2015 07 buzz news
DESCRIPTION
Newsletter from the Nelson County Beekeepers.TRANSCRIPT
What’s The Buzz Nelson County Beekeepers
Volume 1, Issue 3
July
20
15
Inside this issue:
More Information on Splits 2
Firehouse Energy Bars 2
Fat-Free Honey Herb
Dressing
3
How to Treat a Bee Sting:
Act Fast!
4
Registration of Oxalic Acid
for Varroa Control
4
Mentor Program 6
Small Hive Beetle 7
Marks Frame 8
Meeting Minutes 9
Insider Info/Reminders 10
Officers
President-Doug Brink
Vice President-
Secretary-Helen Fenske
Treasurer-Susan Zhunga
What’s Happening Inside The Hive?
The bees are much less active. The honey
flow often ends, and the beekeeper will notice
that stings are more frequent! This is because
the foragers have less to do, and consequently
spend more time at home guarding the hive.
Swarming is still possible, but much less likely.
Bees are now searching for water to cool
their hive, and will fly for miles to find it if
necessary. They place small drops of water in the
cells and use their wings to fan the air over
the cells.
Beekeeper Chores
Many beekeepers harvest the honey in July.
Take the frames in which the honey cells are
capped. If the weather has been rainy, the bees
may not have been able to remove enough
moisture to ripen it yet. In this case, many of
the honey cells may still be uncapped. Leave
the honey frames on the hives through a hot, dry
period, and check again.
Water availability can be a concern. If water
(a stream, pond, or other clean water) is not
within a half mile, provide a source. This can
be a slowly dripping faucet or large container of
water with pieces of wood floating in it.
Look for varroa, especially in your strongest
hives. Hives with the most bees have the most
drone brood, the favorite spot for these mites.
Uncap at least a dozen capped drone cells,
remove the pupae, and examine them carefully.
If you have varroa in these cells, remove the
honey harvest as soon as possible and treat with
(Continued on page 3)
Current for July 2015
Robbie Smith
County Extension
Agent for Horticulture
Commercial queens must be
available, or if the bees are
to raise their own queen,
drones must be available for
complete mating. And
enough season must be left
to permit both the parent
and the nuc to build up in
numbers and food stores.
What about the queens? Is
there a best approach to
requeening? Here are some
interesting numbers: your
method will reflect the
season, purpose, and
budget.
Using the existing
queen: brood in 21
days with no
interruptions.
Introducing a mated,
laying queen: brood in
about 26 days
Using a virgin queen:
brood in about 29 days
Queen cells will
produce brood in about
32 days
A queen from brood:
takes about 41 days
One final reminder. New
colonies and often the
parent need all the help they
can get. You will need to
In order to survive, an ideal
split should have 2-3 frames
of eggs and sealed and
emerging brood covered
with nurse bees, plus two
frames of honey and pollen.
A shake or two of additional
bees at startup time adds
needed foragers and bees to
keep the eggs and brood
warm. A beekeeper can add
a new queen or let the bees
raise their own at this
point. Since most of the nuc
bees are nurse bees who
haven’t flown yet, moving
the nuc offsite is not always
necessary. Moving the
parent colony offsite and
putting the nuc in the
original parent location will
build it up with the returning
foragers.
When is the best time to
start a nuc? Although splits
can be done at different
times during the season,
usually late spring/early
summer works the best for
most beekeepers. The
parent hive must be strong
enough to be divided
without undue stress on
either the parent or the nuc.
The weather must be warm
enough day and night for the
cluster to maintain proper
brood temperatures.
feed, feed, feed to be
successful.
https://
www.kelleybees.com/
Blog/1/Healthy-Bees/262/
Making-Increase
Fire House Energy Bars
Makes 16 servings
1/2 cup butter or
margarine, melted
2 tablespoons honey
2/3 cup walnuts, sliced or
diced
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups granola cereal
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat over to 350oF.
