Posted here are nine recent articles that were published primarily in American Bee Journal .......Tom O'Brien, obrientom28@gmail.com
June 2012 American Bee Journal
Quebec Researcher Reports on Small Hive Beetles & Bee Breeding © Tom O'Brien
“The best method for combatting Small Hive Beetles in southern Quebec is using strong bee colonies in clean well maintained hives,” said Pierre Giovenazzo, the well known Apiculture Research Scientist from the Province of Quebec, Canada.
Monsieur Giovenazzo, who was born in Nova Scotia, was the principal speaker at the recently concluded spring meeting of the Ontario Beekeepers Association held at the Admiral Inn and Conference Center in Lindsay Ontario. Since 1987 he has taught
Biology and Physiology at Laval University in Quebec City. He is a Research Scientist in Apiculture at the Centre de Recherche en
Sciences Animales de Deschambeault. He obtained his M.Sc in Animal Physiology from the Laval University and has submitted his thesis to the Veterinary Sciences Faculty of University of Montreal for a Ph.D. His subject: Varroa destructor and its control using Integrated Pest Management strategies. Presently he is working on the Small Hive Beetle's invasion into southern Quebec. And if that doesn't keep him too too busy, he is active in setting up a Buckfast breeding and selection program.
In 2008 the Small Hive Beetle was first noticed to be a real threat and Pierre entered the fray to combat the foe. He and his colleagues observed the Beetles strength in multiplying rapidly in the ground, dirty hives, on wax, and in wooden supers. They studied its life cycle and how temperature was and will always be a determining factor. Both in the laboratory and in the field they noticed a phenomenal growth rate on the most bare of necessities such as a small chunk of comb with pollen and honey in a deserted frame beside a rotting super. They were surprised and amazed seeing three distinct life cycles per year giving it a huge growth acceleration rate. They noticed its ability to live turtle like and away from aggressive bees.
They used “Sentinel Hives,” owned by the research team and monitored different IPM control methods. The “enemy” thrived. Coumophos was found to be a deterrent but the use of chemicals was not their mandate.
As time stretched into 2009 and 2010 they observed temperature to be a major determining factor in SHB success. They saw SHB existing in hives where, as every beekeeper knows, the internal cluster temperature is close 91 F degrees, 33 C degrees. No SHB were observed in the springtime ground after it experienced winter sub zero temperatures. All the researchers soon believed the SHB's weakness was the heat factor in its life cycle.
Much of their work was done on the south shore counties of Montreal with the southern borders meeting Vermont and New York States. Beekeepers there experience the SHB and it is believed by many that such infestations are the result of migratory pollinators moving their hives from many distant parts of the USA where the SHB thrives. Pierre and his team concluded that the Quebec SHB problem was largely the result of transportation.
Researchers soon concluded SHB need ideal conditions in order to survive and are of the strong opinion that weak hives should be eliminated, that bee yards be kept clean and clutter free, and that supers not be left more than a couple days in bee houses after harvesting. They recognize the importance of pollinators who move their beehives many times a season, but caution against such practise as it is a means of too often picking up the nefarious SHB hitch-hiker.
Gord Slemin (L), past president of the Huronia Beekeepers Association in Orillia Ontario, accepts the Paul Monteux Award from Allan Sinton (C) and John Van Alten, President of the Ontario Beekeepers Association, at the Spring Meeting in Lindsay Ontario, March 24, 2012. Mr. Slemin, while Huronia President, worked very hard among Central Ontatio Beekeepers and saw membership and participation grow dramatically. (Photo Tom O'Brien)
Monsieur Giovenazzo also talked about his involvement with establishing a Quebec Buckfast bee presence and the studying of local hybrid honey bee queens.
In regards the latter, he said, “Many beekeepers came to me observing that queen bees in Quebec were not lasting more than one year. So, with the financial help of the Quebec Government we started a research project on Queen fertility.” He told of many large and small beekeeping concerns who offered their queens for analysis. The laboratory procedures meant the euthanizing of many queens of various ages and then doing spermatheca sperm count and counting ovarioles in ovaries. Each queen ovary was embedded in paraffin and sliced in cross cut and a stained histological slide was produced and with the use of a photomicroscope, the numbers of ovarioles (sections of an ovary) were counted. (One team member spent her time on a trans-Atlantic flight doing such counts!)
It was observed that a spermatheca with only two million sperm cells in her spermathecae was a spent queen and has no place in a well run hive. Six million sperm cells is the accepted limit today which means she is good for two years.
In 2008, four Quebec queen breeders offered their fourteen day old queens for analysis. They were studied as described above. It was discovered that the number of ovarioles in that population of queens in the study was 358.2 give or take 67.5. the next step was measuring abdominal length and width.
