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1-4-2012 An article about a parasitic wasp and honeynees. Sent to us by Otis
http://news.yahoo.com/zombie-fly-parasite-killing-honeybees-230200867.html
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8-03-11 Otis sent us an article and asks us to read the comments at the bottom as well!
http://news.yahoo.com/amid-bee-die-off-healthy-hives-thrive-cities-090513078.html
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6-21-11
We write and request information to be handed out at Ag Day, Farm Day, Houston County Fair, and the Hummingbird Festival. The response has been WONDERFUL! We have information from The National Honey Board, Betterbee, Dadant, and Rossman Apiary.
We want to thank them for their generous donations and support of our programs!
Please check out what they have to offer!
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6-20-11
Jane gave a talk and demonstration of cooking and canning with honey. There were samples of canned pears using honey, spiced honey pecans (National Honey Board recipes) and homemade whole wheat sourdough bread.
If you would like to learn about this and missed the meeting - the handout is available online here!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5-24-11
CATCH THE BUZZ - Alternative Sweetner Needs Bees....Irony at its best
Stevia - You need honey bees to grow this alternative sweetener…don’t you love the irony?
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5-24-11
The 2011 TAEP Application Period is June 1st - June 7th. You can find this year's program information on our web pages at www.tn.gov/agriculture/enhancement.
The 2011 TAEP Application booklet is available at local UT Extension offices, farm retail stores, Farm Bureau and FSA offices.
The application period for 2011 is June 1 - June 7. Producers are encouraged to mail their applications on June 1st. Applications will be processed based on postmark date. Please note that applications with postmark dates prior to June 1st will not be accepted.
Before submitting your 2011 application make sure that you have carefully reviewed pages two and three of the application booklet. These pages contain the Eligibility Requirements, Cost Share Options, and Rules.
Be sure that you have signed your application and your W-9 form before you mail them. Do not forget to include copies of cost quotes if required for the program you are applying for.
Remember that faxed or e-mailed applications cannot be accepted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5-23-2011 Kentucky Master Beekeeping Program
Under the leadership of Dr. Webster, Kentucky soon will have a Master Beekeeping Program. The Master Beekeeping Program is designed toward two objectives: to help experienced beekeepers become more successful, and to serve Kentucky beekeeping.
Beekeeping success is measured by (a) low colony losses, (b) good production of honey or other
hive products, and (c) the ability to identify the most common beekeeping problems and concerns. Two years beekeeping experience will be required to enter the program, which will consist of three steps. Steps one and two will consist of education and passing a written examination. Step three will consist of a project directed toward service to Kentucky beekeeping.
For more detailed information, go to: http://www.kyagr.com/statevet/bees/KentuckyMasterBeekeepingProgram.htm
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Recipes from the Southern Women's Show using honey
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4-18-11
TN beekeeping boom brings more hives to home gardens, farmers' crops:
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201104080210/NEWS11/104080316
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4-18-11 From the Extension Office:
There is a domestic kitchen class scheduled for May 12, 2011.
Please view flier for more details.
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3-08-11 FROM Eddie:
Eddie has completed construction of an observation hive. Check out the photos page to see it!
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3-05-11 FROM LINDA:
Here's Kelly's Newsletter - and yes, the newsletter is longer – things in the apiary are starting to stir; here’s timely information.
If you have slow download, click Small Version. For hi-speed downloads, Large Version.
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2-09-11 FROM LINDA:
CATCH THE BUZZ
Mite Away Quick Strip (tm) Gets Section 3 Label
The US beekeeping industry will welcome a versatile new product to the varroa mite control tool box. Mite Away Quick Strips™ (MAQS™) was officially federally registered by EPA in the United States as of February 4, 2011, obtaining the Section 3 registration.
The product will be gradually available over the next few months as production ramps up and pesticide registrations are obtained in each state.
MAQS™ is a formic acid gel strip product. Two strips are placed on the top bars in the brood area of the hive. The treatment period is seven days and can be used during the honey flow at temperatures up to 93 degrees F. No extra equipment is required. MAQS™ achieves up to 95% mite kill and penetrates the capping to destroy the male mite and immature female mites as well as the phoretic female mites on the adult bees.