Place all ingredients in a
large mixing bowl. Blend
Well. Pat into a greased 8-
inch square baking dish.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes
or until lightly browned.
Cool and cut into 16 bars.
From: Susan Brackney Plan/
Bee
Page 2
More Information on Splits
Apistan or Checkmite. If you
do not find varroa,
repeat this examination in
the following weeks.
Sticky boards placed on the
bottom boards are
more accurate indicators
than drone brood
checks. If over 15 mites per
day are falling to
the sticky boards, they are
reaching dangerous
levels.
Hives can be successfully
requeened in July
and August. However, it is
harder to find the
old queen in a hive packed
with bees in midsummer,
compared with the much
smaller hive
population in April. It is a
good idea to feed the
bees to encourage
acceptance of the new
queen,
if requeening is done when
the bees are not on a
honey flow.
Observations and Ideas
Scout the area near the
hives to see where
your bees are finding water.
They may be a
nuisance to neighbors if
your bees have fallen
(Continued from page 1) into swimming pools.
Some beekeepers plant
crops in the spring
to supplement their honey
production in July and
August. Buckwheat, vitex and
sunflower are
plants that can provide
nectar in mid-summer.
At KSU we have found that
buckwheat is a
relatively drought-resistant
nectar source.
http://www.nkybeekeepers.c
om/uploads/beecalendar.pdf
Page 3
BEE NOTES FOR JULY 1876 By L. C. Root, Mohawk, N.Y.
American Agricultruist
July 1876
REMOVING FULL BOXES
(supers)
Boxes should not be allowed
to remain on the hive after
they are filled. They should be
frequently examined, and
removed as fast as full, and
empty boxes supplied in place
of the first ones taken off. In
removing the boxes, take
them from the hive and turn
them bottom up, near the
entrance of the hive. After
blowing smoke into the holes
of the boxes, rap them gently,
and the bees will leave them
and return to the hive.
(Great idea if it really works,
I'm just not sure. Want to try
it?)
Fat-Free Honey Herb
Dressing
Makes 1/2 cup
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoon chopped fresh
basil or mint
1 tablespoon minced green
onion
Salt and pepper, to taste.
In a small bowl, combine all
the ingredients. Mix Well
From: Susan Brackney Plan/
Bee
site to reduce swelling and
for pain relief. For additional
pain relief, you can take an
anti-inflammatory like
ibuprofen.
Bee Sting Treatments.
Home Remedies for Bee
Stings (apply to site of sting)
Meat tenderizer and
water paste
Tobacco juice
Vinegar
Aloe
Toothpaste
Honey
Baking soda and water
paste
Crushed basil or parsley
leaves
These treatments are NOT
for those that have severe
allergic reactions. For severe
allergic reactions,
epinephrine will need to be
injected to stop the
progression of symptoms.
For Severe symptoms you
will need to Get to a hospital
or emergency care facility.
Info from http://
hubpages.com/hub/Bee-
Stings
Registration of Oxalic Acid
for Varroa Control As many of you have heard,
oxalic acid has been
approved by the EPA for
varroa mite control on honey
bees. In the June issue
of Bee Culture magazine,
Jennifer Barry wrote an
excellent article on the
subject, which I suggest you
read. See:http://
www.beeculture.com/oxalic-
acid-effective-easy-on-bees-
but/.
Oxalic acid is an organic acid,
a naturally occurring
chemical found in plants and
insects. It has been used for
some time in both in Europe
and in Canada as a varroa
mite control. Since traces of
oxalic acid are found
naturally in honey, residues
are not a concern. It is
commonly sold for use as a
bleach in woodworking, so is
easily obtainable. The
registration process for a
pesticide, which is what
oxalic acid is when used to
control mites, is complicated.
EPA approval has been given
and oxalic acid should be
legally available for use by
beekeepers by late fall, but
the paperwork is not yet
complete. When finished, it
will include registration in
every state.
