Ingredients
□ 1 cup honey
□ 1 cup unsalted butter
□ 1 cup dark brown sugar (gives a darker color)
□ ½ teaspoon salt
□ 1 teaspoon vanilla (I use Mexican vanilla for a stronger flavor)
□ ½ teaspoon baking soda
□ 8 quarts puffed hollis (I prefer Snyder’s brand)

Directions
Step 1
Melt butter in a large sauce pan.

Step 2
Stir in brown sugar, honey and salt.

Step 3
Reduce heat to medium (low boil) for five minutes.

Step 4
Remove from stove.

Step 5
Add baking soda and vanilla. Mixture will get very puffy.

Step 6
Place puffed corn in a large baking pan or roaster.

Step 7
Pour caramel mixture over the puffed corn and stir together.

Step 8
Bake in over at 250°F for one hour. Stir every 15 minutes.

Step 9
Cool on cookie sheets with wax paper.

Step 10
Once cooled, store in airtight containers.

Note:
This recipe can be doubled. Makes great gifts for the Holidays! Enjoy!

Merry Christmas from everyone here at Bee Culture!

The hypopharyngeal glands could easily be considered “The Royal Glands of the Honey Bee,” since they secrete a substance known as royal jelly. In 1792, Francois Huber of Switzerland coined the term “gelee ryale” – royal jelly. Royal jelly is distinguished by its high levels of enriched nutrients. The jelly is a viscous substance secreted by worker nurse bees and is the essential food for the queen bee, honey bee worker and drone larvae. This gland is responsible for delivering the rich royal jelly proteins that stimulate their growth and development and plays an essential role in the diet and caste differentiation of honey bees.

Located in the head of young nurse worker bees, the hypopharyngeal glands consist of a pair of long food glands coiled in the sides of their head. They are found bilaterally in front of the brain, between their compound eyes that are located below the pharynx, which is an opening near the respiratory and digestive tracts. The gland is composed of two cell units connected to the secretory duct in the bee. Each unit is composed of thousands of secretory units and duct cells designed to produce and discharge the jelly.

These glands are also sometimes known as the “brood food glands.”

The age of the worker bee has an effect on the activity and physiology of the hypopharyngeal glands. The structure of the glands begins developing about a week before they emerge as adults and continues to change until they die. The glands are well-developed in nurse bees and they gradually decrease in size in the foraging stage of life.

For bees, pollen is the primary source of the ten amino acids and lipids they need to build protein, while nectar is considered the bees’ source of carbohydrates. Pollen is stored in the hive and consumed throughout the life of the bee. Most of the pollen is eaten by nurse bees. The nurse bees use the nutrients absorbed from the pollen and bee bread to secrete royal jelly from their hypopharyngeal glands. Bee bread is a mixture of honey, nectar, enzymes, bacteria and yeast that begin to grow on the pollen. This mixture allows the pollen to germinate into a sticky porridge-like ingredient – being an important component of the food for larva.

Hypopharyngeal glands, side view.
From www.honeybee.drawwing.org

When the honey bee emerges from its pupal stage it is considered an adult. After about three days the jelly is mixed with bee bread and fed to the workers and drones until they spin their cocoons. Conversely, queens receive a steady diet of royal jelly throughout their larval development. It causes the queen bee to grow twice as large as a worker bee and gives her a longer lifespan than the other bees.

The worker honey bees also produce invertase in the hypopharyngeal glands. Invertase is a salivary enzyme that hydrolyzes sucrose and other enzymes, which oxidizes into glucose and acid. Research has shown that invertase is also a honey preservative.

Consumption of pollen and carbohydrates is dependent on the bee’s age. During the first three to five days of an adult worker’s life, pollen is consumed and the body weight increases by 25 to 50%. During this period, the bee’s body fat increases along with the development of their hypopharyngeal glands and other internal organs.

Nutritional Composition and Benefits of Pollen
On average, pollen contains about 22-23% protein which has significant nutritional value and is needed in the chemical processes essential for life. Pollen is also a source of nucleic acids, DNA and RNA, lipids, vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates.

If sufficient pollen is not available and the quality of pollen protein content necessary for development is poor, it will cause a loss of weight. Growth will also be stunted resulting in a reduced lifespan. It is important that bees eat a variety of pollens in order to receive all the necessary amino acids to produce healthy bees. Most pollen is missing a few of these amino acids, creating the need for a variety of pollens.

If the quality and quantity of natural pollen is unavailable, due to Summer droughts or freezing Winter, you should consider providing substitute pollen.

Hypopharyngeal glands.
From www.honeybee.drawwing.org

In order to ensure the bees have sufficient nutrients needed to raise brood you should begin feeding substitute pollen two to three months prior to the first freeze. During this period “Winter bees” are being raised that will live longer than Summer bees. These bees need a complete diet for their immune systems and fat stores to survive the Winter. Continue feeding a month after the first freeze and then again two weeks before the blooming of pollen bearing plants in Spring.

A good pollen substitute will contain up to 60% protein along with other nutritious ingredients found in natural pollen, which is twice the concentration of normal pollen. Providing your bees the supplemental pollen can allow the hive to build up worker bees prior to the honey flow in the Spring.

Harvesting Royal Jelly
Royal jelly is principally considered a commercial product sold worldwide and is highly perishable, and one of the most difficult of all foods to harvest. This accounts for its scarcity and high prices.

Extraction requires: cutting open the honey comb cells, extracting the jelly and then proper storage. A good explanation of this process can be found at Beekeepinglove.com under the blog section titled: How to Harvest Royal Jelly From Bees? – Everything You Should Know.

Benefits of Royal Jelly to Humans
Although the use of royal jelly used by humans is controversial, it is believed that it boosts the immune system and memory. It’s also thought to improve the cardiovascular system, promote longevity and reinvigorates the body. A major ingredient of royal jelly is pantothenic acid which is useful in treating some bone and joint disorders. When this acid is injected, symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis tend to subside. When royal jelly is combined with pantothenic acid better results have been reported.

As a human diet item royal jelly use has increased significantly by people who want natural, healthy foods, and nutraceuticals which are foods containing health-giving additives and having medicinal benefits. Royal jelly is nutritious and enriched with nutrients. It has also been used as an alternative medicine in treating menopausal symptoms. Royal jelly is also a good source of bifidobacteria, which are the beneficial bacteria that support digestive health. Royal jelly can be taken by capsules or directly. It tastes a little like honey, but with sour, bitter or acidic complex flavors that taste like medicine.

“During my entire apicultural career of more than 75 years, from beginning to student to retirement 26 years ago, I cannot recall any apicultural professional in the United States who has accomplished more than Eric Mussen (May 12, 1944-June 3, 2022) in terms of his beneficial contributions to all apicultural activities.”

So said Norman “Norm” Gary, emeritus professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), on the passing of Eric Mussen, a 38-year UC Cooperative Extension apiculturist and faculty member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.

Mussen, diagnosed with metastasized liver cancer on May 31, 2022, died June 3 at his home in Davis. He was 78.

Although Mussen retired in 2014, he continued his many activities up until a few weeks prior to his death. For nearly four decades, he drew praise as “the honey bee guru,” “the pulse of the bee industry” and as “the go-to person” when consumers, scientists, researchers, students and the news media sought answers about honey bees.

Colleagues described him as the “premier authority on bees and pollination in California, and one of the top beekeeping authorities nationwide,” “a treasure to the beekeeping industry” and “a walking encyclopedia when it comes to honey bees.” News media, including The Lehrer Hour, BBC, Good Morning America, National Public Radio (Science Friday), The New York Times, Boston Globe and The Los Angeles Times, sought his expertise.

The department’s Celebration of Life and Legacy of Eric Mussen, held recently in the Putah Creek Lodge, drew a standing room-only crowd who shared and applauded him as a bee scientist, family man, athlete, angler, birder, photographer, humorist and a singer (doo wop).

Born in Schenectady, N.Y., Eric received his bachelor’s degree (1969) and master’s degree (1975) in entomology from the University of Minnesota and went on to earn his doctorate in entomology from the University of Massachusetts in 1975.

Mussen, who preferred to be called “Eric,” considered the beekeeping and almond industries his family. His family, both blood-related and industry-related, came out in force as Team Eric to pay tribute to their hero, their mentor, their confidant and their friend.

“Eric was a giant in the field of apiculture,” said Steve Nadler, professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. “The impact of his work stretched far beyond California.”

“The world is a lesser place without Eric,” said UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal, a former chair of the entomology department who produced and livestreamed the webinar, now posted on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Kj5NuQ_rBuo.

“Eric was a cherished friend to everyone here, to the UC Davis community, to his colleagues, to scientists and researchers, to agricultural growers and 4-H-ers and to beekeepers and bee enthusiasts everywhere,” Chancellor Gary May told the crowd. “He meant so much to the university and his work benefited us all. He represented the absolute best of UC Davis. He was an internationally recognized expert, dedicated to his work and passionate about helping others and making the world a better place to be. His legacy will endure. It will endure through his research contributions and extension activities that served beekeeping operations across California and the nation. It will endure through the practices he helped put in place, sharing information with beekeeping groups. It will endure through the next generation of apiculturists he helped inspire. We’ll remember his impact as the ‘honey bee guru.’ Much more than that, Eric will be remembered for his generosity, his kindness and his passion.”

Emcee Gene Brandi of Los Banos, CA, a family friend and an icon in the national bee industry, praised Eric’s newsletter, “from the UC Apiary,” as “a renowned publication that provided valuable information to beekeepers all over the country. We were very fortunate to have that.” The newsletters are online at https://bit.ly/3Es3juX.

“Eric made a difference,” said Brandi, who served with Eric nearly four decades on the California State Beekeeping Association’s Board of Directors. Brandi, who currently chairs the Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees, Inc., also served as president of American Beekeeping Federation and chaired both the California Apiary Board and National Honey Board. “To paraphrase a good friend of mine, (beekeeper) John Miller, ‘The people who really make a difference in this life are those who make things better. Eric Mussen made things better for the honey bee, beekeepers and the entire beekeeping industry and for that we are very grateful.’ ”

Timothy “Tim” Mussen described his father as “a strong, caring and reliable man who devoted his life to serving as a scientific expert in his field… it was clear to me that my father cared deeply for both of his families: his biological family at home and his professional bee biology family… If he were to provide some life advice, it would probably be: First, to pursue your interests. Second, to cherish your time that you have together. And the third would be to save the bees.”

Bob Curtis, former director of Agricultural Affairs, Almond Board of California, and a friend and colleague of Eric’s since 1976, said that “Eric Mussen spent a long career helping people and changing the landscape of beekeeping. He left a legacy of gentle guidance, integrity, partnerships, mentorships, productive communication, towering knowledge and love and respect from the people he touched.”

“When people asked him questions, he listened, he really listened,” Curtis said, adding that he “served an extremely diverse clientele as he listened to and guided everyone who came to him.” They included professional beekeepers, scientists, students, 4-H youth, bee hobbyists, fellow Extension advisors, news media “and many, many more.”

Curtis noted that Eric was a “huge mentor for the almond industry and taught us best bee pollination practices. He kept up with the literature and current happenings in the industry. Many people considered him the top Extension person in the nation, if not the globe dealing with honey bees. Among his many achievements, he was instrumental in helping almond board develop the influential ‘Honey Bee Best Management Practices for California Almonds’ which is considered state-of-the-art guidance in agriculture.”

