Vermont Beekeepers Association

Apiology

Apiology – (from Latin apis, "bee"; and Ancient Greek -λογία, -logia) is the scientific study of honey bees.

Altering social cue perception impacts honey bee aggression with minimal impacts on aggression-related brain gene expressionGene expression changes resulting from social interactions may give rise to long term behavioral change, or simply reflect the acti

Gene expression changes resulting from social interactions may give rise to long term behavioral change, or simply reflect the activity of neural circuitry associated with behavioral expression. In honey bees, social cues broadly modulate aggressive behavior and brain gene expression.

More:Bee Social Cue Perception

A pan-European epidemiological study reveals honey bee colony survival depends on beekeeper education and disease control

Reports of honey bee population decline have spurred many national efforts to understand the extent of the problem and to identify causative or associated factors. However, our collective understanding of the factors has been hampered by a lack of joined-up trans-national effort.

More: Colony Survival

Etruscans Transported Bees by Boat to Reach the Best Flowers!

The discovery of an ancient Etruscan honey harvesting workshop at Focello in Italy, and the analysis of charred remains unearthed at the site, has let archaeologists to propose a remarkable hypothesis. Of all the Etruscan techniques, skills, and social norms discovered to date, Etruscan bee boats are a unique beekeeping and honey manufacturing system and a testament to humanity’s obsession with honey.

More:Bee Boats

Control of the microsporidian parasite Nosema ceranae in honey bees (Apis mellifera) using nutraceutical and immuno-stimulatory compounds

nosema ceranae is a microsporidian parasite that causes nosemosis in the honey bee (Apis mellifera). As alternatives to the antibiotic fumagillin, ten nutraceuticals (oregano oil, thymol, carvacrol, trans-cinnmaldehyde, tetrahydrocurcumin, sulforaphane, naringenin, embelin, allyl sulfide, hydroxytyrosol) and two immuno-stimulatory compounds (chitosan, poly I:C) were examined for controlling N. ceranae infections.

More: Nosema

Mite bombs or robber lures? The roles of drifting and robbing in Varroa destructor transmission from collapsing honey bee colonies to their neighbors

When honey bee colonies collapse from high infestations of Varroa mites, neighboring colonies often experience surges in their mite populations. Collapsing colonies, often called “mite bombs”, seem to pass their mites to neighboring colonies. This can happen by mite-infested workers from the collapsing colonies drifting into the neighboring colonies, or by mite-free workers from the neighboring colonies robbing out the collapsing colonies, or both.

More: mitebomb

Colony Size, Rather Than Geographic Origin of Stocks, Predicts Overwintering Success in Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in the Northeastern United States

Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) are key pollinators of agricultural crops. However, approximately 30% of managed colonies die each winter in the United States. There has been great interest in breeding for ‘locally adapted stocks’ which survive winter conditions in a particular region.

More:Local Stock

Varroa destructor: A Complex Parasite, Crippling Honey Bees Worldwide

Varroa is also a highly efficient vector of honey bee viruses and drives changes in virus distribution, prevalence, and virulence.

More:Varroa Vector

Beekeeping in Vermont

Beekeeping Basics - ONLINE

Have you thought about keeping bees? This is the opportunity to learn more about these vital and fascinating creatures providing so much of our food. The three sessions will enlighten, and maybe inspire, you to start a few hives of your own or learn more about your bee passion. Plenty of question-and-answer time and all the info needed to start your own operation.

Taught by VBA's Bill Mares, this is a great way to begin your beekeeping journey. Read more and register online.

Raised in Texas, educated at Harvard, Bill Mares has been a journalist, a high school teacher (here at CVU) and a member of the Vermont House of Representatives. He has authored or co-authored 18 books on a range of topics. He had kept bees for over 45 years, and has been president of the Vermont Beekeepers Association and the Eastern Apicultural Society. With Mike Willard, and others, he has taught over 800 novice beekeepers in this ACCESS class. He is the co-author with Ross Conrad and others of the newly-published history of beekeeping in Vermont, "The Land of Milk and Honey." (Green Writers Press)

Bill's co-teacher will be Dr. Deborah Rubin.

Details: Last Updated: 08 January 2021 08 January 2021

Aaron Morris, of SABA and VBA Passes

Aaron Morris Aaron W. Morris 66, passed away on Sunday, January 3, 2021. Known to many in the Vermont Beekeepers Association, he taught many beekeeping classes throughout the northeast including Cornell University. He was a member of Empire State Honey Producers, and the Southern Adirondack Beekeepers Association (SABA), holding numerous positions. He was also a member of VBA.

Bill Mares writes, "Aaron's death is a sad moment for beekeepers world-wide. He was a champion herder of the "cats" on BEE-L. His mind was clear as a bell, even if his home gave a new definition to the word "cluttered." He had a generosity of spirit and a restless curiosity we'll all miss. The last time I spoke to him, he enthused about a drone he'd bought to do his early spring out-yard inspections when his truck couldn't negotiate the mud."

Details: Last Updated: 07 January 2021 07 January 2021

In Memory of Bill Taft

Longtime Vermont beekeeper Bill Taft died on December 21, 2020. Bill Taft at the South Yard

For close to 40 years, Bill was an accomplished and committed beekeeper, and he would help anyone at any time.

When the South Yard workshops were revived seven or eight years ago, Bill was co-instructor, and his beekeeping experience and wisdom had a positive effect on hundreds of students.

Above all, Bill was a quintessential Vermonter, somewhat of an endangered species these days; and he will be missed.

Details: Last Updated: 23 December 2020 23 December 2020

The Potential of Propolis in the Fight Against Covid-19

(A version of this article first appeared in the November 2020 issue of Bee Culture)

As I sit down to write this article some 900,000 people have died world-wide as a result of Covid-19. The disease is associated with the development of pneumonia, serious breathing problems as the lungs fill with fluid, and heart failure.

The United States leads the rest of the globe in Caronavirus related deaths, with the American death toll at 190,000 and climbing. We have less than 5 percent of the world’s population but have experienced over 20 percent of the world’s Covid-19 deaths despite being the country with the most expensive and supposedly best health care system in the world.

In the midst of this dire situation comes a review of the healing properties of propolis and its potential use in treating Covid-19 that appears in the November issue of Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy. We already know that propolis ramps up the immune response of honey bees when they are exposed to pathogens, but now it appears increasingly likely that propolis may be able to do something similar for us humans.

Details: Last Updated: 31 October 2020 31 October 2020