The Diablo Bee Packaged Bee Sale. Swarms 3- Structural Extraction. Bees in the News. Classifieds Bee Q&A F E B R U A R Y 5,

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1 The Diablo Bee M O U N T D I A B L O B E E K E E P E R S A S S O C I A T I O N I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : F E B R U A R Y 5, Packaged Bee Sale 2 Swarms 3-4 Structural Extraction Bees in the News Announcements & Calendar 8 Classifieds Bee Q&A 9-10

2 P A G E 2 MDBA members, it is time to order your packaged Italian honeybees. The bees will be available for pick up the day of the MDBA workshop, April 14th. If you have the empty boxes from previous packages please bring them to the February, March or April monthly meeting. Orders may be placed at the February MDBA meeting. Cash or check is due when the order is placed. $58 for 3 pounds of bees The queen is included but is not marked. NOTE: There will be no candy in the queen cages so do not remove the cork and thus release the queen until a few days after installing the package into the hive boxes. These bees where very recently put in the packages. Using a marshmallow in place of the cork may release the queen in several hours which may be too soon. Look at the queen when you take the queen cage out of the package to check that she seems okay. Mary will have a few replacement queens if needed. Please be advised that Mary does this as personal favor to you as a Member of the Association. By submitting an order for packaged bees you are agreeing to purchase them at your own risk. Therefore, if the bees are injured, die or are in anyway harmed, before or after they are in your care, Mary and the Association will be held blameless of financial or any other responsibility or compensation. If you want more general information on package bees check out the various you tube videos on installing package bees: T H E D I A B L O B E E

3 P A G E 3 The Swarm List by Gabrielle Harrel & Jeff Peacock What is the Swarm List? Every year MDBA volunteers help their communities by collecting feral honey bee swarms. This is a win/win deal because not only do our beekeepers get a fresh new swarm of survivor stock, but the bees are removed from unfortunate public locations. By picking up swarms members save the bees from being sprayed with pesticides and the club receives a $50 donation to help with our school and community programs, guest speakers and other event costs. Collecting swarms is fun and easy and is a great way to educate the public about the value of bees, the secrets of their lifestyles and the relative harmlessness of the swarm. The Swarm List is a list created and maintained by the MDBA. A notice is sent out each year by the MDBA to all of the organizations in the area who field swarm calls to let them know where to look for our volunteers. This is a volunteer activity for which the club asks a donation of $50. If you perform professional swarm removals and charge for your services please don't sign up unless you intend to waive your fee for club calls. This means you may not charge people for picking up a swarm if you are representing the MDBA. If your customer found your name on the swarm list you are representing the MDBA. If, during the course of the year, you find you have no more room for swarms please Jeff Peacock so that he can remove you from the list. You must be a member in good standing to be on the swarm list. The Swarm List is being completely updated for If you would like to be on the list you can find directions on the Association website or by clicking here. Please follow the directions found on the webpage. Collecting the Swarm The first thing to remember when collecting a swarm or answering a swarm call is that you are representing the MDBA. Please be appropriate in speech and action. Be prepared for questions. People are curious about bees. Please remember that the Association is not a licensed pest control agency and neither are you. According to state regulations only licensed pest control agencies can give advice about eradicating pests. This includes non-pesticide forms of killing like soap and water or Raid. Recommending these products to or using them in someone else's home would be in violation of state law. When you receive a swarm call you will need to ascertain the location of the swarm. Is the swarm on someone s house near the ground or in a tree. You need to know your limitations. If you do not have the equipment to T H E D I A B L O B E E

