2015-09 buzz news

What’s The Buzz Nelson County Beekeepers

Volume 1, Issue 5

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Inside this issue:

General Meeting Minutes 2

Fall Flow Wild Flowers & 3

Nancy’s Lip Balm Recipe 3

Oxalic Acid: Effective &

Easy on Bees, But . . .

4

Smoker Maintenance 8

Honey-Quinoa Breakfast

Bake

6

Meeting Notice 6

Bee School 7

Officers

President-Doug Brink

Vice President-

Secretary-Helen Fenske

Treasurer-Susan Zhunga

What’s Happening Inside The Hive?

Brood rearing begins to taper off and drone brood

has disappeared. Often, a second honey flow comes

in September. Goldenrod and aster bloom at this

time. With a good location and good weather

conditions, the beekeeper can make a significant

crop. Have an empty super on the hive to take

advantage of this possibility. Your experience from

previous years will tell you whether bees can make a

late season crop in your area.

Beekeeper Chores

Put those mite treatments on! Hot September

weather may keep you from putting the Apicure gel

packs (for varroa) or menthol (for tracheal mites) on.

Wait until daytime temperatures are regularly below

85o. Beekeepers often face a September dilemma.

If they put their Apistan on in early September, they

will not be able to harvest the honey made in that

time. If they wait until late September, the varroa

mites may be out of control and the hive lost. The

best approach is to monitor your varroa numbers

through late summer. That information will allow you

to make an informed decision. The last weeks of

warm weather are the time to assess which hives

are ready for winter. There is still time to feed syrup

to those without sufficient stored honey and to unite

the weakest hives with stronger hives.

Observations and Ideas

Late summer and early fall is yellow jacket season.

These wasps are often confused with honey bees by

non-beekeepers. If your neighbors have yellow

jackets disrupting their picnics, they may blame you.

(Continued on page 2)

September

Robbie Smith

County Extension

Agent for Horticulture

Show them the

differences : yellow

jackets have less hair than

the fuzzy bees, are slightly

smaller, live underground,

and are interested in

many foods like meat that

bees don’t care for. Yellow

jacket nests die when

winter comes. Only the

queens survive, hibernate

through the winter, and

start new nests alone in

spring.

http://www.nkybeekeeper

s.com/uploads/beecalend

ar.pdf

(Continued from page 1)

Doug Brink has NCB T-

Shirts ($11) and Hood-

ed Sweatshirts ($23) for

sale.

Janet Brown is selling

NCB Hats and Visors for

$10.00. The club gets

$2.00 from each sales.

Larry Marks is selling

the Marks' Frames for

$12.00 for a set of

three frames. Comes

with instructions.

The meeting was called to order by President Doug Brink.

There were 31 members and one guest (Fillmore Corey)

present. Blessing was shared by Henry Wilkerson prior to

our potluck dinner.

Announcements:

Susan Zhunga – Treasury Balance $382.68

Susan Zhunga – Mentor Program – Took had a field

trip, inspecting four hives and doing a split.

She encouraged more to join the group either as Men-

tor or Mentee.

Gene Englert – Kentucky State Fair – Tuesday 8/25 3-

9:00 PM More volunteers are needed.

April Donathan – Arts & Crafts Fair - We have been

approved to participate in this event 10/10 and 10/11.

More volunteers are needed for this great fundraising

and awareness opportunity.

Robbie Smith – Beginner Bee School to be held

11/20/2015

Intermediate Bee School – Tentative dates in 2016 of

3/2, 3/9 and 3/16.

Henry Wilkerson – Christmas Parade - December 3,

2015 6:00 PM We won 2nd place in 2014.

Our guest speaker for the evening was Tavia Cathcart, Exec-

utive Director at Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve.

“Honeybees and pollinators and how flowers flirt.”

The September meeting will be an open meeting with gen-

eral beekeeping discussion.

Submitted by

Helen Fenske, Secretary

General Meeting Minutes August 20, 2015

them and right now they

need them to build up fall

honey and winter stores.

