Lazy Days of Summer!

Honeybee on Goldenrod

August 21, 2013

It has been a month since I wrote about the bees...During that period, we just looked and speculated how much honey were in the supers. It is always a good thing not to disrupt the bees. Inspecting too often slows them down, and "break" their bee-routine.

Overall, we will have a good harvest...if the bees decide to finally cap the nectar that is becoming honey! Last week-end, we saw that many cells are open, although full to the brim; the honeybees have not placed a little layer of wax on them yet. Therefore, we have to wait for them to finish their job, so we can do ours: harvesting.

In order for us to take the boxes full of honey, each frame has to be 80-85% capped. This how it works.

The foraging bees are still collecting some nectar, this substance has a lot of moisture. The bees inside the hive will agitate their little wings, fanning each cell. This activity will "dry" the nectar, and them when the water content is 18.6%,  other house bees will secrete some wax and deposit a thin layer of wax on each and every cell. this is called:capping.

Natural garden where the Russian bees are located

 We hope that this perfect very hot weather will encourage the bees to get busy. We hope to harvest during Labor Day weekend...but will they be done? We will see.

On another note, we had a misadventure with a hive in Shakopee.  Since Spring, this colony has been struggling. It had a very small population of bees, but nothing indicated that they were sick. Then the colony rebounded, and the population increased steadily. But in mid-July, the hive was quiet. We discovered that there was about only 300 bees! But the queen was still alive. However, a family of beetles (four spotted beetle), invaded the declining colony. In addition, a family of mice were happily lodging under the hive! These opportunistic pests had found a wonderful location...warm, cosy, full of food and safe from predators!

We "kicked out" all the intruders at once! However, I am afraid that this colony will not survive. It is very late in the season to "help" it, by giving them frames of bees and brood from our other healthy hives.

5-frame nuc

I am tempted to take the bees and queen and to place them in a very small box (called a nuc, or nucleus hive made of 5 frames only ), and to give them some pollen and honey.

                                                                               

This is what it would look like!

    Bring them back to Chanhassen, so the mini-colony is closer to me and I can keep an eye on them.  I will wrapped them in the Fall...and see. I have nothing to lose in doing so. I feel I have to do "something" but I am not optimistic. I love my bees. But sometimes, they are a headache .

Nectar Flow!

Hive in Shakopee, so tall! 

  We went to visit our 7 hives on July19, after a very hot and warm week. In Shakopee, we had to add another super on our best hive #1. There is a total of 6 supers already! This is going to be fun (not!) to carry all those heavy boxes across the field to our car. We will see maybe Peter will let us borrow his 4 wheeler.

  As this hive is magnificent, the queen is so prolific, the bees are healthy and very busy. We cannot say that about the other hive, which is really struggling. The queen does not lay more than a handful of eggs. We saw less than 20-25 capped cells of brood. There are plenty of nectar and pollen, but the colony is not going to survive. It is too small to sustain itself properly. Of course we could intervene (again!), and give them a few frames of eggs and bees but then there is a potential risk to disrupt our other hives at a very important time in the season. We have decided to do nothing and to wait and see. If it is not doing well, there must be a reason; but at this pint I don't know what is happening. Since the spring, it has caused us headaches...So, let it be.

Bees on the porch in Chanhassen!

Our 4 colonies in Chanhassen are doing well. This warm and hot weather encouraged everyone to bring back lots of nectar and lots of pollen. All queens are finally doing very well, and seem eager to lay many eggs! The honey bee population has now exploded. Drones are around, surveying the surrounding!

While  temperatures are climbing, the bees spend a lot of time outside the hive...resting and getting some "fresh air" (see picture).

The overwintering hive (#1) is doing well, we added another super, making in 4. Colonies #2 and #3 are progressing nicely, collecting nectar and storing it in the supers as well. They are also working on making new wax for the cells, this activity is called: drawing the combs. This requires a lot of energy and resources from the bees.

Fresh wax

The Russian colony

The Russian colony in Chanhassen remains calm, and very busy. Those darker bees are always in a good mood, bringing nectar and pollen like they are suppose to do at this time. It has five supers now, and the honeybees are filling the cells rhythmically without stress. Beautiful to watch the bees coming and going. It does smell very nice when we open the hive...warm honey...delicious!

