sacramento area beekeepers association the bee line€¦ · beekeeping to agriculture, com-merce,...

Mission Statement:

To promote interest in, and

awareness of, the vital im-

portance of the honeybee and

beekeeping to agriculture, com-

merce, and the public at large.

2 0 1 3

A S SO C I A T I ON O F F I C E R S

President: Jim Russell

[email protected]

Vice President: Larry Hutteball

[email protected]

Secretary: Vacant

Treasurer: Kate Morton

[email protected]

C OMMI TTEE C ONTACTS

Class Coordinator: Nathan Amboy

Inventory: Paul Newman

Library: Doug & Gail Houck

Membership: Howard Mann

Honey Bee Ordinance Committee

Chairperson: Vacant

Mentor: George Bleekman

Webmaster: Martha Maldonado

Newsletter: Richard Begley

[email protected]

President’s Corner 2

Business Meeting Minutes 2

July Agenda 3

Free & Not-So-Free Stuff 3

“Natural” Beekeeping? 4

July in the Apiaries 5-6

New Members 6

Beekeeping Class 6

Links of the Month 7

Bee-Friendly Plants 7

Calendar of Events 8

2013—Issue 7

IIII N S I D EN S I D EN S I D EN S I D E T H I ST H I ST H I ST H I S I S S U EI S S U EI S S U EI S S U E ::::

July 2013

www.sacbeekeepers.org

Sacramento Area Beekeepers Association

________ The Bee Line ________________ The Bee Line ________________ The Bee Line ________________ The Bee Line ________

The Beekeeper as Scientist: Karl von Frisch (1886—1982)

Part 2:

Following his discovery and documentation of the honeybees’ ability to distin-guish the colors of flowers, Frisch turned his attention to understanding how they were able to communicate the location of nectar sources to other forag-ers in the hive. Through painstakingly careful observation, he discovered the ‘dance of the bees,’ which he described as a “performance so charming to watch that one despairs of describing it in bare words.”

To facilitate the close study needed, Frisch built an observation hive that placed the wax combs alongside each other, rather than behind one another; this enabled him to have a full view of the colony. He also devised a system of painting the workers in a combination of colors to permit the identification of 599 individual bees. This allowed him to spot the bee that first discovered a new source of nectar.

What Frisch and his assistants noticed was that the returning forager would first deposit her honey, and then perform a ‘dance’ in the midst of her fellow workers, who would follow her movements closely, touching her abdomen with their feelers, trying to catch the scent of the flowers she had visited.

Frisch’s greatest discovery was that there were two varieties of this dance: the simple, circular dance that was done when the nectar source was close to the hive, and another, more complex ‘waggle-dance’ to communicate the direction and distance of nectar sources much farther away.

As Wilson notes in her book, it was his documentation of the ‘waggle dance’ (Schwänzeltänze) that made Frisch an international celebrity.

In these dances the bee runs along a narrow semi-circle, makes a sharp turn, and then runs back in a straight line to her starting point. Next, she describes another semi-circle, this time in the opposite direction, thus completing a full circle, once more returning to her starting point in a straight line. She does this for several minutes, remaining on the same spot all the time: semi-circle to the left, straight back, then semi-circle to the right, straight back, and so on indefinitely. The characteristic feature which distinguishes this ‘wagging dance’ from the ‘round dance’ is the very striking, rapid wagging of the bee’s abdomen performed only during her straight run.

From: The Hive, The Story of the Honeybee and Us, by Bee Wilson, 2004.

President’s CornerPresident’s CornerPresident’s CornerPresident’s Corner July is starting off very hot. This will slow down the honey set as nectar dries up and bees switch to collecting wa-ter. Make sure your water source doesn’t dry up, even for a day. Thanks to George Bleekman and his helpers who demonstrated how to clean old frames and prepare the wax for melting. There was a handout with instructions to build a solar wax melter (see page 3).