For more information, visit the website at www.miteaway.com
This ezine is also available online at http://home.ezezine.com/1636/1636-2011.02.09.09.12.archive.html
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1-27-11 FROM SCOTT:
Hello everyone,
UT has posted their Beemaster program class schedule for 2011. There are a
total of five classes with two being reasonably close to us, one in
Springfield and the other in Jackson. The fee is $100, but the first 20
people registering (fees paid to UT) get a 50% scholarship for a total cost
of $50. The way I understand it, if you want to drive to Mountain City, the
classes are free (don't hold me to that). At the writing of this there were
still scholarships available.
Also remember if you plan to take advantage of the TAEP grant, this class is
mandatory.
Click on the link below for more information and registration.
http://bees.tennessee.edu/beemaster.htm
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F1-25-11 From Linda:
In case some of you have not seen WT Kelley's excellent newsletters
http://app.newpanda.com/public/sharedimages/4396/1234979276/Documents/kelley-bees-january-2011-newsletter%20(2).pdf
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1-16-11
Zarbee's Cough Syrup contains a blend of special dark honeys, vitamins and immune-bosting ingredients. The ingredients in Zarbee's are all-natural, side-effect-free and proven in clinical trials to be effective at calming coughs and sore throats in children and young adults.
http://www.zarbees.com
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1-14-11
Memphis Area Beekeepers Association Short Course
LINK FOR FLYER
Please help us publicize the Memphis Area Beekeepers Association 46th Annual Beekeeping Short Course. It is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 12th, at the Agricenter in Memphis.
A flyer is attached.
Many thanks.
Cathy
Cathy C. Faust, M.S., CFCS, Shelby County Extension Director
Shelby County Extension Service
Agricenter International
7777 Walnut Grove Rd.
Suite B., Box 21
Memphis, TN 38120
(901) 752-1207
(901) 336-1398 (cell)
FAX (901) 752-6240
cfaust2@utk.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1-13-11 Otis shares another article
"Honey has been used for centuries as a popular ‘home remedy’ for wounds and ulcers. Recent research has shown that it has antibacterial properties, as well as anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.Honey creates a moist healing environment that allows skin cells to regrow across a healing wound flush with the surface of the wound, preventing deformity of the skin. (If a dry scab forms on a wound, the skin cells can only grow across the wound deeper down where it is moist.)
- Honey has been used to treat infections in a wide range of wound types. These include burns, venous leg ulcers, leg ulcers of mixed aetiology, diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers, unhealed graft donor sites, abscesses, boils, pilonidal sinuses, infected wounds from lower limb surgery, necrotising faciitis and neonatal postoperative wound infection. In many of these and other cases, honey has been used to heal wounds not responding to treatment with conventional antibiotics and antiseptics.
) - We are now aware that honey has a healing property and also a mild antiseptic property. The Russians used honey to cover their wounds in World War II. The wound would retain moisture and would leave very little scar tissue. Due to the density of honey, no fungus or bacteria would grow in the wound. A person suffering from an allergy of a particular plant may be given honey from that plant so that the person develops resistance to that allergy. (more)
RAISING AWARENESS SUPPORT PEDIATRIC MASTOCYTOSIS www. mastokids.org
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1-09-11 Otis shared an article about bumblebees:
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11-16-10 Otis shared an article about "sniffer" bees - check it out!!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/8104213/Bees-mans-best-friend-provider-and-protector.html
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11-16-10 I also received the same article from Darold.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/8104213/Bees-mans-best-friend-provider-and-protector.html
Plus there are 6 other bee related articles available on this page.
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11-01-10
Vanishing of the Bees takes a piercing investigative look at the economic, political and ecological implications of the worldwide disappearance of the honeybee. The film also highlights the positive changes that have resulted due to a tragic phenomenon known as “Colon...y Collapse Disorder.” Providing viewers with tangible solutions they can apply to their everyday lives, Vanishing of the Bees unfolds as a dramatic tale of science and mystery, illuminating the greater meaning surrounding the relationship between humankind and Mother Earth. The bees have a message - but will we listen?