For bees, their forage or

food supply consists of

nectar and pollen from

blooming plants within flight

range. The forage sources

for honey bees are an

important consideration for

beekeepers. In order to

determine where to locate

hives for maximum honey

production and brood one

must consider the off-

season. If there are no

honey flows the bees may

have to be fed.

As a rule of thumb the

foraging area around a

beehive extends for two

miles, although bees have

been observed foraging

twice and three times this

distance from the hive.

Experiments have shown

that beehives within 4 miles

of a food source will gain

weight, but beyond that the

energy expended is greater

than that gained during the

foraging flight. Foraging at

extreme distances wears out

the wings of individual bees,

reduces the life expectancy

of foraging bees and

therefore the efficiency of

the colony. The minimum

temperature for active

Nancy's Lip Balm

1 cup grated beeswax

14 ounces coconut oil

5 tablespoons honey

5 tablespoons pure vanilla

extract

Heat the wax in a saucepan

over low heat to 150oF. In

a separate saucepan, heat

the oil to the same temper-

ature. When both are heat-

ed to the proper tempera-

ture, add the coconut oil to

the beeswax, remove the

pan from the heat, and stir

steadily until well blended.

The add the honey and the

vanilla extract and continue

to stir until well blended.

Pour into tubes or tubs,

allow to cool overnight, and

them cap the containers

and store at room tempera-

ture, out of direct sunlight.

Info from the book

Plan/bee by Susan Brack-

ney.

Fall Flow Wild Flowers & Cultivated Blooms

honeybee foraging is

approximately 55 °F . Full

foraging activity is not

achieved until the

temperature rises to 66 °F.

Info from Wikipedia.

Ready for the Fall flow. Lots of

wild flowers in bloom right

now. I've seen the bees on

most of these but not all.

Perhaps some members have

seen more action on the

blooms listed or others blooms

not on the list below:

Ironweed - Nectar from

July to October

Bonset (Joe-Pye Weed) -

Nectar & Pollen from

August to September

Goldenrod – Nectar &

Pollen from September to

October

Smartweed – Nectar from

September to October

Ragweed – Pollen from

September to November

Aster – Nectar & Pollen

from August to October

Borage – Nectar & Pollen

from June to Frost

Marigold – Pollen from

June to September

Thistle – Nectar from July

to September

Melons/Pumpkins –

Pollen from June to

October

Some of these plants are

invasive and considered an

annoyance. But the bees love

it kills them. Each

vaporizer is different.

Some take only a few

minutes to activate the

acid, while others take a

little longer. Since you

don’t have to open the

colony in order to treat,

this seems to be the easier

of the two methods to

implement, especially on

cold, rainy days.

You can also spray (mist)

packages or swarms. Over

the last few years, we’ve

followed this protocol to

ensure that we’re starting

our research projects with

mite-free bees. Once the

packages arrived, we

placed them in a cool, dark

location in the lab for 24

hours to cluster the bees.

Several hours prior to

applying the oxalic

solution, we spray the

bees with a 1:1 sugar

solution to fill their honey

stomachs and reduce

ingestion of the upcoming

oxalic treatment. Next, we

mix the oxalic acid in a 1:1

sugar water solution and

evenly apply the solution

to the bees.

Why use oxalic? It works. It

has been used for years in

Europe. According to

numerous studies, it’s 90-

99% effective at killing the

mites with minimal

http://www.beeculture.com/

oxalic-acid-effective-easy-on-

bees-but/

What is Oxalic acid? It’s an

organic acid found just

about everywhere in the

environment including in

plants and vegetables. It is

bitter to the taste and

irritating to the eyes, mouth

and skin. It is a natural plant

defense against herbivores.

It is also found in honey.

Since it is not fat soluble (a

lipid), it doesn’t build up in

wax comb. Back in 1957, it

was registered as a

pesticide (disinfectant/

sanitizer), but, by 1994, the

renewal of the product

registration was cancelled.

