President's Buzzz By George McAllister If you have been keeping bees for any length of time you have heard beekeepers lament about varroa mites. What makes this issue so frustrating is there is no simple solution that satisfies all the concerns beekeepers have. When deciding how you are going to deal with varroa mites first consider how you like to keep bees. Each person interacts with their bees differently. Understanding your beekeeping practices allows you to answer the questions needed to make a decision on how you plan to handle varroa mites. If you have a good grasp on how you like to keep bees then the answers will come quickly. If you a beginner or reevaluating how you keep bees, coming up with the answers may take some time. Do not forget you cannot make this decision without doing some research. New information is being published all the time, so your research needs to be ongoing. If you start off with, to treat or not to treat, that is the question, you quickly realize this issue cannot be solved with an either/or question. I think the better question is, how do I keep the varroa mite population at a level that is not harmful to bee colonies over the long term? There are three components to this question which I will elaborate on. First, I don t think it is practical to think we can kill every varroa mite in our apiary. If we are going to focus on that goal, I suggest we first try to get rid of all the mosquitos. The mosquitos have been really bad in my neighborhood this year and I want them out of here. Since we cannot wipe out mosquitos any more than we can wipe out varroa mites, a more realistic goal is to bring the varroa mite population down to a level that does not impact the colony s ability to survive and prosper. I use the words bee colonies in the question instead of bees because it is a more holistic term. The way you manage varroa mite population impacts not only a bee s lifespan but other aspects of the colony like honey. On a broader scale you also don t want to harm the surrounding environment the bee colony relies on for its survival. Lastly, I included long term to mean we need methods that last. If the varroa mites develop resistance to our methods over time, we run the risk of running out of options. Here are several other questions that relate to my initial question as Upcoming Meeting September 20 Bob Blackwelder, a long time beekeeper from Cabarrus County, will talk about getting ready for winter. 7:00pm at Mouzon United Methodist Church, 3100 Selwyn Ave., Charlotte, NC
Here are several other questions that relate to my initial question as you decide how you are going to deal with varroa mites. Since there is a chance my bee colonies will die, what probability of death am I comfortable with? What amount of stress am I willing to put my bees through? What is my cost, both time and money? What is the likely effect on the bees, combs and honey? How do I know what I am doing will work? I am sure more questions will come up as you do your research but this is a start. In your quest to defeat the varroa mite, don t forget to talk to other beekeepers. Identify fellow beekeepers who you respect and ask them how they deal with varroa mites and why they chose that method or methods. You can also discuss with them your thoughts and get their input. Do not blindly adopt what you hear. This is just another means of collecting data. Once you have talked to other beekeepers and done research using the internet, books and magazines, it s time to come up with a plan that fits the way you keep bees and answers the questions I listed above. The methodology you choose can be as simple as let the fittest bees survive and do nothing. Or you might combine methods like buying hygienic queens, screened bottom boards, powdered sugar and drone trapping to chemical treatments. Whatever you choose to do make sure you can support your actions if a fellow beekeeper asks you, how do you deal with varroa mites and why? Have fun with the bees, - George Come to Our Next Meeting: Thursday, September 20th at 7:00 pm Back by popular demand, Bob Blackwelder, a long time beekeeper from Cabarrus County, will talk about getting ready for winter. Mouzon United Methodist Church, 3100 Selwyn Avenue, Charlotte, NC. The Farmers Market was a Success! On Saturday, August 25, seven club members sold their honey and soap to an enthusiastic crowd. The crowds were drawn to our table to sample honey and search for the queen in our observation
table to sample honey and search for the queen in our observation bee hive. Beekeeper's Calendar for September By Libby Mack
By now you have a handle on varroa levels, your queens are in place and you've discarded the old black combs. Septembers's main task is nutrition. Of course honey stores are important, and if they are going to need more frames of honey (or syrup) for winter, it is easiest for them to process that syrup now while it's warm. A large hive will need 7-10 deep frames of honey for winter stores. Also, feeding syrup now will keep the queen laying brood and building a nice big population of winter bees for October. If you use a varroa treatment, often the queen does not lay for a week or two, so some syrup might get the hive back into the brood rearing mood. Don't overlook the need for protein for building winter bees. Winter bees must not only heat the cluster all winter but they must have enough reserves to raise the first cycle of brood in the spring. These bees must have high levels of protein available as larvae to come through winter in good shape, so the hive must have good stores of pollen. The nurse bees both consume the pollen helping to make royal jelly, and also feed it directly to larva mixed with honey. Often the colony will have 3-4 frames of pollen stored, but if not, they might take a pollen patty. These are available from the bee suppliers or you can make your own. But beware! The hive beetles love pollen patties in warm weather, so only give the colony a small amount at a time. Cloister Honey - Authorized Dealer of Brushy Mountain Bee Farm. Want to avoid shipping charges? Tired of driving 3 hours round trip to the mountains to pick up equipment and supplies? Place your order through us!!!! We offer convenient delivery schedules with no additional charge to you! For more information contact: Randall York (704) 517-6190 cloisterhoney@cloisterhoney.com 2012 Officers President: George McAllister geomcallister@hotmail.com Vice President: Tom Davidson tom@watchtomdraw.com Treasurer: Libby Mack libbymack@earhlink.net Membership Secretary: Sam Bomar sam@theiag.com Email Sam any changes to your contact information. Webmaster: Kevin Freeman kfreemannc@mac.com Newletter Editor * John Byers john.byers@me.com
Newletter Editor * John Byers john.byers@me.com * John is taking a hiatus from the newsletter. He is also "downsizing" his apiary. If you are interesed in buying some bees email John at john.byers@me.com. I know the look of the newsletter does not come close to John's creative style. However, the content has not changed. - George McAllister Update subscription preferences Unsubscribe Mecklenburg County Beekeepers Association 2721 Rothwood Dr. Charlotte, NC 28211 Add us to your address book