeping Workshop will be conducted July 25-27, 2002 at the Agricultural Research and Development Center near Mead, Nebraska. The program and registration information are included with this newsletter. Dr. Dewey Caron from the University of Delaware and author of a popular textbook, Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping, will join an outstanding group of regional speakers to provide an excellent training opportunity for beekeepers. The program provides a solid foundation in bee biology and practical beekeeping. Registration is limited to 60 participants, so do not delay in reserving a place if you want to participate in this year's program. You can read more about the program on the Internet at: entomology.unl.edu.

On May 22, 2002, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) released the announcement on the right:

Editor's note: When Charles Simonds retired as the Nebraska State Apiary Inspector in the fall of 2001, the NDA announced their intent to eliminate the apiary inspection program. Similar actions are occurring in other states including the recent elimination of the State Apiarist position (held by Bob Cox) in Iowa. Apiary inspection programs have existed in most states for nearly a century, and their elimination represents a major change in the infrastructure of U.S. agriculture. They have provided education, eliminated disease reservoirs, prevented the movement of diseased colonies, and they have been a strong spokesperson for beekeeper's interest. They have also provided wonderful educations for the individuals who have held the positions and learned from daily contact with a diversity of beekeepers. Some former apiary inspectors include Frank Pellett, Roger Morse, Al Dietz, and Nick Calderone. All have made major contributions to beekeeping, both as inspectors and later as scientists. I also spent 14 years in apiary inspection and have many fond memories of learning and sharing knowledge.

Unlike many other states, Nebraska did not abandon its commitment to beekeeping and apiculture when it made cuts in its apiary inspection program. The NDA was a key player in the establishment of an apiculture specialist position at the University of Nebraska. Time will tell if education alone can guide beekeepers to succeed in the absence of inspection and regulation of the sale and movement of bees. Certainly, a comprehensive approach is preferable, but in a world of limited resources, education has the greatest potential for impact. Strong beekeeping organizations and quality education programs are increasingly important to the success of beekeepers and beekeeping.

Mary Elizabeth Jacobson, a 14-year-old student from North Platte, Nebraska was one of seven winners in the National 4-H Beekeeping Essay Contest. Three places and four honorable mentions were awarded by the American Beekeeping Federation's Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees. Ms. Jacobson's award winning essay follows:

The taste of honey, depends on where the honey bees buzz. Honey is produced in one of the busiest and most efficient factories of the world, the beehive. The honey bees store their nectar in the cells that make up their hives. As the water in the nectar evaporates it changes into honey, (Source 3) a food that was once named by Aristotle as the "nectar of the gods". Flavor and color of honey is influenced by the kinds of flowers that honey bees gather nectar from. Worker bees must forage nectar from millions of flowers finding their sources by performing specific dances. That is probably why Dick Paetzke says, "honey is the soul of a field of flowers". (Source 2)

Across the plains, over the mountains, around the rivers and vast gardens of our majestic country, honey bees are busy at work creating special and unique varieties in each specific region. The most common honey plants used by busy bees in the United States are alfalfa, alsike clover, sweet clover and white clover. Alfalfa is a legume with blue flowers. It blooms throughout the summer profusely in Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon and most of the western states. (Source 5) Alfalfa honey has a good body for table honey, light amber color with a mild aroma and flavor. Traditionally lighter colored honeys have a milder flavor. The "classic honey" flavor of Winnie the Pooh's pot of gold can be found in the clover honeys, which vary from water white to amber in color with a mild, sweet flavor. Clovers are the most important plants for honey production in the United States. (Source 5) North Platte area beekeepers use clover and alfalfa for honey production. (Source 8) Honey bees are good at sharing the fruits of their labor ... good thing, because they produce on an average about 80 pounds of surplus honey each year per colony. (Source 2) Wildflower honeys are common across America and vary within each region according to the wildflower nectars gathered. Goldenrod, a common stop for the bees, produces a dark amber honey with a strong flavor.

