B notes, 1985-1988

£XP£11ttMII£NT STATION l':NTOMOL.®V SECTION ~EVOTEO TO EDUCATION AND RESEARCH FOR THE COLORADO BEE iNDUSTRY . ·

MARCH, 1985 1984-85 Survey Shows Colorado Free of Mites

The survey for. tracheal mites of honeybees has. been completed ·in Colorado. No tracheal mites were,. found in .any of the samples. We had originally hoped to receive some. 230 samples of bees from commercial beekeepers. scattered around the state. As it turned out, we received only 120 samples, but the major beekeeping areas of the state .were all represented9

Each sample was a composite of bees taken from one beeyard and put in a small plastic bottle un<;ter alcohol. There were sever·al hundred bees in each bottleo Our technicians sliced open and examined the tracheae of 50 bees from each sample

under a microscope. ·

Our sample analysis work was conducted in December and January. The multiple inspectors in our Division were the technicians who analyzed the samples. These inspectors have now gone back to field work on seeds and pesticides and we will not be ab 1 e to analyze any more samples. Questions concerning detai 1 s of this survey are welcome.

Leslie A. Zermuehlen, Chief

Nursery, Seed, Apiary

&

Pest Control Districts

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Colorado Bee Law Update

After making several trips to Denver, Danny and I were able to convince

Representative G 1 en Underwood to .sponsor our bee . 1 aw a 1 though he suggested that the $35,000 we are asking for be raised by the Colorado beekeepers by raising the licensing fees. Danny and I assured Mro Underwood that .. if we agreed to this, .we .would be tarred and feathered, not to mention run out of the state. After talk1ng to State Senator· John Donnely and a few·more tel~phone ·caJls·to different people,

i t was decided that the law is no good without funding, so Danny. and I· st.uck to the original proposal to repeal. the Sunset Act as it pertains to the current bee 1 aw - to provide funding for · a bee inspector from the general fund. This wi 11

most 1 ikely pass the Senate and ·House$ but may have some trouble getting by the

Joint Budget Conmittee. We urge each and every beekeeper to. \"lri te or ca 11 their

representative and senator.

-2-Here is a list of the members on

.

the Joint

Budget Committee.

REPRESENTATIVES: _SENATE:

Elwood Gillis: 8aca. Bent, Crowley, Kiowa, Otero, Prowers

211 Willow Va1tey, tamar, Colorado 81052

James Beatty: . larimer

2005 Lalani Place, Fort Collins. Colorado 80S24

Home phone: 482-1441 Holfte phone: 3J6·~l~6l

Capital phone: 866-2956 Bob Kirseht: fremont, Pueblo

231 Carltsle, Pueblo, Colorado 81004 Home phone: S46-062Z

Capital phone: 866-2942

Wil~ Webb: Denver

2329 Gaylord Street, Denver, Colorado 80205 Home phone: 321·4092

Capital phone: 866-5524

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Flftt Rtgvtar Seulon

LDO NO. IS 0644/1 Flfty-ftfthGeneraJAIMmbly tfouSE Bill NO.

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STATE OF COLORADO

Agric~uii','uvestoek

&

Haturallesuurces

BY REPRESENTATIVES Underwood, D. Williams,

~q>bell, 8rotm. Bryan, Carpenter, Entr, MciMisa and Younghmd;

also SDfATOR Donley.

A BILl FOR AM ACT

CONCERNING 8EEUEPERS, AND. MAI<!NG AN APPROPRIATION IN

~NNECTIOH THEREWITH.

Bill Su.ary

(Note: !hi!

'if?'

·\ppHes !! this bill as introduced

and does not necuur t ref ec~ !!!X Mte""'diftents Wfil~h ~ be

iU'bs!Quirii'ly adopted. )

-Extends \he powers, dut.ies. and funetions of the

departMent of agriculture and of the eo~iastoner relating to

the licensing of beekeepers. Cre~tes the beekeeper licensing

fund. Makes an appropriation.

