From the Editor, Jerry Hayes
Beeing Diverse
I have waited until now to acknowledge, share and tell you about our unique BEEing Diverse: Inspiring Leaders in Beekeeping event we held a few months ago because we now have all of the amazing speakers talks available online. Recordings are available to purchase at Store.BeeCulture.com/Events/ which will get you links to the speakers’ talks to listen to online. I want you to go to them and listen because each and every one is insightful and inspiring.
To back up a bit, when I started as Editor a few years ago, I wanted to keep the tradition of the October special event held here at Bee Culture/A.I. Root Co. in Medina, Ohio going. But COVID hit and we had to cancel a few times. I have been in the beekeeping industry world for a very long time because I love honey bees and am amazed at what they do, how they do it and the keepers of bees with their commitment to this same love I have. I have learned from many smart, active and incredible partners in this family of beekeeping. I wouldn’t be here today if people smarter than I am had not researched, managed and worked hard to help us all understand our significant place in beekeeping. They continuously motivated me, intrigued me and caused me to ask more questions. So many of these motivators were part of this event. They have had to work harder, be more resolute and push for acknowledgment and awareness of their place in their organization, business and political world. I have always been impressed with those who “Stick to your task ‘til it sticks to you; beginners are many, enders are few.” And this group of speakers have exemplified those words of the poem.
They all shared their journey with us to where they are today. Sometimes it was super hard, but they didn’t give up. Sometimes it was easy and great data was produced but it was hard getting noticed. And sometimes it was only possible with connected and resilient mentors who walked with them through the swamp.
We had a good ‘in person’ audience for the two days along with a worldwide Zoom audience. We could listen, absorb and understand and then share with each other over meals. It was a family affair where we all got to know each other better and could grow to appreciate each other in a way you can’t in a conference with 300 people.
Without this group of outstanding speakers, none of this would have been possible. To have so many agree and contribute, coming from all over the U.S., Canada and the UK to Medina, Ohio is confirming as well.
And, without Emma Wadel and Jen Manis, who are KEY members of our compact and effective Bee Culture ‘family’, none of this would have happened as well. They deserve a big pat on the back.
We received significant support from American Honey Producers Association; BASF; Greenlight Biosciences; Bayer; Ohio Queen Bee Improvement Project; Canadian Honey Council; Bee Informed Partnership; Wicwas Press; Levin Family Foundation; Brad Root, President of A.I. Root; Miguel de Gracia, CEO of A.I. Root and many others here who helped pull this extravaganza off.
That is my message, but the real message is from this cadre of movers and shakers in our honey bee world. I would encourage you to go to Store.BeeCulture.com/Events/ to purchase the recordings, listen, then listen again because it will be inspiring to you for a very long time.
Mouse Droppings
QUESTION
I’m a sideliner beekeeper. We had our apiaries inspected – all good. My concern is that a couple of days after we harvested honey last month, we discovered mouse droppings on one of the honey supers in our honey shop (two mice were subsequently eliminated from our shop in short order). Unfortunately, without stopping there, we went ahead and processed the honey in the usual way (uncapping, spinning, straining, bottling). We didn’t think much of the situation.
That changed when the neighbor’s dog passed away due to Leptospirosis, which I’m told can be caused by wild animal urine.
We want to make sure what we have bottled is safe for human consumption. In your experience, have you heard of instances where honey was infected with dangerous bacteria by mice? Do you recommend we have our honey tested? And if so, by whom?
