January, 2003

In this Issue:

• Beginning Beekeeping Workshops 2003
• Master Beekeeping Workshop 2003
• 4-H Beekeeping Essay Contest 2003
• What is Honey Worth?
• A Year in Bee Politics
• Varroa Management Updates
• Subscription Information

Beginning Beekeeping Workshops have been scheduled for 2003 at the following sites:

The workshops will provide the information you need to get started in beekeeping. Registration for the Hastings and Chadron workshops is $5 per person and includes refreshments and a packet of literature on bees and beekeeping. Registration for the Norfolk workshop is $10 and includes refreshments, literature, and lunch. When you register, you will receive a brochure with directions to the meeting site. If you have questions about the workshops or need further information, contact Dr. Marion Ellis at 402-472-8696 or mellis3@unl.edu.

Send your registration to the address listed below the workshop you will attend:

There are many reasons to keep honey bees. The price of honey tripled in 2002. Many crops grown in orchards, gardens, and on farms benefit from bee pollination. Keeping bees will raise your understanding of the natural world and the interrelatedness of all living things. Beekeeping with a young person can be especially rewarding. Last, but not least, it is impossible to be surrounded by thousands of bees busily going about their work and think about your troubles. Honey bees have been training new beekeepers for more than 4,000 years, and they will join your beginning beekeeping instructors in teaching you what you need to know. Honey bees have fascinated mankind throughout history. They will fascinate you too if you let them.

Learning to interpret bee dances in classroom sessions. Participants learn about honey and wax processing equipment at the apiculture laboratory.

The Master Beekeeping Workshop has been scheduled for June 26-28, 2003 at the Agricultural Research and Development Center located near Mead, Nebraska. The workshop is designed for experienced beekeepers who want to learn more about the craft and for educators who want to use honey bees in their classroom. The program combines classroom instruction with hands-on experience. Registrations and inquiries should be directed to: Dr. Marion Ellis, Associate Professor Department of Entomology 202 Plant Industry Bldg. University of Nebraska Lincoln, NE 68583-0816 Registration is limited to 60 participants. The registration fee is $85 and includes meals, a workbook, and a cap. Master Beekeeping Certificates are awarded to participants who complete the training, take-home exercises, and service requirements. This is the eighth year for this program. Here's what one participant had to say about the 2002 workshop. "I just wanted to thank you for your workshop program. I had picked up bits and pieces of the information you presented over the years, but the workshop put all the pieces together. The opportunity to interact with your crew of trainers in the classroom, in the apiary, and during the nightly cookouts was both educational and enjoyable. I can assure you that I will recommend your workshop to every beekeeper I know." More details will be provided in the next issue of Bee Tidings.

Sponsored by the American Beekeeping Federation and the Nebraska Beekeepers Association.

Cash prizes for top three national entries are sponsored by the American Beekeeping Federation.

1st Place . . . . . . . . . . . . .$250

2nd Place . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100

3rd Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . $50

Cash prizes for top two state winners are sponsored by the Nebraska Beekeepers Association.

1st Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . $50

2nd Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25

Each state winner, including the national winners, will receive an appropriate book about honey bees, beekeeping, or honey.

The topic for the 2003 essay contest is, "Beekeeping in Colonial Times".

The honey bee is not native to the New World. European colonists brought their bees along with them, just as they did their other livestock. When did honey bees arrive in North America? Where did they arrive? Who brought them? What countries did they come from? How did they spread across the North American continent? Entries in this year's contest should tell the story of honey bees in North America from their arrival to their spread across the continent.

Good leads for your research include your school and public libraries, local beekeepers, your county extension agent, your state beekeepers association president (Jim Sack, BooanLumpy@aol.com), and the beekeeping professor at your state's agricultural college (Marion Ellis, mellis3@unl.edu).

The American Beekeeping Federation Website, has links to other beekeeping sites. Prior year's winning essays are published on the American Beekeeping Federation site. The National Honey Board websites, and , also provide valuable information about honey. Regional information about honey and beekeeping in Nebraska can be found on the University of Nebraska's Bees and Beekeeping Website by reviewing back issues of the Bee Tidings Newsletter: .

The scope of the research is an essential judging criterion, accounting for 40% of the score. The number of sources consulted, the authority of the sources, and the variety of the sources are all evaluated.

Personal interviews with beekeepers and others familiar with bees and beekeeping activities are valued sources of information and should be documented. Sources, which are not cited in the endnotes, should be listed in a "Resources" or "Bibliography" list.

Note that "honey bee" is properly spelled as two words, even though many otherwise authoritative references spell it as one word.