July has a couple of major events. The State Fair starts July 12th and runs through the 28th. SABA is organizing the booth for the California State Beekeepers Association. There are 3 time slots per day; morning, afternoon and even-ing. Contact Kate Morton at [email protected] to sign up.

The other event is SABA’s annual picnic on Sat July 13th. We are making this year a demonstration, hands-on day at the UC Extension Center where we hold the classes. The Association is furnishing meat and cheese trays with rolls and bread for sandwiches. You can bring a side dish or dessert. The room will be open 9am - 4pm, a cool place out of the heat with a kitchen and fridge. We’ll set up a couple hives to inspect so bring your veil. We’ll have stations set up to rewire frames, to embed wax foundation (bring your own foundation) and to see a solar wax melter in action. Hope to see you there.

Jim RussellJim RussellJim RussellJim Russell

———- THE BEE LINE ——— July 2013

Minutes of June 18, 2013 Business Meeting I. Meeting called to Order at 7:08 pm New Member /Guest Introductions

II. Quorum Confirmation / Approval of March 2013 Minutes 25 Members Present, Quorum reached. A motion to ap-prove the minutes as published was made by George Bleekman and seconded by Howard Mann; motion was passed by vote of the membership

III. Treasurer Report by Kate Morton: $9,929.45 in checking and $6,591.23 in savings.

IV. Committee Reports

A. Classes - Nathan Amboy reported there were 39 attendees including the County AG inspectors at the Begin-ning class with Randy Oliver on June 16 and he noted that a beginning class in summer may be a good idea for next year. He is working with the Branch Center office for the schedule for next year, also, the key must be picked up on Thursdays as the Center will be closed on Fridays.

B. Events – 13 July SABA picnic and hands on event, Ginger Okeda-Smyth offered to assist with the food. Na-than suggested we mail information to the last beekeeping class if anyone has nucs for sale. Howard Mann re-ported on the Sac County Fair Memorial Day weeked and thanked the many volunteers. Ernie Buda commented on the disparity of the fee we were charged compared to the vendor next to our display, who paid no fee. CA State Fair signups are available for timeslots 12 July thru 28 July and the signup sheet was passed around.

C. Honeybee Ordinance – Ernie Buda discussed the language of the ordinance to propose to Sac County officials. Event proposed from Sac Press representative at the end of July to include panel discussion (some on panel yet to be announced), beer from local brewery with donation proceeds going to SABA. Tickets for this event have been pre-sold. SABA would provide one-day event ABC pass for alcohol and liability insurance. Ernie asked if SABA would have a table set up for presentation. Discussion ensued regarding use of donated money, date of event. Andy Little made a motion to ask if we want to go ahead with this. Discussion ensued. Andy rephrased motion – Should we move forward with this event that involves alcohol. Motion passed. Mojgan Fischer will organize details.

V. Unfinished Business

The Secretary position and HBO Chairs are still open, with no nominees. No report on audio visual equipment.

VI. New Business – Jim Russell presented information on Project Apis M. Motion made by Ernie Buda –do we want to donate an undetermined amount of money to PAm. Discussion ensued. Motion did not pass with 9 for/10 opposed and 5 abstentions.

VII. Meeting Adjournment at 8:18 pm with a motion by Ginger Okeda-Smyth and a second by George Bleekman, passing by vote of the membership.


Monthly Business Meeting Agenda July 16, 2013

I. Meeting called to Order

II Quorum Confirmation / Approval of June 2013 Minutes as published

III. Treasurer Report

IV. Committee Reports

a. Classes - Nathan Amboy

b. Events - Larry Hutteball

c. Honey Bee Ordinance Committee - Mojgan & Marty

V. Unfinished Business

a. Nominations for Secretary and Honey Bee Ordinance Committee Chair

b. Audio-Visual equipment for slide shows or videos

VI. New Business

VII. Meeting Adjournment

Clean glass jars with lids, various sizes, great for honey bottling. You pick up -Tahoe Park area. Call Georgianna at 916.266.1802

Any SABA member who would like to receive a copy of the SOLAR MELTER CONSTRUCTION PLAN presented at the June meeting can obtain it by sending a request to [email protected] or via the U.S. Post Office using the following address: George Bleekman, 9775 Oak Leaf Way, Granite Bay, CA 95746

5 Frame nucs, each with a 2013 Italian queen heading the colony. Nucs come complete in a 5 frame waxed cardboard box. $150 each; call George Bleekman at 916.791.0448.