That is all for now.   Farmer's Market in St.Boni today from 3-7pm!

The Bees and Summer

The hives are getting taller!

We finally can say that Summer is here! After a difficult Spring, and very wet June...the bees are happier. Our 7 hives are doing fine now. The queens are all healthy, and busy laying eggs. The foragers come back with loads of pollen on their legs! Now that we had few days in the 80's F (26C), they are collecting a lot of nectar. While driving, it is good to see that there are many plants in bloom for the bees. I hope the weather will stay warm and sunny for few weeks encouraging the foragers! Since mid-June I put many supers (box to collect honey). The hives are really tall...some are now as tall as I am!

I was so busy in June with the queens, and trying to save the colonies that I forgot to tell you that Nicolas and I are doing 2 Farmers' Market selling our honey! 

Nicolas and Karine selling honey!

We are in St. Boni (Wednesdays 3-7pm) and St.Louis Park ( 10-2pm) Farmers' Market once a month. In July we will be in St. Louis Park on July 9, and St. Boni July 24. If you have a time, come and stop by!

Happy 4th. of July!

Why Bees Are So Complicated?

Hives in Shakopee

When I thought that everything was going well... Well....I "lost" 3 queens!!!! I don't know where they went, I don't know what happened to them. Do you remember I could not see any eggs!

From deduction, and observation I can only speculate to what could have happened to those queens which  are located in different apiaries and about 10-15 miles apart. One reason, the queens became sick suddenly (because, they did not lay anymore eggs before dying, hence no replacement queens possible) This is absolutely contrary to nature... in doing so, the colony will be extinct. The second possible explanation, would be that I crushed or injured all of them when manipulating the frames! I would think that I am careful, but maybe one could be injured but 3!!! Highly unlikely.

The third option, would be that mosquito control was used by the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District  in that region. But I checked with the environmental Coordinator in Eden Prairie, she said that the helicopters that I saw were not spraying chemicals but "they may do some chemical spraying or use briquettes on the ground in specific areas however."  I looked on their website: http://www.mmcd.org/index.html (Metropolitan Mosquito Control District) and either the lakes/ponds and swamps around the colonies had not been sprayed yet, or they use Bt in granules...which is "supposed" to not affect honey bees! So, now you have it!!! Even if I am suspicious of this type of control.

Spring planting in MN (photo: Tim Post)

Still not satisfied, I then asked at the University of Minnesota,  (Entomology Department)  a very knowledgeable professor, and well known apiarist. They both suspected dust emitted by tractors when planting seeds! The idea is that each seed is coated with  chemicals called neonicotinoids, in order to deter insects from damaging the plant as it grows. Again, I am suspicious about this idea. It is in fact been a lot in the media, but has not been scientifically proven to be a sole culprit in the death of honey bees.

All this to me is only speculation, and absolutely not a certainty. I don't know what happened to my queens; all I know is that they were doing well, laying good eggs, and looking plump and  healthy. Then, 10 days later, during my inspection, they were gone/ dead with no possible replacement because the queens had suddenly stopped laying eggs. Therefore, the workers had no capacity to raise a queen on their own to save their colony.
I found this strange   and troubling that it happened to 3 of my hives simultaneously! The hives would have been doomed if I had not intervened. How sad is that? The bees, with all their ingenuity, and efficacy would have perished. What a calamity....

The Strange Disappearance of Queens

Queen 

I had checked on the colonies last May 15, 2013. They were all doing well, and building up. It was a bit slower than a "normal" spring because we have had (and still have) a lot of rainy and grey days. Honeybees don't like that kind of weather.

On the last day of May, the 31st. I went again to take a look to make sure the bees were still fine, and there way to a great season. As I opened the first hive in Shakopee, I could not see any eggs! I took every frame out and looked on both sides twice!!! I could not believe my eyes. I thought that can't be possible, the colony looked just fine 2 weeks ago.

Construction of a queen cell

I notice only one queen cup, which was filled with royal jelly. Worker bees build these in preparation to raise a queen. I did not think much of it because sometimes some honeybees, like the Russian bees have this tendency ...to be ready in case the queen fails.