After a bee stings, a stinger
and sac of venom is left
behind in your skin. To
reduce the amount of
venom in your body remove
stinger and bag of venom as
quicklyas possible. You can
SCRAPE the stinger and bag
of venom out of your skin
with a fingernail or other
similar object. Do not pull
out stinger or squeeze the
location as more venom can
be released. The longer that
you leave in the stinger, the
more venom will be left in
your body causing swelling
and itchiness. Once the
stinger is removed, wash
area with soap and water
and apply antiseptic and
soothing cream like
hydrocortisone. If possible,
and if over two years of age
and not pregnant,
immediately take an
antihistamine, e.g.,
Benadryl, to reduce swelling
and itching. (When I was
stung on my finger, I had
minimal swelling and itching
because I took a Benadryl
immediately. I did not take a
Benadryl shortly after
because I didn't
want to fall
asleep. It was a
big mistake.)
Apply ice pack to
Page 4
How to Treat a Bee Sting: Act Fast!
Page 5
hough oxalic acid, like
formic acid, is widely
available, it appears that
there will be a commercially
available formulation like
that for formic acid, and to
use it legally, beekeepers
will need to purchase this
product. Brushy Mountain
Bee Farm will be the
distributor. (See: http://
www.brushymountainbeefar
m.com/). No other
information about the
product is available at this
time, but I will keep you
posted.
The registration for oxalic
acid is for a liquid which can
be used in that form or as a
gas. In liquid form, it is
mixed with sugar syrup and
applied by “dribbling” a
stream of the mixture
between the frames of the
hive, directly onto the bees.
Package bees can be
treated in the same way.
Alternatively, it can be
vaporized by the application
of heat. Use the links below
for more information on the
possible treatment methods.
One very important caveat
concerning oxalic acid as a
miticide is that it only kills
mites on bees, not those in
the cells, and is most
therefor most effective when
used during periods with
little or no brood in the hive.
This is a serious limiting
factor in its use.
Another note of caution is
that the oxalic acid sold as
wood bleach is close to
100% pure. For the safety of
beekeepers as well as bees,
the registered product is a
3% solution. Don’t be
misled. Oxalic and formic
acids, both “natural”
products, are never-the-less
both quite toxic in the wrong
concentration. See: http://
www.savogran.com/pdfs/
Wood_Bleach_MS.pdf
For additional information,
see the links below.
Bulletin from Dadant & sons
concerning approval by the
EPA of oxalic acid for varroa
control:
http://www.dadant.com/
news/epa-okays-oxalic-acid-
for-varroa-mite-
control
An Investigation of
Techniques for Using
Oxalic Acid to
Reduce Varroa Mite
Populations in Honey
Bee Colonies and
Package Bees, PhD
dissertation by
Nicholas Aliano,
University of
Nebraska, 2008
http://
digitalcommons.unl.edu/
cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1000&context=ento
mologydiss
Oxalic acid: A prospective
tool for reducing Varroa mite
populations in package
bees, Nicholas Aliano,
University of Nebraska,
2009 http://
digitalcommons.unl.edu/
cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1186&context=ento
mologyfacpub
Oxalic Acid: Questions,
Answers, and More
Questions, Post by Randy
Oliver
http://
scientificbeekeeping.com/
oxalic-acid-questions-
answers-and-more-
questions-part-1-of-2-parts/
Page 6
If you weren't able to make
the last meeting we have
started a Mentor Program!
Our goal is to pair new or
struggling beekeepers with
those who have at least got
their bees through a season
or two.
Mentors:
You don't need to have kept
bees for 20 years to be a
mentor, just be able to help
someone get their bees
through the first year. We
will also try and pair people
up by location. The closer
you live the easier and
maybe more frequently you
will be able to help. This
doesn’t have to be a big
time commitment either.
Some people are just
looking for an afternoon or a
couple hours of instruction
to get them on the right
track. When we pair people
up the two people can
decide on an individual
basis when, where and how
often etc.