$100: Strong established hive with queen from spring swarm capture for sale: buyer can swap their own new box and frames for full one. Contact Nathan Koppe, 916.440.0534 or at [email protected]


To help us make sense of our surroundings we categorize everything. We create mental boxes and we throw in them whatever resembles their simplistic labels. To sort beekeepers out, we have created several categories that include “hobbyist”, “commercial”, “organic”, “biodynamic” and “conventional”. Maybe because I do not use treatments against bee pests and diseases, some people place me into their “natural beekeeper” box and they say that I practice “natural beekeeping”. Hmmm!

Questions come to mind: Beekeeping is a deliberate human intervention in the life of bees. So, how can it be natu-ral? Or, is beekeeping, no matter how we practice it, a natural activity just because we are a part of nature? And then, is “natural beekeeping” an incongruity or a pleonasm? Do we see ourselves as part of nature? Or was nature given to us for our own use? This train of thought can get pretty heavy!

If we considered ourselves to be a part of nature and if we really were the “intelligent species” we claim to be, it seems that we would certainly take better care of our ecosystem than we do, wouldn’t we? Then beekeeping or any of our interactions with bees would be “natural”, don’t you think? The adjective would be redundant. Being wise people, we would all take really good care of the bees and other natural resources (Actually, even if we placed our-selves above nature, we should still manage natural resources judiciously, instead of exploiting them for our immedi-ate or short-term gains while ignoring future consequences, as we often do.)

And what is beekeeping anyway? As beekeepers, we provide bees with nest cavities. Then we manage our colonies. Hive management amounts to facilitating the work of the bees in the hope of being rewarded with surplus honey or other hives products. In principle, this is not different from ants farming aphids. However, the demands we place on our bees to meet our own goals differ greatly among practitioners.

It’s undeniable that bees are suffering under our watch and that many local environments and much of our global ecosystem are faltering. Certainly, our greed often overpowers our bits of wisdom. Maybe we are not as smart as we think we are... Ouch! This hurts our pride!

As a member of the human species, a primate, I claim that we are part of nature. Being a beekeeper, I interact di-rectly with honey bees and I unavoidably affect their species. In fact, we all do. Aware of this, I try to take care of the colonies that are in my hives by respecting their natural biological needs and rhythms, at least as far as I under-stand them. Because the process of natural selection has proven its value over millions of years, I strive not to nega-tively interfere with its workings. This is one of the main reasons why I do not treat my bee colonies for pests or dis-eases. This is also one of the main reasons why the bees that live in my hives came from the local bee population.

Nature is truly awe-inspiring and I want it to be my mentor. The beekeeping method I use is still evolving under its guidance, as I am always learning more from the bees. So, “natural” or not, I’m just trying to be a beekeeper.

July in the apiaries:

The long hot and dry days of summer are here. Around my apiaries, they normally bring nectar dearth. This year, dearth started very early in the spring and it is quite intense. Even though the stores of the overwintered colonies are still satisfactory, this year’s young colonies are light. Undoubtedly, this situation is due to the very low level of ground moisture we are experiencing, and it could have dire consequences over the next few months and winter.

At this season, except for the minor contribution of some irrigated vegetation, my colonies depend mainly on scant wild plants to survive and accumulate stores for fall and winter. Hives in other locations, such as in urbanized areas or under the influence of the ocean or the Bay, may have access to more generous nectar and pollen sources. A sampling of plants that normally attract forager bees in July includes yellow star and other thistles, California buck-wheat, toyons, lavenders, tarweed, yarrow, fennel, albizia, turkey mullein, and sunflowers, but much of the wild flora bloomed early and only briefly this year. It’s going to be a long and challenging summer!