I was still puzzled about not seeing eggs, but thought that maybe my eyes could not see them anymore...they are very small after all. And I know that sometimes I need to use my reading glasses when the print is too fine. I opened up the second hive, the one which has overwintered 4-5 times...our strongest, the one who gives us most of our honey. Same thing again...I did not find any eggs. I was dumbfounded. How could that be... the honeybees looked so beautiful, calm, healthy, very blond, and strong.

Capped queen cells

       However, in this hive there were many capped queen cells on few frames. So, they were raising a new queen..I knew that much.

Raising a new queen is "decided" by the workers. The "outgoing" queen will still lay eggs, then the workers choose a few eggs ( less than 4 day old), and give them a lot of royal jelly, more than they would give a mere worker, or drone (male). This stimulates the development of sexual organs, which workers have but are atrophied and not functioning. Nature had decided to take over, so be it! I won't interfere.

I drove back to Chanhassen, anxious to inspect the other colonies. To my delight the Russian bees were great, collecting pollen and flying around...still I opened the hive...and saw eggs!!! I almost did a pirouette on the spot! What a relief!

Now to the last apiary where I had lost 2 hives. Ben and I had divided both live colonies, to make 2 new hives. I was going to get 2 queens few days later, so I could introduce them to their new homes.

One colony looked strong as I walked towards the row of hives. when I opened it, I was a big smile plastered on my face! Liz was helping me :) That is always a bonus:) We lifted, and moved some boxes.

We opened the next one, and Liz who was working the smoker noticed that the bees were very agitated, she could barely keep up with the smoker! I could not see eggs...not again. This time I ask Liz to take a look at the frames.....SHE could not see any eggs either!!! She does have a younger pair of peepers! I thought: unbelievable! I must have said that 50 times.

Honeybee's eggs (look like grain of rice!)

What a day! From 5 hives which survived the last never ending winter and started well, I only had 2 colonies with a queen!!! This was not a good scenario. But what I thought was very strange was the similarity among the colonies. Why did the queens seemed to have "vanished"? There are many pseudo answers: the queen was sick, she was not laying eggs properly, and worst case..I had crushed her inadvertently. But these explanations did not make sense...there were absolutely no eggs at all. Meaning: It must have been sudden.

I can tell you that I was very sad. I love my bees and try very hard to make them happy.

Honeybee Health Facts

Beautiful bees having a feast! Notice the pollen baskets!

As spring is finally taking hold in my neck of the wood, many articles throughout the world have been written regarding the health of the honey bee population on the planet.

You may have read or heard about  the European Commission which will enact a 2 year ban on a class of pesticides, called neonicotinoids, starting December 1st. 2013. Bayer CropScience, the German company and Syngenta a Swiss biomedical company develop and produce many of the pesticides and fertilizers that are used in agriculture throughout the world today.

It is true that the total number of managed honeybee colonies has declined from 5 million in the 1940's to about 2.5 million today. (ARS) In the meantime the need for pollination services has increased tremendously. Therefore the colonies of bees have to travel (or be transported) over longer distance and probably more often to cover all the crops, adding potential  stress.

In the 1980's, the US had seen a sharp decline in the health of the honey bee due mainly to pests and pathogens. Then 10 years later, the Varroa mite made its grand entrance via Asia, exacerbating the losses in the USA.

In 2006-07 the population of bee loss was: 32%,  2007-08: 36%, 2008-09: 29%, 2009-10: 34% and 2010-11: 30% , 2011-12 : 21.9% * It was overall a warmer winter in the US, but there is absolutely no scientific evidence or research between warmer weather and CCD  (are.usda.gov). The Bee Informed Partnership (http://beeinformed.org), in collaboration with the Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is releasing preliminary results for the seventh annual national survey of honey bee colony losses,  2012-13: 31.1%

Another potential problem, beside pests and pathogens is the increased use of systemic insecticides, which get into the pollen and nectar of plants.  When properly used, the systemics are likely a blessing for bees, but comb sampling suggests that they are sometimes problematic.  Judy Wu (2011) studied the effects of the toxic stew of miticides and systemic insecticides in commercial brood combs upon bee larval mortality and development, and adult longevity.  Not surprisingly, the brood and bees suffered.  Wu concluded, “Combined effects from honey bee exposure to pesticide residue in brood comb … may contribute to reduced honey bee colony health, as affected queens and worker bees are unable to meet the demand for brood production and resources needed to sustain large colony populations.”

