BeeLines ● July 2019 ● 1

July 2019Ryan F. Quarles, Commissioner ● Tammy Potter, Ph.D. , State Apiarist ● Kentucky Department of Agriculture

Agenda: KSBA Summer Meeting July 20, 2019 8:00-8:30 a.m. Registration 8:30-9:00 Welcome - Chris Renfrow, KSBA

president 9:00-9:45 Jack Kuhn - Planning and implementing

an effective Varroa management plan 10:00-10:45 Izzy Hill - Using nematodes to control

small hive beetle 11:00-11:45 Tammy Potter - Using phages to control

American foulbrood Noon Lunch 1:00-2:00 p.m. Sarah Preston - The impact of queen

temperature stress on worker health and behavior 2:00-3:30 In the apiary with Izzy Hill, Tammy Potter

(bring your veil) Izzy Hil - How to apply nematodes

Tammy Potter - Sampling for Varroa mites 3:30 Closing

The Kentucky State Beekeepers Association (KSBA) Executive Board has met with local association presidents and Kentucky Certified Honey Program (KCHP) members to discuss developing issues.

KRS 260.016 defines a “Kentucky-grown agricultural product” as one “grown, raised, produced, processed, or manufactured in Kentucky.” This allows for honey originating outside the state to be brought to and bottled in Kentucky, then sold under the Kentucky Proud label. The certification of the Kentucky origin of honey is an attempt to narrow that.

The official name of the program is the “Kentucky Certified Honey Program.” The beekeepers who become members are “Kentucky Certified Honey Producers,” and the logo they apply to their bottles of honey is the official marketing trademark that indicates that the honey being sold is “Certified Kentucky Honey.”

Regarding enforcement of the certification, the Kentucky Department of Food Safety can always open an investigation for mis-labeled food. Beyond that, KSBA cannot currently penalize anyone abusing the certification, beyond revoking the certification.

State Apiarist Tammy Potter and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) have been working with the KSBA for years to evaluate where the beekeeping community stands on the certified-local honey question and to work out the rules for a certified honey label.

Clarification was requested of what a local Association president must do to certify applicant beekeepers. Presidents are to verify applicants’ information; they are not required to inspect hives. KSBA requests that presidents forward to the Board, or to program manager Sarah Preston (manager@kycertifiedhoney.com), any questions or concerns about an application or an applicant.

Both consumers and producers need to be educated about this program. Marketing posters and labels bearing the Certified Honey logo will be available to producers once a user agreement is signed.

2019 is the 70th anniversary year of the Kentucky State Beekeepers Association. The group’s summer meeting will be July 20 at the Boyd County Fairgrounds, 1760 Addington Road, Ashland.

KSBA is working on a program to have certified honey sold at Kentucky State Parks. KSBA is also willing to give education talks at schools, garden clubs, and beekeeping clubs. A formal marketing plan for consumers is in development.

Associations developing details of Kentucky Certified Honey Program

See ASSOCIATIONS, page 2

BeeLines ● July 2019 ● 2

Statewide cost-share programKADB asked the KSBA to draft a statewide

cost sharing program for beekeepers and provide details of a proposal later this year. No dollar figure is associated with this program currently, but the KSBA is investigating ideas on how to match funds with KADF money to enable the program to benefit the most beekeepers.

The current idea is to work with local bee clubs to identify participants. Criteria for qualifying for the program may include a certain number of years as a beekeeper, completion of a mentoring program, and distribution to different beekeeper levels (hobbyist, sideliner, commercial).

Statewide mentoring programThe KADB also asked the KSBA to draft a

statewide mentoring program for beekeepers and provide details of a proposal later this year.

This program will be developed for different levels (hobbyist, sideliner, and commercial). The goal of the program would be to work with local clubs to help beekeepers succeed at keeping bees alive, and to help transition beekeepers to the next level (i.e., hobbyist to sideliner, or sideliner to commercial).

KSBA website updatedKSBA is building a more modern KSBA website.

Eventually, both KSBA and KCHP memberships will be applied for and paid for online. Other online features will include producers being able to order KCHP labels, associations updating information, a calendar of events, notifications of bee schools, and a “Buy Local” directory by county of bee and honey products and services.

KSBA Board members at the planning meeting on these topics were Chis Renfrow, president; Mike Mabry, vice president; David Shockey, secretary; and non-voting members Tammy Potter, Kentucky State Apiarist; and Sarah Preston, KCHP program manager. Present were beekeeping associations from Bullitt Co., Burlington (Northern Kentucky), Crestwood, Frankfort (Capital City), Greenup Co., Hardin Co., Harrodsburg, Hodgenville, Lexington (Bluegrass), Louisville (Honey Bear Farms and Kentuckiana), Ohio Co., Oldham Co., Owensboro (Green Valley), Pennyrile (Hopkinsville), Shelby Co., Smithfield, Warren Co., and Wingo (Lake Barkley).

