Organic Beekeeping Society Newsletter- Spring 2001

Organic Beekeeping Society

Spring, Two Thousand and Two a.d. -- Newsletter

Organic Beekeeping Society Newsletter:

* Internal Hive Temperatures Research and Monitoring - A hive tool for determining the state of the colony in winter
* Investigating a likely natural remedy for foul brood disease
* First Annual Honey Exchange - Enjoy honey samples from different regions of the country.
* Honeybee Queen: Mother of Nations - What you may not have heard about requeening.
* Friends of the Honeybee Exchange - Promoting the exchange of Organic Beekeeping necessities and enjoyables.
Visit Organic Beekeeping Society Website

Member Researching: Honeybee Hive Improvements

Requesting any information useful in the research of different types of woods and their possible relation to pest control and hive acceptance. Also any information on the construction of hives in relation to alternative geometric shapes. Please send to: William Pointer 7608 Candies Creek Ridge Rd NW / Charleston, Tennessee 37310. E-mail: pointers@earthlink.net

Internal Hive Temperature Research and Monitoring

The temperatures maintained within the hive determine the acivity of the colony. A hive which becomes overheated in summer without adequate ventilation becomes anxious (often referred to as grumpy by bee keepers) and is likely to swarm. A hive which becomes too cool in winter becomes immobilized by the temperatures and stressed by the exposure to the cold. Being immobilized, bees often starve with honey nearby. Such a condition within the hive can be prevented by improved beekeeping practices. Internal and external temperature control methods are implemented and special caretaking practices used with the bees themselves to ensure the size of the colony does not dwindle to dangerously low levels.

We would like to take our studies a step further and research precise internal hive temperatures and correlate this with the activity of the queen in brood rearing, the field bees in foraging pollen and nectar and the dynamics between all of these. To participate in this research, would require a $20-25 investment on your part per hive to buy a remote temperature reading device (we will give the info for obtaining this).

This system could be modified with a pair of alligator clips to check all hives in a beeyard for internal hive temperatures. Without exposing your bees to winter chills, you may gather the condition of the cluster (size/temperature generated) within the hive. It is an excellent system for loss prevention.

How the research project will work

Anyone interested, should fill out the form at the end of this Newsletter. All involved in the project will participate in an email discussion group. This will help with sharing and comparing the information being gathered. Paperwork outlining the research will be given to each participant, copies to be later returned to the Organic Beekeeping Society or info sent in online. ALL participants will have access to ALL findings/charts/results etc. Everyone will have the benefit of seeing the complete findings.

A Remedy for Foul Brood Disease

First of all, I would like to thank William and Amy Pointer for their cotribution to this research.We invite members who are interested in more information on researching this natural remedy to contact us for specific information and methods of delivering the formula. In accordance with our standards, this formula is not harmful in any way to honeybee or bee keeper. It is in the form of a food quality essential oil combined with a nutritional supplement.

How the research project will work

(same as hive temperature research above) Anyone interested, should fill out the form at the end of this Newsletter. All involved in the project will participate in an email discussion group. This will help with sharing and comparing the information being gathered. Paperwork outlining the research will be given to each participant, copies to be later returned to the Organic Beekeeping Society or info sent in online. ALL participants will have access to ALL findings/charts/results etc. Everyone will have the benefit of seeing the complete findings.

First Annual Honey Exchange

The range and diversity of honey in various areas of North America can now be shared and enjoyed by all interested members of the Organic Beekeeping Society.
Our Annual Honey Exchange will occur at the beginning of November. Participants will save 3 pints (48 oz) of their prize honey for the exchange, send the honey in 12 - 4oz jars to the OBS for exchanging and resending. The boxes of 12 - 4oz jars will arrive back to your location with a variety of honey types from different parts of North America. There will be a small form included with each jar to provide you with information on the forage and location of the honey you are enjoying. The exchanged honey should all be received by each participant near the middle of November. This will be a pleasant feature in your homes during the End-November to First-of-New-Year Holiday Season. There will be a small fee to cover the return packaging and sending of the exchanged honey.
All interested in participating in the Honey Exchange, please fill out the form at the bottom of the page and check the Honey Exchange box.