After all the measurements and observations were completed, four conclusions were made:
ONE: The more ovarioles, the better the queen and likewise the higher the sperm count which meant the longer she is a functional queen.
TWO: Sperm count varies directly with abdominal length and sperm count increases as season progresses.......early season queens have less sperm.
THREE: Highest number of ovarioles seen close to swarming season … the best quality queens are produced just before swarming.
FOUR: The lowest ovariole counts are seen during the early breeding season.
As for importing European Buckfast Queens into Quebec, he first spoke highly of the work done on the same subject by Paul Kelly who is the Official Beekeeper of Guelph University. Mr. Kelly runs the Guelph University hives under the direction of the Apiculture Research Scientists nearby.
Monsieur Giovenazzo spoke about the need for Quebec's beekeepers to stay ahead of the many and varied problems experienced by those running any number of hives and it was imperative to have a strain of bee that could survive the often harsh conditions of Quebec winters. “For that reason I helped initiate the importation of Buckfast Queens from Denmark which are famous for their resistance to mites, gentleness, and quick spring buildup.” He later included their low swarming tendency.
He noted that Quebec has only 12063 square miles of producing farm land and that nearly ten million pounds of chemicals were sold annually. “That,” he said with emphasis, “ is where we live with our bees! He also added that honey bees are known for their important contribution to our agricultural economy and that is the major reason the Government of Quebec has so generously invested money into the programs with which I am associated.”
During an interview after his concluding remarks Monsieur Giovenazzo said, “Speaking to Ontario Beekeepers over the last two days here in Lindsay Ontario about Quebec Apiculture Research has been a most rewarding experience for me and I hope they have learned something new about beekeeping, especially in regard to combatting Small Hive Beetles, Varroa destructor, and the keeping of strong hives.”
Afterward he raised his voice so that many near by could hear him. “And please don't forget all you beekeepers from Ontario, there is to be an Apimondia Symposium in Quebec City on November 15 to 18 with the theme, “Queen Breeding, Selection and Honey Bee Health.” He was given an enthusiastic applause. “SEE YOU THERE,” was the echo reply heard more than once.
Dr. Claude Boucher, MAPAQ, DSAIV, who is in charge of the bee health program for the Province of Quebec, later added with regards to Apimondia Quebec City, “Pierre is a wonderful guy and researcher. He is very dynamic and spends a lot of energy in doing research that will help beekeepers to have more success in their business and a better understanding of what they have to do to be successful. And as he is a great teacher ... he knows how to pass the message to beekeepers. This is a very important point.”
"Pierre Giovenazzo" pierre.giovenazzo@bio.ulaval.ca
"Tom O'Brien" obrientom28@gmail.com
“Ontario Beekeepers' Association” info@ontariobee.com
December 2011 American Bee Journal
Successful Ontario Bee Observatory and Forum © Tom O’Brien
obrientom28@gmail.com
Promptly at 10.45 AM on Saturday August 27, John Van Blyderveen rushed for the last time to his Bee Observatory and the assembled beekeepers who came to gain beekeeping information about various beekeeping topics. Some had attended all the previous one hour Saturday Forums during June, July, and August of 2011.
John’s Bee Observatory is beside his main bee yard near his business, Oxford Honey and Supplies, in Burgessville Ontario.
Beekeeping enthusiasts learn much in a bee-free observatory during a Forum at Oxford Honey and Supplies in Burgessville Ontario. Photo Tom O'Brien
The Observatory is a thirty-five foot long structure which is ten feet high and seven feet wide. It has screen doors at each end and it is cloaked entirely with black insect mesh. Outside the south facing side there are fourteen beehives with a space of twelve inches between each and large mirrors are placed at ground level in front of the hives. The viewers are able to see clearly each frame that John removes from a hive, and, at times, he holds a frame with a queen next to an observer’s face with the black mesh between.
John Van Blyderveen lost only 19 percent of his hives last winter while many in Ontario experienced a mortality rate of near fifty percent. Photo Tom O'Brien
The viewers, whether they be experienced professional beekeepers or neophyte students of “the sweet stinging art”, stand or sit inside the Observatory and watch and listen as Mr Van Blyderveen takes hives apart and shows various frame features. (Bees, angry or otherwise, are prevented from entering the Observatory and disrupting the attentive onlookers bent on learning more about beekeeping.) John speaks in very clear and simple terms and answers all questions during his running commentary.
Often the viewers used the mirror reflections to get a better view of what was going on in front of the hives.
His Forums, or running commentaries as he prefers to call them, last for an hour and he is amazed at the topics some children have asked. One little girl once asked if bees have skeletons. John looked again at the little girl and noticed it was his seven year old niece. In a calm and natural voice the assembled enthusiasts received a lecture about a bee’s exoskeleton and how it differs from an endoskeleton found in vertebrate animals.