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY:

Four days still open at AgLand for associationsThanks to the associations volunteering staff for the two

locations operated by KSBA at the 2019 Kentucky State Fair.

WEST WINGThursday, Aug. 15: Bluegrass Beekeepers

Association (B.A.)Friday 16: Bluegrass B.A.Saturday 17: Oldham County B.A.Sunday 18: Shelby County B.A.Monday 19: Allen County B.A.Tuesday 20 (morning): Capitol City B.A.Tuesday 20 (afternoon): Fort Harrod B.A.Wednesday 21: Mammoth Cave B.A.Thursday 22: Grayson County B.A.Friday 23: Audubon B.A.Saturday 24: Green River B.A.Sunday 25: Oldham County B.A.

SOUTH WING (AgLand)Thursday, Aug. 15: Hardin County B.A.Friday 16: Hardin County B.A.Saturday 17: AVAILABLESunday 18: Kentuckiana B.A.Monday 19: Southeastern B.A.Tuesday 20: AVAILABLEWednesday 21: Warren County B.A.Thursday 22: AVAILABLEFriday 23: AVAILABLESaturday 24: Bullitt County B.A.Sunday 25: Fort Harrod B.A.

Email program manager Sarah Preston (manager@kycertifiedhoney.com).

ASSOCIATIONS . . . from page 1

BeeLines ● July 2019 ● 3

By Tammy Horn PotterFRANKFORT ( June 14, 2019) – In terms of public

land space, there are no more visible areas than public rights of way. Ever since the federal Interstate system was developed, the highway rights of way have been subject to intense public scrutiny.

The Highway Beautification Act of 1965 is just one example of the effort to determine how rights of way should be used, and who they should serve. Utility rights of way are included in this conversation as well.

Most recently, the plight of pollinators has called into question federal and state land management practices in a way we have not seen since the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

The loss of pollinators has been well documented. In a nation that once had more than 5 million managed honey bee hives, now only 2.6 million hives provide invaluable pollinator services for 87 of the top 115 U.S. crops.

The estimated value of honey bee pollination to agriculture is at least $19 billion. Researchers estimate that native bees (of which the U.S. has more than 4,000 species) contribute approximately $6 billion in seed-set.

Modified rights-of-way managementSince the “White House Strategies to Protect

Pollinators” was finalized in 2016, state transportation agencies and utility companies have been under scrutiny in terms of how they manage rights of way.

Kentucky is no exception. Increasingly, the public has become better educated about insect control programs. Furthermore, converting grassland to diverse floral areas can reduce costs of mowing while helping to address the pollinator crisis by allowing flowers to provide nectar and pollen for a longer amount of time.

A honey bee hive consumes about 34 to 75 pounds of pollen a year. In addition, a hive needs at least 120 pounds of honey to survive a calendar year. That equates to approximately 252 million flowers for each colony.

Considering pollinators’ needsSince 2016, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

(KTC) has engaged in creating Pollinator Habitat Zones, in which floral seed mixes are planted and signage installed to designate these areas.

Consider the following:

The KTC has approximately 200,000 acres of right of way. Of that, it maintains about 100,000 acres with mowing, spraying, re-seeding, etc. 

Public, private partners develop pollinator habitat

The Pollinator Promotion Group convened in mid-June at Kentucky Utilities’ Brown solar power station. Details are being finalized for KU’s plan to convert some company lands to pollinator habitat. (Photo: UK Professor Joe Omelian.)

See Pollinator Week, page 4

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Overall, for its Pollinator Protection Zones, the KTC has seeded 60 sites in 10 of 12 districts across the state for a total of 85 acres. 

The KTC has installed 14 monarch butterfly way stations at welcome centers, rest areas, and other cabinet facilities sites, and created habitat on several former rest area sites.

Kentucky passed a Highway Rights of Way law in 2010 allowing local transportation officials to consider using pollinator habitat at interstate interchanges.

Three new sites coming this yearSince 2018, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet,

Columbia Natural Gas, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Roundstone Seed have collaborated to convert highway rights of way and utility rights of way to pollinator habitat. Columbia Gas maintains over 40,000 miles of rights of way in six states.

Thus far, in Kentucky, three sites have been selected for

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Columbia Natural Gas to convert to pollinator habitat in 2019.

This partnership is one of many best management strategies identified in the Kentucky Pollinator Protection Plan and the Kentucky Monarch Protection Plan, both plans resulting from collaborative efforts of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, universities, agricultural groups, and nonprofits trying to create a better environment for pollinators.

In the meantime, the efforts of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Columbia Gas should be commended as Kentucky joins North Carolina, Indiana, Ohio, and surrounding states in providing habitat for a variety of sensitive species while at the same time reducing costs of maintenance.