1. Contest is open to active 4-H Club members only. Four-H'ers who have previously placed first, second, or third at the national level are not eligible; other state winners are eligible to re-enter.
2. Entry requirements must be followed and entries that are not in the prescribed format may be disqualified.
3. Entries should be typewritten or computer-generated, double-spaced, 12-pt. Times Roman or similar type style, and on one side of white paper.
4. Write on the designated subject only.
5. All factual statements must be referenced with bibliographical-style endnotes.
6. A brief biographical sketch of the essayist, including date of birth, gender, complete mailing address, and telephone number, must accompany the essay.
7. Length The essay should be 750 to 1000 words. The word count does not include the endnotes, the bibliography or references, nor the essayist's biographical sketch.
8. Essays will be judged on:
   scope of research - 40%
   accuracy - 30%
   creativity - 10%
   conciseness - 10%
   logical development of the topic - 10%
9. Entrants should not forward essays directly to the American Beekeeping Federation. Each state 4-H office is responsible for selecting the state's winner. Essays must be received by the state 4-H judge no later than February 22, 2003 to be considered for judging.
10. Essays for Nebraska entrants should be sent to:
    Dr. Marion Ellis
    Department of Entomology
    202 Plant Industry Bldg.
    University of Nebraska
    Lincoln, NE 68583-0816
11. Each state may submit only one entry for the national essay contest.
12. Final judging and selection of the National Winner will be made by the American Beekeeping Federation's Essay Committee, whose decision is final.
13. The national winner will be announced by May 1, 2003.
14. All national entries become the property of the American Beekeeping Federation and may be published or used as it sees fit. No essay will be returned.

In case you haven't noticed, the price of honey tripled in the fall and early winter of 2002. Prior to this increase, the price of honey was the same as in 1979. A quick search for inflation on the WWW will locate several inflation calculators that will allow you to see what the price of honey would have to be to keep up with inflation. Bulk honey that sold for 55 cents per pound in 1979 would have to sell for $1.51 per pound in 2003 to just keep up with inflation. This really smarts when one thinks about all the years that honey prices remained at 55 cents per pound while operating expenses continued to increase. Today's honey prices are not high. They have barely caught up with inflation.

The main driver for the increase is the discovery of chloramphenicol residues in honey originating from China. Chloramphenicol is an antibiotic that is not approved for animal use in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. In the U.S., it is only used to treat human infections that do not respond to other antibiotics such as typhoid and anthrax. The drug was withdrawn from agricultural use when medical researchers found a connection between chloramphenicol and aplastic anemia in a small percentage of the people who take it. Residues were first found in Canada. Shortly thereafter, residues were found in Chinese honey in the U.S. and Europe. As a consequence, Chinese honey and products made with Chinese honey were recalled in Canada, and shipments of Chinese honey were impounded in Europe and the U.S. It is likely that the antibiotic was being used to treat American foulbrood disease. To learn more about what has happened, visit the Canadian Honey Council's Web site: http://www.honeycouncil.ca/chloram.html or the Food and Drug Administration at: http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2002/NEW00831.html

Another factor in the rise is the successful anti-dumping law suit filed by the American Honey Producers Association against China and Argentina. The successful law suit imposed tariffs on both countries for selling honey into the U.S. market at prices below the costs of production. However, the anti-dumping litigation cost the association over $800,000 in legal fees, and there will be considerable legal expense to maintain the ruling. The American Honey Producers Association's position is that anti-dumping litigation is the best use of scarce resources to maintain favorable honey prices, and they are actively seeking to terminate the National Honey Board's mandate to collect one cent per pound from all first handlers of honey to support honey promotion.

Beekeeping is a small industry, but it has two national organizations. The American Beekeeping Federation has chosen to make honey promotion their priority, and they have focused their efforts on creating and supporting a beekeeper assessment-based program to promote honey sales known as the National Honey Board. Honey Board detractors suggest that promotion only increases the amount of honey imported without increasing the price paid to producers. Last year the Honey Board took in $3,767,904 million in assessments for honey promotion.

At today's prices, a good argument can be made that both organizations are right. Unfortunately, both national organizations spend a large amount of time and energy trying to convince beekeepers that they are the national organization that can best lead beekeepers to a prosperous future. At times, the arguments are quite acrimonious. Beekeepers apparently have a long history of attacking each other rather than cooperating to solve their problems. A reader of the British Beekeeping Journal for June 1951, a Mr. K. Leng, had also gained the impression that beekeepers were generally very quarrelsome individuals. He wrote:

The start of a new year is a good time to review what has happened in the past year and reflect on the future. Here are some of the highlights. The reflecting is up to you.

