APIS Volume 12, Number 1, January 1994
In this issue
- Managing African Honey Bee Complexities
- Shortage of Bees for Pollination
- Crowding Bees
- More on Fluvalinate
- Apis in Gopherspace
MANAGING AHB COMPLEXITIES
As the African honey bee (AHB) becomes established in the United States, information on the complexities of managing this insect is becoming more available. In his November/December, 1993 issue of From the UC Apiaries, Dr. Eric Mussen reported how southern Texas beekeeper Bill Vanderput summarized his experiences, "...25 percent more stings, 25 percent more work and 25 percent more sweat." Although 30 percent of supersedure queens appeared mated to AHBs, only 10 percent were "noticeably Africanized." Empty equipment is colonized by AHB swarms. Most noticeable about AHB colonies: 1. nothing dramatic when cover removed; (2) lots of festooning on frames; (3) increased stinging, but not really bad. Honey must be removed or AHB swarms, but both African and European seem to be adequate honey producers.
Meanwhile, in Mexico, Dr. Mussen reported that Dr. Ernesto Guzman from that country said that 100,000 swarms per year were being trapped. In spite of this, not all beekeepers are equally affected. Some noticed little effect, while others went out of business. On the other hand, free bees provided an impetus to go into business for many. About 29 deaths per year are attributed to AHB in the country. Beekeeping practices have changed; in particular, colony number has been reduced to yards of 15-25. Beekeepers are able to move colonies, but AHBs abscond when nectar is in short supply. Management is generally costing about 30 percent to 50 percent more than before.
Enrique Estrada and Sue Cobey reported on his methods to maintain gentle bees in Mexico in the December 1993 American Bee Journal. Using technology he learned from Dr. Rich Hellmich, formerly at the USDA Baton Rouge Bee Laboratory, Mr. Estrada saturates his breeding area with drones. His queen breeding stock is based on instrumental insemination. Mr. Estrada says his expenses are more, but the breeding effort is paying off in keeping valuable customers. He will present his findings at the annual meeting of the American Beekeeping Federation in Orlando.
Into the fray comes Dr. William Ramirez, University of Costa Rica. Writing in the January 1994 issue of American Bee Journal, Dr. Ramirez says many widely held views about AHB are not correct. "Swarming and absconding do not occur. They produce abundant honey..." Almost in the same breath, however, he says, "I have found that the size of the hive must be reduced to the brood chamber, and sugar feed must be provided during the wet season (dearth period) to prevent absconding." He sees only two negative aspects of AHB: greater defensive behavior and increased collection of propolis. The competent beekeeper, Dr. Ramirez believes, can handle any so-called "problems" posed by the AHB.
"Africanized Bees in the United States," Scientific American, December 1993, by Dr. Tom Rinderer and colleagues, Baton Rouge Bee Laboratory, also examines the AHB in some detail. These investigators suggest a pattern in the United States could develop like that in Argentina. A "transition zone" has established itself at about the latitude of Buenos Aires where a mixture of Africanized and European bees exist. Thus, in the U.S., European-like bees may be less competitive in the Deep South and African-like in the North. They conclude: "It is inevitable that the incursion of Africanized bees into the U.S. will increase the costs of managing commercial colonies, at least temporarily. It is also likely that some African genes will spread through feral and managed bee colonies. Yet vigilance and coordination by apiculturists have every chance of preserving the European behavior of commercial honeybee stocks..."
The above information, along with other reports dribbling in about AHB, indicates that definitive answers to questions about management of this insect continue to be controversial. One thing is abundantly clear, however. The coming of the African bee will not be "business as usual" for U.S. beekeepers.
SHORTAGE OF BEES?
The January 1994 issue of FloridAgriculture suggests honey bee numbers are dropping while demand increases in the state. There are uncertain times ahead as beekeepers are faced with mite problems, a depressed market price for honey and the coming of the African bee. This may be particularly important in citrus. As new varieties come on line, many require pollination for adequate seed and fruit production. According to the article, those planting new varieties have been disappointed by yields. It is estimated, for example, that the new Sunburst tangerine variety needs a minimum of one hive for every two acres.
The concern has produced a demand for commercial pollination which could be good for beekeepers. According to Mr. Laurence Cutts, Chief Apiary Inspector, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, common practice in groves has flip-flopped. Growers are now seeking beekeepers to put hives on their plantings instead of the reverse.
A warning included in the article, however, should be taken seriously. Unscrupulous operators may take advantage of this climate and rent substandard colonies. Again, according to Mr. Cutts, "Fraudulent operators could bring weak hives--hives with only a few bees--to a grove, duping the grower into thinking he was getting full service."
The November, 1993 issue of Citrus Industry mirrors the concern about bee shortages. According to Carol Teeter, "Declining Honey Subsidies May Make Apiculturists Out of Specialty Growers," one cooperative, Haines City Citrus Growers Association, rented pollination services for the first time last year.
Alternatives for commercial renting of honey bees by citrus growers are not attractive, Ms. Teeter said. The use of chemicals to set fruit (growth regulators like gibberellic acid) are not dependable every year and wild honey bee populations have been decimated by the introduced Varroa bee mite. Some growers are considering becoming beekeepers themselves. The costs, however, are not trivial. The article estimates a maintenance fee of anywhere from $50 to $75 per year.