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10-09-2010 News article on the New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/science/07bees.html?_r=1
Just a little bit more before I head for the hive.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 9-29-2010
Linda Priddy has provided us with several items.
Bea Tea recipe (for use with regular adn ziploc feeders)
Honey House Bill
Late Season Candy recipe
Wintergreen and Salt-grease patty recipe
Beekeeping organizations
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 8-03-2010
Check out the bees! The Hope Garden
www.agriculture.utk.edu/news/videoReleases
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7-29-2010
Welcome to the National Honey Bee Awareness Day and the National Honey Bee Day Website The National Honey Bee Day program started with a simple concept. Bring together beekeepers, bee associations and clubs, as well as other interested groups and individuals to connect with communities and advance beekeeping. By working together, and harnessing the efforts that so many individuals and groups already accomplish, and using a united effort on one day a year, the returns and message can be magnified. The primary goals of the National Honey Bee Day program: 1) Promotion and the advancement of beekeeping.
2) Educate the public to honey bees and beekeeping.
3) Make the public aware of environmental concerns. |
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The first National Honey Bee Day program was held on August 22, 2009. 16 states and 42 bee association and individual programs were presented to the public. Events consisted of programs such as educational seminars at environmental centers, open houses at apiaries, hosted honey tasting events, as well as displays at county and state fairs.
National Honey Bee Awareness Day (August 22, 2009) was formally recognized and a proclamation (click here to view) announced on the 11th. Day of August, 2009, the two-hundred thirty-fourth year of the Independence of the United States of America. Signed by Thomas J. Vilsack, the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States of America.
The first event and all the costs were paid out of the pockets of concerned individuals and association budgets. People contributed on so many levels to make this happen. This is what we were striving for when we decided to do a grassroots program. We asked beekeepers to step forward and help in the promotion of the very industry and hobby that they have come to enjoy. And did they ever! Many companies are doing wonderful things to help with solving some of the problems within the bee industry. Many bee groups are raising money for research, and funding other efforts. The National Honey Bee Day program is focused on expanding the beekeeping community, and working to educate the public to industry problems.
We are hard at work planning the next National Honey Bee Day event, which is scheduled for August 21, 2010. This year’s theme, selected by vote from beekeepers across the country is “Local Honey - Good for Bees, You, and the Environment!” We are asking for participating groups to incorporate the overall message into the program this year. The theme can be used in many ways to educate the public about the benefits of local beekeeping, local agriculture, and the overall bee industry in each particular community.
Please read the information on the "Sponsors" page of this website. The National Honey Bee Day is 100% free for bee associations, bee groups, and concerned individuals to participate. (No membership fees, no yearly dues, and no obligations.) But that does not mean we do not need some help.
Whether you are a beekeeper, non-beekeeper, farmer, backyard gardener, a nature lover, a concerned steward of the environment, or anyone else, please consider getting involved on some level. Together, we can make a difference. Thank you.
| The National Honey Bee Day program operates and is administered under the registered non-profit listing and status of Pennsylvania Apiculture Inc., adhering to all laws and guidelines of a 501 ( c) and filed in the state of Pennsylvania. |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6-25-2010
Beekeeping in Tennessee
The University of Tennessee now has available the revised version of this great publication. You may download a pdf version of the publication for free.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5-16-2010
Sorry we missed the meeting Monday. No, REALLY!!
Feel free to share this with anyone you wish - it is quite an unusual story
- even if I do say so myself.
Well, we tried and we tried Monday night 'til dark, and couldn't get the
swarm out of the tree permanently (I was pruning with a shotgun - not an
easy task when the tree is a white oak and the limbs they insisted landing
upon were as big as my forearm and at least 30 feet up). I had gotten much
of the swarm onto the ground and into a hive once during the evening - but
they did not stay. So I finally gave up and went to bed. Yesterday morning
(Tuesday) they were still there. I figured "maybe we'll get lucky" and they
will find the hives I had stationed under them and set up housekeeping for
me after all. Well I got home Tuesday afternoon and by golly they were
STILL in that tree! So out comes the shotgun again - the neighbors probably
think I am totally INSANE - but finally, FINALLY I got the limb they were on
down - it involved a lot of advanced simple machines (ropes and more shotgun
shells), Whew!!
