Beekeeping in Vermont...
Fred Putnam Jr.....Some thoughts from the SABA meeting.
Fred Putnam Jr., a beekeeper from Brandon, VT spent March 10, 2017 at the Southern Adirondack Beekeepers Association meeting and shares some of what he learned.
FP: Some notable info. from today's 2018 Southern Adirondack Beekeeper's Association annual seminar in Malta, NY. "The Varroa problem is at epidemic proportions in this country."That said by Scott McArt, Assistant Professor of Pollinator Health at Cornell University. From Samuel Ramsey, Univ. of Maryland: "The number one most important thing that beekeepers can do to ensure the survival of their colonies is to manage the levels of Varroa mites." Mr. Ramsey is coming to our 2018 VBA summer meeting. He is a very engaging speaker with much new knowledge. Don't miss it.
Read more: Fred Putnam Jr.....Some thoughts from the SABA meeting.
EAS 2018 August 13-17, 2018
Eastern Apiculture Society will deliver another amazing Honey Bee Conference in the summer of 2018. This year we will be at a conference center with plenty of space and all under one roof.
The Weapon of Mass Destruction... That is Killing Honey Bees
Follow the link to see new close-up images of one of the mites responsible for killing billions of honey bees around the world.
The magnified photographs of the pinhead-sized mite, aptly named Varroa destructor, were captured by Dr. Jonathan Salvage of the University of Brighton (UK), using a state-of-the-art scanning electron microscope (SEM).
Dr. Salvage, a Research Fellow in the University’s School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, has been working with Adam Leitch, a Master Beekeeper, on both a study of plant pollen that honey bees pollinate and aspects of honey bee pest anatomy
Dr. Salvage said: “The mite, with its ice-axe-like weapon of attack, the palptarsi claws, is a major threat to honey bees globally. It is involved in the mass destruction and deaths of billions of bees, which, in turn, threatens crop pollination and food production.”
More: American Bee Journal
Catch the BUZZ : More Bees Means more and Bigger Plums.
The production areas of Chinese plums are located in Meishan, Sichuan; Maoming, Guangdong; Gutian, Fujian; and Guizhou province. Under regular weather conditions, the plum production season in Meishan begins every year in June and ends at the beginning of July. The production volume of 2017 showed a great increase in comparison with the production volume of 2016. This was in large parts due to the production volume increase by around 30% for the trees that were pollinated. This is according to Mr. Yang Qi of Sichuan Top Grade Modern Agriculture Co., Ltd.
More: Bee Culture
Catch the Buzz : Draft Guidance for Industry: Declaration of Added Sugars on Honey, Maple Syrup, Etc.. Comments Wanted!
How to Comment
The comment period opens March 2, 2018. Although you can comment on any guidance at any time (see 21 CFR 10.115(g)(5)), to ensure that FDA considers your comment on this draft guidance before we begin work on the final version of the guidance, submit either electronic or written comments on the draft guidance within 60 days from when the comment period opens.
Submit electronic comments to https://www.regulations.gov to docket number FDA-2018-D-0075
Submit written comments to:
Dockets Management Staff (HFA-305)
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061
Rockville, MD 20852
All comments should be identified with the docket number FDA-2018-D-0075.
Home Sick: Effects of Migratory Beekeeping on Honey Bee Disease
A group of UVM researchers are collaborating with a local beekeeper to study the role of migratory beekeeping in bee disease. Crop pollination by migratory beekeeping operations presents a highly concentrated convergence of bees where diseases may be transmitted and spread as hives are transported throughout the US. To test if migratory operations contribute to the spread of disease, they are planning to conduct an experiment and need your help! They are crowdfunding to raise money for this important project.
The Vermont Beekeepers Association has committed to helping fund this important and valuable research with a $500.00 donation. If you would be interested to find out more information about their proposal and help support this effort, please click the link below.