Often he is seen without a veil with several bees flying around his head … which leads people to ask if he is not scared of angry and biting bees. He reminds viewers that he knows his bees and should he hear a loud buzz in any hive then he quickly leaves the scene and puts on protection.
Questions from the onlookers are usually answered in the last twenty minutes and some of the topics that people ask the most about include …
“Why are your supers painted brown,” is one enquiry that he has answered several times. His reply is always much the same. “The brown paint absorbs much heat from the sun and helps keep the cluster temperature inside the hive at ninety-eight-decimal-six degrees which is the optimum temperature for hived bees.”
Some brave beekeepers stood outside the observatory while others preferred the view from inside during the final summer beekeeping forum on August 27. They heard host John Van Blyderveen comment about his hive paint colour, which is part of his winter preparations, winter hive mortality, and comb honey production. Photo Tom O'Brien
“How many of your hives did not survive last winter,” is another often asked question. His response is always the same. “Well, last November I prepared one-hundred hives for the winter in fourteen yards not far from here in Burgessville. Each hive was composed of a deep and medium super brood area with a medium super on the top containing honey. I felt that each hive had between ninety and one-hundred lbs. of honey.”
He pauses each time he offers that information and notes how intently his audience waits for the next sentence. “Last March I had eighty-one surviving hives while the provincial hive mortality rate was forty-seven percent. I lost nineteen percent of my hives” Jaws dropped on hearing that and invariably an onlooker remarks that he does not cloak his hives with a corrugated black plastic outer covering. He replies that he once took control of fifty hives in early October one year and half were supplied with “black winter overcoats” while the other half were without. One half of each group survived and since that year he has not used any winter hive coats. His winter preparation program involves brown painted supers and enough honey for all clusters to survive.
A third question often asked involves comb honey production. He believes many are interested in it because it does not involve purchasing an expensive extractor by a beekeeper with only a few hives. His answer often feels very informative to many listeners. “Comb honey production is a specialized area of apiculture and is not hard to learn by a serious beekeeper with just a few hives. You must build up your hive populations early in the spring and follow a good swarm prevention practise before the many flowers bloom in May and June. During the main early summer honey flow you must harvest your capped comb early and often so that the bees do not leave too many of their foot prints on the cell caps.” He later adds that it’s easy for him to produce some comb honey every year because he can select a few of his one-hundred hives which have a “boiling over” bee population that is essential for comb honey production.
After the last members bid farewell, he was asked if operating one hundred hives and a retail bee and honey supply store was too much for him and his wife Karen to handle.
“Some days I feel the two enterprises are too much, but on the other hand, if I concentrated on one I’d still be over-tired some days.” He stopped. And scratched his head.
“What I’m really concerned about is the huge winter mortality rate that we are now experiencing. I thought for a long time that chemicals in the atmosphere were the prime cause for a weakened North American bee population resulting in close to fifty percent winter loss here in Ontario. Well, we’ve had all kinds of chemicals in our soils and plants for a long time and somehow bees survived. For sure, I believe beekeepers must build up their hive populations before winter sets in and leave them with more than enough honey to feed on throughout the winter.”
Mr. Van Blyderveen emigrated from Holland in 1961 when he was seven years young. The family settled on a farm close to Burgessville. From his father he learned beekeeping and also apple growing. After leaving school at fifteen he learned about the growing of cucumbers and pickle production. Before he was thirty he was manager of a cucumber grading station which soon experienced hard times and before long he was back to beekeeping. Full time.
He is active in two beekeeping associations. He is a member of the Middlesex-Oxford-Elgin Beekeeping Association which is centered in London Ontario as well as the Haldimand-Norfolk Association which is located in Simcoe Ontario. Also, he is a member of Tourism Oxford of Oxford County where he is active in promoting foods grown and processed within that County.
(Tom O’Brien is a retired Science Teacher living in Ingersoll Ontario where he keeps a few bee hives on a neighbouring farm. Writing apiculture news articles is his consuming passion. He tried using a “Long Langstroth” arrangement for his bees and experienced limited success, and is now converting back to benchmark Langstroth measurements. He is not a carpenter but his pieces of wood stay stuck! http://www.longlangwithlegs.blogspot.com/)
Tom O’Brien tmobrien1@sympatico.ca - http://www.longlangwithlegs.blogspot.com/
Oxford Honey & Supplies 519-550-1096 van3301@rogers.com
According to the TTP website, Les Eccles started his agricultural career on a dairy and beef operation, managing a 125 head dairy and beef herd, which included crop management, nutrition, and genetics. His educational background includes both a Diploma in Agriculture and a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, both from the University of Guelph. He developed his interest in beekeeping and research at the Research Centre with Paul Kelly and Professor Ernesto Guzman.