In summary, the article concludes, "...these developments hint that citrus growers and honey producers are likely to be linked even more in the future, bonded more than in the past by the exchange of money; the latter hounded by limiting interventions of government; the former challenged by new skills along with new burdens of overhead expense. Market forces, as always, will seek their own levels."
CROWDING BEES
Every beekeeper is taught that strong colonies are the essence of beekeeping. However, what does crowding of bees do to a colony? Dr. John Harbo, USDA Baton Rouge Bee Laboratory, reports on this in his study "Worker-Bee Crowding Affects Brood Production, Honey Production, and Longevity of Honey Bees," Journal of Economic Entomology, Vol. 86, No. 6, pp 1672-1678, December 1993.
Through an elaborate set of experiments, using several hive sizes and different initial populations, Dr. Harbo found that in winter more crowded bees consumed less honey, but produced less brood and lived shorter than less crowded colonies. In spring and summer, more crowded bees produced more honey. They also produced less brood, but the difference was not as marked as in winter.
With reference to how available space affected colonies during honey producing times, the results are not clear cut. "Of three treatments, colonies with five combs in a 25-liter hive produced the most honey and colonies with additional space and comb (10 frames in a 47-liter hive) produced the least, while colonies of five frames in a 47-liter hive were intermediate.
MORE ON FLUVALINATE?
A report in the January 1994 American Bee Journal, suggested that Israeli beekeepers were experiencing some trouble with their traditional method of treating for Varroa. Plywood strips dipped in Maverik (R) were killing bees. The material is toxic when wet, but after drying has previously not been hazardous. I posed several questions about fluvalinate's use to Dr. Yaacov Lensky, Triwaks Bee Research Facility, Faculty of Agriculture, Rehovot. Here is his reply.
- Has Mavrik (R) been reformulated? The answer is no. The local dealer of Mavrik (R) uses a machine for distributing Maverik (R) in small containers of one liter. The machine that was used for the preparation of Mavrik (R) had been contaminated with another insecticide, an organic phosphate, Dursban (R). This particular batch has been used for the preparation of plywood inserts. Beekeepers who used the inserts later found some poisoning of their bee colonies. So Mavrik (R) had not been reformulated, but contaminated, due to the carelessness of the dealer.
- Are mites resistant to Fluvalinate? Until now there were no indications. However, when beekeepers do not apply the Apistan strips or inserts properly, mostly without leaving enough space for a worker to walk upon the strip, then the control of the mite is only partial. We had no problems with Mavrik (R) because we deposit the inserts at hive entrances and not in the brood nest. It seems that Apistan (R) strips or fluvalinate inserst that are exposed to high ambient summer temperatures lose their acaricidal effect and their use may result in only partial mortality of Varroa.
- What does this mean for use in the United States? If Maverik (R) is not contaminated by another insecticide, you have no problems. I feel that you may have problems by using Apistan (R) strips for too long periods or at too high levels. They are useless after three to four weeks. The recommended six weeks can only contribute to a higher accumulation of fluvalinate in wax and honey. The legal Apistan (R) strips contain higher levels of fluvalinate than the inserts. The recommendation to use two strips and not a single one does not seem to be justified based on field trials in different climates. It is a pity that there are no reports concerning Apistan (R) residues in wax and honey.
APIS IN GOPHERSPACE
In the last issue of APIS, I said somewhat whimsically that APIS might soon be found either at an FTP site or GOPHER in the future. I found out soon thereafter that the newsletter is already available on two servers. Talk about being behind the technological curve! For the initiated, back issues are indeed available in Gopherspace. A Veronica search using the title as the keyword quickly finds the sites. One is menu item #77 while doing an APIS search at Nysernet.
Other electronic news comes from Andy Nachbaur, SYSOP of Wildbees BBS in California. He now has an internet connection (andy.nachbaur@beenet.com). His latest message:
"The Wild Net that BeeNet is a conference of continues to grow with 400+- bbs's that could get the BeeNet. I am sure before the year is out it will be available via satellite as a read only network worldwide. It really boggles my mind; now, if just more beekeepers would get interested I can see many good things in this age of communications that beekeepers big and small could use to their advantage. I have been able to use the internet highway to post messages to Holland and they are working on a bbs connection in England."
If you are interested in electronic communication, I recommend getting a copy of the latest paper by Tom Fasulo, Jane Medley and myself published in BeeScience, "Electronic Delivery of Apicultural Information," Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 10-15, July, 1993. I have reprints and will mail them in response to requests.
We still have copies of the beekeeping database available. Since advertising it in October 1993, we have sold a number of copies as far away as Canada. It is featured in some detail in the BeeScience article. The database sells for $50.00; 70 percent of the income derived is donated to the Department of Entomology and Nematology at the University of Florida for further development of computer programs involving extension entomology. The package runs on all IBM-compatible computers equipped with a hard drive, DOS 3.1 or higher, 640K memory and EGA, VGA or SVGA card and appropriate monitor. Send a check with your order to Beekeeping Database, c/o Dr. Marion Ellis, Entomology Department, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE. Be sure to please specify 5.25 or 3.5 inch diskettes.
Malcolm T. Sanford
Bldg 970, Box 110620
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-0620
Phone (904) 392-1801, Ext. 143 FAX: 904-392-0190
INTERNET Address: MTS@GNV.IFAS.UFL.EDU