As we travel East and Northeast on our tasting tour, such as Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin we find buckwheat plants growing in the cool, moist climate. Buckwheat is planted in the spring, blooms early and yields a dark brown full bodied honey with a strong, distinct flavor that is slightly malty. (Source 5) Heather honey is reddish brown to deep amber in color and is heavy bodied with a bittersweet aromatic flavor. It is produced in Michigan, New Jersey and West Virginia. Blueberry honey is produced from the nectar of the tiny white flowers of the blueberry bush. It has a light amber color and a fruity, well-rounded flavor. (Sources 1, 2, 9)

Down South, sourwood, basswood, tulip poplar and some kinds of tupelo trees supply nectar for honey. Sourwood trees can be found in the Appalachian Mountains from Southern Pennsylvania to Northern Georgia. (Source 5) Sourwood honey is light amber in color and has a sweet, spicy, anise aroma and flavor with a lingering aftertaste that is pleasant to the palette. Basswood honey produced in Alabama and Texas, is water white in color with a strong, biting flavor. A dark amber honey with a medium flavor is produced from the nectar of the tulip poplar tree's large greenish-yellow flowers, which bloom in May in the southern Gulf States, east of the Mississippi. (Source 6) Tupelo is a leading honey plant in the southeastern region, its trees have clusters of greenish flowers which later develop into soft, berry-like fruits. The honey has a mild, pleasant flavor and will not granulate. (Source 2) This is an important feature for beekeepers, because as the honey crystallizes, heat is applied to make it a desirable liquid, which can have a detrimental effect on its delicate flavor. Much of the honey produced in Texas comes from one or more of 5,000 nectar-bearing wild plants such as horsemint, mesquite, huajilla, guayacan, white brush, gailiardia, sumac, and ratan. (Source 7) Cotton, also a honey producer, has a light colored, delicate flavored honey.

Heading West on our tour, California is proud of its white sage and orange blossom honeys. Sage, acacia and orange blossom honeys are pale in color with mild flavors. Orange blossom is reminiscent of the scent of citrus blossoms. Eucalyptus honey varies in color and flavor because there are over 500 species the honey bees can choose from. Generally, it tends to be a bold flavored honey with a slightly medicinal aftertaste. Across the Pacific Ocean we travel to Hawaii to encounter Lehua honey which is produced from the flowers of Ohia trees that flourish on Hawaiian lava. Lehua crystalizes quickly, making is naturally creamy and spreadable. It is a water white honey with a buttery flavor. (Source 2)

On our return flight home back to North Platte, Nebraska I think about the local beekeepers that care for their beehives and colonies with love so that I can enjoy this sweet spread on my breakfast breads, in teas and smoothies, sauces, dressing, glazes and numerous other products. Honey is not only the "nectar of the gods" but it is an American culinary delight of the sweetest degree. Beekeepers place their hives in an orchard or by a single variety of flowers that they want the bees to gather nectar from. The different floral sources have different percentages of fructose, glucose, amounts of amino and organic acids. This is what gives us all of the wonderfully different varieties of flavor and color in our honeys. (Source 5) When tasting honey, the National Honey Board recommends that you take about ½ teaspoon of honey variety, smell the aroma and let the honey melt on the front of your tongue. The flavor escalates as the honey melts to the back and sides of the tongue. Which would you like to try?

My name is Mary Elizabeth Jacobson. I am a female, born on February 8, 1988 and my address is 3020 West Leota, North Platte, NE. My telephone number is (308) 532-6268. This is my 6th year in 4-H and I enjoy a wide range of projects. Some of these include cats, cooking, sewing, art, photography, horticulture, forestry, safety and babysitting. Club involvement includes the Bloom 4-H Club, the Sensations, Fashion Board, Snoop Crew, Unicameral Day, and Camp Counselor. 4-H activities I enjoy are FCS Judging, Horticulture Judging, Demonstrating, Music Contest, and Speech Contest. I was interested in the subject of honey bees because I am heavily involved with plants and flowers and appreciate their pollination as well as their honey when I'm baking.

Resources:

1. National Honey Board, http://www.nhb.org
2. Honey.com, http://www.honey.com/info/floral.html
3. World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. 9, H, pp 300-301, 1990
4. American Beekeeping Federation, Inc., http://www.abfnet.org
5. American Honey Plants: F.C. Pellet, Dadant and Sons, Inc. Hamilton, IL. 1976
6. Honey: A Comprehensive Survey: E. Crane, International Bee Research Assoc., Morrison and Gibb Ltd, London England, 1975
7. National Honey Report, No. 12, January 10, 2002 published by the USDA
8. Interview of local beekeeper, Doug Long, Hershey, NE
9. Honey locator website, http://www.honeylocator.com

More information about the contest and rules for next year's contest can be found on the WWW at: http://abfnet.org/. Mary Jacobson received an honorable mention award in the National Essay Contest.

State Winners for Nebraska were:

1st Place - Mary Jacobson, North Platte

2nd Place - Kyan Unstad, Bellevue, NE

3rd Place - Dani Pettera, McCook, NE

4th Place - Blaine Petska, David City, NE

Please join me in congratulating these young people.