*

Business phorte: 221·2030 Capital phone: 866·4866 Jo.hn Beno~ Pueblo

P. O. Box 11447. Pueblo, Colorado 81001 Home p~one: 543-5555

Capital phone: 866-4865.

Cliff Dodge:' Arapahoe. Denver

l85.1 South High Street, Denver. Colorado 80210 Home phon~: 722-8459

Capital phone: 866-4866

Bill Morris

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!! ,U ~ ~!!! 2!.!!!!!l Assefilbly !! !!!! ll!!!!! Colorado~

SECTION 1. 35 .. 1-112 (4). Colorado Revised Statutes·, 1984

Repl. V@l., is ... nded to read:

35-1-112. lietnsing functions subject ·to pe~iodfc

~· (4) The powers, duties, and functions of tht

departMent and of the comMissioner relating to tht licensfng of beekeepers as provided in article 25 of this title are

abolished on July 1. 1985 1990.

SECTION 2. Article 25 of title 35, Color1do ~evtsed Statutes, 1984 Rep 1. Vol.· • is atnded BY THE ADDITION OF A HEV

C.pifal ~ ... illflit"•ltt lllllt14' 1/Nlflfrial IO fH. •dckcf N ~~~.lafl1t6 ,.,., ••

Da.\a t~ eli* word• llulic~Jf~ d~~tletiOIIe.fnnw uitllfiK .,.,,.. SECTION to read:

JS-25-116, B•tkeeper licensing. fund • created. All fees collected pursuant to section 35"25-107 shall be transaftted to the state trtasurtr who shall c·redit tht sut to the

~

beekeeper licensing fund. which ts hereby created~ All .oney~ credited to the beekeeper licensing fund shall be used to

-3-offset the direct and indirect costs of the department of agriculture in aO.fnfstering the provisions of this article. Honeys in tht btekeeper Hcf'nstng fund shall not bt deposited

in the general fund not ot~erwfse appropriated. to the department of agriculture, for tht fiscal year beginning July '· .1. 1985, the suiYI o f - - -· dollars ($ ), or so in or transferred to the gen&ral fund ot this state or any

•uch thereof as aay be necessar,y. for t~e t~le-.ntation of this act.

other fund. Moneys in such fund shall not revert to the general fund at the end of any fiscal year. ·The eoneys credited to the beekeeper licensing fund .ay be appropriated by the general assembly to the departaent of agriculture tn the general appropriation aet.

SE~TION 4. Safety clause. The general asse~ly hereby fin~s •. deterMines~ and declares that thts ect fs nectS$1~ for the illllflediate · pre,ervation of the public peace, ht41th,

and s8fety. ·

SECTION 3. Appropriation. . In addition to any, other appropriation, there h hereby &ppropriated. out: of any 110neys ·

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Honey Imports

1206

Editor

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It appears that .Colorado is· the only state that ·has contested a packer for not labeling his product as imported honey.

Recently while visiting relatives, we purchased some ncl<?Vertt honey in a super market. No local honey was available, so the store brand was purchased. Now I can see why ,th.e honey consumption in the United States is so 1 ow. Between the peculiar odor and water consistency, I was turned off.

Dooley Toyne

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Recent Information from the House Journal

1:-foose Journal-48th Doy~Februory 18, 1985 _{Page 331} 19 H.B.. 120&

20 .

21 22

be amended as foUowst and as :so amended, be referred to

the ·Committee on Appropriations with favotoble rec-ommendation:

23 Amend printed bill, page 1, after line 10• insert the

24 __ following: 25

26 •s£Cl10N 2. 35*25-107 (l)t Colorado Revised Statutes~

27 1984 Repl. Vol., is REPEAlED AUO REENACTED, UITH NlENIX·tEIJTS,

28 to read:

29

30 JS-25-107. ~e.9i~~;.:;..r=.a t.;.;i;.::o:.;;.;.n~~...;;;.;;;;~~~;;..__,;.;,~~~~

31 1nterstate movement -- disposition of bees. 1 a All

32 beekeepers in Colorado shall be required to be licensed

33 annually en or before r~rch 31 with the department of

34 agriculture. Fonas for licensing shall be furnished by the 35 ccnmissioner. Each applicant shall be required to :state the

-4-36 number. of colonies. by spring c~unt, in his possession and 37. each a.pplicant shall pay a fee.

