New Law Targets Honey Mislabeling in Vermont
Testing has Begun
The Vermont Beekeepers Association (VBA) is working with UVM’s bee lab and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets to test honey purity, long a concern for the VBA as described in an article published today on VTDigger.
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.
Aaron Morris, of SABA and VBA Passes
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."
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.
The Potential of Propolis in the Fight Against Covid-19
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.
The Beauty of Black & White
Black and white photography can force you to focus on the subject without the distraction often brought by color.
© 2020 - Scott Wilson