Newbees:
Our goal is to get everyone
comfortable and confidant
with their beekeeping. Some
people may just want an
afternoon or couple hours of
help and others may require
more? Again the focus is
getting you comfortable and
confidant so let us know
what you think you may
need.
Nothing is set in stone:
This is our first time trying
this and I’m sure we will
have lots of
tweaks/improvements. If
you have questions,
comments or suggestions
please let us know.
Educational Tour:
We will also be planning
some Apiary tours where
new beekeepers will get to
see other newbees hives as
well as an established
Apiary. As a beginner it’s
rare that you see the inside
of other hives. We feel this
would give people a great
opportunity to see how they
are doing with their own
hives and if there is
something they may want to
change/improve.
Have a question? Send it to
nelsoncountybeekeepers@g
mail.com and an expert will
answer your question.
In July 1998, small hive
beetles were first identified
in South Carolina. The
beetles were collected from
a weak honey bee colony in
Charleston County. The
small hive beetle has also
been discovered in Florida
and Georgia in May and
June 1998, respectively.
Prior to these discoveries,
the beetle had not been
reported to infest beehives
except in tropical and sub-
tropical regions of South
Africa where it is considered
to be a secondary hive pest.
The adult beetles have 6
legs and 2 pair of wings, are
reddish brown to black in
color, and are about 5-7 mm
(about ¼ inch) long. The
dorsal side or back of the
beetle has very fine hairs
which cause the fast moving
insect to be very slippery
and difficult to grasp and
remove from the colony. The
exterior of the adult beetle is
very hard and protects the
beetle from bee stings and
other dangers. Adult beetles
fly readily, but their flight
range is unknown.
Small hive beetle eggs are
pearly white and look much
like honey bee eggs, but
they are slightly smaller.
Eggs are expected to be laid
Mentor Program Small Hive Beetle
Page 7
throughout the year in South
Carolina except during the
colder months of December
- March.
Beetle larvae mature from
egg hatch to pupae in 10-16
days. Larvae require a diet
of honey and pollen to
develop fully. The mature
larvae leave the hive and
burrow into the soil beneath
the hive to pupate. The
length of the pupal stage
varies, but most pupae
emerge from the soil as
adults in 3-4 weeks.
Newly emerged adults are
very active and fly readily
when disturbed; the newly
emerged adults reenter a
bee colony and begin the life
cycle again. Female beetles
begin laying eggs about one
week following their
emergence from the soil. As
the adults age, they seek
refuge and seldom fly. The
adults normally gather at the
rear of the hive on the hive
floor where they feed on
pollen that falls from the
brood area above. Adult
beetles are often seen in the
top of the hive as the
beekeeper removes the
inner cover. Adults live up to
6 months, therefore more
than one generation may
live in the same bee colony.
Five beetle generations per
calendar year are possible in
South Africa.
Maintaining healthy bee
colonies that are capable of
protecting all comb in the
hive is desirable in
preventing small hive beetle
problems. Mite control and
disease prevention along
with keeping a young laying
queen are important.
Removing excess supers of
unprotected honey and
empty comb from the hive is
highly recommended.
Beekeepers should avoid
leaving filled honey supers
standing in the honey house
for more than a day or so.
Stacking lightly infested
beetle supers on strong bee
colonies for clean up as for
wax moth control should not
be practiced. This only
spreads the beetles and
may result in loss of
additional colonies.
Purchasing colonies,
packages, and nucs from
reliable sources that have
been certified beetle free is
highly recommended. The
beekeeper should make a
thorough inspection of
colonies prior to making
splits or exchanging brood
frames between colonies to
prevent spreading the
beetles. Young colonies are
particularly vulnerable to
beetle problems, so every
attempt should be made to
maintain healthy colony
conditions.
http://www.clemson.edu/ex
tension/beekeepers/factshe
ets/small_hive_beetle_ap2.
html
Can’t tell fact
from fiction? If
so, you are not
alone. Just email your
question and we will try and
answer as many question as
possible before each
meeting. Email
nelsoncountybeekeepers@g
mail.com.