“But the most resonant part of his legacy is not the almonds or even the respect he earned as a global authority on honey bees,” Curtis said. “It was the relationships he created. It seemed pretty clear that he saw the bee industry—and in essence, those the bee industry served, including almonds—he saw us as family and he took care of both the bees and us.”

Helene Dillard, dean of the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, characterized Eric as a “revered and inspirational scientist” who “embodied the essence of what it means to be an Extension apiculturist… His legacy will live on in the department and the world of apiculture.”

Ettamarie Peterson of Petaluma, a past president of the Sonoma County Beekeepers’ Association and a 21-year 4-H beekeeping project leader, described Eric as “a great friend and teacher to all of us. When we invited him to come to our meetings, he always came. Even though he retired in 2014, Eric was always ready to answer our questions. We were fortunate to have him almost annually at our meetings.”

His talks, Peterson pointed out, were “straightforward and laced with humor. We will always remember him as a brilliant beekeeping teacher who educated so many of us.”

Peterson, who educates 4-H-ers as young as five years old, lamented that beekeepers often begin their hobby around age 50, but the “zero” should be dropped. “When you see little 5-year-old girls do hive inspections—and petting the bees—you know that Eric is probably smiling on those children and saying ‘Atta girl.’”

Glenda Humiston, vice president of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, lauded Eric as “the epitome of UC Cooperative Extension. He was highly respected for his research-based knowledge of bees and other pollinators. He always made himself available to speak at Farm Advisor Field Days, at Master Gardener events and at 4-H community club meetings. News reporters found Eric to be an invaluable source. He always made time to talk to reporters whether it was Dan Rather or the local small newspaper.”

“Eric very patiently explained complex things like colony collapse disorder in language that everybody could understand,” said Humiston, adding that she admired “his passion for his work and his contributions” and “I am grateful for all he did.”

Extension apiculturist Elina Niño, who succeeded Eric in 2014, expressed her gratitude, commenting that “it was my honor to know him. He was a great educator and very passionate about science, biology and the beekeeping industry here in California and across the nation.”

Eric, who co-founded the Western Apicultural Society (WAS) in 1978 with fellow entomology faculty members Norm Gary and Becky Westerdahl, served six terms as president. “Eric was a strong leader,” Gary said, “and his activities helped to establish UC Davis as the cornerstone of beekeeping educational activities in the West. Eric’s role in supporting California’s commercial beekeeping industry is legendary! He helped to solve many problems faced by this industry, the largest and most intensive pollination industry in the world. Beekeepers frequently disagreed on the best strategies for their industry. Eric had unbelievable skills in promoting effective communication between all segments of this industry, resulting in the most productive pollination activities ever developed, and involving commercial beekeepers from many other states as they complemented California bee pollination.”

Bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey of Washington State University, formerly of UC Davis, noted that “Eric was an icon of the beekeeping industry and beyond, a career shaper, problem solver, the information man who always had an answer or would find one and always given with integrity, regardless of the issue, biological or political, to whoever posed the question and need. His contributions, impact and love from the people he touched will live, continuing to contribute and benefit their lives. His spirit is with us.”

In a 2015 letter of support for an award nomination, Cobey wrote of Eric: “During his 38-year career at UCD, Dr. Mussen has been the go-to person for information and scientific knowledge in apiculture and various related fields. His ability to communicate complex issues, provide accurate information and present the choices available towards problem solving, made him a valuable and reliable resource for the beekeeping industry nationwide.” Highly honored by his peers, Eric received scores of university, regional and statewide honors.

Randy Oliver of Grass Valley, owner of ScientificBeekeeping.com (“beekeeping through the eyes of a biologist”) said: “Eric Mussen was not only a longtime friend and collaborator of mine, but a model for me. He was a beloved and exemplary Extension apiculturist, with his engaging presentations, interpreting the science for the benefit of beekeepers. His monthly newsletter was an important source of information to not only California beekeepers, but also to many across the United States and around the world. Eric always made time to happily share information with anyone who asked.”

“I really appreciated his courage in difficult times; he was willing to stand up for what he believed was fair and right,” said entomology professor Diane Ullman, a former department chair. “He was a great supporter of women in leadership and women in science, and a great supporter of students. He had a quiet courage and would really stand up for his beliefs.”

Jackie Park-Burris of Jackie Park-Burris Queens, Inc., Palo Cedro, a leader in the queen bee breeding and beekeeping industries, said she met Eric more than 40 years ago “and from day one he was mentoring me. He was the bee guy for the entire country! Eric was the bee industry’s connection to the scientific world. Eric understood both camps and he connected them. Eric had incredible integrity that I have never seen matched. Because of that integrity, beekeepers felt confident in sharing their problems with him, knowing their secrets were safe. Eric always voiced the opinion he felt was right, even if it wasn’t the most popular.”

Park-Burris said that “Eric told me that he looked at the bee industry as his family. When my son attended UC Davis, he and Helen made sure Ryan knew he could contact them if he needed anything. Eric even came to a function on campus that my son was in charge of to show support.”

“We loved him,” Park-Burris said. “What a sad loss for us all.”

Eric is survived by his wife, Helen Mussen, sons Timothy Mussen (Noelle) of Rancho Cordova, and their children Amber and Alex; Christopher Mussen (Jacqueline Silva), of Davis; his younger brother Alan Mussen (Lynda) and their daughter, Allie and husband, Nick Arnold, all of Peru, N.Y.; as well as other relatives in New York and Michigan.

Memorial contributions may be made to the California State 4-H Beekeeping Program, with a note, “Eric Mussen Memorial Fund.” Checks may be made out to:
California 4-H Foundation
Attn: Development Services (Eric Mussen Memorial Fund, California State 4-H Beekeeping Program)
2801 Second Street
Davis, CA 95618

Our experience, as individuals and in societies, is informed by history. ‘Nothing new under the sun’, we’ve often heard. Many observers now reference the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 with the current situation in Ukraine. How Nikita Khrushchev, with bombast and bluster – painted himself into a rhetorical corner from which he could not escape (in today’s parlance it’s called an off-ramp) without a humiliating loss. Within two years, Khrushchev was deposed.

Meanwhile, a little closer to home, American beekeepers are on the verge of repeating, or learning from history. Tropilaelaps mercedesae (Tropi) is an ectoparasitic mite expanding its range.

Varroa

Tropilaelaps

Similar to the range expansion Varroa destructor took 40 years ago. Beekeepers large and small have fought to control Varroa globally – ever since. The range expansion of Varroa is now mirrored in a weirdly eerie similar pattern. It’s coming. We are so very unprepared.

An internet search will come up with a presentation by Dr. Sammy Ramsey.

Everyone who grows food, or likes to eat food, should watch Tropilaelaps presentations.

I cannot think of a similar moment in American beekeeping history. Call me an alarmist.

I think we are at an inflection point. Remember a decade ago when President Obama called for an ‘All Hands On Deck’ effort to do something with and for honey bees? More forage, better science, a beehive at the White House! Consider a similar effort in 2023; only this time – the effort comes from the beekeepers. It will require working together – an idea for beekeepers to grasp – but we can do it.

https://doi.org/10.1093/gigascience/gix008 describes the Draft genome of the honey bee ectoparasitic mite.

Taking the fight to Tropi will be expensive. Taking the fight to Tropi will cost a fraction of the cost of battling Tropi once she arrives stateside. My children and grandchildren should not have to fight Tropi the way I stupidly fought Varroa.

We’re going to need some cash. A bunch of it. We’re going to need to coordinate and collaborate. We need many sets of eyes on this bug. Geneticists to probe for weaknesses in Tropi – a vulnerability. Chemists – experts who know how difficult it is to kill a bug on a bug.

Molecular biologists with the skills to train available instruments on the target. Entomologists trained in parasites of other insects. Multiple disciplines needed.

Lots of money needed.

Right now, in California and North Dakota – state tax revenue is robust. California has perfected the Kleptocracy form of government. Big tax surplus in California. North Dakota enjoys a robust energy sector, and an equally robust extraction taxation scheme. Lots of money in lots of buckets in CA/ND. CA & ND in American beekeeping – they’re siamese twins. CA can’t do without ND bees. CA bees need somewhere to go after Spring – to ND. ND used to be the last, best place. It’s now the least, worst place. Disclosure: I am the President of the North Dakota Beekeepers Association. Our ND Honey Promotion Fund has money in it – looking for a good Tropi project. ND is a leading State organization funding bee research. Buzz Landon is President of CA State Beekeepers Association. CA is a leading State group funding bee research.

Idaho is a solid funder of bee research. Oregon beekeepers fund bee research. If the top ten State bee research funding groups ever shared a common challenge: Tropi is it. For the first time in history: State Groups: please talk with each other!

A coordinated approach with California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross should help. Ag Association Management Services (AAMSI) represents CA State Beekeepers Association. Chris Zanobini leads AAMSI. He is a wise man.

We need not be hysterical. Simply factual is hysterical enough with Tropi.

The notoriously frugal North Dakota Legislature meets in January. ND is rightfully proud of the fact that ND is the #1 honey production state – by about a solar system – in America.

A coordinated approach to ND Legislature should help. Maybe it’s a grant – administered by NDSU in Fargo. ND has a pretty good Ag Genome Center in Fargo.

In November, Senator John Hoeven (R) was re-elected to the U.S. Senate. Control of the Senate will soon change; and John Hoeven will write portions of the 2023 Farm Bill. A coordinated approach to funding bee research – sufficient funding to take the fight to Tropi in Thailand – as a preventative measure – is a sound expenditure of taxpayer money. If you think food is expensive now; wait.

Another way for beekeepers to help beekeepers is to support ‘temporary refrigerated beehive storage’ as an allowed use in the Farm Stored Facility Loan Program (FSFLP). In 2018, Senator Hoeven supported the expanded use of the FSFLP. USDA ignored the request to expand the eligible uses of FSFLP: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/Assets/USDA-FSA-Public/usdafiles/FactSheets/2022/farm_storage_facility_loan_programs_fact_sheet_july_2022.pdf

American beekeepers can place beehives in refrigerated buildings to control Varroa through a brood break, made possible by placing hives into a cold, quiet, dark space for several months – creating brood-free conditions in beehives. This method of mite control may be one of perhaps very few controls for Tropi. Construction costs for indoor buildings can be $150/psf. Correct: a 20,000 square foot building; capacity: 20,000 hives; may cost $3,000,000 to build. Cost of funds are shown in the FSFLP fact sheet. Interest rates in the FSFLP are lower than any other lender. Beekeepers should have access to this assistance.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is tasked with protecting our shores from bad bugs and bad plants. The ports serving ocean-going vessels are a prime target for species expanding their global range. If there is a potentially more devastating bug out there than Tropi – I want to read about it. Trap lines of pheromone lure pots should be invigorated.

The value of the best beekeeping outfits in America will be halved the day after Tropi is found in America. That’s one estimate.

The Apiary Inspectors of America: Beekeepers and the Inspectors should be speaking with each other. Call me an alarmist; but I sincerely believe we, all of us, could work together on Tropi.

