Vermont Beekeepers Association

Apiology

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

Queen cells acceptance rate and royal jelly production in worker honey bees of two Apis mellifera races

Royal jelly (RJ) is an acidic yellowish-white secretion of worker honey bee glands, used as food material of worker bee larvae for the first three days and queen bee larvae for the entire life. It is commercially used in cosmetics and medicinal industry in various parts of the world.

More:Royal Jelly

Making honey without bees and milk without cows

It's not unusual for vegans to miss certain foods. What is unusual, though, is Mr Mandich's solution: to create a type of honey, identical to the natural kind in every molecule, but produced without involving any bees at all.

More: VeganHoney

Early-life experience affects honey bee aggression and resilience to immune challenge

arly-life social experiences cause lasting changes in behavior and health for a variety of animals including humans, but it is not well understood how social information ‘‘gets under the skin’’ resulting in these effects.

More:Early Life

Altering social cue perception impacts honey bee aggression with minimal impacts on aggression-related brain gene expression

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.

More:Social Cue Perception

A model of infection in honeybee colonies with social immunity

Honeybees (Apis mellifera) play a significant role in the pollination of various food crops and plants. In the past decades, honeybee management has been challenged with increased pathogen and environmental pressure associating with increased beekeeping costs, having a marked economic impact on the beekeeping industry.

More: Infection

Testing the effect of pollen exine rupture on metabarcoding with Illumina sequencing

Pollen metabarcoding has received much attention recently for its potential to increase taxonomic resolution of the identifications of pollen grains necessary for various public health, ecological and environmental inquiry.

More:Pollen Rupture

A Look into the Cell: Honey Storage in Honey Bees, Apis mellifera

Honey bees, Apis species, obtain carbohydrates from nectar and honeydew. These resources are ripened into honey in wax cells that are capped for long-term storage. These stores are used to overcome dearth periods when foraging is not possible.

More:Honey Storag

Beekeeping in Vermont

Swarm Management and Control Techniques Workshop Online

If you missed our Zoom workshop on June 10, 2020, Andrew Munkres, VBA Vice-President presented on swarm management. Scott Wilson and Fred Putnam moderated.

To view the presentation recording, look on the VBA website under the Become a Beekeeper menu, then Education, Classes & Workshops for our recorded webinars. (Or, to make things easier simply go to www.vermontbeekeepers.org/webinars - login required.) All VBA webinars are also available for view.

Details: Last Updated: 10 June 2020 10 June 2020

AFB Confirmed in Vermont

American Foul Brood has been confirmed in 2 locations in VermontAmerican Foul Brood - ropiness test showing clinical confirmation

On Thursday May 28th, 2020 laboratory results confirmed multiple cases of American Foul Brood (AFB) Paenibacillus larvae, at an apiary in Orwell, Vermont and one case at an apiary in Windham County.

Beekeepers should familiarize themselves with AFB symptoms and observe carefully when inspecting colonies and equipment. Any suspect findings should be reported immediately to Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets Pollinator Health Specialist, at 802-272-6688.

Details: Last Updated: 08 July 2020 08 July 2020

Tunbridge World's Fair Cancelled for 2020

"I regretfully write to tell you that we will not hold the Tunbridge World’s Fair this year. The safety of our fairgoers, vendors, workers and volunteers is important to us, and particularly during this challenging time. The Board of Directors had not yet made the decision on whether the Fair could safely go on in September, but as most of you may know, on Friday, May 22nd, the Governor announced that all fairs and large festivals are cancelled this season.

"We look forward to seeing you all for the 149th Fair in 2021 to celebrate this time honored tradition in Tunbridge."

- Kelly Sammel
Superintendent of Concessions

Details: Last Updated: 26 May 2020 26 May 2020

Reversing Workshop Available Online

If you missed our Zoom workshop on May 20, 2020, Andrew Munkres, VBA Vice-President presented on reversing and other mid-Spring related beekeeping topics. Scott Wilson,VBA Membership Secretary moderated.

Details: Last Updated: 21 May 2020 21 May 2020

VBA Summer Meeting Postponed Due to COVID-19 Concerns

Greetings fellow VBA members,

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to adhere to current state mandated guidelines The Vermont Beekeepers Association (VBA) Summer meeting is postponed from July 11, 2020 to October 17, 2020. The Board of Directors realizes the meeting is still 2 months away and that social conditions as well as State guidelines may change. But, the Board of Directors feels it prudent to make this decision now based on the current state thus allowing members to plan accordingly.

The VBA business meeting that typically occurs during the Summer meeting will be conducted during the October meeting. If COVID-19 State guidelines continue into October the VBA intends to host an online beekeeping related informational meeting coupled with the business meeting.

The location remains at the Brandon Town Hall.

Sincerely,

Scott Wilson

VBA Membership Secretary

Details: Last Updated: 30 April 2020 30 April 2020

Winter Deadout Diagnosis Guide

Bill Mares at tonight's online presentation on the subject of Winter Deadouts, which included a variety of questions from attendees statewide. bmares2020 04 23

The document used in the April 23rd Online Workshop - Winter Deadout Diagnosis Guide - is available for download.

VBA will continue to provide online workshops in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Details: Last Updated: 24 April 2020 24 April 2020