He recently returned to Ontario after spending two years in Mexico where he worked with beekeepers and endeavoured to transfer beekeeping technology to the field personnel. He also helped to make sure honey exports to foreign markets met proper standards.
He spent most of his time in Estrada de Mexico and Tlaxcala where he helped beekeepers solve problems which is now his occupation in Ontario. The Technology Transfer Program telephones of the OBA never seems to stop ringing some days and they are ready to help anyone. In 2010 program members worked on hives in New York State where they investigated Small Hive Beetles.
Soon after arriving in Mexico he discovered the low level of confidence in some Mexican beekeepers and their employees. Their acceptance of new methods in some cases was dismally low while at the same time they were still using methods of Varroa control that had already been proved worthless. The importing of foreign Queens was made a nightmare by government regulations.
People who wished to study beekeeping had to attend classes in Mexico City where they soon found other interests and did not return to the bee yards owned by anxious employers. The honey season could have long weeks of rain, early and late cold snaps, and overwhelming numbers of grasshoppers that quickly reduced flowering plants to dried hay.
Wild temperature differences are seen over short distances.
The government of Mexico is very intent on building up the export of honey. It is investing much money in new technology. However some of their purchases proved disastrous and one wonders if enough inspections were carried out before delivery.. A large stainless steel silo was full of mixed honey and destined for an influential European buyer who wanted a blended mixture. Suddenly the honey crystallized and the heating elements failed to work. Government officials soon developed a program to build honey processing and packing equipment if for no other reason than to have spare parts available.
He was surrounded by many after he finished his presentation. Like a real professional which he is, he answered all inquiries taking time to understand their concerns. Some were anxious about when the Technology Transfer Program would visit their neighbourhood. (“We will go when and where we are invited,” he answered.”)
After Les helped load the van for the trip back to Guelph he was cornered by this interviewer and with fatigue written deeply in his face he answered questions with enthusiasm.
“What challenges are facing beekeepers in the near future?”
Without hesitation he replied, “Viruses. Beekeepers today must make themselves aware of viral enemies that are more than ready to invade their bee populations which include Acute Israeli Virus, Acute Bee Paralysis Virus (ABPV) or (APV), and Twisted Wing Virus. All of these, and more, have a tendency to follow Varroa Mites which weaken the natural defences of bees and send them to an early grave.”
“Will the technology Transfer Program work on problems in different areas of Ontario in which they have not visited before,” was the next inquiry.
His reply was swift. “We will work on specific problems wherever we are invited.”
“Do you see a specific cause for Colony Collapse Disorder.”
His answer was startling to say the least. “We here in Ontario do not have CCD.” He paused, then added, “We have a high over-winter mortality due to high Varroa and Virus infestations still under study.”
“Are you studying any new remedies or combinations of existing medications to combat those causes?”
“Thymovar,” he said with emphasis, “We are presently working on Thymovar and Formic Acid treatments and we are in close contact with the Ontario Queen Breeders Association to improve Queen genetics.”
He stopped and chose his words carefully using some that were in his speech given earlier. “Lets face it,” he said looking directly into the eyes of his questioner, “Varroa mites will be with us and bees for a long time. Beekeepers must build strong bee populations which can withstand many parasitic problems that would otherwise kill off weak hives.”
“Does the winter over-kill problem need a massive study involving many scientists and technicians in order to rebuild the honey industry?”
“The public is very much aware of the enormous importance of pollinating bees in the food chain and governments are responding with more money that is used to bolster the present resources. The Government of Ontario has given us more money recently allowing us to improve our services.”
(Tom O’Brien is a retired Science Teacher living in Ingersoll Ontario where he keeps a few bee hives on a neighbouring farm. Writing apiculture news articles is his consuming passion. He tried using a “Long Langstroth” arrangement for his bees and experienced limited success, and is now converting back to benchmark Langstroth measurements. He is not a carpenter but his pieces of wood stay stuck!)
Technology Transfer Program http://techtransfer.ontariobee.com/
519 836-3609 obatechtransfer@rogers.com
Before this interviewer had a chance to ask a question after the initial meeting and handshake, Dr. Ann-Michele Francoeur, PhD, Microbiologist and President of Honey Bee Research Inc. (Montreal, Quebec, Canada), staked her claim to the discussion that followed. "I am happy to help all beekeepers, whether they are big city urban beekeepers with just one balcony hive or those living beyond the suburbs with thousands of hives."
We talked about the looming threat of CCD, honey bee extinction and its potential impact on the world’s food supply. She was asked, "How can research scientists around the world best help beekeepers?"
