Vermont Beekeepers Association

Apiology

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

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

Beekeeping in Vermont

The Vermont Certified Beekeeper Program

Beekeepers Helping Beekeepers

Continuing education looms as a priority in the beekeeping community. The Vermont Beekeepers Association offers two options to satisfy this need, the Mentoring Program and the Vermont Certified Beekeeper Program. The two programs go hand in hand but are different in organization and focus.

This excellent article in October's American Bee Journal, by Melissa Moore, describes the VBA's program.

Details: Last Updated: 08 October 2019 08 October 2019

Vermont Names Pollinator Specialist

The Agency of Agriculture is pleased to welcome Ms. Brooke Decker as Vermont’s Pollinator Health Specialist. This is Vermont’s first, full-time, pollinator health position and was created by Act 35 in the 2019 legislative session. In this role, Ms. Decker will develop comprehensive strategies to improve the health of Vermont’s pollinators. Ms. Decker will guide the state’s apiary regulatory program, as well as collaboratively develop outreach & education materials and state policy to protect and improve the health of all pollinators in Vermont.

Details: Last Updated: 03 September 2019 03 September 2019

VBA @ VT Fresh!

VBA's Scott and Valarie Wilson, along with Bill Mares, provided honey tasting samples during this event in support of the VBA and beekeeping.

The Vermont Fresh Network’s signature event is the Annual Forum dinner, which brings over 75 chefs and food producers to the shores of Lake Champlain to present the best meal of the summer at the Shelburne Farms Coach Barn.

Now in its 23rd year, the Annual Forum Dinner took place on Sunday, August 4th.

Details: Last Updated: 04 August 2019 04 August 2019

VBA's New Recognition Program

The Vermont Beekeeper’s Association created the Vermont Beekeeper Recognition Program (formerly the Beekeeper of the Year Award) to recognize and celebrate the bbeekeeper contributions of Vermont beekeepers and others who support beekeeping in Vermont and have provided outstanding service to the VBA. The intent is to recognize lifetime achievement rather than contributions in a single year and to encourage and retain membership in the VBA or other supporting entities.

The nomination form is available to current VBA members and describes the categories of recognition. You may submit as many entries as you like and entries will be retained for two years.

Deadlines for nominations:

April 1 for Summer meeting recognition categories: (Outstanding efforts on honeybee education, Mission superhero)
November 1 for Winter meeting recognition categories: (Beekeeper of the Year, Outstanding efforts by a Mentor and Mentee, Friend of the Bees)

Complete category descriptions along with the online nomination form are available on the VBA website in the Members Only area. (Login required)

Details: Last Updated: 01 August 2019 01 August 2019

Summer Meeting 2019

A very few scenes from the 2019 VBA Summer Meeting in Townshend on the 13th.

From left: Dr. Humberto Boncristiani, VBA Recording Secretary Fred Putnam presents Cheryl Dorschner with the new VBA Mission Superhero award for her work organizing the VBA booth at the 2019 Vermont Flower Show, Windham County Beekeepers President Jeff Battaglini (holding the mic) and WCB Raffle organizer Jill Dean at left, and Bill Mares and Scott Wilson's arm presenting Dannah Beauragard with her Vermont Certified Beekeeper patch. A good day all around!

Details: Last Updated: 16 July 2019 16 July 2019

Special Subscription Offer

VBA Members may take advantage of a special subscription offer to the Mother Earth News arranged by the Windham County Beekeepers (WCB).

WCB arranged this for the recent VBA Summer meeting in Townshend. To take advantage of this discount, please login to the site and look under Publications in the Members Only menu.

Details: Last Updated: 16 July 2019 16 July 2019

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