The Office of the Chief Scientist, USDA evaluates the best of emerging science, established science – and where best to apply that science – to control agricultural threats. There is a little money appropriated for USDA-OCS; and more should be appropriated in the 2023 Farm Bill.

You know who else has a powerful voice? Hobbyists. Home production beekeepers. Beekeepers in all 50 states have an opportunity to speak out in support of bee research funding. Not a one-n-done one year and then on to the next shiny thing. This one is real.

Consider spending $20 million a year for three years to prevent a parasite that will cost $100 million a year forever… like Varroa; only worse.

The 35-year experience with Varroa has been miserable. It’s still miserable. Millions of hives perish every year from Varroa. Beekeepers don’t have to go through the same experience with Tropi. To prevent history from repeating, we must differently approach the challenge. In 2022, Australian beehives found to be infested with Varroa are being burned. History knows how that will turn out. Prevention > Redemption.

We are living in an unprecedented time. A time of immediate gratification, where almost anything you could possibly want to know or own is just a Google search or click away. We are saturated with negative media coverage and overstimulation is the new norm. The beekeeping industry is no exception. The multitude of social media platforms that vie for our attention have spawned a plethora of self-proclaimed “experts” spewing information to uninformed newbies. Although there are outliers in every group, the bulk of these “experts” are in it for the recognition and limited fame that comes with being a content creator on YouTube. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer to take advice from the real, salt of the earth beekeepers that actually do this for a living, and have at times risked EVERYTHING to get to where they are at today.

When Bee Culture’s editor, Jerry, asked if I would be interested in reaching out to a fellow beekeeper to interview for this month’s issue, there was one such beekeeper that immediately came to mind. This wasn’t because he is a close, personal friend of mine. To be totally transparent, prior to this interview, he and I hadn’t conversed since I purchased queens from him back in 2019. I chose him because he is modest, wise beyond his years and how he has conducted himself during times of prosperity and near total devastation, could serve as an example for all of us. Since a lot of the specifics of honey bee genetics, husbandry practices and equipment are covered time and time again, I focused more on the often-overlooked business side of beekeeping.

Troy Hall is the owner/operator of Hall Apiaries located in the Upper Valley Region of New Hampshire and Vermont. Troy has been a commercial beekeeper since 2010 and during this time, he has been predominantly treatment free. Troy warns that his approach to beekeeping has been anything but easy, with lots of hard work and little pay. This rang especially true during the first couple of years as he was developing a treatment free program for his apiary. Troy honed his craft studying under famed Vermont beekeeper Kirk Webster, whom first introduced me to Troy’s work. He currently runs multiple apiaries throughout his region with specific yards for honey production (300 colonies), nucleus colonies (350) and mating nucs (388). Troy was gracious enough to take time out of his busy schedule and sit down with the readers of Bee Culture to discuss the trials and tribulations of operating a small scale, treatment free, commercial operation.

JK: I find myself on the cusp of transitioning from a sideline to a small-scale commercial operation and have several questions related to the business side for folks such as yourself that are making a living from their bees. I know that you took the leap almost from the start when you were just 18 years old so perhaps you had less risks involved at that time of your life. I’m curious to know what some of the challenges were that you first encountered on the business end (cash flow, equipment, infrastructure, etc.)? How did you get your business plan moving forward (conventional bank loans, USDA micro loans, etc.)?

TH: Early on, my biggest challenge was cash flow. I had very little cash in my business account, just enough to cover month to month expenses at times. I was hesitant to take out a loan not knowing what the potential of my apiary was. I needed to prove to myself and let my business prove to me that it was viable and could stand on its own. Being in my early 20s at the time I had a very small budget at home, I didn’t need much and my overall debt was low. To get the whole thing moving forward I needed to produce a honey crop and sell a surplus of queens to generate revenue to reinvest back into my business for next season. Once my business was established, I took out a USDA micro loan to help cover the expense for a honey house and workshop.

JK: What is the most important piece of equipment in your operation that you wished you would/could have purchased earlier?

TH: My truck. I started with a half ton and moved up to my current truck, a ¾ ton (2016 Ford F250) with a flat bed. It is my opinion that in order for it to be a good bee truck, a flatbed is essential. There was always the itch for a better extractor or a bigger facility early on but I had to make do with what I could afford. I feel some people can get into trouble early on in their business venture with bees by not being disciplined enough to really weigh needs and wants.

JK: Your business model reflects a combination of nucleus colony, mated queen and honey sales. Now twelve years into it, is this still a viable business model? Are there aspects that you hope to scale up/back in the coming years as the enterprise grows?

TH: It is. This model (nucs, queens and honey) has been the productive engine that has enabled me to have revenue in tough years and in the good years I was able to reach up and grab onto the next level above me in my business plan. I am reaching a level now where it’s been really fun and it’s amazing to look around at all I have and accomplished completely from my bees paying for it all. Going forward, the demand for honey, queens and local overwintered nucs is very high so I am always trying to increase production and keep the workload manageable for me while still doing most of the work with the help of a few other helpers.

JK: If you could offer up just one little pearl of wisdom to a sideline beekeeper that’s considering taking the leap into full-time employment with their bees, what would it be?

TH: Stay above reproach in all your business endeavors. Be honest and reputable, stand behind what you produce and sell, there is room for everyone at the table. Keep your love and passion for bees the focus as your business grows. It’s the heart of what keeps me going. Tell yourself, “I do not know all the answers.”

JK: I have heard you say in another interview that you don’t make a lot of money. You have even said that you aren’t worthy of an $80,000 a year salary. Can you explain what you mean by this and in your opinion, what perks does a lesser paying career in beekeeping offer that the suit in the high rise, netting six figures annually misses out on?

TH: Being that I started from nothing and grew what I have today from the sole merits of my bees, I have a hard time with people starting a bee business expecting to make a lot of money. I am not saying you can’t, there is plenty of opportunity for people to make a good living and life style around being a beekeeper. My point being, it’s the mindset of becoming a farmer. This is lost on our culture today. Most people feel they need to make $80,000 or six figures to live a comfortable life. That is not true. You can do very well and live happily with less. Some of the perks for me are, I am my own boss, working alongside the honey bee and immersed in nature, working with my hands, and mind.

JK: In your experience, what have been some of the toughest challenges in operating a sustainable apiary in a cold, northern climate? Have you seen that certain genetic lines perform better in a colder climate than others?

TH: Winter mortality has been the toughest challenge. Things have changed over the last few seasons. There is a greater pressure on the bees from mites and the environment. The genetics that survive and thrive here are the Carniolan and Russian strains.

JK: Do you have any specific advice for that third year beekeeper who wants to start dabbling into producing their own queens and working towards a sustainable apiary?

TH: Master the art of raising good queen cells; this is dependent on following a scheme with setting up and managing your cell builders from one year to the next. Some years, the bees raise cells with very little effort, other years it feels like I must coax along or stimulate them due to the environmental impact on the bees from one season to the next.

JK: Being a predominantly treatment free beekeeper, I have heard you say that you can’t be treatment free without rearing your own queens. Can you expand on this a bit?

TH: It’s not entirely, but it often feels like a numbers game. You need to spread the risk over a large population. To do this, I need to raise my own queens from my own tested stock that is surviving and thriving in my apiary from one season to the next. I need to raise as many daughters as I can and get them installed in nucs to overwinter. Nucs typically don’t struggle with high mite pressure due to the brood break upon making them up and the timing of our seasons when the queens shut down for Winter. Having an ample supply of nucs in the Spring allows you to replace your losses with your own bees. If I had to buy bees every year, I would be out of business.

JK: Treatment free is a romantic concept with a devote following. We all have our own beliefs/disbeliefs on this method and its effectiveness, so this interview isn’t the time or place to unpack all of that. Can you define for me what treatment free means to Troy Hall and his operation?

TH: To manage an apiary without the use of chemical treatments for varroa and other ailments. In all honesty, it is becoming very hard to maintain a treatment free paradigm over the last two seasons. As I mentioned before, I feel there has been a change in the mite/virus complex plus the environmental stressors playing out on the bees.

JK: I have heard you say in the past that when you decided to commit to being treatment free, you knew the risks that were involved and were prepared to lose everything and possibly have to start over. Prior to the Spring of 2021, you experienced colony losses that were in line or just a tad higher than the national average annually, however; coming into 2021, you had some concern about the health of your colonies that were coming out of Winter. Will you share with us what you think happened and how you responded?

TH: I lost just about all my apiary in the Spring of 2021. The Fall of 2020 was a very dry one here. So, nutritionally the bees were stressed to the max. Being nutritionally stressed funnels all the mites onto a smaller population of bees when the queens reduce the overall number of eggs laid. This was the perfect storm for failure. (I was feeding pollen sub and syrup all along when things got tough). It was too late as the problem was already baked in by September when I started seeing crashing colonies throughout my apiary. This was the first time I had ever witnessed this type of event, for I had experienced bees being nutritionally stressed in the previous season of drought. Overall, I feel it was mites/virus and drought that killed off my bees.

JK: What are our biggest challenges in beekeeping today and where are we headed?

TH: We need mite resistant bees. We need more beekeepers (queen breeders) all over the country and world on the frontier of breeding for these bees. Beekeepers using their wit and creative abilities to solve these problems. We need to band together to keep our industry going.

JK: Troy, I appreciate your willingness to be interviewed today and additionally, want to commend you for being the person that you are. You have built a sound operation that offers quality queens and great honey, but more important to me than this, is that you are morally and ethically sound. The level of transparency that you have shared with our audience today will help countless readers such as myself whom are toeing the edge of that sideline/commercial line. We’ve already went deep into the weeds for this article so let’s end with some rapid fire, fun stuff!

JK: Favorite hobby outside of beekeeping?

TH: Music/playing guitar.

JK: Favorite movie?

TH: As Good as It Gets

JK: Favorite non-beekeeping book?

TH: The Pilgrim’s Regress by C.S Lewis.

JK: What famous deceased person would you most want to meet?

TH: Theodore Roosevelt.

JK: If you weren’t a beekeeper, what would you be doing for a living?

TH: Running a saw mill.

As I hope many of you are aware, we had our annual October event entitled BEEing Diverse: Inspiring Leaders in Beekeeping on September 30 and October 1, 2022. I am happy to report that it went fantastic!

Over the past three years, Bee Culture had been trying their best to host this event. Unfortunately both in 2020 and 2021, it was canceled due to the public safety concerns from the still on-going, COVID-19 pandemic. They chose to completely cancel rather than move it to a completely virtual event because they didn’t want to lose out on the spirit of having the event in-person, especially with the speakers we did. I am thankful they chose to postpone!

For anyone who does not know, I am the designer for Bee Culture Magazine. I started here in September 2021, just as they canceled the event that year. I got to spend the remainder of the year learning everything I could from Kathy and for some reason that didn’t include almost anything about the event. I got a couple small notes here and there for it, but since we weren’t planning it, it wasn’t at the forefront of the teaching. Learning the magazine was much more important. But that’s okay since Kim and Kathy are close by and always ready to help!

