Bees in the DRY DRY California Fall

Quick update on what happens around the bees theses days.
I mean the DRY DRY October 2014 days. It has been exceptionally dry this year and the last few....SURPRISE....
The August is usually the biggest honey month for me. This year there was not a single drop left over for me and YOU.
I checked on the bees last weekend, they seem to have enough honey for them self, good brood and healthy queens. SO all is good. Two hives died though, one was due to Varoa mites, the other I really don't know as the neighbor colony decided to raid the remaining honey and destroyed all the evidence.
In short, I think the bees are ready for the winter.
Let's hope for some good good rain now.

 

CIAO  Stefan

Bee stinger [Macro]

I found this pretty fascinating. It is the stinger of a bee, taken with an electromagnetic scanning system. The red color of the stinger is not correct for that reason.

But if you look close, the stinger is split in two separate halves, barbs are on the side. When the bee stings you, the stinger slides side to side to get deeper into your skin. Fascinating, but also painful. 

Photo credit to:
http://lafamiliapicola.blogspot.com/2014/08/macro-fotografia-aguijon-de-abeja-macro.html

Mini July harvest

Today I harvested honey of one box. It was a very dry last few weeks, and the bees did not produce much honey at all. It is delicious, but not much. I have new comb honey too.
Get some of you want.
See you next time.
Stefan

80,000 Honey Bee Colonies damaged

This I got sent from my Bee Equipment Supplier, Mann Lake.

I thought it is worth spreading in the beekeeper community.

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Pollinator Stewardship Council P.O. Box 304, Perkinston, MS 39573 www.pollinatorstewardship.org 832-727-9492

Dear Beekeepers, One of the first crops pollinated this spring saw estimates of 80,000 honey bee colonies damaged due to an  unregulated tank mix of pesticides.The pesticide label offered no protections to the honey bees. These damaged colonies had piles of dead bees in front of the hives, inside the hives, and the brood were “born” dead and dying.

dead & dying brood	dead bees in front of hive

Visual evidence is not enough to prove these losses of honey bee colonies. Lab analysis of the “evidence of the bee kill” is needed to support beekeepers in their efforts to protect pollinators. We are beekeepers, working to protect honey bees and native pollinators.We have been collecting reports of bee kills across the U.S. We need to do more! We received two donations of $5,000 each in support of our work to  collect reports of bee kills, and to supply bee kill evidence kits to beekeepers and lab analysis of honey bees for  pesticide exposure.This scientific proof of the level of pesticides bees are encountering in urban, suburban,  and agricultural areas is important data of the real-world environment of pollinators. State Agricultural and Environmental Agencies lack the budgets and staff to analyze bees for pesticide exposure. Help us help beekeepers.It will cost $150,000 to collect bee kill reports, provide 200 evidence kits and lab tests for pollen, pesticides, and pathogens. Two generous donors have already given $5,000 each. Donate today to ensure beekeepers and honey bees can continue to pollinate our neighborhoods,  community gardens, farms, and wild lands.Support our project to provide bee kill evidence kits and lab analysis for pesticide exposure. You can complete the form below and mail it with your donation; or go online and  make your donation today athttp://pollinatorstewardship.org/supportourwork. Thank you for being beekeepers, Michele Colopy, Program Director

The Pollinator Stewardship Council’s mission is to defend managed and native pollinators vital to a sustainable and affordable food  supply from the adverse impact of pesticides. a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; all donations are tax deductible

---------------------------------------- Donation Form ----------------------------------------

Yes, I will join with other donors and support the Pollinator Stewardship Council’s project to provide bee  kill evidence kits and lab analysis for pesticide exposure. Please find enclosed this completed form and  my donation. (You can also go online and make your donation today at http://pollinatorstewardship.org/supportourwork.) Name__________________________________________________________________________ Address________________________________________________________________________ City_______________________________________________________ State________________ Zip__________________ Email_____________________________________________________ ___$25 Supporter     ___$100 Contributor     ___$250 Benefactor     ___$1,000 Patron ___$2,500 Sponsor   ___$5,000 Partner        ___$1 / hive for commercial beekeepers I would like to charge my contribution to: (or go online at http://pollinatorstewardship.org/supportourwork) ___Visa   ___MC   ___Disc   ___AmEx   Signature_________________________________________________ Number__________________________________   Expiration Date_____________   Security Code_________

Please mail this completed donation form and your check made out to the: Pollinator Stewardship Council, P.O. Box 304, Perkinston, MS 39573

Thank you! Together we can make a difference for beekeeping operations, for pollinators, for a sustainable and  affordable food supply.

