BANV BUZZ

The Presidents Hive Stand

We're just coming off a hot August week...in mid-September. About two months ago I recall the middle of the hottest week in July when I was looking forward to Winter. Sure, I'll complain about the cold and dark days when it's January, but right now it feels good to think about how not-hot-nor-humid it will be once we get out of this heat wave! The bees are tolerating this heat better than I am. They aren't too cross. Even through the dearth in July/August I haven't seen any robbing behavior, maybe because I have been feeding constantly and paying attention to providing enough space. They have their screened bottom board, extra screened ventilation holes in the inner cover, and the traditional stick lifting the back edge of the telescoping outer cover, all promoting healthy air ow. And they have their 'air conditioner' bees busily fanning their wings at the front entrance. The hive conguration and their efforts, despite this continued spate of torrid days, should lead to more capped honey soon versus the frames of exposed nectar I still see. And it's high time for some visible signs of progress since we're at the end of the bee year and starting the new one. Whether you count honey frames or weigh hives, knowing you have stores atop your colonies is crucial as we move from the dearth period into the fall nectar ow when the Winter bees are brood. You can gain ground for overwintering survival if the Fall nectar ow comes through (and some of the pollen going in indicates we might have that going on now), and by feeding 2:1 sugar syrup as the days shorten, but a good bit of capped honey in those supers now is crucial. So, too, are IPM tasks like mite counts and SHB prevention measures, requeening, freezing drone frames and so on. Sterner measures to deal with pests or disease may be necessary, if that's your beekeeping philosophy. And, oh what fun to undertake these chores in the heat and humidity! I guess some suffering on my part is well worth it for the bees' sake, and part of being a good steward to the bees, so I won't complain about the weather. Much. But, it sure feels good to think about Winter right now! While I'm looking ahead, please join me in thinking about BANV's biennial elections; nding folks willing to lead BANV for the next two years is very important to our purposes and to beekeeping in our region! I'll ask for a nominating committee at the September meeting; perhaps you are

SUMMER 2013

interested in helping in this key task. Our Constitution and ByLaws forbid the incumbent President from running for that ofce, so I know for sure I'm stepping down. But, I'll still serve on the Executive Committee as a past president and intend to help nd speakers, teach a class and do some of the education chair duties. One of our current ofcers, David Michaelson (2nd VP) said he'd probably run for an ofce, but for certain we'll need a new Treasurer and Secretary, to go with the President and 1st VP jobs. I was fortunate to get a great batch of volunteers to Chair several of BANV's core tasks and many of those will keep on working for the new ofcers. One area that needs a new Chair is the coordinator for the Arlington County Fair. Other than that, unless something changes, I don't see any holes in the responsibilities that keep the club running. However, some folks have taken on two duties, and most are going into a third year doing the club's work, so please respond to appeals for help if you hear them. Finally, and so crucial - - Mentors! We'll offer classes for 75 students in the February to April timeframe in 2014 and need to ensure each new student has someone with a little experience, or a lot, to get them through their rst year. I don't think I'd be far wrong saying this is the most important job in BANV. I'm counting on you to sign up and do your part for the new beeks! PS - BYLAWS MOTION: "BANV's membership year is currently 1 Feb to 31 Jan. We will entertain a motion at our September meeting, to be voted on in our October meeting, to amend the ByLaws (Article I- Dues) to change the membership year to 1 May to 30 April. This will ease the workload on our ofcers/chairs who are responsible for the club's treasury, membership and class registrations, which now deluge us at the same time each year, and align BANV's membership year closer to VSBA's membership year, preventing gaps in the two systems. Members in good standing on 31 January 2014 will be carried forward in that status through 30 April 2014."

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE This Month in the Beeyard EAS Master Beekeeper Education: Nosema VSBA Langstroth Award

Want to contribute to the BANV newsletter? Write to: beekeepersnova+editor@gmail.com We prefer concisely written material, rather than suggestions & hints. Inclusion depends upon space available, timeliness, and/or relevance. Thanks

NEWSLETTER | Summer 2013

Todd Harding is presented his EAS Master Beekeeper pin at the monthly BANV Meeting

Pat & Jim Haskell receiving the VSBA Langstroth Award for efforts and achievements in Virginia Beekeeping