That being said, from behind the scenes it was wild, chaotic, crazy, basically any synonym you want to apply during the planning and lead up to the event. Since Bee Culture’s entire team is new as of November 2019, none of us have ever planned this event before. Two of us hadn’t even attended one! Luckily, back in early June, Kim came in and gave us a rundown of what we need, when we need it and a best course of action to get going. From there we enlisted the help of some people around the A.I. Root Company (if you didn’t know – that’s the company Bee Culture is owned by!). We needed help with getting our conference room booked, making sure we could actually get in the room, set-up of tables and chairs and a million other tiny details but most importantly, making sure we had food for everyone! A sincere thank you to all of the Root employees who were involved in helping us with this event. We could not have done it without you!

As we planned and time flew by, so many little details kept coming into play that none of us had even thought about! I can’t tell you how many pages of notes I filled up as we had meeting after meeting about the event. An event of our size (we had about 75 people in person) isn’t the biggest event, especially in the bee world, but for three people with minimal experience, it was tough! Planning 14 speakers, in-person and virtual tickets, catering, social media, many Amazon purchases for everything from hand sanitizer to table cloths and everything in-between was difficult to juggle while also putting out a monthly magazine, a daily email blast, some renewal mailings, posting articles online, plus everything Jerry and Jen do. I even went on a week vacation in there!

But overall, we somehow did it and we have received only positive comments. So many people were glad to finally be able to meet in person and have that many speakers with such a wide range of knowledge and expertise to share stories with and ask questions. We are so glad we finally made this happen and it was a great success. We want to do it again in the future, but check back in a few months to see if it’s a yearly event… we’re still tired.

Before I go, I wanted to announce that we will have the recordings of each talk available for purchase on our store website (www.Store.BeeCulture.com). I am writing this on November 7, and so far I have five recordings done out of 15 total recordings. Unfortunately, based on our previous knowledge of technology and programs, software limitations and various other reasons, I am the only one who can work on these. While I do that, I am also doing the rest of my job, so it’s a very slow process. We also had a surprise technical issue (because what good event happens without one), we almost didn’t have our microphone system. That being said, it was up and running but not at top quality. Our amazing IT person was able to get it up about two days before we started. But the day of, we noticed a slight buzz in the background and when he went to fix it, the microphone system broke again for about 10 minutes so we collectively chose that a microphone with a small buzz was better than no microphone at all. With this detail explained, the buzz was more apparent in the recordings than we originally anticipated. It’s not the worst thing in the world, but some of our speakers are soft-spoken people. We want to offer the absolute best product possible, so I am going through and editing everything, and at the same time, I am transcribing and subtitling each talk. Because of this, the recordings are taking significantly longer to finish and upload than we had originally thought. We will have them up on our store as soon as all the recordings are ready. Please be patient with us with the timing of this because as of now, I cannot guarantee or even estimate a date. We will make sure to let you know on our social media pages, in our daily email Catch the Buzz and in the magazine as soon as they are all ready! Until then, we hope you join us at our next event!

Inventor Stuart Roweth holds his creation, the Bee Gym.

Stuart Roweth
By: Tina Sebestyen

I first became acquainted with Stuart Roweth, who lives in England, after reading about his invention, the Bee Gym, on someone’s blog page several years ago. I ordered several of them, and Stuart and I began corresponding via email. Stuart’s interest in beekeeping began in 2011 with his propensity for inventing things. He has two other inventions: one is a double pot system allowing trees to survive on terraces and balconies, and the other is a multiplication engine for young students. Then he met a young man who started telling him about his adventures in beekeeping, and of course mentioned our arch-nemesis, Varroa destructor. Stuart started his beekeeping career the right way, with a mentor, and in joining a bee club. He did a little research, and after seeing the size of the mites in relation to their hosts, he thought it might be possible to build something that would help the bees rid themselves of mites. He came up with an idea, and made his first Bee Gym out of wood. It was a little contraption that looked like a tiny cattle guard with an entrance reducer that forced bees through a small gap, and had strings that would catapult the mites off the bees’ backs. Initial success was encouraging, 119 mites in one day. He made videos of the bees, and saw that they were choosing to go in the restricted area of the Bee Gym, and that they were grooming themselves there. When he learned a little more and knew that mites are underneath bees more than they are on their backs, he knew he needed to do something more.

The first Bee Gym that is meant to go in the
entrance so that the bees must walk through it.

Now, he needed to find a way to knock the mites off of the bees’ undersides. One idea was to use little brushes, but using an old mascara brush of his wife’s, he found that the mites had too good a hold and were too low to the bee to be removed with a brush. Fingernails were perfect, and he got the idea of little plastic flippers that bees could use to scrape mites off, whether purposely or accidentally when walking over the device in the hive. His wife worked in film and television, and in her workshop, they molded a little prototype that would hold both strings and flippers, out of two-part plastic. They made about forty of them, and gave them out to beekeepers. This was then superseded by a 3D printed design which was used to make an injection molding tool. They made about 5,000 of the square Bee Gyms, devices that go in the entrance and have both strings and flippers.

At this point, Stuart needed investors and beekeepers for testing, and found both. Vita Bee Health and the Devon Apicultural Research Group (DARG) did some testing, as did several individual beekeepers, like myself. Stuart decided to try placing grooming devices on brood combs, and invented the Mini Gym, a small bar that connects through the comb to a matching bar, both with mite flippers. He sent me several and I placed them in my hives, saving one pair for my observation hive. I saw the same thing that Stuart was learning through watching hundreds of hours of video of the bees with Gyms. The bees spend a lot of time on them. At first, it looked to me like the bees were trying to remove the flippers, and after about a week, they gave up on that and just spent time rubbing on them. Sometimes it looks like the bees are walking over them incidentally, as part of the hive architecture, which would still mean some efficacy. Once the bees get used to having the Mini-Gym in the hive, it really looks like they are purposely rubbing and grooming themselves on it.

The mini-Gym, that can be placed anywhere on wax foundation or foundationless comb. A good addition to an observation hive, especially since these are notoriously difficult to treat for mites.

This wasn’t enough for Stuart, who had more ideas brewing after a video conference with some of his testers, who thought that placement of the devices was critical. He created the Slim Gym, a grooming device to be placed on the top bars between boxes of the brood chamber. Again, he sent me several to try. I placed them on my hive bodies, with some concern about how hard it would be to clean the inevitable bur comb off of them, and how often that would be. I was pleasantly surprised to find that though some colonies do put wax on them, it isn’t much, and is easy to scrape off, once a season, after soaking in borax. I was even more pleasantly surprised to find that mite numbers stayed low all season (though as we beekeepers know, it might be the Gyms, and it might be one of a thousand other variables). This Spring, Stuart’s idea was to hang the Slim Gyms vertically between bars or frames, so that they would be right in the brood area, where mites like to hang out waiting to infest growing bee larvae and where we normally place treatment strips.

I counted for mites in all of my colonies, then started stapling the Slim Gyms to the top bars of frames, and found that this method works great for top bar hives, too. I decided that I wanted to also try drilling holes in them, and hanging them from a toothpick, so that the grooming device would be more equally spaced between the frames. After two weeks, I counted mites again, and counts in all colonies had dropped. Now, at the end of Summer, as always, some colonies have maintained low mite numbers, while some have risen. Only one colony with Slim Gyms has high numbers, and they are so high, I would normally count that as having received a mite bomb. Stuart suggested that I move the Slims around in the brood chamber, as it might increase their use. I must admit that I have not gone totally treatment free as Stuart requested at the beginning of this testing, but have treated when necessary over the past few years, mostly only using OA vapor in mid-Winter for those few hives with more than two mites per 300 bees.

The Slim Gym. We originally placed three on tops of frames, now hung between brood frames, and used in conjunction with the square Bee Gym in the entrance.

Stuart is careful not to claim that this is “the” answer to mites, but says that he has created another tool for our Integrated Pest Management tool box. He wants to be responsible in his advice, and suggests that when mite numbers rise above certain thresholds, chemical treatment should be done. He also acknowledges that some beekeepers will flat-out refuse to use any kind of treatment, and this is a tool for them and others to experiment with. I asked him what other kinds of IPM his other testers were using, and it is all across the board, from drone brood culling to sugar dusting. He loves that this empowers us, allowing us to taking back control and do something positive for our bees. The aim of the project is year-round varroa control. It leads to a different kind of beekeeping regimen, and it is more enjoyable, because we have the means in our hands to solve some of the problems for our bees.

I asked Stuart how his own bees were doing. He says that treating for mites interferes with the testing of the Bee Gyms, so he is bravely going without treatments, but uses drone brood culling and the grooming devices, and has not started introducing mite resistant queens yet. He has one colony that is seven years old, and another that is six, without collapse. Most of his other colonies are two to three years old. Stuart claims they have all become sustainable over the last few years as the Bee Gyms have become more effective. He has observed that mite numbers seem to be controlled better the longer the colonies survive, which made me wonder whether the bees become more adept at using them over time, or whether he thought they might also serve as training devices for more frequent grooming. He seemed cautiously hopeful.

I asked Stuart about how difficult and expensive it was to get a patent, since that might be something that would discourage a would-be inventor. He says that patents are easier to get and less expensive (at the start) in the UK than they are here in the U.S. I asked about future iterations of the Bee Gym, and whether he might have considered getting a GoFundMe page. He has definite steps in mind for the future of the Bee Gym, but wants to get better testing and hard numbers before moving forward. I think Stuart can be a motivational model for all of us; to put our ideas to the test, and not to be afraid to try.

For the interview issue of this magazine, we chose to contact the ancient Latin poet Virgil (who lived slightly before Christ). Below, we are sharing the unedited transcript of our interview. As you’ll see we had a few technical glitches for which we ask your forgiveness; this was our first time using Zoom’s time-travel feature, Ouija-Zoom.

More shocking than some of his outdated ideas are how relevant many of his sentiments are to modern beekeepers… approximately two thousand years later!

The importance of bee habitat is featured in Virgil’s work. Photo Credit: https://pxhere.com/nl/photo/1256075

Becky: Hello from the future! Thanks so much for making time for this Ouija-Zoom. Well why don’t you start by telling us how you got into beekeeping?

Virgil: [transcript unclear, something about the gods]

Bridget: Okay, we kind of lost you there Virgil, are you still there? Maybe try turning your video off?

Becky: Is his screen frozen or is that just a marble bust of… himself?

Virgil: Hi sorry, Oija-Zoom doesn’t work very well here! I’m in Mantua visiting my dad’s horse farm. [takes sip of wine]

Becky: Oh hi there! We can hear you now! Good morning, and thanks so much for agreeing to do an interview with us. So what time of year is it back there in 32 B.C.? We are here in Minnesota in the Fall of 2022…

Virgil: …when the golden sun has driven Winter
under the earth, and unlocked the heavens with Summer light!

Becky: Wow, Spring! Lovely! Okay, let’s go right into some management stuff. Our audience is a lot of beginner beekeepers. Can you talk a little about site selection for someone who is just getting into bees?