38 .

39 (b) The state agricultural ccmmi ssion, after coof.erring 40 with interested industry groups, is authori~ed to fix, assess, 41 and collect fees for Hcenses, and for the i-nspection and 4Z issuance of certificates of inspection on:all bee colonies.

-13

44 · (c) Such fees shall be' uniform for the ·part'icular

. 45 service rendered. The amount of such fees for.services

·46 rendered under the provisions· of th1s a~ticle shall be

47 detcnnined by the coanission· as nearly as may be· to the end 48 that such fees shall pay one hundred perc.ent of tl~c direct a~d 49 indirect costs of ·the d~par.tr.tent . of agr1culture 1n 60 administering the provisions of this article. Such· fe~s shall ·

61 be transferred to the ,beekeeper licensing fund cre~ted.in

52 section 35-ZS-115.•. ·

53

64 Renur.tbcr succeedi.ng sections accordingly. 65 • .

56 Page 2, line 13, strike ·~y• and substitute •shall•;

Page 332 _{House Joumol-48th Day-February 18, 1985}

1 ·line' 15, after •act•, insert •for. the · so~e purpose of

2 administering this act•;

3 after

_..

line 15, insert the following:

6 "SECTIOtf 4. ReplaJ. 35-25-107 (i.U. Color~do Rev1sed

~ Statutes, 1984 Rep1,. Yo .. , is repealed. •.

: Renumber succ:eeding sections accordingly.

10 Page 2, line 20·, af.ter '•of•, insert •thirty-five thousand•. 11 and after •$11_{, insert •Js,00010 • · ·}

1')

Page 354 _{House Journai-S2nd tJoy-February 27., l98S}

31 32

33 34

H.B. 120' be amended m follows, ond as so amended, be referred to

the Committee of the Whole with favorable rec-ommendation: ·

35 1\.m!rd t:he. .Aqriculture, Livest.nck, and Natural Rcoour.ces

36 . Ccmni.tb-c illflet'lCim('nt, us printed in House Journal, February 18,

37 ~ 332, ~trite lines 10 and 11, arid substitute the 38 following:

39 . :

40 "Page 2f· line ·18, st.t·ike "generAl" and sl.JbE;titute "bcekee-pP.r

41 licensiug00 _{1 '}

-42

43 ,;t:.rike ·line 2t•, and suhF.t:it:ute t!10 following: 44

4 5 "1, 1995, the sun of ll«mty-th~' thousand fi w hundrf'd 46 .fifty-four dollars f$23,5!14) rud 1.0 Pt'F.., or so". •.

-5- .

At the present time, it ·is difficult to

say

what

ts

.

·;:going on in the ..

legislature but it certa.inly appears that the Colorado b~ekeepers

are

·losing .

out.

Editor

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Colorado State Fair

The Colorado State Fair is holding a.honey contest·this year. The categories are as follows:.

Comb honey

1. Cut or chunk style 2. Section comb honey Extracted honey

1. White or better 2. Extra Light Amber 3. Light Amber

4. Amber

Creamed honey

Bees wax natura 1 and unb 1 eached ( 5 1 b. chunk). ,

The honey will be graded according to clearness, body. color, and flavor. Betty lou Pearson of Pueblo is in charge of the. honey section. Further details will be furnished in the June issue.

Dooley Toyne

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Russian Bishop's

House ~ Sitka~ Alaska. 1842-67

North facade of Bishops House showing priests. students and bee hives.