Whereas the brood nests have been shrinking steadily since the end of May, the adult bee populations typically reach their peak in early July. The colonies adopted their “summer mode” when the spring honey flow ended. The drone brood and populations were substantially reduced or eliminated as soon as they became unnecessary burdens. The colonies need water to control the temperature and to maintain a safe level of relative humidity around the brood. Consequently, the bustling activity we observe in the flight paths may be due more to bees bringing water than to nectar foragers. Except in locations that enjoy a good summer honey flow, the nests are inching their way up into the hives, leaving empty comb in the bottom of the brood chambers.

Did you say “Natural beekeeping?” by Serge Labesque


July in the Apiaries (continued)

With little nectar available to them the foragers may turn to robbing in order to bring something back to their hives. Guard bees are on the alert and the colonies assume a more defensive stance. However, the hives that have weak defenses are at risk (Their entrances should not be kept exceedingly large.)

Remarkably, some of the foragers still manage to bring pollen to their nests. Most of this pollen is stored directly around the brood nests, but it is worth noting that pollen is also stored between the brood and the entrances when-ever space is available in these areas of the hives. This is part of the process of preparing for fall and winter.

I’ve learned to leave the monitoring trays in place in my hives during the summer to allow the colonies to control the conditions around the brood. This may be counterintuitive when we consider hive ventilation, but when I removed the monitoring trays, the dry air and ground below the hives seemed to stress the bees and desiccated the brood. In response, the colonies promptly propolized the unprotected screens. In addition, bees were attracted to the under-side of the screen, where they amassed and begged for honey. Leaving the monitoring trays out of the screened bottoms is definitely not a good way to provide ventilation, at least not under the conditions my colonies experience during the summer. Alternatively, generous screened upper ventilation slots and follower boards are safer and more effective. The entrance reducers, the sliding shutters I use to regulate the width of the entrances, are either in place and adjusted to match the strength of the colonies, or at the ready.

During the summer I visit my apiaries just as frequently as I normally would during the spring. I observe the bee activity, inspect the exterior of the hives and the monitoring trays, but I do not perform open-hive inspections every time. When I open hives, these manipulations are brief, most often limited to the honey supers. The brood nests are reached only when there is a good reason to do so. The timing of these infrequent summer open-hive inspec-tions is important in order to avoid triggering robbing, midafternoon being the worst. When hives are opened, honey should not be left exposed for any length of time, and we must be prepared to interrupt the inspections at any mo-ment, should robbing start. In summer and in the fall, it takes very little to trigger robbing. When this happens, it is crucial to act quickly in order to defuse the dangerous situation and to protect the hives that are threatened, because they might be quickly destroyed. At least, the entrance of the hives that are under assault should be reduced to the point that not more than two bees can enter at the same time. Most effective is to completely shut the hive immedi-ately and to move it to a different apiary, an empty super being left at its location. In these conditions, it is prefera-ble to return wet frames to the hives in the evenings. Whereas the strong colonies are best left undisturbed, the hives that show signs of weakness require our attention. Neglecting them is not an option. Combining weak hives or hives that do not build up satisfactorily in early summer but that are otherwise healthy can strengthen the apiaries. Re-queening them with queens we produced in the spring may also help reinvigorate frail hives, although this has to be done carefully in periods of dearth. In addition we need to follow up on the new colonies we started in the spring, which is particularly pleasurable and easy.

With very rare exceptions, I have stopped raising queens and dividing colonies during the summer, because the con-ditions are not favorable to perform these tasks around my apiaries. The new colonies that were produced during the hot season could not build up stores before winter, and this forced me to feed them in the fall. It was a mistake.

Harvesting honey is one of the rewards of keeping bees, as long as we leave enough stores for the bees. This year, surplus honey is bound to be scarce! Yet, honeydew honey can be significant in dry years. Bee bread will become critical to the good nutrition and development of the winter bees in the fall. So, we should refrain from disturbing its placement in the hives.