Ancient Roman Poet, Virgil, is known to many because of his epic poem the Aeneid. Beekeepers will find wisdom in book IV of his Georgics poem. Photo Credit: Armando Marcini, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Virgil: First look for a site and position for your apiary,
where no wind can enter (since the winds prevent them
carrying home their food) and where no sheep or butting kids
leap about among the flowers, or wandering cattle brush
the dew from the field, and wear away the growing grass.
But let there be clear springs nearby, and pools green with moss,
and a little stream sliding through the grass,
and let a palm tree or a large wild-olive shade the entrance,
so that when the new leaders command the early swarms
in their Springtime, and the young enjoy freedom from the combs,
a neighboring bank may tempt them to leave the heat,
and a tree in the way hold them in its sheltering leaves.
Let green rosemary, and wild thyme with far-flung fragrance,
and a wealth of strongly-scented savory, flower around them,

Bridget: Wonderful, thanks. I love that you mention having lots of flowers blooming near the hive! That’s so important. Can you talk more about the stream thing? What if folks don’t live near a little stream and pools green with moss? Can they still have an apiary, or could they just maybe put out a bucket of water?

Virgil: Whether the water flows or remains still, throw willows
across the center, and large stones, so that it’s full
of bridges where they can rest, and spread their wings
to the Summer sun, if by chance a swift Easterly
has wet the lingerers or dipped them in the stream.

Bridget: And circling back to planting flowers: can you talk more about habitat? Besides finding a good location, how should we be thinking about habitat for our bees?

Virgil: He whose concerns are these, let him bring thyme and wild-bay,
himself, from the high hills, and plant them widely round his house:
let him toughen his hands himself with hard labor, let him set
fruitful plants in the ground himself, and sprinkle kind showers.
And for my part, if I were not at the furthest end of my toil,
furling my sails, and hurrying to turn my prow towards shore,
perhaps I too would be singing how careful cultivation ornaments
rich gardens, and of the twice-flowering rose-beds of Paestum,
how the endive delights in the streams it drinks,
and the green banks in parsley, and how the gourd, twisting
over the ground, swells its belly: nor would I be silent about
the late-flowering narcissi, or the curling stem of acanthus,
the pale ivy, and the myrtle that loves the shore.

Bridget: Thanks, V! It’s true that planting habitat is hard, but important work for beekeepers. And yes, we mustn’t be silent about the importance of late blooming flowers!

Virgil: I’m not done!

Bridget: Apologies, continue…

Virgil: I recall how I saw an old Corycian, under Tarentum’s towers,
where the dark Galaesus waters the yellow fields,
who owned a few acres of abandoned soil,
not fertile enough for bullocks to plow,
not suited to flocks, or fit for the grape harvest:
yet as he planted herbs here and there among the bushes,
and white lilies round them, and vervain, and slender poppies,
it equaled in his opinion the riches of kings, and returning home
late at night it loaded his table with un-bought supplies.
He was the first to gather roses in Spring and fruit in Autumn:
and when wretched Winter was still splitting rocks
with cold, and freezing the water courses with ice,
he was already cutting the sweet hyacinth flowers,
complaining at the slow Summer and the late zephyrs.
So was he also first to overflow with young bees,
and a heavy swarm, and collect frothing honey
from the squeezed combs: his limes and wild-bays were the richest,
and as many as the new blossoms that set on his fertile fruit trees
as many were the ones they kept in Autumn’s ripeness.
He planted advanced elms in rows as well, hardy pears,
blackthorns bearing sloes, and plane-trees
already offering their shade to drinkers.
But I pass on from this theme, confined within narrow limits,
and leave it for others to speak of after me.

Becky: Wow, excellent plant list, and great point about using sub-par agricultural land for planting bee food. I know you are furling your sails and all, but if you change your mind about retirement, we’d love to have you join our Minnesota Beekeeper’s Habitat Committee! Your passion about planting for bees is contagious.

Virgil: [sips from goblet]

Bridget: I’m still stuck on your comment about the importance of late blooming flowers. Can you tell our readers any other fav Fall flowers?

Virgil: There’s a meadow flower also, the Italian starwort,
that farmers call amellus, easy for searchers to find:
since it lifts a large cluster of stems from a single root,
yellow-centered, but in the wealth of surrounding petals
there’s a purple gleam in the dark blue: often the gods’ altars
have been decorated with it in woven garlands:
its flavor is bitter to taste: the shepherd’s collect it
in valleys that are grazed, and by Mella’s winding streams.
Boil the plant’s roots in fragrant wine, and place it
as food at their entrances in full wicker baskets.

Bridget: Ah. The Michaelmas daisy! We’ve got a ton of different kinds of purple asters blooming right now in Minneapolis. We don’t typically boil aster wine for the bees… we just let them gather nectar? But.. Thanks for the idea?

Becky: Okay switching gears a little. Here in Minnesota, we get a lot of questions about entrance size, entrance reducers etc. What are your opinions on hive entrances?

Virgil: Let the hives themselves have narrow entrances,
whether they’re seamed from hollow bark,
or woven from pliant osiers: since Winter congeals
the honey with cold, and heat loosens it with melting.
Either problem’s equally to be feared with bees:
it’s not for nothing that they emulate each other in lining
the thin cells of their hives with wax, and filling the crevices
with glue made from the flowers, and keep a store of it
for this use, stickier than bird lime or pitch from Phrygian Ida.

Becky: Actually Dr. Marla Spivak and her lab have been working a lot on the “glue made from flowers” aka propolis. Would you be interested in reading any of her papers on the importance of propolis for bee health?

Virgil [sips from goblet]

Becky: Cool, we’ll put links in the chat. [https://beelab.umn.edu/spivak-lab/publications] Meanwhile, was it a good year for honey harvest in ancient Italy?

Virgil [silently pours urn of honey over statue of self while staring at the screen]

Becky: Okay so I’m guessing it was a good year! Not so great here in Minnesota. 2022 was not a great year for honey for us, and now lots of new beekeepers are asking if they can maybe harvest a few combs from the brood nest. What do you think?

Virgil: If you fear a harsh Winter, and would spare their future,
and pity their bruised spirits, and shattered fortunes,
who would then hesitate to fumigate them with thyme
and cut away the empty wax?
The more is taken, the more eagerly they devote themselves
to repairing the damage to their troubled species,
and filling the cells, and building their stores from flowers.

Becky: We totally agree: better to leave enough for the bees and pray to Apollo for a good harvest next year. Okay, we need to be mindful of Virgil’s time travel. Thanks so much Virgil, we appreciate you!

For the full transcript of Virgil’s thoughts on beekeeping, please refer to Georgics IV, from which we have pulled all of Virgil’s quotes:
https://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/VirgilGeorgicsIV.php#anchor_Toc534524374

There are many translations of Georgics IV which is part of a four-part series of agricultural poems, simply known as the Georgics. The translation we chose is a more modern one, completed by Anthony Kline.

Becky Masterman led the UMN Bee Squad from 2013-2019. Bridget Mendel joined the Bee Squad in 2013 and has led the program since 2020. Photos of Becky (left) and Bridget (right) looking for their respective hives. Please share any thoughts about Ouija-Zoom or your beekeeping superstitions via email to mindingyourbeesandcues@gmail.com

Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Dr. Marla Spivak for helpful edits and suggestions and Dr. Adam Kline and the Poetry in Translation website (https://www.poetryintranslation.com/) for granting us permission to use his father’s translation of Virgil’s Georgics IV.

Credit
Kline, A. S. (2001). Virgil: Georgics. Retrieved October 6, 2022, from https://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/VirgilGeorgicsI.php

Click Here if you listened. We’re trying to gauge interest so only one question is required; however, there is a spot for feedback!

Read along below!

Found in Translation

The Big Sleep

By: Jay Evans, USDA Beltsville Bee Lab

In most of the northern hemisphere, beekeepers have put their colonies to bed for the Winter and are eagerly anticipating their Spring awakening. Unfortunately, only two-thirds of colonies that go into Winter come out alive, leading to silent Springs for large and small beekeepers and impacting early pollination events. The only upside, for some, is a booming market for package bees and nucleus colonies. The causes of Winter losses are many, and determining which threats are most important is an active research topic.

This research takes three forms: 1) Direct experimental tests of potential killers, 2) Correlative studies of possible causes within and outside colonies and 3) for the extremely patient, long-term studies of Winter losses at the apiary or neighborhood level across different habitats. The ultimate goal of this research, and of beekeeper observations of their own losses, is to manage bees and their environment in healthier ways. A short-term goal, if less satisfying, is to simply have a better grasp of how many colonies will be on hand before making commitments to pollinate or placing early orders for new Spring bees.

Experimental manipulations of colonies followed by a wait-and-see for Spring are challenging and expensive. To date, these experiments have pointed towards Varroa mite treatment as the single most important, and largely doable, management step needed to improve Winter survival, with nutrition, queen health and pesticide exposure all playing roles. These small-scale experiments are mirrored by insights from the Bee Informed Partnership’s Colony Management survey (www.beeinformed.org). Beekeepers remain the single most valuable player in maintaining colony health.

What about neighborhood or landscape causes for Winter losses? With increased tools for hive-monitoring tools and vital governmental resources for mapping reported land uses (e.g., the USDA’s Cropscape program, https://nassgeodata.gmu.edu/CropScape/), predicting landscape forces that sustain or kill bee colonies has become highly useful. I have highlighted the ‘Beescape’ project before (www.beescape.org), an effort to show beekeepers what is within foraging distance of their colonies. With parallels in other parts of the world, Beescape can guide apiary placement and nutrition management, and is also simply fascinating in a ‘Zillow’ sort of way in showing the best neighborhoods for raising bees. Land-use maps have been used to assess landscape features that favor bee health in habitats ranging from the western bee ‘breadbaskets’ to Philadelphia. As an example of the former, Dan Dixon at the University of North Dakota and colleagues from the U.S. Geological Survey mapped land use changes surrounding known apiaries across eastern North Dakota in Land conversion and pesticide use degrade forage areas for honey bees in America’s beekeeping epicenter (2021; PLoS One; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251043). They used this information to develop a ‘Quality Index’ for apiary sites, noting where colonies were likely to be exposed to insecticides and other threats and where they would be less vulnerable to those threats. As expected, areas with more natural forage, including those managed through the USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program, presented healthier forage options within reach of resident beehives. This recent work mirrors prior work in the same region, showing the importance of healthy forage for honey bee survival and honey production (i.e., recent work led by Autumn Smart from the University of Nebraska with the USGS team, Landscape characterization of floral resources for pollinators in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States, 2021, Biodiversity and Conservation 30:1991-2015, https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/entomologyfacpub/949).

Given the decent insights from experiments and landscape-level surveys, why would anyone wait on decades-long surveys to identify the causes of colony losses? First, these surveys are the best for showing changes in forage and climate over the long term. They also help separate threats beekeepers and bees can address from those they cannot. A brand-new 10-year survey from Germany points out some known risks while also finding a surprising twist. Jes Johannesen and colleagues, in Annual fluctuations in Winter colony losses of Apis mellifera L. are predicted by honey flow dynamics of the preceding year (2022, Insects 13, 829, https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13090829), merge hive monitoring and weather data with actual colony losses (as reported in surveys) to explore connections across years.