Editor

.,

.

_{:l I}

. . ·-6- ;·.· ,.·

.

American

HoneY

Producers

·

Association

_

Meeting

··

:

..

. . .. ·,:

·· · The ~erican

Honey

Producers Association held · their 16th Annu·al ·meeting

this

year in Biloxie,-Mississippi January 9-13. The Gulf Coast Beekeeping Association did a bang-up job this year hosting the conventi~n •... . On Wednesday. night, the ladies brought food for the "get acquafnted ... reception, ·all_ homemade. and was it good! My thanks to the Gulf Coast beekeepers and their wives for a job well

done. : · · · · · · - -

-. To· the

mor~

serious· side, first- a bit 'of good news.· :It .looks ·like we

wfl

.

l

have the pri ~e support at 1 east

jme

more . year.· No one seems · to know what legislation will do

.

after

1985. ·· As :,.far: ·as ... the American· Honey Producers Association feels

that

a continuatton of the honey

loan

program or an _enactment -of legislation that would. accomplish· the, s~me purpose· ;·is: the-· ·only solution· to the

problem.

·

Another HOT lTEM discussed was the Honey Pro."llotion Act. It

seems

that the ·

A.H.P .A. will take a neutral position

on

.

Honey Promotion _but

urges

members to participate in the

·

referendum.

I feel strongly that if _this Honey Promotion Act is voted in by the beekeepers and we get. the right ·people to handle our honey promotion this could be the answer to the price support problem~

_

The

.Act has passed the·legislature

although the beekeepers

s~ill ·-have·to

vote

on and pass

.

this

Act. It 1 s still up to each and every beekeepe·r as to whether or ·not his money

stays in

the

plan.

Remem6er~

for

every dollar the

u.s.

beekeepers .takes

out

the

foreign producers can also take out. ~

-The Trachea-l Mite has been found in nine states as of this date although

Co 1 ora do is

!.!!!

_,

free.

.Or. Wilson,

of

the Laramie'Bee lab, and .his associates are hoping to come-up

with a solution

very

soon.

One item discussed, which I think is very important to our ind~stry, is the . enforcement of the country of origin labeling regulat1·on. We urge all beekee~rs to monitor the honey on local grocery shelves ·to determine i.f -packers are canply1ng

and,

.

if

necessary,

br-ing a civi

l

suit

against n_on-complying

pa~kers

for

-damage

to the industry. · , ·

. In closing. I urge each and every beekeeper to co~tact their senators and congressmen and let them know the problems the

beekeeping

industry ~aces.

. .

Bill Morris

•

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...

Colorado

Beekeeper~ Association - M~nutes

of 1984 Winter Meeting

The Colo~ado -·ileekeepers -Association held their regular winter ~ting at the

.

•

.

. . .

. ·

.

.,

' -7- ~·.·., ..

. . ; .. ·.··· .. _'/.

Highl

ig~ts

'.

'of

Sat~rday'

s.

meeting

were

a

·

'

stide

'

presentation

·on The··'

:

Swanning .'

.

.

Behavior

in Honeybees. by Dr.· Robert Simpso.n from·

Colorado

Stat~- University,

a

Gennan fiJm on the

Varroa

Mite, An Upda·te on the Acarine

Mite

Infestation· 1n· the U.s.A. by .Bob Cox from·. the USDA. Hon~ybee Research:

Lab

·in

Lar

.

amie,

Wyoming,· The

Effects on Honeybees .of Furadan App11catio.ns

on

Pre~bloo.nt Alfalfa. The

,

Colorado

Department

of Agriculture

Bee .

Inspection Program

by

Les

..

Zermeuhlen, and a slide

presentation titled Beekeeping. in Northern Colorado by Bill ,Morris. ·

. . . .