Most years, all the supering that needs to be done is usually completed by early June. So, in summer I limit the ad-dition of nectar storage space to the rotation of extracted frames back into the hives, since the summer honey flow is typically meager around my apiaries.

Frames with foundation have to be removed from the hives in periods of dearth in order to avoid their destruction. On the contrary, empty frames that were not built may be left in the hives. Their presence improves air flow through the hives and allows the loosening of the masses of hive bees without driving them to hang idly outside, bearding.

Providing hives with some shade in the afternoons can help reduce the demand for water but does not eliminate it. So, there should be water safely accessible by the bees within a few hundred yards of the hives.

The grasses on the hills have dried. The fire danger is to be kept in mind when we use our smokers. Yet, this is not a good reason for not lighting them! Swarms in July? “Not worth a fly!” as they say. But we are too soft hearted to ignore them, aren’t we?

(continued on page 6)


July in the Apiaries (continued)

In summary, this month:

� - Keep an eye on the health of the colonies.

� - Manage honey supers (less space is needed as the nectar flow decreases).

� - Finish harvesting surplus spring honey, but do not overharvest, particularly from hives kept in the dry hills, where

the bees will be consuming more honey during the summer than they will be producing.

� - Extract and bottle honey.

� - Return extracted supers to the bees for cleaning or re-filling.

� - Provide adequate air circulation through the hives (upper ventilation slots and follower boards).

� - Provide afternoon shade.

� - Ensure that water is constantly available to the bees.

� - Remove frames of undrawn beeswax foundation.

� - Follow up on the development of the colonies (keep notes!)

� - Requeen or combine hives that are not per-

forming satisfactorily, and those that have failing queens.

� - Observe and evaluate young queens and their offspring. Take notes for later selection, combination or replacement.

� - Be aware of and avoid situations and manipu-

lations that can trigger robbing.

� - Beware of the fire danger of using the hot smoker in dry grass.

� - Discard old and misshapen combs.

� - Render wax from discarded frames and from

cappings (separately). The solar wax melt- ers work very well at this season.

� - Routinely clean and scorch tools and equipment.

Serge Labesque © 2013

Welcome, New Members

Stephanie Anderson, Wilton Mike Nicholson, Sacramento Tom Bascochea, Sacramento Teddi Paul, Murphys Paul Basilius, Fair Oaks Kevin Renkert, Orangevale Ilene Combs, Sacramento Heather Roberts, Sacramento Ryan Cummings, Sacramento Jeff Roberts, Sacramento Richard Gardner, Folsom Toby Thorp, Roseville John Mast, Sacramento Mike Wood, Roseville

SABA Advanced-Level Beekeeping Class

� August 10th; Dr. Eric Mussen

Class fees: $35 for SABA members, $45 for non-members. Checks should be made payable to SABA.

Class will be held at the UCD Extension Center, 4145 Branch Center Road (off Kiefer Road west of Bradshaw Road). Class starts at 8:00 a.m., ends at approximately 4:00 p.m. For additional information, contact Nathan Amboy, Class Coordinator, at [email protected], or 530.367.3591

Links of the Month Copy and Paste in Your Browser

Dr. Mussen Goes to Monsanto; International Honey Market Report; Bees Overseas; Honey Bees at City Hall; Honey Dr. Mussen Goes to Monsanto; International Honey Market Report; Bees Overseas; Honey Bees at City Hall; Honey Dr. Mussen Goes to Monsanto; International Honey Market Report; Bees Overseas; Honey Bees at City Hall; Honey Dr. Mussen Goes to Monsanto; International Honey Market Report; Bees Overseas; Honey Bees at City Hall; Honey