First, the authors make the case that management practices and bees are fairly homogenous, and hence variation in colony losses likely reflects climate or other environmental external variables. This is perhaps more true in Germany than in the U.S. Counter-intuitively, years in which bees started to return with forage sooner, i.e., ‘early Springs’, were linked with both larger colonies and heavier Winter losses the following Winter. This result likely reflects longer growing seasons for varroa mites and the delayed impacts of those mites. When ‘start date’ is factored out, colonies that gained weight the fastest in a three-month Spring flow had higher odds of surviving Winter, so colony growth itself remains a good predictor of colony futures. In a sign that local conditions are critical, colony losses in August correlated with losses the following Winter in the same apiaries. It would be nice to see disease data for these colonies; perhaps they had high virus, nosema or other loads that might have been a predictor of bad news by the following Spring, if not a trigger for disease control that Fall. The most surprising result involved year-to-year changes. Apiaries with low losses one year tended to have higher losses the next, and vice versa. Their best guess for a cause of this odd trend was that prior or alternate years might act as a purge for locally bad colonies, and the survivors would be, at least momentarily, over-achievers. Again, these surveys did not involve actual sampling, so it is hard to test that idea. I hope your own colonies fare well this Winter and are buzzing when you check them in 2023.

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Beekeeping in the United States

A review of a classic beekeeping book that is available to you – FOR FREE

By: James E. Tew

Why this book?
Why trot this book out of retirement? Each December, Bee Culture typically features various current honey bee keepers and related scientific and educational staff. I usually choose to tell the Bee Culture readers about beekeeping figures who are no longer with us or are retired from working in our apicultural field, but who at one time, were prominent figures in our industry.

I don’t know why I began doing this, but it’s probably because I am now, myself, a senior citizen beekeeper. I can look backward as easily as I can look forward. During my career, I have had the honor of knowing and working with many, many beekeeping authorities who are no longer with us. About once a year, I say to you readers that “We are standing on their beekeeping shoulders,” and most of you do not even know who “they” were. The authors of the chapters in this book were some of those supporting bee people.

Figure 1. Beekeeping in the United States, Agricultural Handbook Number 335

So, why this book and not some other? It is a quiet classic. Printed copies are still common, but importantly, it is digitized and is available just using simple archival searches. I have provided a URL in the next section. I don’t know whose idea it was to put this text together, but it was an idea for the time. It is a Who’s Who of Agricultural Research Service Researchers of that period. These authors were noted researchers, teachers and frequent speakers at meetings and conventions. They were the “in-crowd” of beekeeping research and information distribution.

This readable book was written before tracheal mites, varroa mites, Africanized honey bees, small hive beetles, neonic insecticides and Colony Collapse Disorder. At best, there were only simple computers and telephones available.

The book authoritatively captures U.S. Beekeeping just before our industry began the “Big Transition.” After the time of this book, everything changed – including the ARS’s research direction. All things beekeeping had to change to keep up with the unfolding honey bee management world.

Abstract of Beekeeping in the United States
Martin, E. C., E. Oertel, N.P. Nye, and others. 1980. Beekeeping in the United States. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook No. 335 (revised) 193 p., illustrated. https://archive.org/details/Beekeeping.in.the.United.StatesD7

(Circa 1980) In the United States about 200,000 people keep almost five million colonies of honey bees and produce 200 million to 250 million pounds of honey annually. Beekeepers derive income from the sale of honey, renting of colonies for crop pollination, production and sale of queen bees and packaged bees, and to a minor extent, from the sale of beeswax, pollen, bee venom, propolis and royal jelly.

This handbook provides readers with a better understanding of beekeeping in the United States. Some of the topics discussed are the life history of the honey bee; bee behavior; breeding and genetics of the honey bee; queens, packaged bees and nuclei; managing colonies for high honey yield and crop pollination; diseases and pests of honey bees; and effects of pesticides on honey bee mortality. This handbook also lists beekeeping organizations and some statistics on bees and honey.

Some modern-day beekeeping numbers
Today, in the United States there are anywhere from 115,000 to 125,000 beekeepers. According to the USDA reports, 2.71 million honey-producing colonies in 2020 generated 148 million pounds of raw honey. According to the National Honey Board, per capita consumption of honey in the United States is approximately 1.51 pounds per year (https://www.agmrc.org/commodities-products/livestock/bees-profile#:~:text=In%20the%20United%20States%20there,million%20pounds%20of%20raw%20honey.).

A typical Jim Tew disclaimer
Bee Culture readers, my comments here are not a historical review of the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s honey bee program. Neither are my comments here intended to rank or highlight one individual above (or below) another. There are too many respected people who contributed to this book for me to research and review each one. My comments here are personal and are only selected memories of my interactions with some of these notable individuals. As it were, “This is my story.”

E.C. Martin
Dr. E.C. (Bert) Martin spent most of his career in Michigan at Michigan State University. Later, he served as Staff Scientist, National Program Staff, Science and Education Administration. He was a researcher, copious writer and teacher. At the time of the publication of “Beekeeping in the United States,” (1980) he had already retired. Yet, his contributions appear throughout this publication that I am reviewing. My limited memory of him was as a quiet, pensive man. Yet, he had a profound effect on my personal career.

In 1977, as a young graduate student at the University of Maryland, while being mentored by Dr. Dewey Caron, Dr. Martin notified me that a position in a Commercial Beekeeping training program was about to open at The Ohio State University in Wooster, Ohio. I immediately contacted OSU and began the process of applying.

Upon being interviewed, the OSU review committee wanted to know how I learned of the job opening before it had been posted. I confessed the “heads up” that Dr. Martin sent me. I was awarded the job and went on to work for the Department of Entomology, at Ohio State for about the next thirty-four years. To this day, I feel like my early application submission impressed the search committee as much as my academic credentials. Thank you, Dr. Martin.

Figure 2. Dr. Everett Oertel, circa 1942 Baton Rouge, LA

Figure 3. Dr. Everett Oertel as I knew him in the 1980s.

Everett Oertel
Born in 1897, Dr. Oertel was older than my beloved grandfather. At the Bee Lab in Baton Rouge, I only knew him as a doddering old man, who came to the lab every day and reflected on nearly anything. He spent nearly all his career at the Baton Rouge Bee Lab.

During World War I, he served with the United States 32nd Division in the American Expeditionary Forces in France. He was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with silver star, Presidential Citation and the Purple Heart.

I didn’t know any of this. To me, he seemed to have become the national de facto beekeeping historian – probably due to his age – but I know that in his earlier life, he was a productive honey bee researcher particularly in honey bee metamorphosis.

Even in old age, he was alert and involved in conversational beekeeping. He was committed to all things honey bees. In retirement, he played a significant role in compiling this text. He has been gone since 1988, yet here I sit, reading his contributions to beekeeping in this book. Thank you Dr. Oertel.

Figure 4. Dr. S.E. McGregor, as a young man, circa mid-1940s

Figure 5. Dr. McGregor as I knew him.

S.E. McGregor
In my defense, I met Dr. McGregor on multiple occasions and sat in on several of his presentations, but apparently, I never snapped a photo. I offer the included photos that I found on the internet.

While I do not know details, as a young man in the mid-1970s, I was aware that Dr. McGregor was working on a tome that would list major crop plants and give specifics about each plant, including pollination requirements. It took him years to compile the necessary information and diagrams.

Figure 6. A rare hardcopy of Dr. McGregor’s pollination book

At long last and after many delays, the seminal text was released in 1976. It did not disappoint. Insect Pollination of Cultivated Crop Plants, as a basic information source, is still alive and fundamentally useful today. The updated version can be found online at the citation listed elsewhere in this article (McGregor, S.E. Insect Pollination of Cultivated Crop Plants. https://www.ars.usda.gov/arsuserfiles/20220500/onlinepollinationhandbook.pdf). Additionally, the book is readily available in printed format at bee supply outlets. So, how are these two books related? An abbreviated version of this book was presented as a chapter entitled Pollination of Crops in Beekeeping in the United States.

Figure 7. Jonathan W. White Jr., circe 1958

J.W. White, Jr.
Jonathan W. White, Jr. has the distinction of being the last honey chemist for the U.S. beekeeping industry. He was a prolific researcher and chemist. Dr. White was born on September 29, 1916 and passed away on September 2, 2001. A native of State College, Pennsylvania, and a Pennsylvania State University alumnus, he is recognized for his outstanding contributions to apiculture and honey research during his sixty-year career3.

Go to the web, and key in his name. There will be abundant listings presented on all aspects of honey chemistry and honey handling. In virtual format, his reputation lives on, but today, few latter-day beekeepers know of his contributions.

His co-authored chapter with Landis W. Doner in Beekeeping in the United States, entitled Honey Composition and Properties continues to be foundational information concerning honey chemistry, quality and food value.

H. Shimanuki
What can I say? Dr. Hachiro Shimanuki was a walking, living library of beekeeping information. He knew the general beekeeping literature better than anyone I have ever known. He sat on my review committee at the University of Maryland and was a part of my professional life for many years. Without his permission, I would like to write that he was a significant mentor in my academic life. I have not seen him in many years, but I appreciate all he did for the U.S. beekeeping industry (and for me).

In the book I am reviewing, his chapter was on Diseases and Pests of the Honey Bee. Even in its current outdated format, his information is relevant today. For many years, he was the Lab Leader at the USDA ARS Honey Bee Laboratory at Beltsville, Maryland. If he was not directly involved in a particular study, he was frequently a co-author. A list of his USDA published works is posted at: https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/H-Shimanuki-45223384

For decades, Dr. Shimanuki, and the lab for which he was leader, was the “go-to” source for any pathological and pest-related bee questions. He attended hundreds of meetings across the world. He was there for the tracheal mite establishment, the varroa invasion and the migration of Africanized honey bees. He was an obvious choice for authoring this disease and pest chapter in the USDA’s general beekeeping book.

Figure 8. Drs. Tom Rinderer and “Shim” Shimanuki (mid-1990s) at the Beltsville Bee Lab in Beltsville, Maryland

Thomas E. Rinderer
Tom Rinderer was the lab leader at the Bee Breeding and Bee Stock Research Center at Baton Rouge. For clarity, this was the same facility where Dr. Oertel, whom I reviewed already, also worked. Dr. John Harbo and so many others also performed research at that facility. Advances in honey bee queen instrumental insemination and breeding were common study topics.

Dr. Rinderer, from this lab, was pivotal in Africanized honey bee (AHB) studies as the U.S. beekeeping industry prepared for the arrival of the AHB. Before my time at Ohio State, Dr. Rinderer was a student of Dr. Walter Rothenbuhler at The Ohio State University where he began developing his honey bee genetic skills.

The chapter that Dr. Rinderer and Dr. Harbo submitted in Beekeeping in the United States is still educational and fundamental today. For those just beginning in beekeeping genetic studies, this simple, readable format, that describes complex breeding strategies, would be a perfect place to start. For example, Russian bee stocks are used in the U.S. industry today due, in part, to Dr. Rinderer’s efforts to select and introduce the stock into this country.

I hate this…
I hate doing this, but I must stop and I must stop well before many other contributors to our knowledge wealth are acknowledged. They’re in the book. Have a look. Their contributions were as significant as those whom I have selected to discuss.

Why this book?
I end where I started. Why review this old book? Because it is a time capsule of the “pre-varroa” way of U.S. beekeeping. Each chapter was written by an authority of the day. It was comprehensive having unusual chapters on topics like Moving Bee Hives or Showing Honey at Fairs. It has lists of nectar and pollen producing plants. It’s a good all-around text.

