I almost forgot myself! There's not much time left, if you want to order stuff from Kelley's
www.kelleybees.com
FREE SHIPPING
We are thankful for our customers, therefore it is time once again for Kelley's to offer FREE SHIPPING! November 21st through November 23rd, your order may be shipped free or with savings. This offer is limited to in-stock items only and EXCLUDES corn syrup and/or bulk plastic or glass jars (through UPS or USPS).
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Cheatham Club Meeting Minutes: November 12, 2011
The Cheatham Beekeepers Club met Saturday, November 12, 2011 at the Cheatham Co. Public Library in Ashland City, TN. Linda Nutt led the discussion in President Roger Senechal's absence. Several topics were discussed - the members (which are a diverse group) engaged in an interesting and animated discussion of each topic.
1. November Beekeeping Tasks as cited at HIvetool.com. Use of Fumidil-B/Fumigillin-B as a preventative to nosema (both types) was discussed - why, it's intended impact, how to use. Some members use this antibiotic, some do not. One person present is using Honey-B-Healthy as a 'bee booster' with good results. There is variation in frequency of use (1x or 2x a year). Though this product is used to prevent hive infection of two types of nosema, there is still much to learn about how this works and natural alternatives.
2. Fondant as a Winter feed source was discussed. Since no one present had experience using fondant as an alternative to sugar syrup or other forms of feed, one member volunteered to use the recipe in hivetool.com and bring it to the December meeting.
3. Food Safety News article about 'Tests Show Most Store Honey Isn't Honey' which was recently shared with the members by Stephen Penick was discussed. Stephen outlined the prominent points of the article which were 1) over 60 different honey products were purchased and analyzed by Professor Vaughn Bryant who is an expert in milissopalynology (the study of pollen), 3) He found that the majority of the samples (76%) had no (zero) pollen, and 3) Pollen was found in every sample purchased from beekeepers, farmer's markets, coo-ops, and natural food stores.
Pollen can be completely removed with a process called 'ultrafiltration': pollen identification is one certain way to identify where honey originated via the specific pollen sources which may be unique to a limited number of locations. With the continued attempted importation of tainted honey from China (for example) with the use of devious labeling and shipping strategies - being able to identify the source of honey is important.
Currently, there is no requirement that imported honey be tested by the FDA to verify its source and to also to rule out the presence of pesticides and other chemicals within the honey. Also discussed was the push of some members of Congress to have honey formally defined so the USA uses the definition used by most European countries. This action would address if pollen is an expected part of honey (and if pesticides are not). There is opposition or apathy to taking this action for reasons that are not clearly understood - mandatory testing of imported honey would probably require more staff, more money to support the increased action, etc. What constitutes honey is questioned in the Food Safety article, the FDA is cited as saying honey is not honey is no pollen is present.
The members were in agreement that education of the customer is the key to sales on a customer-by-customer basis.
This article can be accessed at www.foodsafetynews.com
A different perspective was presented by Kim Flottum from Bee Culture magazine. His Catch the Buzz email subscription presented comments about the Food Safety News article by the CEO for the National Honey Board (NHB). The NHB representative says most honey is filtered in the USA because most customers want clear honey and that the lack of pollen isn't an issue of concern. Apparently the USDA honey grading standards refer to the presence or removal of pollen. The presence or absence of pollen in honey by agencies like the USDA is not all together clear. More of this pespective from www.honey.com. A subscription to Catch the Buzz can be made at the BeeCulture web site.
4. The December meeting will be December 10th at 1 PM at Riverside Restaurant on the Cumberland River in Ashland City. If you like, bring an inexpensive present (less than $10) for a 'dirty Santa' present exchange. Participation in the present exchange is optional. Family are invited for fellowship and fun. This date is verified.
1. November Beekeeping Tasks as cited at HIvetool.com. Use of Fumidil-B/Fumigillin-B as a preventative to nosema (both types) was discussed - why, it's intended impact, how to use. Some members use this antibiotic, some do not. One person present is using Honey-B-Healthy as a 'bee booster' with good results. There is variation in frequency of use (1x or 2x a year). Though this product is used to prevent hive infection of two types of nosema, there is still much to learn about how this works and natural alternatives.
2. Fondant as a Winter feed source was discussed. Since no one present had experience using fondant as an alternative to sugar syrup or other forms of feed, one member volunteered to use the recipe in hivetool.com and bring it to the December meeting.