Her eyes lit up with the opportunity to reply. "I am a scientist and my first job is to help make the world a better place. Fortunately, the new generation of beekeepers are keen to collaborate on our university-industry research projects that are focused on developing new methods for beekeeping. These include the introduction of Quality Control Microbiology Testing (QCMT) for common bee infectious disease agents, using traditional methods (plating on agar plates for Paenibacillus larvae, spore counting using a microscope for P. larvae and the Nosemas (apis and ceranea), and visual inspection with mite icing sugar rolls for the mites, V. destructor).
What can be QC tested by beekeepers Dr. Ann was asked?
"Everything can be QCM tested, such as the bee brood (larvae, pupae), adult bees), as well as pollen, propolis, wax, hive debris on the bottom board, and honey, and we teach beekeepers to do this themselves. QCMT can be confirmed by the more sensitive and specific new Molecular Diagnostic Testing (MDT) methods that we do in our lab, which is based on the detection of the molecules of life (called "nucleic acids"), which are either DNA for most of the common pathogens, or RNA for the bee viruses."
With the help of local university professors and Novatek International (a Montreal information technology company), her company is developing automated hive scanning software for early disease detection and innovative methods for getting rid of mites and sterilizing hive "woodenware" and beekeeping equipment.
Dr. Ann, as she is known by many, was asked to explain Molecular Diagnostic testing (MDT). "MDT is state-of-the-art testing based on extracting the DNA of the pathogenic microorganism being tested and is very specific (based on specific DNA sequences of the organism) and very sensitive. This method is used in research labs and also in forensic medicine to do DNA fingerprinting based on finding DNA from even 1 cell of a criminal or in anthropology, or using the DNA of one cell from a mummy or a mammoth, etc.
The interview was interrupted by a shopping trip to a building supply depot where it became evident that Dr. Ann is investing much of her own money into the new venture.
After lunch in a west Montreal Greek Restaurant the interviewer said, "You only mention parasitic organisms being responsible for colony kill and you have not included chemical agents such as the effects of the nicotinoid pesticides playing havoc with bee kill."
Dr. Ann replied, "Nicotinoids may affect bee behaviour, their nervous systems, and their bee GPS systems that help them navigate back home. However, at the same time, scientific evidence suggests that low levels of many different pesticides may be poisoning bees and also they may have poorer nutrition due to habitat destruction and widespread monoculture farming." Later, she added that pesticides and poor nutrition may act additively or hand in hand with the many infectious diseases spread by mites and cross-contamination from transporting bees to new areas for pollination. All these factors, she added, affect the bee immune system and bee gene expression in ways that are not understand and that need more study.
Dr. Ann, as she is known by her students, swabs a plate of Agar with a solution of honey sample before determining specific problems that might be residing in the hive from which the honey was taken.
Dr. Francoeur examines two samples of honey that were delivered to Honey Bee Research Inc. from a bee yard owner in Vermont who wished to discover the severity of Varroa in her hives. Pictures Tom O'Brien
Dr. Ann was asked what she and her new company can do for beekeepers.
"The best thing that we can do for beekeepers is to work closely with them and listen to their needs. The beekeepers that I have worked with in Quebec this past year are very innovative and are ready to try anything that is cost effective and that will help save their bees. For example, one beekeeper worked with us last summer to set up a microbiology field lab in his farm house basement. We trained a university microbiology graduate to work in that small lab, and taught her how to test for American Foul Brood (P. larvae) by taking samples of young larvae and honey and streaking them onto blood agar plates, and also how to test for Nosemosis (N. apis and N. ceranea) by spore-counting using a microscope, similar to what is done in government testing labs. These techniques are very simple (Microbiology 101) and quite effective, and we can confirm the results of these tests by doing molecular diagnostic testing for the DNA of these infectious agents in our lab. This approach, together with better insulation and closer monitoring of their bee hives over the winter, gave excellent results and the Quebec beekeeper had only 8% hive losses this winter compared to the 25%-90% reported losses by other Canadian beekeepers."
Dr. Ann said that the laboratory and field work is done under her supervision by Biology and Microbiology students from Concordia and McGill Universities, and future work will include engineering students from Université de Montréal who will work on a novel system to get rid of mites. "As well," she added, "we have a wonderful first year Environmental Science student from McGill who is working as our research secretary/technician this summer."
She spoke highly of the support that she has received to date. "The beekeepers, although very busy and stressed out due to high colony losses, have welcomed us to their bee yards with all of our sampling gear and student researchers. The local universities and several scientific supply companies, notably Fisher Scientific, Becton Dickinson (they make the brood sampling swabs), and Oxoid (they make the microbiology agar plates) have been great and have actively supported our research efforts to help the beekeepers, by donating used or new lab equipment, and also microbiology research supplies at cost. Our dream is to have a fully equipped mobile molecular microbiology and honey analysis field lab so that we can help a larger number of beekeepers at their location."