After 1980, it was never updated. I suppose too many things had changed. The internet was growing. Other organizations were forming. Bee life moved on, but this book, still available to you, remains the same, locked in time. It is not a “how to” book and oddly, it has no index, but it presented some of the best information of the day by some of the best authorities of the time. I like this forty-two-year-old book. Thank you for letting me remember these people and their contributions.

Dr. James E. Tew
Emeritus Faculty, Entomology
The Ohio State University
tewbee2@gmail.com
Co-Host, Honey Bee
Obscura Podcast
www.honeybeeobscura.com

Dan Schmehl, a pollinator ecotoxicologist and beekeeper, discusses pesticides and honey bees.

with Dan Schmehl – Pollinator Ecotoxicologist
By: James Masucci

One of the best things to come out of Bayer’s acquisition of Monsanto was that I became friends with Dan Schmehl. Dan’s a pollinator ecotoxicologist for Bayer, who has done some incredible work testing the effects of potential new agrochemicals on bees. We share a passion for honey bees and consider ourselves “bee buddies.” Like me, he is not only a bee researcher, but a beekeeper as well. He has three different apiaries and got 1,000 pounds of honey this year. In addition, he sells a few nucs and generates some lovely candles. His beekeeping and love of bees helps him be a better researcher. His goal is not only to provide appropriate tools for growers, but to ensure that he wouldn’t mind their use next to his own hives. Some of his bees are next to fields of corn and soy, so that scenario is a distinct possibility.

Dan considers himself a “child of CCD” (colony collapse disorder). At the time (2007) he was an entomology graduate student at Penn State University where his interests were plant/insect interactions. While there, a commercial beekeeper, Dave Hackenberg, came to the university saying that something different was happening to his hives. The era of CCD had begun, and Penn State started getting funding in 2007. Dan started studying the effects of pesticides and nutrition on honey bees. He fell in love and his career in bees was launched.

As a graduate student, Dan was very anti-Ag. Anything that would harm bees was bad. After getting his PhD, Dan did a post-doctoral fellowship in Jamie Ellis’ lab at the University of Florida studying honey bee husbandry – how to keep honey bees healthy. His research focused on pesticide effects in lab studies. It was as a post-doc that Dan began to realize the complex relationship between agriculture and honey bees. Agricultural lands are intensively managed, and growers require crop protection products. Growers also require honey bees to provide the pollination needed to obtain optimal crop yields. So, Dan’s focus changed to addressing the questions, “how can you have both crop protection and honey bee health?”

At the time, Dan was critical of the large agricultural companies for having honey bee initiatives without having the necessary honey bee experts. He came to realize that the way for him to have the most impact in this space was to have a hand in the development of new crop protection products. He could be the one driving the necessary initiatives to make agriculture safer for honey bees.

When he joined Bayer in 2015 as a pollinator ecotoxicologist he was concerned about whether the company would listen and act on his ideas, and whether his integrity would ever be put in question. Thus far, his concerns have been unfounded, and he feels confident in the safety profiles of the chemistries now entering the market.

In conversation, Dan always gives a balanced response to questions regarding pesticides and honey bees. So, I thought he could provide us all with some perspectives on the risks we face with pesticides and what we can do about it.

I first asked him to describe the present pesticide landscape. What is the pesticide risk now for honey bees?

“Compared to 30 years ago, acute bee kills (walking up to a yard of dead colonies), are less frequent and more sporadic. This is the result of safer chemistries and improvements in best management practices. For example, better planting equipment has resulted in less dust emission during corn planting, and many growers are spraying pesticides in the evening when bee foraging is reduced. It is likely that the number of bee kills is under reported and may be due to the dependence of beekeepers on the landowner (you don’t want to bite the hand that feeds you). This is a problem. The only way to solve pesticide/honey bee issues is to know about them and to investigate them. However, word of mouth seems to confirm the reduction in bee kills,” said Dan.

Does this mean that pesticides are no longer a concern to beekeepers?

“No,” says Dan. “Right now, there is a lot of research into sublethal effects on honey bee colonies.” And Dan admits that this is an area of uncertainty. There isn’t any clear answer. For a while, it seemed like every article written on honey bees was saying how pesticides impacted some aspect of the colony: the queen’s ability to lay, a bee’s ability to navigate, a bee’s ability to forage, etc. It is possible that some of these effects could be the cause of a poorly performing colony, even if the colony survives.

Pesticide kills like this one, caused by drifting insecticide from an aerial spray, still happen. Although the frequency of these catastrophic kills is declining, there is still the issue of sublethal effects of pesticides. How likely are we to experience such an event and how do we identify one if it happens? I asked Dan Schmehl, an ecotoxicologist, for his thoughts on the subject. Photo by Tony Jadczak.

But sublethal effects are difficult to study and even more difficult to determine relevancy. Methodology is critical. Dan gave me an example from his own research as a post-doc at the University of Florida to highlight some of the complexities of doing these studies. He studied the effects of seven pesticides on larval development. He used the maximum doses that were detected in the field from pollen and wax and measured “everything” – from gene expression to brain size. He saw effects. But are they meaningful? First, some of his doses were determined by the level of pesticide reported in the wax, but the larvae in his study were exposed to the pesticide in the diet so the exposure level may not be environmentally relevant. Second, sometimes the effect of the lower dose was more severe than the higher dose. That calls into question the validity of the test. Toxicology tests rely on a dose response. You start with a dose that has no effect and you have multiple doses until you get to the dose that has maximum effect. The more toxin that is present, the more severe the symptom, up to the maximum. If you don’t see the expected dose response, you cannot be confident in the result, or in the pesticide levels that may cause toxicity to bees. That’s not to say the chemical isn’t involved, but additional studies are needed to answer the question.

Take blueberry pollination as an example. It’s been known for decades that bees come out of blueberry pollination in poor health. EFB levels tend to be high and brood patterns are poor to non-existent. For just as many decades, fungicides have been blamed by many beekeepers for this effect, yet researchers aren’t showing convincing evidence that fungicides are the cause. In fact, as they point out, the modes of action of fungicides have changed over the decades but the effect hasn’t. Who do you believe? I asked Dan about this.

Blueberries provide zero nutrition for bees. Yet the growers require the beekeepers to stay in the blueberries for six weeks (two brood cycles). “This is insane,” Dan said. “It is stressing the crap out of the bees. Plus, the weather is horrible for the bees (cool and wet). So, the bees are incredibly stressed even without exposure to the pesticides. It’s possible that the weather and poor nutrition may increase the sensitivity of the bees to pesticides, and there are ongoing studies to investigate this possible interaction.” We both wondered if the same weather conditions and pesticide applications occurred in canola, a nutrient rich crop for bees, would we see the same effect?

What can be done?

Dan says good communication between growers, applicators and beekeepers is key. Knowing what is being applied and how helps the beekeeper respond. Plus, growers and applicators should be thoughtful of when the bees are needed in the crop. Don’t keep them longer than they are needed and time treatments around the presence of the bees. Apply a product in the evening when bees aren’t out foraging on the crop and drift effects would be minimal. Use chemistries that are less prone to interactions when spraying multiple chemistry and use chemicals with safer profiles.

But what about the average beekeeper?

“For most of us, the hobbyists and sideliners that don’t do crop pollinations, the risk is relatively small. Personally, I have hives next to soybeans, corn and pastureland and haven’t had an issue,” said Dan. In fact, Dan coauthored a pesticide survey and risk assessment for hobbyist beekeepers when he was at the University of Florida (Demares, 2022). Dan thinks the biggest risk for the hobbyist beekeeper is probably from mosquito sprays. Most of the backyard bee kills reported in the news over the years were a result of mosquito sprays. If they are spraying in your area, find out what they are spraying and try to get them to spray at night. You can cover your hive (i.e., with a sheet) temporarily while the spray is happening to avoid drift but be careful not to leave the cover on too long or the hive will overheat.

How do I know if I have a pesticide event?

“If you walk into your yard and there are piles of dead bees in front of all the colonies, that is a good indication of a pesticide kill (see picture below). If this happens, you should take pictures and call your state regulatory agency. Hopefully, they will come and investigate, find the cause, and everyone will learn from it,” Dan said.

But how do you detect a sublethal pesticide event?

“Sublethal effects look a lot like everything else that impacts your hive. Spotty brood… Is that a pesticide? Is it a failing queen? Is it Nosema? Varroa? Knowing that something looks different is the first step. But linking a colony’s decline/death directly to a sublethal effect of a pesticide is near impossible. The good news, if you suspect a sublethal pesticide effect, it is likely something else. What you need is a longer duration of study. First, do all/most of the colonies in the yard show the same symptoms? It is likely that they are foraging on the same stuff, so most of the colonies should be affected in the same way. Is the symptom specific to a specific yard? Again, the pesticide exposure is probably a local exposure. If you’re seeing the same symptom in many locations, it is probably something else. Is this a long-term trend? Does this happen every year in the same location? If so, there is something specific to that location and pesticide exposure would be a suspect,” said Dan.

If you suspect pesticide issues, you should report them. Dan said that they need to know about the issues. Even if most of the issues reported cannot be traced back to a pesticide, the magnitude of the reporting may be meaningful.

I ended the conversation with a simple question, that I knew didn’t have a simple answer. If you had a pie chart of the different stressors that were impacting the bees, how big of a slice would it take to represent pesticides?

Bottom line, he didn’t know. For most beekeepers, it would be small. For those involved in pollinations and have their bees on intensely managed land, it would likely be larger. Overall, the risk is small, and, unless there is a catastrophic pesticide event, pesticides are one of multiple stressors in the hive that may interact to exacerbate colony health concerns. So, if your bees are in an area where pesticides are normally applied, find out what is used, how much risk that poses to your bees and see if they will apply the pesticide when your bees are less active. The best defense is to keep your bees as healthy as possible, allowing the colony to cope with low-level pesticide exposures that might occur.

References
Démares, F. J., et al. (2022). Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Exposure to Pesticide Residues in Nectar and Pollen in Urban and Suburban Environments from Four Regions of the United States. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 41(4), 991-1003.

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The Best Tasting Honey in the World

By: Ross Conrad

Here’s a subjective headline for you. For most beekeepers, the best tasting honey in the world is the honey they harvest from their own hives. All the planning, worry, sweat, stings and sore muscles that go into every jar accentuates the taste of one’s own honey. But how well does the taste of that honey stand up to others when judged by a group of people who know nothing about you or your honey and have to evaluate your honey solely by taste? That’s a question the Center for Honey Bee Research can help you answer. The non-profit organization located in Asheville, North Carolina is the host of their annual black jar international honey contest.

For those of you not familiar with the term, a black jar contest is a honey contest that is supposed to be judged solely on the taste of the honey. I say “supposed to be” because I entered a black jar contest once down in Florida and my honey was disqualified because it was raw honey that had crystallized. Clearly not all black jar contests are judged solely by taste, but there is one honey contest that really is judged only on taste, and that is the one held by the Center for Honey Bee Research. I had a chance to speak with the winners of the Center for Honey Bee Research’s 2022 black jar contest, Genevieve and Richard (Rick) Drutchas of Worcester, Vermont.

This year’s trophy for the best tasting honey in the world goes to Richard and Genevieve Drutchas.

