April

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Are you doing this
Membership reminder
Just Rambling
Editors Comment
Improving Stocks
IBRA Website
Finding the Queen
Odds & Ends
Honey Bee Research

 

Are You Doing This?

 

Make sure your supers are aired and ready to go on with queen excluders when needed. 

Make sure you have enough equipment to deal with swarms—swarms happen 6 weeks after the dandelions open.

On the first warm day do spring inspections and prepare your hives for the rest of the season. Remember to remove varroa strips, if used, before installing supers.

Go to the BBKA Convention at Stoneleigh. There will be 76 trade stands including ones from Holland, Germany and France and there will be equipment for sale at bargain prices.

 

Those of you who have not yet rejoined the association please send your sub. to Allison NOW if you wish to remain a member. If we do not hear from you this month we shall assume that you no longer wish to be a member and your name will be erased from the mailing list.

 

JUST RAMBLING

I must thank Graham for pointing out my inconsistency in the last issue. Casein, essentially curdled milk, has been widely used as a "Plastic" material since the very early days, perhaps the most common use is for the small "pearly" buttons on the front of mens’ shirts and the like, and for all I know it may still be used as such. I seem to have a vague memory from when I was taught about these things, a long, long time ago, that it could be spun into fibres though whether it ever went into commercial production I do not know.

Clearly if the goats milk, and that is a form of Casein, is in some way modified to enable it to be spun into a usable fibre that is especially strong, then this is not an especially great change in their make up and is perhaps not so strongly to be condemned.

"Graham's Inconsistency" has rather a nice ring about it, sounds like some abstruse mathematical problem.

A long and learned letter in the last issue of Beekeepers News adopting a very anti and scary attitude to GM crops often based on limited observations that need to be repeated many times to give absolute proof. Wider scale trials are the only way to establish the advantages and the disadvantages of these materials, and whether the natural variations that occur everyday are not just being speeded up by the scientists.

Can someone tell me what the "Institute of Science in Society" is? It sounds very grand, together with "Schumacer College" at Totnes but are they anything more than a collection of individual people who have particular views on this subject?

Despite large lumps of ice falling off the Antarctic ice shelf, widely reported in the press, there are still many voices urging caution in blaming man made global warming for these phenomena. A letter from a Professor Philip Stott, Emeritus Professor of Bio­Geography at London University, sounds some one sensible, said that "current views on Global Warming were increasingly under serious threat" and that "it was a case of fortuitous curve fitting rather than a demonstration of human influence on Global Warming". If someone talks about the ice shelf, it is useful to ask them how big it was 50, 200 or 2000 years ago.

On a Micro scale Bio‑Geography is what I study when I decide on where to plant my potatoes this year! Coming up very shortly!

Thorne's catalogue this year includes a bee suit with a camouflage pattern. Has anyone tried it, I presume the idea is to confuse the "greeters" and the "followers" in the colony though I would be amazed if that is enough to fool some bees I have met.

Also includes plastic foundation which makes a very strong and robust frame and in my experience well accepted by the bees. But the frame itself gets very dirty and is not easy to clean and deteriorates quicker than the foundation. Really needs the whole frame to be made in plastic so that it could be boiled. Has anyone else tried it?

Dick Sadler,

21/3/02,

Comment

These sunny days have seen the bees flying and with the dandelions out and  a field of OSR right next to Raglan Castle coming into flower we will soon be beekeeping in earnest.

The story of antibiotics in honey seems to have created quite a stir. I have heard from a number of people that they have sold out of honey—should we increase the price I wonder? It is interesting to see how many jars of honey are in fact blended with Chinese honey. According to the Foods Standard Agency’s website the honey has been withdrawn because the presence in food of chloramphenicol is illegal, but given the very small quantities present, consumers can continue to use any honey they have already bought.

In the BBKA News that has been sent to you with this there is a proposed increase in the capitation. Those of you who have been studiously following the explanations about the relationship between BBKA and the county associations will immediately see the significance of this. If capitation goes up from £7.50 to £10.00 it means that £2.50 extra has to be found for every member. And guess from where it will have to come. So do be sure to read the article (which explains why it is thought necessary) and then when we have to put our subs up to pay the increase in 2003 please remember that you know about it.  There is also a delicious-sounding recipe, I can’t remember ever seeing  one in BBKA news before. There are some good recipes in Bee Craft as well at the moment but who has time to cook when the bees start to fly.

I think it would be nice if we all made a determined effort to go to at least one apiary meeting this summer. If you have never been then you don’t know what you are missing. Apart from being a lovely site just to visit, it is extremely stimulating and instructive to be able to take part in working bees with other people around all making comments, exchanging stories about when it happened to them and generally confusing the issue. Fortunately Eric, who is the apiary manager, is never knowingly put out by any suggestions and I have never heard of any argument coming to blows. We have now finished the theory part of the beginners course so we have 15 potential new beekeepers. I have urged them strongly to go to the apiary meetings as I really do think that that is the best way to get experience of dealing with different situations—and it is so much fun too.              

