2015 07 buzz news

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

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

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

How to Treat a Bee Sting: Act Fast!

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/

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

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

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

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

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!!

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2015 07 buzz news

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