In addition, both Judy Wu and other scientists have unpublished data which suggest that pesticide residues may make bees more susceptible to nosema, viruses, and Varroa.  The above findings may help  explain why colonies run in commercial pollination are so hard to keep alive!  It is also true, that  commercial beekeepers have seen their  colonies go downhill after being exposed to the plethora of pesticides used in agriculture.  A  problem that cannot be ignore is that the residues remain in the combs, affecting the next generations of bees when beekeepers restock their dead-outs.  Queen failures are also commonplace these days. (Scientific Beekeeping, R. Oliver)

Something interesting to note: In Europe regarding bee decline; data before 2008 can't be compared because each country did not used the same method of compilation. In France 2010-11 the bee loss was 17-22%, and it is also important to say that Gaucho a neonicotinoid (imidacloprid) has been ban on sunflowers since 1999.

However since 2008, the bee protection organization call COLOSS, compared surveys of honeybee losses in 2009 and 2010 in Europe with the rates of neonicotinoid application in the same areas, and in separate survey. They found no correlation. In countries experiencing bee decline, Varroa is feared even if necotinoids are absent! In France, it has been found that bee decline in mountainous areas are similar to those losses on agricultural land, although neonics are commonly used in the latter but not in the former,  explains Dr. Cythia Scott-Dupree, Professor and Associate Chair of Environmental Biology MSC, PhD at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The upland areas of Switzerland, is another example where the neonicotinoids are not used and again the bee population is under significant pressure from the mites (Varroa).
On the other hand, where Varroa mites are not present like...in Australia, the bee population is thriving even when neonicotinoids are widespread in agriculture. Seed dressing products are being used in the field in Europe  and in the US but in Australia, the seeds are usually mixed within an enclose space, perhaps decreasing the potential for bee and environment exposure, reports Raj Bhula, program manager--Australia Pesticides & Veterinary medicines Authority, CropLife Australia.

I have to mention that some pesticides are long-lived and persistent in the environment. For instance the pyrethroid pesticides are found in the wax of most hives that are place in agricultural fields. Neonicotinoids are generally found in stored pollen and nectar within the hive. A team of researchers at Pennsiylvania State University (J. Frazier, C. Mullin, M. Frazier, S. Ashcraft)  "concluded that the 98 pesticides and metabolites detected in mixtures up to 214 ppm in bee pollen alone represented a remarkably high level for toxicants in the food of brood and adults. While exposure to many of these neurotoxicants elicits acute and sublethal reductions in honey bee fitness, the effects of these materials in combinations and their direct involvement in CCD remain to be determined."

It does not however diminish the concern that beekeepers are very troubled about pesticide exposures that don't kill the bees outright, but may affect their ability to thrive. The bee industry as a whole is very worried about several classes of insecticides, some fungicides and growth regulators that may impair the bee's immune system, causing queen and/or brood failure, compromising homing ability of foragers and/or disturbing communications within the hive...all of which seem to contribute to colony loss. Therefore the American beekeepers "strongly urge the EPA to re-evaluate these compounds long term using tier testing protocols that can give us the answers we need to mitigate losses."

In October 2012 in Virginia, the National Honey Bee Health Stakeholder Conference Steering Committee met to discuss  the best way to help coordinate a federal response to address the new phenomenon called: Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD),  described by the sudden and widespread disappearances of adult honey bees from beehives in the U.S.

The report on the National Stakeholders Conference on Bee Health is now  available to the public  to download. It contains a lot of pertinent information. I recommend reading it. (http://www.usda.gov/documents/ReportHoneyBeeHealth.pdf)

The conclusion of this report is as follows:

• Honey bee health decline is due to "complex" multiple factors/sterssors: viruses, varroa mites, poor nutrition, diseases, pesticides, lack of habitat and foraging, and cultural practices by beekeepers.

• Overall losses continue to be high and pose a serious threat to meeting pollination service demands for several commercial crops.

• European Union placed restrictions on 3 specific neonicotinoids insecticides: Clothianidin, Imidacloprid and Thiametoxan, which will take effect on December 1, 2013.