4 P A G E 4 The Swarm List Cont... reach bees high in a tree or the city they are located in is outside of the area you are willing to drive to than please let the swarm caller know they should continue calling down the swarm list. Swarms high in the air can be collected with vacuum devices, or long ladders. They can be collected into bags, boxes, supers or whatever as long as you ensure that there is enough ventilation. Putting a strong swarm into an air-tight container is a recipe for disaster! Swarms are generally the gentlest of bees, but if left ex-posed for several days, they can become hungry and much more defensive. Please do not cut tree limbs or alter anyone s property unless you clearly have their consent. Once collected and transported, a beekeeper can do many things with this bunch of bees. The deciding factor is often the size of a swarm. Large swarms, 4 or 5 lbs. Can easily run themselves. Smaller swarms, 1-3 lbs. Can be combined with other swarms for a large colony; or added to a large colony to boost its nectar and pollen gathering capability during a major flow. If you are unfamiliar with combining swarms ask a fellow beekeeper about it or research the techniques. All swarms should be considered infested with both trache-al and Varroa mites and handled accordingly. Since the queen of the swarm is from unknown heritage, requeening may be considered. The website specifically states that there is a $50 donation to the MDBA for swarm collection. Please remind the caller of the donation. You can give the caller an addressed enve-lope for the MDBA so they can send a check themselves or you may collect the money at the time of service. Please turn all swarm collection monies into the treasurer, Jay, at the next MDBA meeting. Gathering a swarm can be the most exciting activity a beginner or seasoned veteran can experience. No two calls are even alike, and no two swarms are the same. T H E D I A B L O B E E

5 P A G E 5 Structural Extraction by Gabrielle Harrel What is the Structural Extraction List? In addition to the Swarm list the MDBA maintains a Structural Extraction list. This list consists of local companies that perform structural extraction of bees and comply with state regulations regarding such practices. The Mt. Diablo Bee-keepers Association assumes no liability for and DOES NOT ENDORSE ANY STRUC-TRAL REMOVER(S). Who needs structural removal and why? Once a swarm has entered a structure it is no longer a swarm, it is a colony. The new colony will immediately began to build wax and establish a comfortable new home for them-selves. Within one day they can produce as much as 4lbs of wax and honey in the new hive. A whole swarm of bees can enter a structure through a hole the size of a pencil so virtually any structure is susceptible to a bee invasion. Honey bees often find a home in the eves of a house, and other infrequently inspected areas like chimneys, sheds, electrical boxes, unused vehicles or water shutoff box-es. These new colonies can go unnoticed by the owners for months or years. This lack of definite timeline makes determining the size of the colony and the amount of comb hidden in the structure difficult to estimate. When this happens structure owners have a few different options. Solutions that are generally proposed are; chemical means leading to the bees death, exclusion, trap out, and live extraction of the bees. Chemicals: As you can see by the pictures to the left when bees are located in a wall or ceiling their comb can become extensive culminating quite a distance from the entrance to the hive. If chemicals are sprayed or placed in the supposed entrance to a hive the bees are often able to circumvent the sprayed area, find a new entrance and continue living in their home. Spraying chemical or in any way destroying or killing a colony of bees is the role of a pest control applicator. Performing any of these functions without proper licensing is strictly prohibited by the state pest control board and violators are actively pursued and prosecuted resulting in fines and/or jail time. Continued on page 6 T H E D I A B L O B E E

6 P A G E 6 Structural Extraction cont... Exclusion: Bees can be excluded from entering or exiting their hive through various methods. People believe that by doing so the bees will die due to starvation or dehydration. While bees may die without water, they are not without resources when they are trapped. Bees have their honey to eat and most homes have plenty of small holes through which the bees can make a new entrance to their colony. If fully sealed into a cavity bees can create a new way out, often into the owners home through holes for lighting. Bees are creative and they can chew through substances. Exclusion alone is rarely successful. Trap Out: I have heard of success trapping out bees; however trap outs can take many months to a year to be successful. If the bees are successfully eradicated with an above mentioned method the wax and honey will be left in the structure without bees to tend it. Without the protection of the bees the wax and honey will attract ants, rats, roaches and more bees. Bees keep their wax at about 95 degrees. Without the bees too cool it the unattended wax and honey can melt and cause damage to walls, floors and surrounding items. There are other dangers associated with wax and honey in structures such as a colony in a chimney causing a chimney fire. The consequences of incomplete removal are varied. result of an extraction. In order to preserve the life of the bees and reduce long term damage to the structure the bees and all of their wax and honey should be removed through structural extraction. This method includes but is not limited to opening the structure to expose the colony and performing a live removal of all of the bees and all of the wax and honey. The company or persons involved in this procedure should be in compliance with state regulations regarding bee removal and be prepared for the liability involved. Exposing a colony in a home could cause damage to wires, pipes and insulation as well as possible structural damage. In addition to structural damage the company should also be insured against possible sting injuries that may occur as a Once a swarm has entered a structure it is no longer a swarm, it is a colony and those at-tempting to remove it are then required to completely comply with the California Structural Pest Control Act. The Mt. Diablo Beekeepers Association does not endorse any one company for structural removal. The Structural Removal list is a list of companies that preform structural removals and have shown compliance with state laws regarding bee removal. In order to be placed on the MDBA structural extraction list a company is required to show proof of compliance with state laws regarding bee removal including proof of insurance. To be included on the list please contact our webmaster Jeff Peacock T H E D I A B L O B E E