The business

·meeeting

Wa$ held

SundaY~

·

·

December

2nd. ·.At

·

this

meeting, it was dec1ded· to· set up a con111ittee to ed~ca.te school children ·on beek•eping.· Chairman

of this .. ~onlnittee· .is Jim Thurman with-Cynth1a Manual, Leonard Blake,

•net

Barbara

' Morris s:erv1 ng as members~ . :' .... I' : • ' .•' . . •

Resolutions ·were sent .to Senators

·s;11

Armstrong ~and -·Gary ..

··Hart,

-and to the

American Beekeeping Feder~t.1on resolving· that the surplus- honey stored in the

Uni~ed States be ust1d to help relieve the famine in Ethiopia. ·

Reminder:

It is once again dues time

.

for

·

the Colorado

.

Beekeepers

Association.

.The

dues remain the· same, $10.00 for up to 100 colonies and .05 per

colony thereafter. You may pay ·your dues by sending .'a check made out to The

Colorado Beekeepers Association · to Hellen Jones·, 605 N~rth. Co·lumbus, Yuma,

· Co 1 or ado 80759. · · · ·

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41st Annual American Beekeeping Federation

Meetina

The annual - ABF meeting was held in Tampa Bay, Florida January 14 ... 19.

·. At~ending from Col.orado were John Haefel i and family and· Paul and Nanci Li.mbach.

The major t

.

opics of discussion we.

re

.

the tracheal

..

bee mite and .. the

Federation• s honey promotion plans • . Or •.. L. Bailey·from England, who is one of the

·few people who have done ··research on the· tracheal mite, spoke at length on his research and an 11 research he was fam11 i.ar with. His and other research in

. Brit.ain. and Europe led him to the

co

·

nclusion

the tracheal mite· is ·a· very

i nsigni fi cant problem causing damage simi 1 ar to cha·l k brood even · 1 n cold ·Severe

climates. ·. His

recomnendation·

wa$ that it would. cause little damage to our

industry and

we·

should not.

go

ov~rboard

with

quarantine and bee

.movement

regulations

wbi~h

would cause

·

great

economi

·

c hann

.to

migratory beekeeper

.

s and

·queen

and package

.

producers. Research_ On

the mite to

be

conducted

by

the USDA

will first center

~

a better

w~

to identify hives with

th~

mite, a

w~

·

to

treat queens in cages and packages to rid

them

of mites. then ~ssible mite control

chemicals in the hiveo All felt no mites were preferable and the mi.te survey may detennine if eradication is possible ..

. •.•

Several 1.nd1viduals spoke on the Federation's honey market :order plans. It

was hoped the market order (to be V·oted on by beekeepers and packers·) would

pass

not only to help advertise

honey.

6Ut

to show legislatures that

we

·

beekeepers are

willing to do someth·ing to help save and promote our industry. Most speakers felt

passage· of .the market order might he 1 p keep our honey ·support. program or ·.improve chance~ of ··import ·duties or quotas. · ·

A new movie produced by. the USDA was shown. It was entitled '*Countdown to .

the Killer Bees... Reaction by beekeepers was that

not

only

should the title be

· • :~ '! . ' . . ·~"'· r"'"*'·"~~'':'J<~''~. ··~oC;·if~'~~~·~ • ¥.• ~~-4 #.ptff·~PI'il~~ ~~"!Cilt'r~:~<DY'" '"'r!. 'H;'·~'"'•1• ·:I ' .. r. '1 ' · : .';:·.

.

•. I . .. -8- :·: . .. • • ' ·~ • I ~-~ .

. rea 11 st i c. and·.·. 1

ess

·

.

,r.ighten1

ng

l'i

ght. Most 'beekee~rs-.

and

-

researchers

agree

the ' . ' .

·African bee and ·Varoa ·~iteJt is bringing along with· its migrations wtll be much

·more

of

~

problem than the tracheal

.,~_m1,teqJ

·.

It

.

was hoped

we

can

·

learn from ttte

· tracheal mite in

ord•r ··to

.

be

better prepared for

Varoa.

.

·:

.

. · .

...