• Bin Laden's honey shops - It was reported that Osama Bin Laden used honey shops to transfer money and supplies to terrorist cells.
• In October 2002, non recourse honey loans became available to beekeepers at 60 cents per pound.
• Beekeepers gained a favorable ruling against Argentina and China in an anti-dumping lawsuit, and tariffs were imposed on honey entering the U.S. market from both countries.
• By a narrow margin, a five-year continuation of the National Honey Board passed.
• A banned and illegal substance was found in Canada, Europe, and the U.S. in honey originating from China. As a consequence, Canada pulled honey and products made with honey from their store shelves, and the U.S. and Europe seized over 50 container loads of honey at ports. This resulted in a bidding war for U.S. honey stocks.
• U.S. consumption of honey was around 400 million pounds; production was around 200,000 pounds.
• Drought conditions occurred in many regions of the U.S., and honey production was down by 33%.
• New Zealand and Australia are aggressively petitioning to export queens and package bees to the U.S. This could reignite tracheal mite problems since their stocks have not been challenged by tracheal mites.
• China is working hard to meet U.S. honey standards, and colony numbers have increased in Argentina.
• The new honey prices will tempt beekeepers to produce honey rather than seek pollination contracts, and they may reduce the number of colonies available for pollination, resulting in a bidding war for bees.

The information that follows was presented at a joint meeting of U.S. and Canadian apiculture specialists in December 2002.

APIGUARD -- Apiguard is a thymol-based product that has been developed by a small English company named Vita. The active ingredient (thymol) is dispersed in a coarse granular food-grade gel. It is packaged in an aluminum dish with an aluminum cover that is peeled back when beekeepers treat colonies. The dish is placed on the top bars directly above the brood nest and requires an inner cover or wooden rim to provide bees access. Max Watkins, company representative, indicated that packaging the thymol in gel helps diffuse the product evenly, efficacy is prolonged, colony disturbance is minimized, and temperature dependence is reduced. In the gel formulation, the material works both by contact and fumigation. Trays are replaced after two weeks with a new tray, and the treatment period lasts for four weeks. Watkins reported that Vita's studies had achieved 92% efficacy in multiple trials under a range of environmental conditions.

Thymol is a natural ingredient in honey from some floral sources, and Watkins reported a residue of 0.1ppm in properly treated colonies. The taste threshold for thymol is 2 ppm. Vita will not distribute the product in the U.S. until it receives full registration which they anticipate will be granted in 2003. The formulation appears to have solved two of the problems associated with using thymol in beehives toxicity to bees at high temperatures and lack of efficacy at cool temperatures. Another important advantage of the product is applicator safety. Watkins described Apiguard as a new tool for managing varroa populations but cautioned that it is not a "silver bullet" that will eliminate varroa from a hive.

API LIFE-VAR -- Api Lif-Var is a formulation of four essential oils impregnated into 1/4-inch thick florist blocks. The blocks come in a sealed foil package containing two blocks. Both blocks are placed on the top bars directly above the brood nest. The four essential oils contained in the blocks are thymol, menthol, camphor, and eucalyptol. Of the four oils, only thymol has been shown to have varroacidal properties. The product is manufactured by Laif Chemicals, an Italian company, and it is used extensively in Europe. Brushy Mountain Bee Farms has aggressively pursued EPA approval to distribute the product in the U.S., and the owner, Steve Forrest, indicated that he expected approval any day. In a small trial involving six single-story and four double-story colonies, Api Life-Var was tested at the University of Nebraska in the fall of 1999. While mite loads were reduced overall, there were large differences in the control achieved in individual colonies.

Treatment Threshold Based On Natural Mite Fall -- Dr. Keith Delaplane, University of Georgia, has completed an extensive study of using the natural varroa mite fall to determine when colonies require treatment. He concludes that when the natural mite fall reaches 60 or more mites per 24-hour period, beekeepers should take action to reduce varroa populations. Natural mite fall can be determined by placing a sticky board covered with eight-mesh screen wire on the bottom board for 24 hours and counting the mites recovered on the sticky board.

Screened Bottom Boards and Starting Package Bees -- Pat Parkman, University of Tennessee, reported that he experienced difficulty establishing package bees in hives with screened bottom boards. He reported both increased drifting and delayed development in colonies started on screened bottoms. His observations were made on a limited number of colonies but suggest that caution should be exercised. Screened bottom boards are used by some beekeepers to monitor mite fall and to cause mites that fall to the bottom to fall to the ground below the hive.

Oxalic Acid -- Several European countries recommend using oxalic acid in sugar syrup to control varroa. Pierre Giovenazzo reported that syrup is prepared by dissolving 35 grams of oxalic acid dihydrate in one liter of 1:1 sugar syrup. Treatments are administered by dripping 5-6 milliliters between all occupied frames. The treatment is only recommended when colonies are broodless. Giovenazzo indicated that beekeepers were achieving greater than 90% control and that residues in honey were not a problem. European beekeepers are using the treatments in the fall after colonies cease brood rearing.

Bee Tidings is published jointly by University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension and the Nebraska Beekeepers Association four times a year. Your membership in the Nebraska Beekeepers Association for $12 per year includes a subscription to Bee Tidings.

This newsletter was respectfully written by:
	Marion D. Ellis 209 Plant Industry, Box 830816 University of Nebraska Lincoln, NE 68583-0816 Phone: 402-472-8696 Fax: 402-472-4687 Email: mellis3@unl.edu
Your comments and suggestions about the newsletter are always welcome!