Bridget

 

Gordon Hartshorn at Goytre

Thursday evening saw a good number of us gathered in the hall at Goytre to hear Gordon pursue his favourite topic, which I believe has become quite a crusade for him, about how to improve our bee stocks. Gordon insists that Apis mellifera mellifera which is our dark honey bee, has been adapting to our Welsh climate for 10,000 years and is the bee best suited to our needs. When the Victorians began to import  bees from Italy they introduced acarine disease to this country and this wiped out a great many native bees. However in parts of Scotland and in the Welsh valleys some dark bees remained unhybridised and these remain the best suited for our climate. Not only do they fly at lower temperatures and forage in drizzle but they also have an additional gut enzyme that means they don’t need as many cleansing flights as European bees, they stop brood rearing early in the autumn and they store excess pollen thus ensuring a good start for the young bees in spring.

Gordon is very insistent that we should not put up with bad tempered bees. If bees are unpleasant to work with it leads to bad, or sloppy beekeeping. It is important to cull the queens of nasty colonies and replace them with queens reared from good stock. In order to do this it is essential that we are able to rear queens so that we always have some ‘in hand’ to use when necessary. To this end he demonstrated a method of queen rearing (without finding the queen) - although of course you have to find the queen when you want to remove her for replacement.

Gordon skimmed over the principles of morphometric analysis of bee colonies to establish the purity of the stock for rearing purposes. It is a fascinating thing to do, but only for the enthusiast. I have details if you want them.           Bridget

 

IBRA has a website:    www.ibra.org.uk

from which you can find out all about IBRA.     Now they have paid ingenta.com to display  “The Journal of Apicultural Research” and “Bee World” and past copies of both journals on the web. If you are an individual member you can access these journals by giving your membership number. Unfortunately association members are not entitled to do this, but anyone can access the site and see abstracts of  articles from all the 100’s of journals that are on their database.

An interesting site, have a look at it.

Finding The Queen When All Else Fails

For those who always have some difficulty, the following method is worth a try

 

You will need a warm day, a clean overall (essential), a calm disposition and of course your queen catcher. Raise the crown board slightly, lightly smoke and replace. After a few minutes prise up the first frame, lift it clear, count 10 and gently replace. Do this to each frame in turn, at the same time watch your left — sleeve ‑ if working from right to left. The opposite will be the case if working left to right ‑ always the leading sleeve.

Generally, nothing happens on the first run, so it's back to frame one, but carry on and eventually the Queen will be seen crawling up the leading sleeve. The theory behind this is that the Queen, being of a curious nature, wonders what is going on and decides to come up and investigate.

Please note that this method does not work if frames are in "warm ways" and clearly more research is called for.

Reg Laxton

April 1st.

 

Odds and Ends from Graham

The reports about Chinese honey containing antibiotic residues has become quite confusing with the national newspapers claiming that the antibiotic found was streptomycin and the local Hounslow Guardian stating that it was chloramphenicol.                                                                                                                                      The headline CANCER SCARE is well over the top and gets nil points for journalistic integrity and accuracy. A few inquiries produced the web site www.food.gov.uk that gave a report on the Chinese honey. Apparently both antibiotics have been found in various samples.

I happened upon an article on the annual plant Phacellia that is very highly rated as a source of nectar for bees. It can be planted in spring or summer and has a flowering period of four to six weeks. Farmers can use it as a fodder plant but is generally considered too fibrous for hay. Digging in as green manure is also an option. The nectar is secreted freely and the honey is light with a fine flavour. The pollen is pale blue but appears darker in the bees’ pollen baskets. There are a number of different varieties.

Graham

 

 

Dr. Ratnieks gave a presentation at the Welsh Beekeepers Convention in Builth Wells. In it he described the function of the Sheffield group, this is a copy of a handout he produced:  

  HONEY BEE RESEARCH

LABORATORY OF APICULTURE & SOCIAL INSECTS

UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD

 

 

LASI was founded in 1996 by Dr. Francis Ratnieks who has MS and PhD degrees in honey bee biology from Cornell University, a centre for honey bee research. He is an experienced beekeeper, has studied bees in 5 continents and is author of approximately 160 scientific articles on bees and social insects. He is a Reader in Zoology in the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences. Currently, there are four other PhD scientists (Drs. Adam Hart, Stephen Martin, Nigel Raine, Tom Wenseleers), three PhD students (Nicola Badcock, Duncan Jackson, Luis Medina), one technician (Nicolas Chaline) and numerous undergraduates and visitors. LASI is equipped with 4 apiaries, bee hives, observation hives, microscopes, video, insemination apparatus, tropical ant room, computers and workshop. LASI also uses the facilities of the Sheffield Molecular Genetic Facility. Research investigates bee biology, apiculture and social insects and is largely funded by grants from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the EU and the Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders Association (BIBBA). LASI has strong links to UK beekeepers and to labs in 15 countries and is a member of two EC‑funded research networks:  BABE: Beekeeping and Apis Biodiversity in Europe; INSECTS: Integrated Studies of the Economy of Insect Societies. LASI's mission is to be an international centre of research excellence, to train the next generation of bee scientists and to be a resource for UK beekeepers. LASI also aims to maintain a broad focus in bee biology, and not to restrict the research to any one area.