Here are a few examples.
FACT OR FICTION ?
FICTION: “Bees have
survived just fine without us
for millions of years.”
FACT: Bees are no longer
“without us.” They now have
us and all our
trappings, including
pollution, pesticides,
agriculture, habitat loss,
climate change, freeways,
urban sprawl, monocultures.
It is not the same world they
evolved in.
FICTION: Crystallized honey
is bad.
FACT: Almost all unheated,
unfiltered honey crystallizes;
some just crystallize sooner
than others.
Ask the Expert
Page 8
Larry Marks has started to
manufacture "The Marks
Frame" for sale. Haven't
heard of it, well Larry has
given me a description of the
advantages of this diverse
frame configuration.
The advantage of the Marks
Frame is, when the weather
gets cold and it continues to
stay cold for five or six days,
the bees will move up the
natural comb where there is
more honey. The bees will get
in a cluster to stay way when
it gets cold. I have noticed
over the years, when I have
taken bees out of a house or
tree. The bees will have built
natural comb that is
sometimes two to four feet
long. The bee can move up to
the rest of the honey unlike a
frame. The bees sometimes
will not move up to the
frames above on the top hive
body. The bees will stay in the
bottom in a cluster and starve
with their tails sticking out of
the comb, and there is honey
in the brood box above them.
The bees do not like to cross
over the top bar when the
weather is really cold. Bees
have a short term memory of
only three to four days. When
bees get to the top bar of the
frame, they think there is no
more honey. I have tried the
frame that I have designed
and it works excellently. Bees
will go up as high as four or
five supers in the summer,
but will hardly move in the
winter. The Marks Frames
should be place in the center
of the hive bodies. You need
four of these frames for ten
frame double deep, and three
frames for an eight frame
double deep. Install the
Marks frames when you have
put on the second hive body.
Do not use more the
recommended number of
Marks frames into the hive
body, you do not want to get
in the way of making splits or
divisions. This will also
eliminate reversing the hive
bodies in the spring. The
Marks Frame is twice as tall
as a regular frame and will
have a larger brood pattern.
You will have to use two
pieces of wax foundation in
the frame and will need
either bobby pins or #7 nails
to hold the wax in place.
I will be happy to give
instructions on how to put the
wax in place when purchasing
frames.
Frames come in bundles of
three @ $12.00 a bundle.
Individually the frames are
$4.00 each.
Wax and pins not included.
Any questions call Larry
Marks @ (502) 252-8235
Nelson County Fair
July 13-18
Entries will be accepted
starting at 9:00am
Monday, July 13. Bring
your best jar of honey to
be judged. Jars can be
either pints or pounds.
Volunteers are also
needed to check in,
organize and display
entries. Lunch is provided
for all volunteers. If you
would like to volunteer
please call the office at
502-3498-9204 for
details.
The Marks Frame
Nelson County Beekeepers
General Meeting Minutes
June 18, 2015
Meeting was called to order at 6:30 PM with opening prayer and pot
luck refreshments There were 17 members and four guests present. Our guests
were Brian Downs, B.J. and Lauren Drake, and Vikki Atkinson. Doug Brink
announced that Paul Kiener has resigned as President for personal reasons and
that as Vice-President he will assume that position until the end of the year.
Pat Swartz, Hospitality Chairman, announced that the July meeting will be held at
her farm and passed out information sheet with directions.
Doug Brink announced that we will be forming several new committees and
introduced the following chairmen who shared the purpose of their committee:
MENTOR PROGRAM – Gene Englert
KENTUCKY STATE FAIR – Gene Englert
NEWSLETTER“THE BUZZ” – Susan Zhunga
ART & CRAFT FAIR – April Donathan
EDUCATION – Robbie Smith
Our guest speaker, Dr. Lee Townsend, presented his program on the “Effects of
Pesticides on Honeybees,” followed by a question and answer period.