Pollinator Plates Applications Requirement Fullled! Three years of work has nally paid offthanks again to each and every one of you, as we couldn't have done it if we weren't in it together! Pollinator Plates has now collected enough applications to meet the DMV and General Assembly's requirement of 450 to pass a new special plate. Applications are still being accepted- If you'd like to be one of the rst to get the new plates, you can nd out more on www.pollinatorplates.com. The bill for the new plates will be introduced into the General Assembly in January and after

being voted on and signed by the Governor, would go into effect on July 1, 2014, after which the plates will be processed and distributed. As an FYI, I'll keep on collecting applications until it's time for me to take them in to the DMV (next year). I'd like to be sure we have plenty more than the minimum requirement in case there are any applications that can't be processed. Also, if you've received emails from me asking for additional information to complete your application, now would be a great time to follow up with that so I can put those applications in the "complete" folder. Thanks in advance! I'll keep everyone updated as I have more information. For now, please remember to keep your vehicle registration and tags up-to-date with the DMV as usual- the plates will be mailed to you when they're ready. Samantha Gallagher

Minutes of BANV Meeting

Rob McKinney called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm, with 55 people present. There were announcements of the Arlington County Fair honey booth results which included over 1000 lbs of honey sold with gross proceeds of over $9,000, a reminder of the upcoming November 9, 2013 VSBA meeting in Wyers Cave Va. at the Blue Ridge Community College, and the announcement and recognition of Todd Harding as the newest Master Beekeeper in the club. Brenda Kiessling presented Todd with his new pin of recognition,Todd becomes one of only 135 Master Beekeepers in the Eastern Apiary Society in America. Congratulations Todd. John Fraser then gave a very informative talk on overwintering hives, the methods he uses in his hives and some of the problems that beekeepers face in winter were discussed at length, with many useful suggestions offered by John. Issues such as critical tasks for August and September, removal of extra supers,queen activity during the winter, making sure stored food is next to the cluster, reducing hive entrances, and dealing with gusty conditions were discussed. Dane announced he will begin taking orders for packages on Dec. 1.You can begin placing phone orders at 703-525-6396, leave a message that states your name and the number of packages you wish to purchase with or without marked queens.You can also sens an email to lkandlk@ntelos.net if you wish to purchase a package. All packages are on a rst come rst sell basis. Rob then gave a dramatic slide show about a local beekeeper who has encountered AFB in his hive. A brief talk was given by local beekeeper, and a state inspector, Elizabeth McClelland was also present to answer questions from members who were present. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 PM. Respectfully submitted, David Thompson

NEWSLETTER | Summer 2013

This Month in the Beeyard

The forecast is for night-time temperatures in the 40s and 50s for the rest of this week (mid-September) as I write this column. Honeybees start to cluster at 57 degrees, so you can be sure that your bee colonies are in fairly tight clusters when the temperature drops to 45 degrees. The bees are preparing for winter, and you should help them with the task. 1. Combine weak hives. Even if this means that you will only have one hive to enter the winter, your chances of over-wintering two weak hives are poor. Dont set the bees up for a frozen death combine the weak hives and kill the least successful queen or nd another beekeeper who needs a queen. 2. Feed colonies with less than 60 pounds of stored food. This includes pollen, honey and syrup. If you dont know how to estimate stores, then ask your mentor or an experienced beekeeper. If a medium frame of honey weighs 5 pounds, then you need at least 12 frames of honey above or adjacent to the central cluster. You need at least 4 frames of pollen. Feed syrup and a pollen pattie until you are satised that the stores are adequate. 3. Destroy hive beetles and mites. It may be too late to effectively treat for mites, but hive beetles must be under control at this time of year or they will wreak havoc in the combs. Mite treatments will help if the colony is still hatching brood, as the fewer parasites on the brood, the healthier the winter population will be. The winter bees must live for months. 4. Provide ventilation for the hive. A natural bee nest in a cavity in a tree will have upward ventilation for the moisture generated by the consumption of many pounds of honey. Provide some form of ventilation, or develop your own strategy for dealing with the moisture that will build up in a closed compartment. I recommend a inch hole near the top of the topmost hive box, screened on the inside to prevent robbing. Install the hole and screen now so that the bees can cover as much of it with propolis as they deem suitable. Check the hives. Beekeeping doesnt stop because cooler weather arrives. Look for brood. Queenless hives will not survive, so look for signs of a healthy queen. You should nd very few if any drones at this time of year. Move the food supplies adjacent to and above the central cluster, so that the bees may move up into the now empty honey combs as the winter progresses. Practice a quick inspection technique so that the hive is open for less than 3 minutes while you do a quick examination. Install a mouse guard or other entrance reducer. Mice can enter a hive at this time of year and make a nest while the bees are tightly clustered. Reduce the entrance so that nighttime is not a time for freerunning mice in the colony. Plan for next year. Figure out how many colonies you want to have, and plan for how you will get to that point. Write it down. If you assume that all your colonies survive the winter, then write that down and build on that assumption.