Important Notes on Requeening

Honeybee Queen: Mother of Nations

When a honeybee queen is killed (for the purpose of requeening), there is seldom speculation concerning the quality of her line. It maybe to our benefit to explore bee keeping practices which include more thoughtful considerations. In C.C. Miller's 1915 book, Fifty Years Among the Bees, he addresses the issue as follows:

I am pretty sure that many of my queens do as good work in the second as in the first year, possibly better. But it, is not altogether a question as to whether a. queen does as well or better.in her second year, comparing it with the first. The question is rather as to what she will do in her second or third year as compared with what would be done by the average young queen that would replace her. However it may be elsewhere, the rule with my bees is that a queen which distinguishes herself by a good crop of honey in her first year, will keep above the average as long as she Lives. And I can count on the bees superseding her at the close of harvest whenever she reaches an age when it would seem profitable for me to replace her with a younger qneen.

Another thing may be worth considering. It is claimed, and with some show of reason, that longevity in bees is an important factor. One colony will be stronger in bees and brood than another beside it; while the latter mill store more honey. The explanation given is that the bees in the second colony are longer lived; It may not be unreasonable to suppose that if one has a strain of bees with queens which live to an unusual age, that the workers will also live to unusual age. So it may be the part of wisdom to encourage those queens which show a disposition to live beyond the usual span.

Hypothetical situation based on likely #s for the sake of reasoning

Let us make a comparison of the most likely practices regarding requeening and not requeening. The chart below considers the possible propagation of both a shortlived (referred to as 1-Year Queen) and a longlived (referred to as 5-Year Queen) in four common situations. Let us make the following assumptions:

First of all we will assume that C.C. Miller's reasoning is sound and that a long-lived queen will produce long-lived daughters (workers).
Longer lived queens are less common than shorter lived queens as a rule (this is the way with most creatures and a likely truth)
When allowed, each queen would likely produce two new colonies per year. The choice of two is just to set a common number for the sake of evaluating.

The numbers below the "name" of the queen is the number of daughter colonies she would be expected to produce in her lifetime in the given situation. On bottom left, the 2 means that either short-lived or long-lived queens would have only the same opportunity to produce daughter colonies regardless of natural longevity. On both top and bottom right, there is no propagation of either... unless oops a cell was missed. On top left, the 1-Year Queen produces what she normally would in her one year of life and the 5-Year Queen produces what she would if given the opportunity of her natural long life. Based upon the premises above, it is clear to see which situation would ENCOURAGE the propagation of long-lived bees.
Daughter Colonies produced by Queens in a Lifetime under given circumstances:

NO Requeening
Swarming allowed/Nucs formed or hives split (queen propagates)

1-Year Queen	5-Year Queen
2	10

NO Requeening
Swarming not allowed
(queen does not propagate)

1-Year Queen	5-Year Queen
--	--

Requeening
Swarming allowed/Nucs formed or hives split (queen propagates 1 year)

1-Year Queen	5-Year Queen
2	2

Requeening
Swarming not allowed
(queen does not propagate)

1-Year Queen	5-Year Queen
--	--

Now let us get to the issue of wintering. How will short-lived bees winter? How will long-lived bees winter?

A colony which starts winter with many bees and turns up dead in spring with a small (and therefore immobilized) starved or frozen cluster is probably from which group?
A colony which starts winter with a nice cluster and makes it through the winter with a small cluster and therefore weak colony is from which group?
A colony which starts winter with a nice cluster and comes through with enough bees for a strong spring beginning is from which group?

The factors considered when determining longevity must include the ability to resist and heal disease.

Friends of the Honeybee Exchange

This is for all members interested in the exchange of Organic Beekeeping necessities and enjoyables (i.e. fruits of the harvest). Many of our members craft Organic Beekeeping necessities and specialized goods from the harvest of the hive. This is a private, voluntary exchange for members only and is not commercial. Interested members, please check the box on the form below and we will forward more details to you.

Your Name:

E-Mail:

Mailing Address:

City:

State:

Zip Code:

Phone (optional):

Keeping Bees Since:

Please add me to honey exchange list
Type of honey you will exchange:

Please send me more details on Organic Beekeeping Classes

Please send me more details on Friends of the Honeybee Exchange

Research Projects

Please send me more details on Internal Hive Temperatures Research

Please send me more details on Foul Brood Remedy

For all requests, details will be sent within two weeks.

Visit Organic Beekeeping Society Website

[an error occurred while processing this directive]