Thanks so much,
Marcel
ANSWER From Dr. Tracy Farone, Author of the Bee Vet Column
This is an interesting question! But yep it’s up my veterinarian alley…science anyway…
Leptospirosis is a spirochete bacteria spread through urine, not feces. It can also come from contaminated water or soil exposure. So technically, like most diseases, lepto could be all around us in small quantities. So, it can be hard to place “blame” as to where it “came from”… it’s everywhere. Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease, which means it is a disease that both animals and humans can get. Rats and mice are the primary vector to humans in most of the world but in the U.S., dogs are the primary vector to humans. Meaning most zoonotic transmission of leptospirosis in our country occurs from dogs (obviously rats and mice are possible, too). As far as I know, there is no known transmission of Leptospirosis in honey, and as a matter a fact, if the spirochete tried to move through the honey, the high sugar content would osmotically destroy it. So while “throw it out”, I suppose, is always a good go to legal answer – it’s probably not scientifically valid. In reality, our honey is contaminated with all kinds of soil and all kinds of things that reside in the soil, all the time, everywhere… So, following that logic we’d have to throw it all out. But magically honey is antimicrobial for most things that don’t form spores. The biggest concern I would have would be for the people who owned the dog with the positive diagnosis. Hopefully their veterinarian explained the risk to them from their dog and how to avoid exposure to the dogs’ urine both to themselves and the environment. Good rodent control is helpful as well. Veterinarians’ routinely vaccinate canines against Leptospirosis (there are several different serovars or types) to protect canines from this disease as well as their owners.
Cool question! Hope this helps.
Best,
Tracy Farone / Bee Vet
Where’s the Queen?
QUESTION
Hi,
I have a hive that I have been unable to locate the queen in after several inspections. What can I do, to make sure the hive survives the Winter? Will the colony survive the Winter without a queen? The colony has not started a peanut to make a new queen. It’s too late to find a local queen in North Carolina. What to do!
Thank you,
Alex
ANSWER
Good morning Alex,
The key question is do you or did you have eggs, larvae, pupae over the last several months in the brood comb when you sampled your colonies for Varroa? If you are looking for the queen specifically, look in the comb for eggs in the brood area. That means the queen, generally, was there a day or two ago. So, she should be on that frame or the one on either side.
I think ultimately you need a helper. If you belong to a local association get one of the members to come over and help you take a look. If you are not a member of a local association here is the website for the North Carolina Beekeepers Association, https://www.ncbeekeepers.org/ At the top is a link to ‘Chapters’. Find the one closest to you and contact them for some mentoring help.
Cell Colors?
QUESTION
Loved the very informative article by Tim Martin on the wax moth among other “guests” to our hives in the November Bee Culture. One question for Tim or anyone else: in Figure 1, the linear paths of A. grisella can be easily seen as uncapped cells with white, intact “bald brood”, but what are the black cells next to it that are also in a line but also scattered about the rest of the comb? Are these cells where brood has been removed by hygienic behavior? And why are they black? I often see these black cells in my hive checks and wonder why they are black in color. Thanks for the always informative and interesting material!!
Dan
ANSWER from Tim Martin
The answer to this question is: it’s a combination of things. First, brood leave part of their cocoon behind when they emerge. Second, bee foot traffic brings in bits of materials that darken brood. The honey storage comb gets less traffic but it too will darken a bit over time. Third, bees varnish over the comb surfaces with propolis to strengthen and seal the combs. These things in combination darken comb pretty quickly within the hive.
Collective Voices
COMMENT
First, I want to compliment Bill on his letter about queens in the September Bee Culture. It was a lesson in beekeeping all in itself! He drove the nail squarely into the rabbet joint concerning the stress the bees experience with the combination of mites and contaminants in the hive. However, beekeepers in the U.S. as a whole seem to want to keep their bees in glass hive bodies while throwing rocks at the other areas of agriculture for the chemicals they use. We complain about their insecticides and fungicides that wind up in our colonies, while we beekeepers put in high concentrations of insecticides ourselves. Yes, no matter what substance is used to control mites, if the purpose is to kill mites, itself an insect, then it is an insecticide. Study after study has shown that the highest parts per million of the residues in wax, pollen and honey are the insecticides we beekeepers put there ourselves controlling mites. Other studies have shown that some of our insecticides interact with some of those other agricultural insecticides and fungicides to increase the negative impacts that Bill describes. We beekeepers, from commercial to hobbyist, collectively need to literally “put the money where our mouth is”, and find a way to deal with mites without adding to the synergistic mix of residues in our hives. Instead of throwing rocks whilst standing amongst our glass hives; can we show the rest of agriculture how it can be done without contaminating the rest of the planet? If we can successfully do that, then our collective voices regarding all those ‘other’ contaminants will hold more weight than our hive stands. Humanity has messed this up, and the bees are telling us. If we cluster together to set the example, and strive to bring in the rest, maybe, just maybe…
Ron Bolton
Ashland, VA