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APIMONDIA International Apicultural Congress, Kiev, Ukraine 29 Sep - 4 October 2013 Professor Tom Seeley, the eminent honey bee ecologist from Cornell University, and Patron of BfD Trust, will be the Keynote speaker in the Plenary Session of the Scientic Commission for Beekeeping in Rural Development. Many other interesting papers in Plenary Session and two Symposia devoted to development issues. If you cannot make it to Kiev, you can still participate by following the live-streaming http://apimondia2013.org.ua/en/scienticprogram/ TEN MOST STUNNING BEE QUESTIONS FROM KIDS AT FALL FESTIVALS Many beekeepers sell honey and exhibit observation hives at fall festivals all over Northern Virginia. The observation hives draw in the crowds and the kids (and a few parents) start pumping out the questions . Some of the questions are very challenging, and some cannot be answered without access to a precise textbook on honeybee anatomy. Other questions are simply stunning. Here are, in ascending order, are the ten most stunning questions I have been asked in recent years.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

If drones die after mating, why do they chase after the queens? If honey is so good for your health, what happened to your hair? If a queen can choose the sex of an egg, why would she ever lay a drone egg? On what planet/galaxy did honeybees originate? Why do owers produce nectar? What did the rst bees eat before nectar and pollen were invented? If it takes a hive to raise a queen, where did the rst queen come from? What kind of honey do cicadas/17 year locusts make? Why cant all the worker bees have husbands?

10. Can you please tell me the names of all the Melissae you know, the Greek goddesses of honey and mead? If you have not had the pleasure of being on the receiving end of these and many more surprising questions, then you should consider stocking an observation hive and getting out there to educate the public. The good news is that you dont have to give perfect answers to endishly difcult questions you need only give it your best. The kids and the parents will appreciate your efforts.

NEWSLETTER | Summer 2013

Continuing Education: Nosema

Some of the most recent work on nosema has been done within our own State by Dr. Fell and Dr. Traver. To the best of my understanding, it appears that fumagillan B is no longer recommended as a prophylactic treatment even though Virginia Tech has not updated its own website and still recommends it (a beekeeper I know called Dr. Fell this Spring and pointed out this discrepancy to him and he said that it needed to be updated!) Nosema Traver, B.E., Williams, M.R., and Fell, <http://www.taylorandfrancis.com/ R.D. 2012. Comparison of Within books/details/9781439879405/> in Hive Sampling and Seasonal Activity of bees. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/ <http://www.taylorandfrancis.com/ science/article/pii/ books/details/9781439879405/> In S0022201111002394> Nosema <http://www.taylorandfrancis.com/ ceranae <http:// books/details/9781439879405/> www.sciencedirect.com/science/ Honey Bee article/pii/S0022201111002394> Colony Health: Challenges and in Honey Bee Colonies. Sustainable Solutions. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/ <http://www.taylorandfrancis.com/ science/article/pii/ books/details/9781439879405/> D. S0022201111002394> Journal Sammataro Here is a good start of a list of recent of Invertebrate Pathology.109(2): and J.A.Yoder, eds. (Taylor and Francis research for anyone who wants to 187-193. Group), p 322. tackle a summary- There is also Dr. Traver's dissertation which she has Traver, B.E. and Fell, R.D. 2011. Traver, B.E. and Fell, R.D. 2011. shared by request. Nosema ceranae Prevalence and Infection Levels of <http://www.sciencedirect.com/ <http://www.sciencedirect.com/ Traver, B.E. and Fell, R.D. 2012. Low science/article/pii/ science/article/pii/ Natural Levels of S0022201111001030> in S0022201111000395> Nosema <http://www.sciencedirect.com/ Drone Honey Bees ( <http://www.sciencedirect.com/ science/article/pii/ <http://www.sciencedirect.com/ science/article/pii/ S0022201112000882> Nosema science/article/pii/ S0022201111000395> in ceranae <http:// S0022201111001030> Apis Honey Bee ( www.sciencedirect.com/science/ mellifera <http://www.sciencedirect.com/ article/pii/S0022201112000882> <http://www.sciencedirect.com/ science/article/pii/ in <http://www.sciencedirect.com/ science/article/pii/ S0022201111000395> Apis science/article/pii/ S0022201111001030> ). mellifera S0022201112000882> Apis <http://www.sciencedirect.com/ <http://www.sciencedirect.com/ mellifera science/article/pii/ science/article/pii/ <http://www.sciencedirect.com/ S0022201111001030> Journal S0022201111000395> L.) science/article/pii/ of Invertebrate Pathology. 107(3): Colonies in Virginia S0022201112000882> queens 234-236. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/ <http://www.sciencedirect.com/ science/article/pii/ science/article/pii/ Traver, B.E. and Fell, R.D.2011. Ch. 9. S0022201111000395> . S0022201112000882> . PCR for the Analysis of Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. <http://www.taylorandfrancis.com/ 107(1): 43-49. 110(3): 408-410. books/details/9781439879405/>