Bees Natural History 2; Why Bees Are Dying and the End of Our Food Supply?; Pollinator HedgerowsBees Natural History 2; Why Bees Are Dying and the End of Our Food Supply?; Pollinator HedgerowsBees Natural History 2; Why Bees Are Dying and the End of Our Food Supply?; Pollinator HedgerowsBees Natural History 2; Why Bees Are Dying and the End of Our Food Supply?; Pollinator Hedgerows

� http://entomology.ucdavis.edu/files/168326.pdf

� http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=5fd2b1aa990e63193af2a573d&id=03a9e673f0&e=52a8d1e6c5

� http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/15051530/86658029/name/FourSeasonssum13.pdf

� http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=5fd2b1aa990e63193af2a573d&id=b9e2c90a7b&e=52a8d1e6c5

� http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsCmSWoF8PY&feature=em-subs_digest-vrecs

� http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/06/08/bees-dying-off.aspx?e_cid=20130608_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20130608

� http://plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov/wordpress/?p=4241


July 2013: Bee Plants of the Month

Native Plant of the Month: Button Willow - Cephalanthus occidentalis - Family Rubiaceae

This pretty shrub likes water, as the “willow” would indicate. It grows up to 15 feet tall and wide. She can tolerate sun or part shade and can naturalize a wet area such as along a creek or in a moist area. You may have seen Button Willow growing alongside a creek or river in the foot-hills or Sierra.

The leaves are bright green, and turn yellow in the fall. The plant is de-ciduous, losing leaves in the fall. The white flowers are round as a ball, looking like buttons all over the bush. The flowers are fragrant, so if you have a nice cool creek or a rain garden you could relax there on a hot day and enjoy the sweet scent. Bees and butterflies enjoy the nec-tar-rich blossoms, and birds eat the seeds.

Beneficial Plant of the Month: Crape Myrtle - Lagerstromemia - Family Lythraceae

Crape Myrtle is planted widely as a street or parking lot tree, and provides a good source of summer pollen and nectar in suburban areas. You can plant them in the more rural areas, as long as you have warm to hot summers. Foggy coastal areas are not great locales for Crape Myrtle, as they are very prone to mildew, and don’t bloom as well in cool-summer regions. However, there are hybrids that are resistant to mildew, so if you live in a borderline area, you might want to plant a couple.

The flowers range from white (which I think bees prefer, but that might be due to the location of my neighbor’s white-flowered tree which is about 10 feet away from my hives), to red, pink and lavender. They are borne in large clusters that keep blooming all through the summer. The pretty leaves, which turn red, orange or red-purple in fall, along with the peeling bark that shows different shades of gray, brown or reddish colors make Crape Myrtle a year-round, attractive addition to many gardens.

Alice Ford-Sala, Sonoma County Beekeepers Association

C A L E N D A R O F E V E N T S

� July 12th - 28th: California State Fair Beekeeping Booth; Contact Kate Morton to sign up for a 4 hour

shift; 916.370.2271 or [email protected].

� Saturday, July 13th, 9:00—4:00: SABA members– free hands-on class/picnic/pot luck at UCD Exten-

sion Center, 4145 Branch Center Rd. Re-wire frames, embed wax foundation, see a solar wax melter, talk to mentors, have a picnic.

� Tuesday, July 16th, 7:00 p.m.: SABA Monthly Meeting, Town and Country Lutheran Church, 4049

Marconi Ave.

� Wednesday, July 24th, 6:30-9:30: Premier Showing

of “Wings of Life” documentary at UC Davis; https://registration.ucdavis.edu/Item/Details/83

� Saturday, August 3rd: Fair Oaks Harvest Festival; contact Ernie Buda

� August 10th: Advanced Beekeeping Class, by Dr.

Eric Mussen, 8:00 a.m. to approximately 4:00 p.m. - see page 6 for details

SACRAMENTO AREA BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION 2110 X STREET SACRAMENTO, CA 95818

Website: www.sacbeekeepers.org

E-mail: [email protected]

Newsletter Editor: [email protected]

Address Correction Requested

sacramento area beekeepers association the bee line€¦ · beekeeping to agriculture, com-merce,...

Documents