There are risks involved if

you plan to use oxalic acid.

Given its caustic effect on

the eyes, skin and

respiratory system, it’s

labeled with the highest

degree of toxicity, “Category

1.” So, as with all pesticides,

caution must be taken when

handling it.

How can oxalic be applied?

Oxalic can be applied

several ways: drip (trickle),

vaporization and spraying. It

can be used on existing

colonies, packages or

swarms. The two most

popular are the trickle and

vaporization method. The

trickle or solution method is

OXALIC ACID: EFFECTIVE & EASY ON BEES, BUT . . .

taking the acid and mixing it

with a warm 1:1 sugar-to-

water solution. Next, the

solution is drawn into a

syringe and 5 ml is trickled

(scientific term for “dribbly

drop”) down the seam

between each frame and

directly onto the bees; the

maximum dose is 50 ml per

colony (5mls per seam). It

doesn’t matter whether it is

a nuc or a hive with a single

or multiple brood chamber,

but reduction in dosage for

smaller colonies obviously.

The vaporizer method is only

to be used on colonies

outdoors. And, what ever

you do, do not inhale the

vapor! Basically, you use a

vaporizer which is a metal

wand with a plate at one

end and a cord which

connects to a battery at the

other end. One gram of

oxalic acid is placed on the

metal plate. The plate is

then slid into the entrance of

the colony. The entrance

opening and any other

cracks and crevices are then

sealed with the vaporizer in

place to avoid the gas from

escaping. Once connected

to a battery, the heat from

the plate causes the oxalic

crystals to melt and turn into

a gas (sublime). The vapor

will permeate the hive.

When it contacts the mites,

nose into each of 2 holes

close to the edge and pull.

You can also bend a wire

or rod to fit in a hole near

the edge and pull it up.

Sometimes the grate will

be all plugged like this

one. You will need to

scrape it with a hive tool.

Be sure you clean inside

the holes. You can use the

corner of the hive tool for

this or a screwdriver of the

proper size.You may find

debris and/or soot in the

can under the grate.

Scrape this and dump it

out.

Often the air tube be-

comes plugged. I have

tried many tools to clean

this without removing the

bellow. None are satisfac-

tory, so remove the bel-

lows. To do this remove

the four nuts holding the

smoker to the bellows. If

they are rusty use some

penetrating oil. Do not

turn too hard on rusted

nuts or you will strip the

screws and then not be

able to get them off. Sepa-

rate the smoker from the

(Continued on page 7)

http://www.extension.org/

pages/25566/smoker-

mainte-

nance#.Ve70MRFVhBd

At some point your smoker

will start to give off only a

little smoke even though

the fire is going well and

you pump like crazy. If you

do maintenance a couple

times a year you will pre-

vent this from happening.

If it is already happening,

do the maintenance to

repair it.

First clean the inside of the

smoker by scraping with a

hive tool or screwdriver. By

scraping around the lid you

will make it open and close

easier. Pay special atten-

tion to the hole where the

smoke comes out.

You do not have to get it

perfect but remove the

majority of the soot and

carbon. Removing the crud

from the can makes it easi-

er to get the grate out in

the next step.

Remove the grate from the

bottom of the smoker. I

find it easiest to use a long

needle nose pliers. Put one

damage to the bees and

brood.

Does trickle or vaporization

work better? A recent study

at Sussex University

examined the effectiveness

of different doses and

application methods on mite

and bee mortality. The

experiment involved 110

hives. The results showed

sublimation (vaporization)

was far better at reducing

mite populations and

showed no increase in bee

mortality.

Is Oxalic perfect? No; it only

works on phoretic mites, i.e.,

those mites crawling around

on the frames or adult bees.