·

·

·

r'•

Dr. Eric Erickson spoke, on 'the use of.

various·

.

wo·od:-"

preservatives •

.

·

He . said.

many wood preservatives ·like

the

c()RilKJn

nPenta"

·

were

.

tox-ic ·to bees and.

accumulate

1n ·honey in hives whose. parts .including .bottom boards were treated with them. He

cautioned

aga_~nst t_he1r use. · . ·. :.· · ·. · · · · .

. . \ \ .

· ·Weather at ·

the

·

meeting

was di$apjlo1.nting

·

as

we

Colo~adoans ·found it

almost

as cold as Colorado while·

we

were :~there.. W~ bCld ~ couple days in the 70's .but were there when the big freeze· hit

··

too. ·.·

,

.

..

·

...

·

. • t, •, . . ~ i . . • f ' •• t

Paul L 1mbach.

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Overdue

Obituary

·

Warren

w.

·Wul f of Grand _Junction ·died on

Jan'-'ary

16-,. 19.84 of a

heart attack.

He served ·as Vi·ce-P~esident of the Colorado Be~keepers Association 1n 1976 and.

1977 • . He was President in 1978 .and 1979. Warren wa$ born February 7, 1924 in Aurora, South .Dakota where· he spent his childhood and ·~ttended schQols. He

also

attended Brookings

State

College

·in ~rQokings, So~th

Oakota.

He served with the

U .• S. Navy during Wo_rld war I I. ,

. .

· On July 5, · 1957 he married Marie H. Ross Hitchcock in· Pierre; South Dakota. She survives. The couple moved· to Palo Alto, California in 1959. For thirteen

yea·rs,

Mr. Wulf .worked for the· santa Clara

Highway

Department •. · . The

Wulfs came

·to Grand J~nction in

May,

1973 to run the cQmmercial bee operation he purchased from

· · the Wor$ham estate. · · ·

In addition to his wife,·

survivors

·

include · two

daughters,

Joyce Marie

·

Hitchcock

.

o·f New York · Ci.ty and laurel. Kathleen Wu·lf. of Mesa.

·Arizona;

three . sisters, N.onna Pittinger -of · Seattle, Washington, .Jean Gries of Aurora,

South

Dakota, and

Grac1e

.

Osbeck

of Albert lea, Minnesota; and three brothers, Frank'.)rlulf

and Douglas

Wulf,-.both

of Bruce, South DakQta and Robert Wulf of Qnaha,

Nebraska. _His father,

Bu

·

rton

R. Wulf, ·died November 27, 1983.

··FOR SALE

Twelve hives with bees and

honey

supers on; 1 20-frame

extractor; l 4-frame

reversible extractor; 1 bee blower;

·

50 metal

honey

cans; 18 nuc boxes; 1 wax

capping$ me.lter; · 285 main ·hive bodies (lo· frame); ·--280 .. shallow honey supers (10 frame); 120 8-frame main hive bod1-es; 150 8-frame honey supers. ·Many of the preceding have drawn cOinb and -are ·stored in a special .place. Some boxes of wax foundation and fr~e· parts, gromnets, wire, staples, 2 smokers,

several

hats,

·

veils, hive tools,

lffters, etc.

are

-

also

available.

Elaine

E.

H4rrison,

Box

.

27,

Vona, Co.lorado 80861. Call 303-664-2445- or son's ·residence at 664-2470.: Farms

are

l~cated 2

miles west

.

• 6 miles south. and

1/4 mile west of Yona.

' ~.

CtJZorado Bee Notes

Robert G. Simpson. Edi to·r

.

.

Department of Zoology and Entomology

Colorado State University

Fort Collins., Colorado . 80523

\ ' . . ·:,'. . . ' ·t. •, I f' ·~'' : •

PERMIT 19

.

THIRD CLASS ,., .. NONPIMtT OftGANiV.TION U.S. f'OSfAGl ,AID ,, . , .. c.-...c:.r•~

.

