Vermont Beekeepers Association

Apiology

The study of honeybees...

'Intensive' beekeeping not to blame for common bee diseases

More "intensive" beekeeping does not raise the risk of diseases that harm or kill the insects, new research suggests.

Intensive agriculture—where animals or plants are kept crowded together in very high densities—is thought to result in higher rates of disease spreading.

But researchers from the University of Exeter and the University of California, Berkeley found this is not the case for honeybees.

More:Intensive

RNA virus spillover from managed honeybees (Apis mellifera) to wild bumblebees (Bombus spp.)

The decline of many bumblebee species (Bombus spp.) has been linked to an increased prevalence of pathogens caused by spillover from managed bees. Although poorly understood, RNA viruses are suspected of moving from managed honeybees (Apis mellifera) into wild bumblebees through shared floral resources.

More:Bombus

Seasonal variation of pollen collected by honey bees (Apis mellifera) in developed areas across four regions in the United States

For honey bees (Apis mellifera), colony maintenance and growth are highly dependent on worker foragers obtaining sufficient resources from flowering plants year round. Despite the importance of floral diversity for proper bee nutrition, urban development has drastically altered resource availability and diversity for these important pollinators.

More: Pollendiversity

Toward Audio Beehive Monitoring: Deep Learning vs. Standard Machine Learning in Classifying Beehive Audio Samples

Electronic beehive monitoring extracts critical information on colony behavior and phenology without invasive beehive inspections and transportation costs. As an integral component of electronic beehive monitoring, audio beehive monitoring has the potential to automate the identification of various stressors for honeybee colonies from beehive audio sample

More:AudioMonitoring

Reduced density and visually complex apiaries reduce parasite load and promote honey production and overwintering survival in honey bees

Managed honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies are kept at much greater densities than naturally occurring feral or wild colonies, which may have detrimental effects on colony health and survival, disease spread, and drifting behavior (bee movement between natal and non-natal colonies).

More:HoneybeeDrift

Catch the Buzz

General Beekeeping News...

Beekeeping in Vermont...

Opportunities for Vermont Beekeepers

We're resurrecting a feature on the site called Opportunities for VBA members. These opportunities may be ways for you to help other beekeepers, schools, the general public or area orchardists needing pollination services. There really is no limitation to what is possible.

The first new listing is for someone in need of pollination services. VBA members can get the details by logging in to the VBA website and looking under the Members Only menu for Opportunities.

Bee Healthy and Legal

A Vermont beekeeper has a duty to other beekeepers and the general public in knowing the laws that apply to beekeeping in Vermont.

Vermont State Apiarist and Food Safety Specialist David Tremblay reminds us that he is concerned about uninspected bees coming into Vermont and these bees then not being registered or inspected. It is acceptable to ask the honeybee supplier if their bees have been inspected and to view the inspection certificate.

Is there added sugar in Honey?

You may have heard about the FDA and their intent to label honey and other products as containing added sugar.

The draft guidance is found by clicking here. Please take the time to read it and submit comments as you see fit.

Longtime VBA Member David Prior Passes

David Robert Prior, 59, of Shelburne, Vermont, passed away on Friday, April 27, after an eight year battle with cancer. An active member of the Vemont Beekeepers Association, David is known for dprior his love of family,friends, antiques, bees, Hermit Island (Maine), and his dogs, Cooper and Eli. He took great pride in being able to return to live in Vermont after many years away. He is survived by his wife, Kristin, who has been an amazing caregiver throughout his illness and his beloved son, Lynden.

Take a Brief Survey

What are you reading? Take a moment to let us know by answering our brief survey that asks about your beekeeping reading.

The survey is available to the right under VBA Surveys and will be open for a few weeks. Results will be be posted here and in the next VBA Update.

Mentoring Program Update

A message from Scott Wilson regarding the VBA mentoring program

VBA Marketplace Updates

Looking for Northern-raised queens or nucs? Supplies are limited but you might want to check with suppliers listed on our revamped Marketplace listings (on the top menu). We're rearranging things a bit to emphasize northern honeybee providers. We've also separated the listings so beekeeping equipment has its own listing.

And we're working on establishing a web store so you can buy VBA hats and books in addition to paying your membership dues online.