mecklenburg county beekeepers association september, 2012 ... · president's*buzzz...
TRANSCRIPT
President's Buzzz By George McAllister
If you have been keeping bees for any length of time you haveheard beekeepers lament about varroa mites. What makes thisissue so frustrating is there is no simple solution that satisfies all theconcerns beekeepers have. When deciding how you are going todeal with varroa mites first consider how you like to keep bees.Each person interacts with their bees differently. Understandingyour beekeeping practices allows you to answer the questionsneeded to make a decision on how you plan to handle varroa mites.If you have a good grasp on how you like to keep bees then theanswers will come quickly. If you a beginner or reevaluating howyou keep bees, coming up with the answers may take some time.Do not forget you cannot make this decision without doing someresearch. New information is being published all the time, so yourresearch needs to be ongoing. If you start off with, “to treat or not to treat, that is the question,”you quickly realize this issue cannot be solved with an either/orquestion. I think the better question is, “how do I keep the varroamite population at a level that is not harmful to bee colonies overthe long term?” There are three components to this question whichI will elaborate on. First, I don’t think it is practical to think we can kill every varroamite in our apiary. If we are going to focus on that goal, I suggestwe first try to get rid of all the mosquitos. The mosquitos have beenreally bad in my neighborhood this year and I want them out ofhere. Since we cannot wipe out mosquitos any more than we canwipe out varroa mites, a more realistic goal is to bring the varroamite population down to a level that does not impact the colony’sability to survive and prosper. I use the words “bee colonies” in the question instead of “bees”because it is a more holistic term. The way you manage varroamite population impacts not only a bee’s lifespan but other aspectsof the colony like honey. On a broader scale you also don’t want toharm the surrounding environment the bee colony relies on for itssurvival. Lastly, I included “long term” to mean we need methods that last. If the varroa mites develop resistance to our methods over time,we run the risk of running out of options. Here are several other questions that relate to my initial question as
Upcoming Meeting Upcoming Meeting
September
2020 Bob Blackwelder, along timebeekeeper fromCabarrus County,will talk aboutgetting readyfor winter.7:00pm atMouzon UnitedMethodistChurch, 3100Selwyn Ave.,Charlotte, NC
Here are several other questions that relate to my initial question asyou decide how you are going to deal with varroa mites. Since there is a chance my bee colonies will die, what probability ofdeath am I comfortable with?What amount of stress am I willing to put my bees through?What is my cost, both time and money?What is the likely effect on the bees, combs and honey?How do I know what I am doing will work? I am sure more questions will come up as you do your research butthis is a start. In your quest to defeat the varroa mite, don’t forget to talk to otherbeekeepers. Identify fellow beekeepers who you respect and askthem how they deal with varroa mites and why they chose thatmethod or methods. You can also discuss with them your thoughtsand get their input. Do not blindly adopt what you hear. This is justanother means of collecting data. Once you have talked to other beekeepers and done research usingthe internet, books and magazines, it’s time to come up with a planthat fits the way you keep bees and answers the questions I listedabove. The methodology you choose can be as simple as “let thefittest bees survive and do nothing.” Or you might combinemethods like buying hygienic queens, screened bottom boards,powdered sugar and drone trapping to chemical treatments.Whatever you choose to do make sure you can support your actionsif a fellow beekeeper asks you, “how do you deal with varroa mitesand why?” Have fun with the bees,-‐George
Come to Our Next Meeting: Thursday, September20th at 7:00 pm
Back by popular demand, Bob Blackwelder, a long time beekeeperfrom Cabarrus County, will talk about getting ready for winter.Mouzon United Methodist Church, 3100 Selwyn Avenue, Charlotte,NC.
The Farmers Market was a Success!
On Saturday, August 25, seven club members sold their honeyand soap to an enthusiastic crowd. The crowds were drawn to ourtable to sample honey and search for the queen in our observation
table to sample honey and search for the queen in our observationbee hive.
Beekeeper's Calendar for SeptemberBy Libby Mack
By now you have a handle on varroa levels, your queens are in place and you'vediscarded the old black combs. Septembers's main task is nutrition. Of course honeystores are important, and if they are going to need more frames of honey (or syrup) forwinter, it is easiest for them to process that syrup now while it's warm. A large hive willneed 7-‐10 deep frames of honey for winter stores. Also, feeding syrup now will keepthe queen laying brood and building a nice big population of winter bees for October. Ifyou use a varroa treatment, often the queen does not lay for a week or two, so somesyrup might get the hive back into the brood rearing mood.
Don't overlook the need for protein for building winter bees. Winter bees must notonly heat the cluster all winter but they must have enough reserves to raise the firstcycle of brood in the spring. These bees must have high levels of protein available aslarvae to come through winter in good shape, so the hive must have good stores ofpollen. The nurse bees both consume the pollen helping to make royal jelly, and alsofeed it directly to larva mixed with honey. Often the colony will have 3 -‐4 frames ofpollen stored, but if not, they might take a pollen patty. These are available from thebee suppliers or you can make your own. But beware! The hive beetles love pollenpatties in warm weather, so only give the colony a small amount at a time.
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For more information contact:Randall York(704) 517-‐[email protected]
2012 Officers
President: George McAllister [email protected] President: Tom Davidson [email protected]: Libby Mack [email protected] Secretary: Sam Bomar [email protected] Email Sam any changes to your contact information.
Webmaster: Kevin Freeman [email protected]
Newletter Editor * John Byers [email protected]
Newletter Editor * John Byers [email protected]
* John is taking a hiatus from the newsletter. He is also"downsizing" his apiary. If you are interesed in buying some beesemail John at [email protected] . I know the look of thenewsletter does not come close to John's creative style. However,the content has not changed. -‐George McAllister
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Mecklenburg County Beekeepers Association2721 Rothwood Dr.Charlotte, NC 28211
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