So FINALLY I wore through the limb they were on and the entire mass landed
right on one of the hives I had placed on the ground, below - yee -
haaaaaa!!! Bees were flying everywhere - but I got some newspaper and
started gently scooping bees towards the hive entrance (we are talking 10
pounds of bees minimum - the biggest swarm I have ever seen) and they
dutifully marched in for a while. I watched and waited and coaxed and
scooped and waited and... then I looked up into the tree again - AND to my
complete and utter dismay - there was about half of the swarm UP IN THE
TREE again in a very well formed cluster with no agitation (indicating to me
that the queen was probably present in that cluster) - on a limb about as
big around as my LEG!! OH MY!!!
I was sure I had missed the queen - and she was up on the tree. The hive
had a lot of bees in it and they were fanning their tails like crazy - like
the ones there thought they had found a new HOME - so I still had hopes of
coaxing the swarm into that hive - though those hopes were waning.
I poured a little sugar water on the front porch of the hive and they lapped
it up - I was thinking I might still coax them into that hive and I wanted
to keep the mass that was there from leaving again - I had gone through a
similar exercise Monday night and all the bees had left the hive and joined
the bees in the tree again. I repeated adding sugar water to the front
stoop a couple times over 20 or 30 minutes and added an entrance feeder to
the hive, too. There were a lot of bees in the hive, so I added a second
brood chamber (the first had DRAWN comb in it) and the bees on the outside
of the hive started filing in. Then after about 30 minutes the swarm in the
tree started to take flight - what a sight - and a sickening feeling -
because it appeared that the bees in the hive were starting to take flight
too. What a bummer.
Well they did not fly off, they just kept circling the tree - what a
cacophony!! Sounded beautiful - because they were NOT flying AWAY!!
About 15 minutes later they were ALL OVER the hive and so I was beside
myself, sore shoulder and all. (If you take all the times I had fired a
shotgun in my entire life prior to this week and compared that to how many
times I fired one this week - easily - this is the most I have ever used a
shotgun in my entire life - easily.)
It is the biggest swarm I have ever seen (I know, I sad that once - but it
is true), and I fed them more this morning before I went to work. With
drawn comb, I hope the queen will start laying within the week, and with
that many bees I hope they can start to draw and fill the second brood
chamber right away. I hope they stay in my hive - I have had swarms leave
before - so I plan to treat them REALLY NICELY to help assure that. I just
hope the entrance feeder does not start robbing amongst the hives in my yard
- I may switch to an internal feeder tonight.
What an ordeal. Now I have to go buy a bunch of shotgun ammo to replace all
that I used up cutting that tree down to size - so I can be ready for the
next swarm!!!!! I did get a little firewood out of the deal though.
What an adventure!!!!!
Mitch and Jane
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5-03-2010
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/beekeeping.html
This publication discusses various aspects of beekeeping or apiculture, including state inspection programs, beginning basics, income sources and budgets, insurance, Africanized bees, organic certification, and various bee pests and diseases. Information on educational and training opportunities and further resources are also discussed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5-03- 2010
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5-03-10
Lone Star Farms
"I am looking for “Chemical Free” beekeepers. Please read through my new website. www.lonestarfarms.net We promote chemical free beekeeping and chemical free beekeeping products. To make a real impact, we need everyone to participate. It does not matter where you live. This is about taking a stand against making our bees sick. Please join us in saving the bees one hive at a time. So many of us have gone chemical free in our hives and it really works. The chemicals are killing our bees and polluting our bee products. Please forward this information to everyone you know and enjoy the site." Thank you. Dennis Brown
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4-22-2010 - Remember that your bees need water!
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