A private individual provided funds to help pay the salaries of the three university students who are working with Dr. Ann this summer. Her plan is to do fundraising this winter in order to hire six summer students next year. "Bee research offers a wonderful opportunity for students to learn biology, microbiology, molecular biology and field work," she said. A list of her research collaborators can be found on her company website: wwwhoneybeeresearchinc.com. All donations are gratefully accepted and managed by her non-profit organization, Honey Bee Disease Research Foundation, and much is used to help beekeepers setup field labs so that they can benefit through technology transfer from Dr. Ann’s laboratory.
Dr. Ann teaches urban beekeeping courses and speaks highly of the McGill University Student Apiculture Association (www.maa-mac.com) which welcomes all individuals interested in becoming members. As such they learn beekeeping through participation in ongoing activities.
She also is positive about the film, Vanishing of the Bees, which was directed by George Langworthy and Maryam Henein of Montreal. Dr Francoeur has been assisted by the Quebec Provincial Apiarist, Claude Boucher, DVM, in regards urban beekeeping and the Quebec organic beekeeper Alain Picard who organizes Montreal "beekeeping events" which introduce the local population to beekeeping. Dr Ann would not let the interview end with out paying heed to one of that Provinces leading beekeepers. "Nicolas Tremblay," she said with a touch of awe in her voice, "pioneered the use of the mite screen bottom board that is used on hives internationally to reduce mite infections."
As the interview ended and while a messenger delivered some honey samples to be tested, she said, "In research, everyone can have good ideas and contribute significantly to the team effort, no matter what their profession or educational background. The trick is to try multiple approaches, to be very persistent and determined and not to give up until the problem is solved."
(Tom O’Brien is a retired Science Teacher living in Ingersoll Ontario where he keeps a few bee hives on a neighbouring farm. Writing apiculture news articles is his consuming passion. He tried using a "Long Langstroth" arrangement for his bees and experienced limited success, and is now converting back to benchmark Langstroth measurements. He is not a carpenter but his pieces of wood stay stuck!http://www.longlangwithlegs.blogspot.com/)
Novatek International, www.ntint.com
Honey Bee Research Inc. www.honeybeeresearchinc.com
Honey Bee Disease Research Foundation. www.hbdrf.org (website being setup)
Members of the Middlesex, Oxford, and Elgin Beekeepers Association leaned forward and increased their concentration after Doug McRory, the recently retired Ontario Provincial Apiarist, began his concluding remarks. The audience forgot about the ugly winter storm outside and a frigid wind blowing sleet against the windows. They had come to listen and learn from the MAN everyone calls DOUG who was hooked on beekeeping back in his teens after his brother suffered a broken arm. (Mr. McRory quickly mastered those two colonies and extracted one-hundred-and-eighty-four lbs. of honey from each.) Most already knew that Doug McRory was appointed the Manitoba Provincial Apiarist in 1967 BEFORE he graduated from the Ontario Agricultural College, now known as the University of Guelph. His primary undergraduate subjects were Apiculture and Entomology. (Sometimes he describes himself as a college trained beekeeper followed by another word with one more syllable than bugologist.)
“I was appointed Ontario Provincial Apiarist on January 1 1985 and retired in March 2009 and in early 2010 I bought ten single brood chamber beehives. By the end of September I increased them to seventy-six,” is what he said that shall remain etched in the minds of his listeners that stormy night in London Ontario. After he finished his speech an eager crowd surrounded him who were eager to learn his crafts.
Doug McRoryDuring an interview the next morning in his Guelph home with Norma, his wife of 43years, he spoke with a soft and firm delivery with all words easily understood. As the get-together progressed it became obvious that listeners, whether opposite him in his living room or sitting in a college lecture hall, soon realize he knows what he’s talking about and all desire to profit from his messages.
“I know you wish to ask about Spring Build Up but before you can increase your hives you must have a good source of queens,” he said making sure that it is his story and not someone else’s without his imprint. “A beekeeper must either raise good queens and/or queen cells or purchase them from a reputable breeder. One must remember that queen breeding is somewhat a crap shoot with each queen you raise. The queen’s eggs are individually fertilized (as she lays them) with the sperm from up to twenty different drones. Thus there are as many sub-families of bees in a colony as there were drones that mated with the queen on her mating flights.” He paused to make sure the scribbler had copied all his thoughts. He added, “The good queen breeder will select larva to raise into queens from only the best of hives and hopefully the virgin queens will mate with drones from selected superior hives in a drone flooded area controlled by the breeder.”
Doug says, "Before you can increase your hives, you must have a source of good queens." (Photo by Tech-Transfer Program, OBA)
“Now, last year I increased my hives using many of the same methods I used when operating forty-two-hundred hives in Benito Manitoba from 1971 to 1984.” A slow smile appeared on his face while adding, “You see, from ’67-’71, I was the Manitoba Provincial Apiarist and built up 250 colonies - I was really a beekeeper at heart!”