After serving as the first full-time bee inspector for the state of Vermont, Rick Drutchas developed a small commercial beekeeping business that lasted about 20 years. In 2010, he sold most of his beekeeping business but kept his favorite apiary spots and now, at age 72, works to keep about 100 colonies.

I asked Rick why he decided to enter the Center for Honey Bee Research black jar contest. “The honey contests at honey shows go on about how clear it is, or if there’s a little foam at the top, or if there’s a nick in the lid of the jar: all kinds of silly stuff. This is a contest where they’re just going for flavor and that felt good.” As Rick explains entering the contest was kind of an afterthought. “We had heard about the contest but then forgot about it. Then as the deadline was coming up, we just grabbed some honey out of a five gallon bucket from our home yard, threw it into some plastic quarts and sent it off.”

According to Genevieve Drutchas, the honey that netted them the grand prize was not their typical Vermont honey. “We took a late Fall crop from our home yard last year and it was really interesting – kind of a buckwheat, japanese knotweed, goldenrod mix. We had a field that Rick had put buckwheat in that the bees really loved and the river along our place was just loaded with knotweed as so many places are now, so it was pretty clear where the honey came from in such a short time frame and it was definitely a beautiful and interesting flavor spectrum… I love the japanese knotweed flavor. To me, it’s sort of reminiscent of an elder-flower syrup but this honey had a couple of different flavors, and when I say that what I mean is you would have like a seven second experience. There was a first hit, then a second hit and then there was the aftertaste. There were a lot of different flavors in there… and it definitely had that nice silky cream that you sometimes get in the later Fall honeys—a fine crystal and very creamy. You know how a goldenrod can be almost silky like lingerie when it crystallizes? It had that kind of consistency.”

Rick Drutchas checking on some of his nucleus colonies.

After speaking with Rick and Genevieve, I managed to catch up with the Executive Director of the Center for Honey Bee Research in Asheville, Carl Chesick, to ask him about the contest and the judging process that evaluates over 600 entries from across the globe. “It varies from year to year. We never know exactly who’s going to enter. We’ve had 42 different countries around the world that have been competing in various years. Our categories are not fixed because we base it on what entries we get. We take a look at all the entries and figure out what categories will give the fairest chance to everybody… we have 10 categories and the category winners get $150, a custom ribbon with their name printed on it, a certificate and bragging rights. (The grand prize winner got $5,500 – RC) We have a lot of preliminary rounds, always with at least five judges. They don’t know anything about where the honey’s from. The highest scoring go on to subsequent rounds until we get down to the 30 finalists. While the judges don’t know, I know what the categories are because I get all the entries from around the world, so a lot of times they’re geographical, like we had Europe, Africa, the Far East, that kind of thing. We also had a category that Genevieve and Richard won in, creamed honey. Years ago we didn’t have a creamed honey category because here locally, people think anything that is solid is honey that has gone bad. So we’ve been doing an educational thing since then and what we realize is people really like creamed honey, provided that the particles are fine enough, and sometimes it’s accidental and sometimes they really work hard to get that. So if we get an entry that’s already crystallized, I look at it and take a little taste and see if it’s got fine particles or not. If it’s fine enough then it will go as a creamed honey.

“Now the judges don’t get to see the honey, but when you’ve got creamed honey you can’t put it up against liquid honey and expect that it’s going to even out apples-to-apples. We get a lot of honey’s that are really dark and are strongly flavored honeys so we usually put those in the preliminary rounds where they’re against each other so they get an apples-to-apples judgment. It is only in the finals where there’s going to be dark honeys against water white honeys.

“Mono-floral is a category usually. A couple years ago, since we have sourwood down here, we had like 110 entries that specified they were sourwood. So, they had to go together and that was a really competitive category that year… If the honey has a uniqueness like a dark honey, or a creamed honey, or a mono-floral honey where they’ve stated it’s from a particular source then those are all going to be categories, but the rest of them, if one’s from Holland and one’s from Wisconsin, I feel like they should go in different categories and it’s subjective. It’s the board looking at the entries and trying to decide what’s the fairest way to break them up.”

The judges don’t know what the categories are and solely judge each honey on its taste. Once their ratings have determined the top three entries in each of the 10 categories, they go on to the finals. Once a winner in each category is determined, the 10 category winners go up against each other for the grand prize.

According to Chesick, “We don’t let the judges talk to each other about the honey because the first year or two they did, and they were like ‘ooh that’s good’ or ‘that one’s got whatever’ and the alpha people would influence all the rest of the judges and the scores were all the same. So we said right, you can’t make faces and you can talk to each other about anything you want in between the tastings but you can’t talk about the honey.”

I asked Genevieve what advice she would offer to those who might want to enter next year’s 12th annual black jar international honey contest. “What the judges seem to be going for is the interesting raw flavor spectrum and we’re in that moment right now with nectar sources changing as they are with the climate crisis weather and invasive species. The winners have been all over the place from classic Italian rural honeys to unusual varieties that a beekeeper in New Zealand who’s not a manuka maker, he’s making another unusual smaller nectar sourced honey and he’s won twice. I think what they’re looking for is interesting honey that still fits that classic spectrum of yum, a crazy delicious honey kind-of deal but they work pretty hard to have different people in all the realms of tasting so a whole lot of people are giving you feedback on your honey when you enter the contest and that alone is a valuable thing.”

She went on to reflect: “At this point in Rick’s beekeeping life this (recognition) was really meaningful. With all the changes in beekeeping and just choosing this life-style in Vermont, it was really meaningful in a sweet way to win something like this.”

Next year’s black jar contest is expected to feature a grand prize of $6,000. The festival event where the category finalists will square-off against each other is scheduled for June 4, 2023 at Salvage Station in Asheville, N.C.

Note: The interview quotes in this article were lightly edited for clarity and length.

Ross Conrad is author of Natural Beekeeping and co-author of the Land of Milk and Honey: A history of beekeeping in Vermont

Dr. Bilodeau

Lelania Bilodeau, PhD
By: Earl Hoffman

Dr. Bilodeau, thank you for agreeing to this Bee Culture Magazine interview. I understand that you go by Lanie because it is easier to pronounce. Let me just use Lanie, it will be easier for me too.

Lanie, please share some of your background and tell us why you became a beekeeper.
Honey bees are fascinating, it’s wonderful to work with these fantastic insects.

I started working with honey bees in 2006. My original academic work was in Maryland with a Bachelors and Masters degrees in biology, Towson State University. I earned my Ph.D. degree, University of Louisiana at Lafeyette in 2000. I am the first in my family to be a beekeeper.

I am so very happy to be working here at the USDA – ARS Baton Rouge Bee Laboratory, we have a great team here.

I have always liked honey bees. I’m now the Research Leader/Location Coordinator here at the honey bee lab.

What is your passion about honey bees and beekeeping? What motivates you?
I’m motivated to have a positive impact for our honey bees and beekeepers. My passion for bees centers around the strategies bees use to fight off disease and to overcome other stresses. I want to enhance their ability to use those tools through breeding.

How many years have you been with bees and how many beehives do you and your team run?
I have worked with bees since 2006, so 16 years. I did not work honey bees during my childhood. Each year I learn more about the bees. My connection is leading my team to improve honey bee health through breeding. We have roughly 900 hives at the Baton Rouge lab.

I understand you also work with commercial beekeepers, what have you learned from that experience?
Working with commercial beekeepers has helped me gain perspective on the needs of the beekeeping industry and appreciation of the scale of their needs. That helps us stay grounded and keep our work focused on having impact not only on honey bee health, but on the beekeeping industry.

Since you’re a honey bee scientist, tell us about some of the experiments you have done with honey bees.
I developed a pathogen detection assay to distinguish and quantify Nosema ceranae and Nosema apis, and a sampling method to avoid external contamination of bees.

I helped to characterize complementary sex-determiner allele profiles for the Pol-line and Hilo honey bee stocks, for use in breeding decisions. I also developed a global nomenclature system for complementary sex-determiner alleles in honey bees.

I characterized the genetics of the Russian honey bee stock and developed a stock identification assay using genetic finger print markers. This helps in the certification program of the Russian Honey Bee Breeders Association.

I have identified genes that are tied to traits that help bees resist the varroa mite. These genes are being developed for use in breeding.

Our nemesis the Varroa mite, Lanie, please explain your thoughts on Varroa mites.
Varroa mites are a big problem in the industry, as you know. Our goal is to breed bees and develop a resistant stock for the beekeepers to use. We are making good progress, and working on issues related to varroa from lots of angles. We are documenting amitraz resistance in mites and developing management strategies to combat this. We are also developing edible vaccines for the viruses that varroa mites vector and breeding bees that are resistant to virus infections and have high resilience.

I believe you have experience with Apis mellifera scutellata, the African bee, tell us more please.
Currently, Apis mellifera scutellata is not an issue in Louisiana. We have completed work here at the bee lab to define defensive behavior markers. I worked with Australia to screen for africanized bees.

How do you include your family and friends in your beekeeping journey?
My family always asks “how are the bees?” My children do visit the honey bee lab. My daughter developed a science fair project (a nosema study) that was very successful in competition. She came in second place in the Louisiana State Science Fair. She is studying to become a high school biology teacher.

Lanie, what is the most important thing you have learned so far about honey bees?
That teamwork is the key to thriving!

Which classes on beekeeping have you taken so far, Lanie?
The technicians here at the honey bee lab are fantastic. I have learned most of what I know about beekeeping from them. Its been a great journey.

I understand you attend many different beekeeping industry conferences, tell us more!
I attend the yearly conferences of the Louisiana Beekeepers Association, Mississippi Beekeepers Association and ABF or AHPA as often as I am able. There is always so much to learn and share at these conferences. They are a great opportunity to talk to beekeepers and connect with the Industry.

Lanie, you have experience with different races of bees, what types and why?
We have several stocks of honey bees that we manage and use in our research and breeding work. Some of them are Italian, POL line, Hilo, Saskatraz and Russian. We compare stocks of bees in much of our research.

Since you’re not a migratory beekeeper, how do you overwinter honey bees in Baton Rouge, Louisiana?
We leave honey in the Winter for our hives and supplement their feed when needed, using pollen patties and sugar syrup. We are working with microalgae as an alternative nutritional source. We are also assessing the affects of cold storage in buildings in Russian honey bees.

Please tell us how you captured your first swarm of honey bees?
I, myself, have not captured a swarm. Here at the Honey Bee Lab, when our bees swarm, we catch them.

What is your greatest success in your beekeeping journey?
I can say that the Nosema assay and the Russian bee genetic stock identification have been a big success.

What is your greatest challenge in your beekeeping journey?
Trying to breed bees that are resistant to Nosema ceranae. We tried to develop Nosema resistance for two years, but did not have success. Nosema is so variable that is a bear to deal with.

Lanie, last question: What are your goals for the next five (5) years? With your bees and your bee journey?
I hope that in the next five (5) years we will be close to releasing our next stock. We are working to enhance multiple traits. We desire to expand our world class research programs here at USDA. We are always looking for ways to collaborate with other research groups. Last, we hope to have more interviews with our fantastic team here at the Baton Rouge Honey Bee Lab. There is a lot of opportunity here.

Thank you so very much Dr. Bilodeau for taking the time to share your bee journey with Bee Culture Magazine. It was wonderful speaking to you.