Recorded by Helen Fenske, Secretary
TREASURERS REPORT
June 18, 2015
Starting Balance $1,170.17
Net Expense ($638.58)
GROSS Income $725.00
Bank Bal $1,256.59
Recorded by Susan Zhunga, Treasurer
Page 9
Insider Info
Bluegrass Seed & Fertilizer Inc
3345 Bloomfield Rd.
Bardstown, KY 40004
(502) 348-7333
Mon - Fri 8:00 am - 5:30 pm
Sat 8:00 am - 1:00 pm
Bardstown Mills
1393 Withrow Ct.
Bardstown, KY 40004
(502) 348-3949
8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Mon. - Fri.
8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday
On the scene at the Fairfield Homecoming for 2015, was our own James (Ernie) Sharp.
He was set up at his Mom's house in Fairfield. Ernie had brought a fresh supply of his
honey and was sporting his "Nelson County Beekeepers" hat. Also on display was a
three tiered observation hive with a marked queen. Great work as our NCB
ambassador.
Ernie still has plenty of honey for sale. If you are interested in purchasing honey
contact him at 502-460-3609.
Prices as follows:
1 lb Decorative Muth Jars $12.00
8 oz Decorative Muth$ 6.00
1 lb Plastic Bottles $10.00
12 oz Plastic Bottles $7.50
8 oz Plastic Bottles$ $5.00
Page 10
Doug Brink has NCB T-Shirts ($11) and Hooded Sweatshirts ($23) for sale.
Janet Brown is selling NCB Hats and Visors for $10.00. The club
gets $2.00 from each sales.
Darrell Hester is selling his stainless 2 frame extractor for $150.00.
If interested contact him at the meeting or call 502-648-2044.
PAT’S ADDRESS
4236 Pottershop Road
502-350-1711
FROM BARDSTOWN
150 towards Springfield. Just past
McDonalds, turn right on to Pottershop
Loop. At the bottom of the hill, turn
right on to Pottershop Road. Follow
about 5 miles. After you go over the 2nd
bridge (do not count Pottershop Loop
bridge) at the top of the hill on your left
you will see our large stone mailbox.
Turn left in to our drive.
FROM SPRINGFIELD
Turn left on route 605 at Botland. Go .2
tenths miles, turn right on to Green
Lane. Follow until deadends in to
Pottershop. Turn left, you will go down a
hill, over a bridge, up a hill. At the top of
the hill you will see our large stone
mailbox. Turn left in to our drive.
WANNA BEE A MEMBER or NEED TO PAY
YOUR 2015 DUES
Annual Dues $12.00
Send your name, address, city & zip,
Phone & email to :
Susan E. Zhunga
555 King Road
Coxs Creek, KY 40013
To maintain your status as a member in
good standing, please send me your
annual dues before June 30, after that I
will delete the names of members who
have not paid for this year.
KY State Fair Aug. 20-30, 2015
Louisville, KY We will get details on
participation in Honey Competition and
working honey booths when available.
Road Clean up October more
information to follow.
Christmas Parade—Date to be
determined. We will be looking for
volunteers to decorate and ride the
wagon. Will need you to wear bee
suits, carry smokers and have a good
time. All are welcome. Contact Henry
Wilkerson.
Meeting !!!!!! July 16th @ 6:30 p.m.
Field Day At Pat Swartz Bee Yard
Menu Supplied by the club is PIZZA OF ALL
TYPES with DRINKS
The only thing you have to bring is your
appetite and a chair. Also bring your veil if
you want to look at the bees.
This will be the perfect opportunity to have a
one on one with the other beekeepers. Learn
the tricks of the trade and ask some
questions. We will also have the chance for
new beekeepers to take a peek in Pat's bee
hives and see what's going on.
Threat of rain, relocation will be at the
Extension Office. Check your email or call the
Extension Office 502-348-9204. Decisions
will be made by 2:00 p.m. the day of the
meeting.
DON’T FORGET
TO JOIN US ON
FACE BOOK!!
Page 11
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