For further information: whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/images/Blog/PPAP_2015.pdf

kyagr.com/statevet/documents/OSV-Bee_KY-Pollinator-Pro-Plan.pdfkyagr.com/statevet/documents/OSV-Bee_KY_monarch_plan.pdf

The Pollinator Promotion Group re-convened at Shaker Village near Harrodsburg. (Photo: Joe Omelian.)

Pollinator Week . . . from page 3

● July 8-10. Heartland Apiculture Society, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green. Full slate of events including a working apiary, vendors, and social activities.

For more details, see website heartlandbees.org.

● July 15-19. Eastern Apicultural Society, Greenville, South Carolina. Full slate of beginner, intermediate, and

BEEKEEPER EDUCATION — JULYadvanced track speakers. EAS Master Beekeeper tests and certification. Short course and main program.

More: easternapiculture.org.

● July 20. KSBA summer meeting. Speaker: Izzy Hill. Topic: Small hive beetles. Boyd County Fairgrounds, 1760 Addington Rd, Ashland. (Agenda, page 1.)

Phone: (606) 739-5184 Email: dl_ces_boyd@emailuky.edu.

BeeLines ● July 2019 ● 5

Expanding hemp cultivation in the United States could provide food for the bees during a time of year when few other options are available to them, a new study concludes.

Researchers from Colorado State University set up bee traps in industrial hemp fields during peak flowering season to determine whether hemp was “a valuable source of pollen for foraging bees.” Turns out, it is.

The researchers collected almost 2,000 bees from 23 different bee genera. Nearly half of those were classic honey bees, but specialized genera such as Melissodes bimaculata and Peponapis pruinosa turned up in surprisingly “high proportions.”

Hemp flowers are apparently “prolific pollen producers,” making them attractive to a diverse abundance of bees.

Also, they bloom right when bees need them most.Hemp flowering occurs between the end of July and the

end of September, a time when other pollinator-friendly crop plants are scarce across the U.S. heartland.

“Industrial hemp can play an important role in providing sustained nutritional options for bees during the cropping season,” writes lead author of the study Colton O’Brien, a soil and crop scientist for Colorado State University.

In addition to food, hemp provides habitat. While pollinators “face debilitating challenges from a number of

Mite-Biter crew increases

queen numbersThe Kentucky Queen Bee Breeders Association (KQBBA) attended the Purdue Queen Bee Insemination event. The crew inseminated over 50 queens with mite-biter characteristics. L-r: Neil Hunt and Tony Coleman, Pike County Beekeepers Association; Krispn Given, Purdue University; Dorothey Morgan, KQBBA president; Larry Young, Powell County Beekeepers Association; and Dwight Wells, honorary member of KQBBA.

different stressors,” lack of healthy habitat is chief among them, the researchers note.

According to researchers, most hemp crops flower between July and September, coinciding with a lack of pollen production from other farm crops.

Over 2,000 bees (and 23 different types of bee, including the European honeybee) were collected during the Colorado State study. The 23 bee types represent 80 percent of all types in the region, according to study notes published on the Forbes magazine website.

Lucky in Kentucky: Bees, hemp help each other

BeeLines ● July 2019 ● 6

By Chris ErvinBeing a beekeeper on its face would seem to be a solitary

activity. However, I found that the more you network with other beekeepers, the more your hives benefit.

I am an outdoor writer; I got into beekeeping after writing about it. I found it to be a fascinating look at nature, in a way I had never discovered in the past.

I thought it would be a straightforward and simple thing to understand. You know, they are flying bugs in a box. That’s about as far from the truth as it gets.

I have read three books on beekeeping, as well as attended eight schools. I belong to a few clubs, and there are still questions I am discovering all the time.

I went from two nucs to eight hives of my own, and I take care of three others. As a sideliner, that’s near my goals. I had promised myself 15 hives was my limit; I will hit that limit by the end of this season.

Maybe I should back up just a bit and give you a definition of the levels of beekeeping. The backyard beekeeper is usually called a hobbyist. Someone that operates a small business with bees is called a sideliner - someone who has a primary, unrelated job but still makes a few bucks on bees. Then there is the commercial beekeeper who makes a living as a full-time beekeeper.

The benefits of joining a club can make the difference between profiting and struggling from year to year buying more bees than the money you hope to make.

You get to network with the beekeepers that have already struggled with doing things the wrong way. They are usually eager to share the things that work and the things that could lead you down the path to dead or vanishing bees.

You will learn about the pitfalls of mites, hive beetles, wax moths, disease, and how to combat ants and yellow jackets. You will learn proper hive placement, the importance of moisture, and swarm control.

There are more issues than I can list here, but I don’t want to forget that fellowship of other beekeepers is something I have found to be very rewarding.