3. Food Safety News article about 'Tests Show Most Store Honey Isn't Honey' which was recently shared with the members by Stephen Penick was discussed. Stephen outlined the prominent points of the article which were 1) over 60 different honey products were purchased and analyzed by Professor Vaughn Bryant who is an expert in milissopalynology (the study of pollen), 3) He found that the majority of the samples (76%) had no (zero) pollen, and 3) Pollen was found in every sample purchased from beekeepers, farmer's markets, coo-ops, and natural food stores.
Pollen can be completely removed with a process called 'ultrafiltration': pollen identification is one certain way to identify where honey originated via the specific pollen sources which may be unique to a limited number of locations. With the continued attempted importation of tainted honey from China (for example) with the use of devious labeling and shipping strategies - being able to identify the source of honey is important.
Currently, there is no requirement that imported honey be tested by the FDA to verify its source and to also to rule out the presence of pesticides and other chemicals within the honey. Also discussed was the push of some members of Congress to have honey formally defined so the USA uses the definition used by most European countries. This action would address if pollen is an expected part of honey (and if pesticides are not). There is opposition or apathy to taking this action for reasons that are not clearly understood - mandatory testing of imported honey would probably require more staff, more money to support the increased action, etc. What constitutes honey is questioned in the Food Safety article, the FDA is cited as saying honey is not honey is no pollen is present.
The members were in agreement that education of the customer is the key to sales on a customer-by-customer basis.
This article can be accessed at www.foodsafetynews.com
A different perspective was presented by Kim Flottum from Bee Culture magazine. His Catch the Buzz email subscription presented comments about the Food Safety News article by the CEO for the National Honey Board (NHB). The NHB representative says most honey is filtered in the USA because most customers want clear honey and that the lack of pollen isn't an issue of concern. Apparently the USDA honey grading standards refer to the presence or removal of pollen. The presence or absence of pollen in honey by agencies like the USDA is not all together clear. More of this pespective from www.honey.com. A subscription to Catch the Buzz can be made at the BeeCulture web site.
4. The December meeting will be December 10th at 1 PM at Riverside Restaurant on the Cumberland River in Ashland City. If you like, bring an inexpensive present (less than $10) for a 'dirty Santa' present exchange. Participation in the present exchange is optional. Family are invited for fellowship and fun. This date is verified.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Monthly Beekeeping Tasks: November
Thanks to our friends at Hivetool.com for the following which is specific to TN
All tasks for the month
- Rake all leaves and dead grass away from the colony to prevent fire. Cut tall grass.
- Fence apiary to protect the colonies from livestock.
- Feed one gallon of a two to one sugar syrup with 7/8 teaspoon Fumidil-B.
- Check all tops to be sure they are waterproof.
- Place a weight on the outer cover to prevent the wind from blowing the top off the hive.
- Top ventilate all colonies. (Overwintering a Honey Bee Colony)
Dissolve seven pounds of granulated sugar in 1¾ quarts of hot tap water. Add the 1/3 cup of thoroughly dissolved Fumidil-B to the sugar syrup.
Feed one gallon to the colony in February and one gallon in November.
Feed one gallon when you install a package, one gallon three weeks later and one gallon in November.
Feeding Bees with Hard Candy
The hard candy method is more work but reduces moisture problems associated with syrup feeding during the cold weather.Preparing the candy
Ingredients:
12 pounds table sugarHeat the water while adding the sugar and honey. Stir continuously until the mixture is liquid. Remove the spoon; do not stir, but continue to heat the mixture. Heat the boiling mixture to 238° F. Do not stir while cooking. When the temperature reaches 238° F, remove from the heat source and add the cream of tartar. Cool the mixture to 125° F and stir vigorously until the mixture becomes cloudy white. Pour the mixture into a rectangular cake pan or candy feeder box.
1 ½ pounds honey
1 ¼ quart water
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Candy molded in cake pan can be wrapped in wax paper and placed in the hive.
A candy feed box can be constructed from a piece of one-half inch plywood the size of an inner cover. A 1 ¼-inch rail is nailed around the perimeter of the plywood to make a tray. Nail 12 roofing nails into the inside bottom of the plywood tray to anchor the candy after it hardens.
Place the tray, candy-side down, over the bees. Cover the tray with the inner and outer covers.
So, there you have recommendations for this month. How many of us are doing all these things? Feeding Fumadil-B? How about candy boards - ever tried them? This may be the year!
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