• The US will let science drive the outcome of their decisions. "It is important to get the science correct. There are non trivial costs to society if we get this wrong" said Jim Jones the agency's acting assistant administrator for chemical safety and pollution prevention.

• To keep in mind: Pesticide products provide a lot of benefits to farmers, and to consumers...for one, affordable food in the United States. 

The stakeholders:

 National Honey Bee Health Stakeholder Conference Steering Committee
USDA Office of Pest Management Policy (OPMP) David Epstein
Pennsylvania State University, Department of Entomology James L. Frazier
USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Mary Purcell-Miramontes
USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Kevin Hackett
USDA Animal and Plant Health and Inspection Service (APHIS) Robyn Rose
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Terrell Erickson
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) Thomas Moriarty
Thomas Steeger

In addition, approximately 175 individuals participated, including beekeepers, scientists from industry/academia/government, representatives of conservation groups, beekeeping supply manufacturers, commodity groups, pesticide manufacturers, and government representatives from the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

Mold , Mildew and Blue Cheese!

Mold on frame  Photo: Liz Vogel

Last week when my husband and Liz were cleaning up the hives, they saw few frames that looked like this one above.  Moldy and plainly ugly! They were a bit worry at such discovery. Of course it is unsightly but there is absolutely no need for concern. Mold and mildew are not diseases, and are not contagious. The few frames that were moldy were found in a hive were honeybees had already perished. The mold did not cause the colony to die.

This phenomenon happens when the humidity level in a hive is too high. This happens when there are not enough bees to ventilate the hive, or when the hive is in decline, or dead. The usual culprit is a mold called : Penicillium waksmaii, which apparently inhibit the growth of certain bacteria!

Interestingly, the mold will not damage the wax, therefore, there is no need to discard the frames, or to clean them ourselves. The bees are champions as far as cleaning goes...they are "cleaning gurus". All we have to do is to place those frames in a strong and healthy colony and the honeybees will take care of the problem. They will clean and polish every cell in a few days. This "special cleaning" is not a real burden for the bees because they always clean old cells thoroughly before re-using them for brood, honey, or pollen.

Let's think about this for a minute....Blue cheese is a general classification of cow's milk, sheep's milk, or goat's milk cheeses that have had cultures of the mold Penicillium added so that the final product is spotted or veined throughout with blue, blue-gray or blue-green mold, and carries a distinct smell, either from that or various specially cultivated bacteria.

I love blue cheese a lot....which is of course full of mold; I eat mold! But the bees don't, they clean it! What a world!

The Big Spring Day!

Left over snow from Monday(4/22) snow storm!

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Now we may dare say that spring has arrived! Finally! It is now 77F (25C), a bit warm for spring but I think that I should not complain as it could be worst..we know.

 Friday April 26, 2013 was a big day for the bees...lots needed to be done to get them ready for the nectar flow which will eventually arrive!

This represent a hive with 2 boxes, upper and lower box. In the fall, the bees are reside in the bottom box, and the food reserve (pollen and honey) is on top. During the winter months, the bees eat their reserve. Slowly as spring approaches, the bees gather in the top box and queen starts laying her eggs at that location in empty cells. By now the bottom box is empty. Because it is in the nature of bees to go up (like in a tree trunk), we have to rotate the boxes to simulate that upward motion! This permutation gives them a lot of space and is also supposed to prevent swarming (leaving the crowded nest). So, Ben did that rotation to every hive, some boxes still full of food were very heavy. He also clean the dead bees accumulated at the bottom of the hive, and gave them a larger bottom entrance.

Since, we don't have flowers yet. He gave each colony 2 buckets (2. lb, or 7 L)) of  sugary syrup, to sustain them until the dandelions show up! Apparently the honeybees had plenty of pollen patties left, so none were added anywhere.

Sugar syrup

In this endeavor, Liz helped him in Chanhassen. Smoking the bees was a smart thing to do that day! It was warm and they were flying in and out. Ben noticed that they were coming back with a little pale yellow and orange pollen on their legs... I wonder where in the world they are finding pollen right now!

I know that they will gather the tree sap before the flower nectar is available to them...they are smart. During this spring cleaning, Ben expelled 3 mice from under one hive...probably a family. It is a very nice adobe for them during winter...warm and plenty of food!

After 4-5 hours of heavy lifting, Benoit came back home happy ; the honeybees were on their way to a new season. We wish them well!