Local clubs are usually inexpensive to join, and what you get from them is invaluable. If you are not sure where to find a local club, you should check with your local agriculture leaders.

You can also find out about your state laws regarding selling your honey, label rules, and the limits of your production before you reach the requirements of a commercial producer.

* * *Beekeeper Magazine, currently an online publication, will

be covering many issues as we begin this long journey, and we are looking for your thoughts and insight. We hope to be a useful resource for local clubs.

You are welcome to submit articles to this magazine. Visit the website, click on the writers’ guidelines, and follow the instructions.

Beekeeper Magazine website: http://beekeepermagazine.com/wp/.Editor Chris Erwin is the author of Camping Kentucky, and

founder and publisher of Kentucky Angling News. His email: trimmer308@windstream.net.

New online beekeeping magazine seeks contributions

Scratchboard beautyGwen Heffner sends this bee-themed art from the International Scratchboard Exhibit on display through July 31 at the Kentucky Artisan Center in Berea. Artist Sue Kroll of Virgin, Utah, here interprets bees visiting a cactus flower. Scratchboard is a form of direct engraving in which the artist scratches into a board covered with a layer of dark ink, to reveal a white or colored layer beneath. The art can be left black and white, or colors can be added.

BeeLines ● July 2019 ● 7

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is pulling from the market a dozen products containing pesticides known to be toxic to honey bees.

The agency has canceled the registrations of 12 pest-killing products, made by Bayer, Syngenta and Valent, with compounds belonging to a class of chemicals known as neonicotinoids, as part of a legal settlement.

Neonics are 10,000 times more toxic to bees than other pesticides, according to the website sustainablepulse.com. Neonics are typically applied as a seed coating, mixing the chemicals into large batches of seeds to coat them before the seeds are planted. After planting, the chemicals can spread and contaminate nearby wildflowers, soil, and water, all of which pose significant threats to bees foraging and nesting in the area.

“We have a ways to go”The administration’s action was welcome news to some

environmentalists. “Certainly we have a ways to go,” said George Kimbrell, legal director at the nonprofit advocacy group Center for Food Safety, whose lawsuit prompted the EPA’s action. “But it’s an important first step in acknowledging the harm they cause.”

EPA spokesman John Konkus said the compromise action leaves 47 neonic products still on the market.

“For the EPA to pull a previously registered pesticide is a pretty major step,” said Mark Winston, a professor of apiculture and social insects at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia. “It’s not something they do very often.”

The decision follows a five-year litigation. The 12 products containing the active ingredients clothianidin and thiamethoxam are used by growers ranging from large-scale agricultural businesses to home gardeners.

Long-term study requiredThe second half of the settlement will play out in coming

years: EPA is required, for the first time, to analyze and address the impacts of the entire neonicotinoid pesticide class on endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.

Two of the pesticide makers, Bayer and Valent, say their products are tested and safe to use. Bayer noted its two products targeted by the EPA action are not sold in the United States.

Another case involves 100 moreThe Natural Resources Defense Council in 2017 asked

a federal court to vacate the registrations of nearly 100 products that contain one of several insecticides that are harmful to various bees, butterflies, birds, and insects. That case remains unresolved, even as the separate Center for Food Safety case led EPA to pull some pesticides from the market.

The cancellations affect 12 neonicotinoid- based products sold by Syngenta, Valent, and Bayer. The EPA ban is a win for environmentalists, but it still leaves 47 neonicotinoid-based products on the market.

Long-term impacts also to be studied

EPA pulls 12 neonicpesticides from market

Information from American Bee Jounral press release, supplemented by sustainablepulse.com and media reports.

Honey Pecan Pie

FILLING 1-1/2 c. pecans1 c. chocolate chips1/4 c. dark corn syrup3/4 c. honey1/4 c. brown sugar

Crust: Combine flour, salt, and butter in a large bowl. Using

a pastry cutter, work it all together until mixture resembles

coarse crumbs. Beat egg with fork and add to flour mixture,

along with vinegar. Add cold water. Stir together. Form mixture

into ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to

use. Press into pie pan.

Filling: Preheat oven to 350°. Mix eggs, brown sugar, salt,

corn meal, dark corn syrup, bourbon, vanilla, chocolate chips

and honey in a bowl until blended. Pour chopped pecans in

bottom of pie crust. Pour filling over the pecans. Bake at 350°

for 50 minutes. Center will still be slightly loose. --- April West, Louisville

1/4 c. bourbon4 eggs1/4 c. butter, melted2 t. white cornmeal2 t. vanilla extract1/4 t. salt

CRUST1-1/2 c. flour3/4 c. unsalted butter, cut in small pieces3 T. ice water1/2 t. salt1/2 t. white vinegar