 

RESEARCH APICULTURE                       (* research carried out in collaboration with BIBBA)

Diseases* Hygienic behaviour is a defence against disease. Hygienic bees uncap and eject dying brood from cells. LASI is screening colonies of British black bees Apis mellifera mellifera for hygienic behaviour. These will be used in queen rearing. LASI is also using mathematical techniques to model the spread of bee diseases and to develop improved breeding methods for improved hygiene.

Improved queen rearing* LASI is investigating whether artificial queen pheromone, in the form of commercially‑available Bee Boost strips, can improve the success rate of mating nuc establishment. Results indicate that treated nucs abscond less frequently on being set up.

Overwintering* Research at LASI has shown that a 5‑frame medium‑depth Langstroth hive is small enough to use as a queen rearing nuc but large enough to overwinter. Such dual‑purpose hives can increase the season for queen rearing and sale.

Mating isolation* With the Sheffield Molecular Genetics Facility, LASI is using DNA markers to quantify the isolation of BIBBA’s queen mating apiary in the Derbyshire Peak District. Results indicate good control, with 80‑90% matings to target drones.

Conservation* Following a recent grant from the EU, LASI will be carrying out practical conservation measures on the British black bee Apis mellifera mellifera using DNA techniques to quantify mating isolation, gene flow, and the genetic characteristics of black bees.

 

RESEARCH: BASIC HONEY BEE BIOLOGY

Worker policing The honey bee colony is a model of cooperation but there is still potential for conflict. Workers, for example, have ovaries and lay unfertilized, male eggs. However, if one worker lays an egg another normally eats it. This is known as "worker policing). LASI is investigating how workers can tell which eggs are queen‑laid and how some workers lay eggs that escape policing. We are also studying workers which can evade policing such as those from "anarchistic" colonies, and parasitic Cape honey bees from South Africa.

Foraging By keeping a colony in an observation hive the waggle dances made by foragers can be observed and decoded. Foragers use this dance to tell recruit bees where the flowers are. Research at LASI is comparing the dancing, and hence the foraging, in large and small population colonies. Other LASI research has shown that workers will travel huge distances, averaging 6km, to heather moors.

Nestmate recognition Entrance guards normally exclude non‑nestmates. Where does the odour used in recognizing nestmates come from? LASI research shows that it is not from flowers or the genetics of individual bees. LASI is also investigating "acceptance threshold” changes. During a nectar flow the number of guards decreases and those remaining are more permissive, letting in non‑nestmates.

Work organization Honey bee foragers collect nectar. But instead of storing it directly into cells they pass it to receiver bees for storage. For efficient nectar collection the work capacities of the foragers and receivers must be balanced. If not, many bees will waste time waiting to transfer, similar to a supermarket with few check outs. LASI research is investigating how a colony maintains this balance.

 

RESEARCH: OTHER SOCIAL INSECTS LASI is also researching similar questions in other species: worker policing in wasps and dinosaur ants; dominance hierarchies in dinosaur ants; work organization and garbage disposal in leafcutter ants; foraging in leafcutter ants and Pharaoh's ants. LASI is also studying nectar collection and transfer and hygienic behaviour in stingless honey bees, which are tropical bees that live in large colonies. The research is carried out in Mexico in collaboration with the Department of Apiculture, University of Yucatan, Merida, and in Brazil in collaboration with the Laboratory of Bees (Laboratorio de Abelhas), University of Sao Paolo.

 

HOW UK BEEKEEPERS & BEEKEPER GROUPS CAN HELP For many years UK beekeepers have been promoting the idea of an institute to carry out honey bee research. LASI is such an institute. Beekeepers and beekeeper groups can help consolidate and improve LASI in two main ways. First by providing general encouragement to the university, and to bodies such as MAFF that fund honey bee research, that they welcome and support LASI. Second by providing financial support. Every research project costs money and the university provides none of this. The University provides the basic facilities only (building, electricity, library, computer network etc). Even small amounts can be put to good use. For example, £50 buys a book, £130 pays one week of a bursary to allow an undergraduate student to assist with the research in the summer, £1000 buys a computer or chemicals for DNA anlaysis, £30,000 pays for the salary (+ hidden costs such as national insurance) of a researcher with a Ph. D. for one year, 150,000 funds one PhD student and their project.

 

FURTHER INFORMATION Dr. Francis Ratnieks, Department of Animal & Plant Sciences, Sheffield University, S10 2TN, UK tel 0114 2220070 fax 0114 2220002 F.Ratnieks@Sheffield.ac.uk   www.shef.ac.uk/uni/projects/taplab          FLWR April 2001

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