“So last year I set up ten nucleus boxes beside my ten double deep hives and in early May. I took four frames from each: one of brood, one of honey and pollen, another drawn comb, and the fourth was just foundation and in each nuc, I inserted a queen cell purchased from Alison Van Alten, the former Bee Girl in the Technology Transfer Team which is operated by the Ontario Beekeepers Association.” He stopped and waited for a question from his visitor. Without any, he continued.
“I then purchased forty three frames of brood for twenty-five dollars each from the very reputable beekeeper Henry Kornelsen here in Harriston, Ontario and set them up in single frame nucs for a total of sixty-three hives.” Again he paused. “Then I harvested twenty frames of brood from the first ten hives and put them up in single-frame hives.”
“That makes for eighty-three hives,” said the interviewer.
Mr. McRory appeared pleased and leaned forward in his chair seeing that he was about to reveal a significant issue. “You are right. I do not believe in putting bees into winter that do not have a high probability of survival. I doubled up any with queen problems or if they were weak. Now please understand, that was early June of 2010 and I also had to prevent swarming as much as possible.” He remained silent for a good ten seconds and then added. “From those eighty-three hives I initiated the process of adding and subtracting frames of brood so that by the end of the summer I had twenty double brood hives and fifty-six single brood hives that I over wintered indoors”
After quiet reflection the interviewer asked, “Did those first year hives produce any honey.”
“Yes, four-hundred-and-eighty-five lbs were extracted from the original ten colonies,” he answered before adding, “In beekeeping, you are either in the honey business or the bee production business. One must decide early in the year which route to follow. With thirty percent average die off per year a beekeeper must increase hive numbers each summer so that he or she is in business the following year. That thirty percent figure has been with us over the last four years and much of the cause is related to the use of chemicals to combat infestations of Varroa mites. The mites have become resistant to the easy strip formulations that beekeepers have been repeatedly using. Formic Acid, though effective, requires more thinking to hit the proper windows of opportunity to control the mites. Oxalic Acid cannot be used when brood is present but it is an excellent clean up insurance policy just as the bees are packed away. It would be nice to be able to treat for the Mites in the summer in order to give more time to get to the main fall treatment. It will be great if the new Nod “Mite-Away Quick Strips” can be applied in the summer as advertised.”
He paused and asked the interviewer if he wanted lunch. The reply was a simple yes but Mr. McRory was not finished.
“One of the best means for controlling mites is with Integrated Pest Management (IPM) using a break in the brood cycle. The beekeeper uses a queen cell in new splits instead of a mated queen. You add a queen cell to a nucleus with at least one frame of brood (more frames if you can spare them). The time for the virgin to get mated interrupts the mite reproduction process. This process offsets the mite reproduction so that you do not have to treat these new splits until later in September.”
After answering a phone call, he continued, “By treating young and older hives during the summer with Formic Acid pads you have a good chance of having large populations to begin the winter with a high proportion of forager bees that were born in the last week of August and the first three weeks of September.”
He stopped and looked at his watch. “Come on, let’s go for lunch,” he half snapped with mock anger. He enjoys talking about bees … so that others learn … said the interviewer to himself.
“Just one more question please … What do you do in the spring after the temperature is close to 55F (12C)?
He looked as if that was the only question he dearly wished to answer. “If I am going to stimulate my bees early, I start about the middle of March and feed sugar syrup and put on at least two pollen paddies. I keep putting on pollen until the bees quit using it. I only do this if I plan to make up early nucs in May. If you do stimulate the bees early and leave them alone without taking out brood they will no doubt swarm by the end of May and you will be worse off than leaving them on their own.”
He got up from his chair and put on his winter coat. The interviewer did the same and later in the restaurant he continued. “Normally I start checking the bees the last week of March. I remove the winter wrap (mine are individual sleeves from Ben Hogan at Bath Ontario), I check for feed by hefting the hive and add feed made from two to one sugar syrup if needed. (He never uses one to one syrup because “it ferments.”) I treat with Oxytetraclycine and then I re-wrap the colony until mid April. “I split the double hives to check how strong they are in the bottom box and add syrup where needed. Dead outs are closed up so no bees can rob them.”
While waiting for fresh coffee he concluded, “On the second check in April, I clean off the bottom boards, scrape all of the frames clean of wax and propolis, and treat bees with Oxytetraclycine for European and American Foulbrood. I give one more treatment of Oxytetraclycine before the end of April. I build up weak colonies with frames of brood from the strong. At the end of April I make new nucs from strong hives.”