Bee kill evidence kits include: Insulated shipping box Disposable gloves Pre-labeled sample vials Pre-labeled PRI Sample Log Sheets Pre-labeled Chain of Custody (COC)  form Evidence Collection Directions Small Metal Spatula (for pollen and  honey extraction) Weighing dishes (for pollen extraction) Trash bags to use as surface protectors to  make a clean workspace Rubbing alcohol wipes to clean sampling implements between samples *kits developed by PRI (Pesticide Research Institute)

The Pollinator Stewardship Council’s mission is to defend managed and native pollinators vital to a sustainable and affordable food supply from the adverse impact of pesticides. a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; all donations are tax deductible

This message was sent to xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx    from: Mann Lake Ltd | 501 1st Street South | Hackensack, MN 56452

New Honey - very blond

Just harvested new honey today. It is blonde, transparent and I think it is delicious. I usually have a distinct trend of honey color and flavor throughout the year, from light and simple to gradually darker and more complex tastes. This year it all seems different. The April Honey was pretty dark (2nd from the right) which already surprised me. Then there was already more honey to harvest in May, and it was much more blond and transparent as you can see.
It was the most unusual year for me and the bees already, splits required in February to prevent swarming already (usually in lat March or April) and the bee population exploded with me struggling to keep most of them with me this year.
I am in the Silicon Valley in California, we had the driest winter in recorded history here. I am aware that this is not what most of the rest of you US beekeepers experience this year. Still, I wanted to share it and ask if anyone else is experiencing anything like me.
Thanks for your time.

Video of my bees in a bee escape lid

I find the collective movement of a large number of bees quiet fascinating.

Just today as I took of some honey boxes, I found these girls and could not help but take a short video of it.

GirlScouts are eager to learn more about bees

This weekend I had so much fun. I had two groups of girl scouts coming over to check out what bees are doing, how honey is made, how long they life, how many wings a bee has, how she talks to other bees and all about how to extract the sweet golden liquid. Trying it out I think was the best part. Or was it the petting of the bees? I don't know. They seemed very eager to learn and I had fun with them.

BIG swarm from my own BackYard

Just today I collected a big swarm in one of our trees. I will have to find out tomorrow if they came from my hives.

Today the best method was using simple cardboard boxes to collect them from the thick branch, store them in there for only 5 minutes, then move them to their new home.

Bees in the rain, biting their "nails"

I could not resist to look what the girls are doing in one of our rare rainy days here in CA. So this year being extremely dry, I took today and checked what they are up to when it is too dangerous for them all to fly out.

You can see how they are all piled up right behind the entrance, waiting for the last drop to fall, so they can get back out. These girls are eager to work!

Stefan

I 

The Almond pollination must have been particularly deadly this year

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/20/6339000/bee-colonies-damaged-after-almond.html

Published: Sunday, Apr. 20, 2014 - 2:13 pm

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Some California beekeepers say pesticides may be to blame for the death or damage of as many as 80,000 bee colonies after the insects pollinated almond trees in the San Joaquin Valley.

Some believe pesticides used on almond orchards could be sickening or killing the bees, the Sacramento Bee reported Sunday (http://bit.ly/1eVnRvv ).

"We're a little mystified," said John Miller, a beekeeper based in Newcastle. "We have some colonies that looked like they've been through some kind of brood die-off. It's puzzling because it is intermittent and random."

California's almond orchards are pollinated by about 1.6 million bee colonies, which are mostly brought in from other states by some 1,300 commercial beekeepers.

Beekeepers have also been struggling with colony collapse disorder, which has led to the disappearance of large numbers of honeybees in North America.

The damaged beehives could hurt the broader agriculture industry. About 90 percent of honeybees that pollinate U.S. crops are used during the California almond bloom before being moved to pollinate other crops, such as apples, cherries and watermelons.

In March, beekeepers met with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials to discuss the problem. Seventy-five beekeepers said about three-quarters of their hives showed damage.

Michele Colopy, program director with the Pollinator Stewardship Council, an advocacy group for beekeepers, believes the hive damage is related to the practice of "tank mixing" certain insecticides as well as applying insecticides during the early daytime hours when bees are foraging.

Beekeepers are calling for labels warning of possible effects of tank mixing, as well as an effort to end daytime applications of the insecticides. But they don't have scientific data linking the colony damage to the mixing of pesticides.

State and federal officials say they plan to work with the beekeepers to reduce the risks that bees face from pesticides applied during the almond bloom.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/20/6339000/bee-colonies-damaged-after-almond.html#storylink=cpy

Honey Harvest April

We just finished our extraction today. 15 people made it to the bee yard,
in spite of it being Easter Sunday.
Kids and adults where excited to see that bees and where full of questions.
We managed to find really young eggs, larva. We saw drone brood, worker
brood and even a Queen cell.
Kids where able to pet the bees and that was really exciting. Not so much
for the bees as for us.
Uncapping honey in the garage and later spinning the honey out of the combs
was all done with manual labor and all guests could participate if they
wanted.
All walked away with a freshly harvested jar of delicious raw honey.
Looking forward to next time.

Stefan