R.I.P

April 4 2013
I visited the beehive in Chanhassen, the one that we suspected  that was very small and weak with Nosema. Since it was going to be above freezing overnight now; I was going to give the honeybees some sugar syrup to help them recover...Alas, they were all dead. We have now 5 hives. 5/7 made it so far. That's 71% survival rate...still better than the national average but very, very sad.

HAPPY SPRING!!!

Today is the first day of spring! It is 8F (-13C)... Brrrrr......that is cold.  I was listening to the radio yesterday and heard that the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil has been fired :)

Russian Hive in Chanhassen

Spring in Minnesota!

Actually these frigid March temperatures look like January...what a huge step back. I wonder how the bees are going to make it . Foraging might start very late this year... the ground is still frozen, and  has many inches of snow.

We checked our hives again on March 17, 2013. They are  still alive but now we are worried because it is still cold, and the honeybees are going to run out of fresh food. They have some reserves from last fall, like honey and  pollen but they will not go out and forage soon. It is a vulnerable time for the honeybees. Of course we are giving them pollen patties, but now the queen has been  laying eggs for few weeks and most bees are busy covering the brood to keep the next generation warm. Since this is the utmost job, it takes precedence to eating. It is true honeybees would rather starve to death than leave the brood unattended, in order to save the species. But they don't know that if they don't eat, all will perish.  I guess I have to have faith in nature. We will see.

Bees are Alive!!!

See the little bees!!!

Benoit and I went to visit our hives yesterday , March 3 2013. We were getting nervous by all the reports that I was reading coming from all over the US, plus from the beekeepers right  here in Minnesota. Everyone was reporting heavy losses... we could not wait any longer.

6/7 hives survived! We are so happy!!!! However, we still have the month of March to battle, we may have another cold snap, and that is dangerous for the bees. The queens are already laying new eggs and little ones are being born, they are vulnerable at this early stage of life. We also gave each colony a pollen patty, so they won't starve before the first bloom. 

Some honey bees were very curious, and came out to see what was the commotion all about. Benoit put 2 little bees back in the hives, because it was cold and they  had trouble going back home. He also got his first sting of the year :( It is a good thing that it does not react at all. It happened when we were closing the hive and the bee got stock between his fingers and the cardboard. 

Keep our finger crossed for a peaceful March.

Next visit in 7-10 days!

Spring is in the Air!

Willow in my herb planter, last summer!

I know spring is close when Willow, our 11 year old cat wants to go on the deck to check things out! She never goes outside after Halloween, and start asking to go out when the temperatures are on the rise. I don't know how she knows...but she is always right :)

On the bee side, I am still hopeful that they all made it through the winter. I am planning on checking on each hive in the next 10 days,or so. However, I hear and read a lot about honey bees that did not survive, and not having enough bees to pollinate the crops this season. 

It is still a little bit too cold to open the hives, and take a look. When the temperature will be around 40F (4C), I will give the bees a pollen patty if they need it ( meaning if they have eaten all their supply already). Remember , the first dandelions are in bloom around April 15. However, some trees like the willows,  maples and few others will be blooming before that time.

I gave a presentation about the honeybee through time, at the Arboretum in February to a group of wonderful ladies. I really love to talk about honeybees, beekeeping and pollinators. I am always amazed how much people know about bees and their difficulties. The questions asked are always pertinent and the desire to learn is great. I love it!

It is not to early to think about planting a pollinator garden. Native plants are the best! Those little "oasis" of good pollen and nectar sources are wonderful not only for my golden darlings but also for hummingbirds, butterflies,  bats, and bumblebees.

Spring in California: Almonds and Bees

It is not a rumor anymore...many beekeepers are reporting a lot of bee losses this year, up to 90-100%. This is devastating. I won't know the fate of my own bees for another 3 weeks or so. This report comes from California, Eric Mussen (Apiculturist in the UC Davis Department of Entomology since 1976) suggested that this spring 2013, California may face a shortage of bees pollinating their almonds orchards. As many beekeepers noticed, last year was a bad year for honey production in the United States. The bees did not have enough to eat due to a lack of pollen and nectar in some regions. Bee nutrition is becoming a huge topic of discussion among scientists, as it is an important factor associated with CCD( Colony Collapse Disorder). The view is that if a bee is not well fed (just like us),  she becomes weak and more susceptible to pests and diseases.