Tech Transfer Team http://techtransfer.ontariobee.com/
(519) 836-3609 obatechtransfer@rogers.com
Tom O'Brientmobrien1@sympatico.ca
http://longlangwithlegs.blogspot.com
Beekeeper Extraordinaire: Jim Coneybeare © Tom O’Brien tmobrien1@sympatico.ca
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Coneybeare Honey is located in Fergus Ontario with 700 hives in 21 locations throughout Western Ontario. The crop for the present year is estimated at forty tons which is sold mostly to bakeries, health food stores, and soap or food manufacturers. All of his stainless steel equipment and procedures were recently inspected by a Rabbi and Coneybeare Honey is now Kosher.
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BEE GIRLS-TEAM OPERATING COSTS
November 2009
"A Long Hive" Tom O'Brien tmobrien1@sympatico.ca
From studying TBHs I saw that hives on legs with plywood bottoms meant no mice and no skunks to bother the bees. I read too that TBHs allow for more space and very little swarming and queen-cell building. (Just the idea of NOT having to lift full and heavy supers appeals muchly to this out of shape retired Chemistry Teacher.) While inspecting hives, the “long lang” allows the beekeeper to stack frames and supers temporarily above the ground.
My “long langs” are forty-two inches long and “rabbeted.” The lumber is nine and five-eighths inches wide. Twenty-seven deep Dadant frames hang comfortably from one end to another when using self spacing frames. To me, that means the equivalent of three deep Langstroth supers that rest thirty-two inches from the ground and are easily inspected with the removal of the plywood roof. There is less disruption by only removing the long roof and not wrestling with supers loaded with brood and pollen and honey.
It took valuable time for me to “learn the bees” during May, June, and July. Too often I was timid and not thinking properly as evidenced the long time it took for me to add more deep frames with foundation when there was bearding around the front entrance. I tried using sugar water in a spray bottle in place of a smoker before I learned to use smoke properly. I also saw that the long sides had to be rabbeted in order to keep the bees inside the hive and working. Taking the hives apart for a day for the necessary wood work was a costly interruption. For a bee veil I used a seven dollar mosquito net with a four dollar wide brimmed straw hat. The veil and hat worked well until a cigarette singed it near my nose and mouth. One should use one type of smoke only when working with bees!
Too much space was allowed between the frames which allowed the bees to produce much brace comb. That was corrected late in the honey flow but the damage was done. The bees eventually filled all frames which again showed they will work laterally
The front entrance is a pair of drilled out side by side three-quarter inch holes four inches from the top. The plywood roof is slid back one and a half inches. This has provided the bees with plenty of space and air circulation.
The first frame is not next to the front end “plate” and that space is a vestibule that allows the bees to enter and leave as they wish. A landing board was attached to the front plate which helped the bees enter and leave the hive. Frame one is close to the entrance at the hive front and frame twenty-seven is at the rear. The rear end plate has one drilled three-quarter inch hole four inches below the top. During winter, the tar-papered roofs will cover all frames and the entrance-exit holes will be reduced to allow for air circulation and the removal of water vapour.
Eighteen frames of Italian bees, with queen, were installed on May 15 and came from a beekeeper-hive inspector two hours east. (There are no hives within fifty miles.) The bees took to their new long Langstroth hive without any problems except for the tell tale too little space problem and bearding which was rectified by filling the hive to maximum with deep Dadant frames loaded with foundation.
The queen laid eggs and the workers deposited pollen and honey up to and including frame twenty-one which means the bees moved laterally. Frames twenty-two to twenty-seven were full of honey by September one.
Honey production in July was hindered with too much rain and chilly days. However the red and white clover with some alfalfa and alsike was plentiful in the five acre goat pasture. Plenty of brood and larvae were seen in the three July inspections.
July nine was the day a slice of plywood was cut from the roof and a medium super was placed above frames one to ten which were loaded with brood.
We had at least twenty-five days of hot and sunny days beginning August one. Ten full medium frames of honey were harvested on August twenty-eight.
Absolutely no swarming and no queen cell production are the two primary observations. There was good queen and bee lateral movement observed. All twenty-seven frames were covered with bees on September one.
The building of long langs was not all that difficult for this non carpenter. The rabbets were cut out by a local cabinet maker. He made sure both long boards were the same length. Nine inch pieces of two inch strapping were nailed three quarters of an inch from the end of each twenty inch end board. Using the strapping as a guide, straight and square corners were achieved at all four corners. Twenty-eight inch legs were attached to the end boards at all four corners … which put the top bars of the Dadant frames about thirty inches above ground.
The roofs were moulded by temporarily attaching one by three inch strapping level with the tops of each long board. Three-eighths inch plywood was then attached to the strapping. The roofs fit well and none blew off.
Next years Long Langs will be five feet long as I believe putting more bees in the hives will result in more honey in the supers stacked above the brood on frames one to ten. A partition board will be used to compress the bees into a smaller space below the added supers. That idea is common in producing comb honey.