The mites breeding under

the cappings of the brood

cells are unaffected by

oxalic administrations, as

well as most other miticide

products. Therefore,

applications are most

effective when no brood is

present. At beekeeping

meetings, when chatting

about this product to others,

I’ve heard folks say that they

are applying oxalic once-a-

week for three weeks during

the Summer months. This

isn’t really advisable since

it’s not very effective and

can be detrimental to the

bees. But there may be a

way to still treat during the

Summer months.

Smoker Maintenance

September 17th @ 6:30 p.m.

POT-LUCK-SUPPER

Bring what you want to share.

The agenda for this meeting is Questions and Answers. Are you having problems?

Need advice? This is the time to bring it up. Want to share your successes, we want

to here about it.

The season is coming to an end. Time to think about a game plan for next year. Are

you about to get bees for the first time, or are you thinking about expanding your

existing bee yard? What can we do to protect existing bees for the coming winter?

These are just a few of the areas you might want to cover. Think about it, and bring

us your issue.

Honey-Quinoa Breakfast Bake

Non-stick cooking spray

1 cup - quinoa , (uncooked)

1 tablespoon - cinnamon

2 cups - mixed frozen berries

½ cup - coarsely chopped nuts

2 - organic eggs

2 cups - 1% organic milk

¼ cup - honey

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with non-stick spray. In a small

bowl, stir together uncooked quinoa with cinnamon, making sure it is coated completely.

Pour quinoa over bottom of prepared dish. Scatter the berries and nuts on top of quinoa,

making sure to spread evenly. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the milk and honey

and whisk together. Pour egg mixture on top of quinoa and fruit. Bake 1 hour or until the

breakfast bake only has a small amount of liquid remaining. Serve warm.

http://www.honey.com/recipes/detail/6/honey-breakfast-bake

M

ee

ti

ng

I would like to

give a big

thanks to eve-

ryone who was

able to help

our club out by

volunteering to work at the State

Fair Honey Booth. Susan Zhunga,

Pat Swartz, Steve Hutchins, Da-

vid & April Donathan, Bob Dee-

gan, Bud Cummins, all did a su-

perb job educating people about

honeybees, answering questions,

helping youngsters roll candles

and sell a little honey. Ray Tucker

(President-elect of KSBA) was on

hand to oversee things and I

think he was pretty impressed

with how well everything went

and how we all worked together.

Overall we really enjoyed our-

selves and we look forward to

helping next year.

Nelson County Beekeepers were

also well represented in the hon-

ey competition. Ernie

Sharp took 1st place in the 1 lb

light amber category, I took 2nd

place in the 1 lb light amber cate-

gory and Darrell Hester took 2nd

place in the 1 lb amber category.

Hopefully this recognition will

entice more of us to compete

next year. Maybe you could save

some of your fall honey to put

into next years competition.

There is also a category "Black

Jar", were the honey is judged on

taste alone.

Gene Englert.

UP COMING BEEKEEPERS SCHOOLS

There are two beekeep-

ing schools being

planned for our area.

The first will be the Tri-

County Beekeeping Es-

sentials School to be

held on November 21st

at the ECTC campus in

Springfield KY. More

details will follow in the

next newsletter edition.

This will serve as a save

the date announcement.

Keep in mind this school

will be more geared to-

ward beginners.

The second school will

be designed for more

advanced beekeeping

and will be held in March

of 2016 at the Nelson

County Extension Office.

The dates will be March

2nd, 9th, and 16th be-

ginning at 6:30 PM and

the discussions will cover

a variety of advanced

topics.

bellows and clean the

tube. Notice how clean

this tube is.

Check the bellows for

leaks. To do this hold

your finger over the air

outlet hole and

squeeze the bellows.

Some air will leak but

large leaks need to be

fixed. Duct tape works

as temporary fix but

replacement with new

one is best.

Replace the grate being

careful to place a leg

on either side of the

inlet tube. Replace the

bellows and tighten the

4 nuts. Putting a little

oil on the threads

makes the job easier

next time. https://

www.extension.org/

mediawiki/files/a/a3/

Smoker_4.jpg (picture)

(Continued from page 5)

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2015-09 buzz news

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