Scientists with the USDA’s Bee Research Laboratory and the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine are looking into whether the same industrial chemicals blamed for sickening and killing thousands of pets could be harming the honeybee population as well.

“I was curious enough and wanted to be complete enough that I thought it was worth doing,” Jeffery Pettis, the bee lab’s research leader, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Thursday.

The Bee Research Laboratory is conducting more than 20 cage studies, each with about 20 bees, feeding them exclusive diets of various commercially made bee feeds manufactured over the past few years to see the effects, he said. Because the information is considered proprietary, officials do not know all the ingredients…

If any feed is contaminated with melamine or related compounds, Pettis said, “I have no idea how it would act on the bees.”

No link has been found, the scientists emphasize. Ten days into the 3-week testing period, it’s reported that all the bees are still alive.

For more information, see the original news story: Bee feed tested for pet food taints by Karen Roebuck, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 18/05/2007.

The Los Angeles Times has created a bit of a buzz with a recent report of a study that seems to link Nosema ceranae with Colony Collapse Disorder. Researchers emphasize, however, that study results were “highly preliminary”:

N. ceranae is “one of many pathogens” in the bees, said entomologist Diana Cox-Foster of Pennsylvania State University. “By itself, it is probably not the culprit … but it may be one of the key players.”

Cox-Foster was one of the organizers of a meeting in Washington, D.C., on Monday and Tuesday where about 60 bee researchers gathered to discuss Colony Collapse Disorder.

“We still haven’t ruled out other factors, such as pesticides or inadequate food resources following a drought,” she said. “There are lots of stresses that these bees are experiencing,” and it may be a combination of factors that is responsible.

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Government of New Brunswick Press Release
Agriculture and Aquaculture

Minister announces funding in support of agriculture industry
(07/05/18)

FREDERICTON (CNB) - A number of funding allocations to ensure the long-term profitability and sustainability of the agriculture industry in New Brunswick were announced today by Agriculture and Aquaculture Minister Ronald Ouellette.

“Since my appointment as minister of Agriculture and Aquaculture, I have met with numerous sector associations where a number of strategic investment opportunities have been identified to assist these sectors to better position themselves for the future,” Ouellette said. “The investments announced today will increase the industry’s ability to play an important role in our agenda for achieving self-sufficiency.”

As an immediate first step, the department will provide assistance of $100,000 to New Brunswick beekeepers to assist them in the rebuilding of their lost colonies this past winter. This should help to provide the pollination services as required by the province’s fruit and vegetable crops, including the emerging blueberry and cranberry sectors.

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NOD Apiary Products is giving away free full-size plans for building their new design of hive cover, the “MiteAway Migratory Lid” with a built-in rim.

You can do formic acid treatments or feed pollen patties, all with one piece of equipment. This lid avoids carrying around two separate pieces of equipment, reduces the need for equipment storage space, and can stay on the hive year-round.

Visit www.miteaway.com for more information:

No strings attached. You don’t have to buy a thing. Just email, download from our website, fax us, or call. We would be happy to supply you with a full set of plans. Including detailed drawings, a material and parts list, and all the information needed to put together as many of the “MiteAway Migratory Lids™” as you need.

Beekeepers have long used cool smoke to help calm their bees, to make it easier to work with the colonies. But lighting the smoker, and keeping it going, is one of those beekeeping skills that can be tricky for a beginner. It helps to have an experienced beekeeper show you how the equipment works — but, a video demonstration can be the next best thing!

“How to Light a Honeybee Smoker,” which runs about a minute and a half in length, is one of several video demonstrations that New England Beekeeping Supplies has posted on YouTube.

As we know, everyone does things just a little bit differently. It just takes a little bit of trial-and-error to find what works best for each beekeeper, in his own situation.

The only thing I would add to the NE Bees demonstration is that some of us like to gently pack down the smoker fuel a bit with your fist, once the fire is going well. The reason is that, if the material in the smoker is very loose, there’s a lot of air getting in to aid the burning. Some air is a good thing, because then the smoker doesn’t go out on you — but too much air means that your fuel can burn away too quickly, or that a too-vigorous puff of the bellows will cause a burst of sparks or flame to come out of the smoker.