Hives in almond orchard, CA
(photo: entangled bees-tumblr.com)

The state of California is the largest exporter of almonds in the world; 80% of the global supply of almonds is grown there. 70% of the harvest is exported. This year forecast states that 2.10 billion of meat pounds will be produced (National, Agricultural, Statistics Service) which is valued at about 3 billion dollars!

Every year almond orchards need 1.6 million colonies  or about 2 colonies per acre to pollinate the trees properly. California has about only 500,000 colonies this year. Because of what is happening to the little bees (winter loss), there will be less colonies and they  will be less populous. Usually almond growers would like to have at least 8 frames of bees per hive to ensure that the efficacy of pollination. But this year, they will be lucky if they get 6 frames of bees... this is 1/3 less bees per hive to pollinate the same amount of trees!

Besides the honeybee situation, weather has to cooperate as well! If it is too cool, fertilization may not happened. The pollen tubes that are located at the base of the flower may not grow properly, thus not reaching the ovum (lower portion of the pistil containing the ovules or female parts).

                                                                                       

 What is called a good "nut set", the beginning of the development of (in this case), the almond occurs in the first 3 days of pollination,and at the most within 5days. On the other hand if it is too warm, the tissues dry out and die, not producing a potential nut!

Almond season is very short in California, about 2 weeks, depending on almond cultivar and the weather.  On average, full bloom happens usually on Valentine's Day, February 14!




Hopefully the honeybees in California will be able to handle the immense task that is ahead. As for me, I will still wonder how my bees are doing this winter....but no peaking until warmer!

Unscientific Data!

Photo: Z. Huang

Today, Sunday January 13 2013 I decided to get my bag of bees from the freezer.... So far no one at home had made any comments regarding the little cadavers in a Ziploc bag "hidden" between the ice cream and the waffles!

Here are some facts:

I collected from the frozen, snowy ground right in front of hive #1 in Chanhassen some dead female honeybees.

Total # Bees : 123 

Total # Mites : 2

Total #  Bees with Deformed Wings: 3

I then chose 10 bees randomly, and looked at their stomach and intestine. All but one were brown, yellowish (normal) and one was opaque and whitish. This could suggest Nosema. However, as I said before there were no streaks on the front of the hive. Conclusion: unlikely Nosema

The fact that I found 2 mites on 2 randomly chosen bees out of 123 collected, can only indicate a low count of Varroa mites.  However 300 bees is the suggested minimum to really tell the mite infestation in a colony. Conclusion: Probably a normal to low level of mites

I also found 3 bees/123 with deformed wings. As mentioned previously my sample is small, and trying to read anything would only be speculation. Conclusion: Probably some level of virus

Although this was fun to do! It is unscientific... and since it is about 4F (-15C) outside and that Spring is still just a dream at this moment. There is nothing I can do for the honeybees now. We all have to wait until better sunny, warm days. Hopefully all hives are wintering well, time will tell.

10-sample bees

Bee guts: the second to last from L to R (with arrow) maybe sign of  Nosema

Total sample:123 bees

Happy New Year 2013!

 Photos:Liz Vogel

Colonies in Chanhassen Dec.31 2012

The colonies were or seem to be fine when we put them to "rest". We were gone to Senegal for 12 days to visit Julie and her village as she continues her service in the Peace Corps. As I understand Minnesota was very cold during that period, and snowed only a little. 

While Liz was out...the last day of December 2012...she noticed "a lot of bees" dead in the snow in front of one hive. This phenomenon can happen, when the temperatures are a bit warmer and the bees decide to take a cleansing flight (to defecate), and then it gets a bit cooler and can't fly back home.

It could also be that some bees were sick, and got out by themselves to "save" the rest of the colony. 

Bees dead in snow, in front of hive

Last week, I was curious about the dead bees and therefore I stopped by the Chanhassen apiary, and collected few bees. They are now in my freezer! I will dissect them this weekend and see what's going on.

   When I was collecting I saw a mite on one bee. However there is no sign of dysentery (no brown streaks) on the front of the hive. Interesting! I will keep you posted on the results.  

Clean upper entrance