NEWSLETTER | Summer 2013

INSURANCE FOR BEEKEEPERS

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First, The City of Fairfax passe d the proposed beekeeping rezo ning regula:on on June 25, 2 013, on a 4-0 vote, thanks to input from BANV ocers and members, a s well as input from VSBA and EAS (and from my neighbors). The text of the new regula:on is available here : hRp:// fairfax.granicus.com/ MetaViewer.php? meta_id=34543&view=&s howpdf=1 Second, Frank Linton is seeking b eekeepers who are par:cularly prou d of the backyard seZng for the ir hives for a possible photo-shoot loc a:on for a new hive cover inspired by the hive covers used at the beeke eping school in the Luxembourg Gard ens of Paris. hRp://www.parisiensalon .com/ 2012/01/a-home-for-be es-in-the- luxembourg-gardens/ If you would like to oer your hives' seZng, please contact F rank by email: linton@mitre.org

David and I have emailed back and forth the past few days and for anyone interested- beekeeping liability insurance as part of a Farm Family SPF 10 package- combined with home owners insurance ranges from $125 (personal liability) to $225 (commercial/retail sales liability). Most other quotes, including the Texas company advertising in the bee journals start at $500 minimum for the same business liability coverage. The Texas Insurance & Financial (800-541-9849) rm that advertises in the bee journals quoted me a little over $600 for a *commercial* general liability, million dollar policy per incident, two million aggregate. This included third-party/off-site apiary and I don't remember if there was a maximum dollar amount of honey sales. This company knew what I wanted and was quick to give me a quote & ask for the sale. Their condence, speed, and $600 price tag made it feel a bit opportunistic. United Farm Family agent Ben Wareld (443) 695-2806, quoted me a similar * personal* general liability coverage that includes third party & offsite apiaries and $4000 worth of honey sales, for $123. Working with Ben took a little longer (a few days) because there was some back-n-forth to make sure they understood my unique situation and coverage needs. I appreciated that. For what it's worth, I gave all my other insurance (renters & auto) policies to Ben and saved more than enough on those to pay for the apiary insurance. [Shout out to BANV Stuart for pointing me to Ben.

Next BANV Meeting Join us on September 24 for our monthly meeting at the usual location (Mason Governmental Center) at 7. Featured for this month is a talk by Jeny Beausoliel on "Invasives". We'll have the usual announcements and an amendment to the By-Laws to consider (vote in October) to change BANV's "membership year" as well.

President 1st Vice President 2nd Vice President Secretary Treasurer

Rob McKinney Rick Haynes David Michaelson David Thompson Steve Johnson

BANV OFFICERS 2012-2013

beekeepers+president@gmail.com beekeepers+1vicepresident@gmail.com beekeepers+2vicepresident@gmail.com beekeepers+secretary@gmail.com beekeepers+treasurer@gmail.com

GIS Mapping Librarian Membership Mentoring Newsletter Team Outreach Queen Program Recognition Spring Nuc Program Webmaster Chelsie Romulo & Jeny Beausoleil Frank Linton Terri McPalmer Chelsie John Fraser & Chris Dugmore Martha Kiene Norma Epley Carolyn Foley Carolyn Foley Kamalesh Kalarickal

Workerbees
beekeepers+gis@gmail.com beekeepers+librarian@gmail.com beekeepers+membership@gmail.com beekeepers+mentoring@gmail.com beekeepers+editor@gmail.com beekeepers+outreach@gmail.com EpleyBeeks@yahoo.com beekeepers+recognition@gmail.com beekeepers+nuc@gmail.com beekeepers+webmaster@gmail.com