7 P A G E Membership Dues were due January 1st. According to the MDBA Bylaws Each member shall pay annual dues to the Treasurer on or before January 1st of each year...student Members (4-H etc) shall be exempt from dues Your $15 dues may be sent to: Stephanie Taube MDBA Treasurer 120 Bolla Avenue Alamo, CA Dues may be paid to Stephanie in person at the February meeting. Dues paid at or after the March meeting will be subject to a late fee of $5. Please pay your dues in cash or check only. The MDBA has purchased subscriptions to Bee Culture and The American Bee Journal. They are available at local libraries in Contra Costa County. Please take advantage of this free opportunity to educate yourself about bees. The March issue of Bee Culture will highlight our own Mike Stephanos while American Bee Journal will feature Dylan Wort! What a great literary month for MDBA members! Thirty beekeepers, most of them new ones, came to my back yard on Saturday morning, January 14. It was unseasonably warm, so we were able to locate and mark a queen and go through three hives and rotate boxes, and we manually extracted a couple frames of honey. Valerie Schmidt, Kris Egan, and Kurt Farry were the experienced beekeepers who went through the hives, and others helped in controlling ants and scraping and cleaning hives.

8 P A G E 8 Coming Events Next MDBA Meeting: February 9, :30 Heather Farms. Other Events: Spring Workshop April 14, 2012 To submit events, us. Zombie Bee Update by Gabrielle Harrel My favorite quote about the Zombie Bee scare: Do you like conspiracies? said Kim Flottum, editor of Bee Culture, the largest national bee magazine. This is all conjecture. I think there s much to do about very little. But give it a year and we ll see. Links to more articles about the Zombie Bees jan/17/new-bee-threat-more-media-hype-reality/ Got something to say? Do you have an idea for an article? Do you have an article you would like to share? Send an to: mdbanews@gmail.com

9 P A G E 9 Classifieds Smoker Fuel 5 large burlap bags for $5 (6# of burlap). Held Starbucks coffee beans, from plant in Seattle. Available at the meeting. qty desired to Terry Holcomb at wa6kah@aol.com UNWANTED CAPPINGS? Do you have unwanted cappings? I will melt and clean them for the beeswax. Lois Kail, lois.kail@gmail.com (925) G&M Honey Full line of apiary supplies. Place your order in for the Spring Workshop Today! Hive bodies, frames, queen excluders, hive tools, clothing, smokers, and more We buy used gear. Mike Wanted: 5-10 used or even abused bee suits Contact Ed Zawada (925) Beginning Beekeeping Classes $100 for 18 hours of hands on instruction Contact David Eichorn Need a spinner? The MDBA has some available for members to rent. $10 for the first day, $5 per day for the next 2 days and then $10 per day after that until re-turned. For more info call: Lois at (925) or Leo at MDBA Mentors needed. Please contact Dan Goemmel at kq6ar@ astound.net Bee Suit Repairs? Call or Lois Kail At lois.kail@gmail.com (925) Bee Sturdee Beehive Stands Black, metal beehive stands $80 Call Mike Vigo

10 Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association 2012 Board Members President - Brian Wort First Vice President - Dylan Wort Secretary - Lois Kail Treasurer - Stephanie Taube VP, Community Education - Mike Stephanos VP, Member Education - Sylvia Goemmel VP, Membership - Jan Spieth VP, Newsletter - Gabrielle Harrel Mt. Diablo Beekeepers Association (MDBA) is dedicated to educating communities about honeybees and the historic art of beekeeping. The MDBA is one of the largest bee associations in the United States with members from around the world. The MDBA meets at 7:30 PM on the second Thursday of every month, except November and December, at Heather Farm Garden Center in Walnut Creek, California. Each month, the MDBA presents a different speaker on a variety of topics and has an open forum for people to exchange ideas and helpful tips.