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DEVOTED TO EDUCATION ANO RESEARCH FOR THE COLORADO BEE INDUSTRY

JUNE 1985

Summer Meeting of the Colorado

Beekeeeers Association

Saturday, June 29 will see the Summer Meeting of the CBA in Salida, Colorado. The meeting will convene at the Shavano Manor at 16th and I Streets (just east of the Salida Swimming Pool Pavilion). ·

Iopics for t~e Meeting Colorado Bee Law Up-Date

ASCS (Agric. Stabilization Conservation Service) Colorado State Fair- booth

~Report on the status of the fumigation chamber

Misc~llaneous

·

Submitted

by

Danny Culhane

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USDA Bee Laborato~ - Laramie, Wyoming

It seems that bad

news

continues for the beekeepers in this aea. The latest word-· is that the. USDA ~oneybee Research Laboratory in Laramie, Wyoming wi 11 close

in October of this year. The closing has congressional approval so ·it is very

apparent that we will lose the research efforts, the knowledge,· and the friendly ties of the researchers there. Most individuals and budgets will be transferred

to the lab at Weslaco, Texas under the direction

of

Dr. Bill

_

Wilson.

Or. Wilson

was i'temporari1y" shifted there last fal1 (1984} to work on the acarine mite and other associated beekeeping problems moving northward from Central America.

Dr. Nunamaker, a physiological researcher~~ will remain in Laramie and become associ a ted with personne 1 from the Livestock Blue-Tongue Virus Laboratory that wi 11 be t.sovi ng to Laramie from the Denver Federa 1 Center.

Editor

-2-Status of the Colorado Bee Law

The bi 11 before the 1 egis l ature has been passed by both the House and the Senate and is awaiting the governor's · signature. This bill reinstates the Colorado Bee and Bee Products Act until July 1, 1990.

The bill a1so requires total cash funding of the bee disease inspection

program. This means that all funds spent for activities under the bee 1avv must

come from fees charged under the 1 aw 9 The State Agri cul tura 1 Commission is

authorized to set these fees, after conferri'ng with interested industry groups"

These fees must . a 1 so pay the indirect, or admi.ni strati ve, costs of running the

inspection program. ~

a.

Hobbyist beekeepers are no 1 onger exempt from paying for a 1 i cense. A 11

beekeepers will be subject to a license fee. An appropriation was made for fiscal

year 1985-86, but it mu·st come from fees collected after· this bi11 becomes

effective and after the State Agricultural Commission has set the fees. Submitted by

Leslie A. Zermuehlen~ Chief

Nursery, Seed, Apiary, and Pest Control Districts

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S"'• Joaquin . Watkins of Fruita, Colorado was recently recognized· as a 40 -year continuous member of the American Beekeeping Federationo

Montine Wadleigh had ·gall bladder surgery on February 27, 1985 and is doing very

well.

Submitted by Bill Baublits

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LET THE BEE NOTES LIST THE ITEMS YOU WANT TO BUY OR TO SELL - THERE IS NO CHARGE.

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Colorado Beekeepers Booth - State Fair - Pueblo

The Co 1 or ado State Fair management is p 1 anni ng this Y'ear to emphasize

Colorado Agricultut"e and Agriculture Industry products. They ar-e making available

the old Show Horse Building (16,000 sq. ft.) for· this purpo~e~

The Colorado Beekeepers Association is preparing an educational exhibit for the fair. Danny Culhane has suggested that one item of interest would be a

display of the labels we use for our bee_ products. These could be tied to a 1 i sting of where · these pt"oducts can be purchased. If you wish to promote your products, pleas~ send samples of your labels to: Leonard Blake

CBA Education Committee

4975 Topaz Drive

-3-We would like to have this display prepared in ti_me for your inspection at the CBA summer meeting, so do this today. Include the counties in which you operate and the places where your products can be bought.

If you are planning to visit the fair and would be available to man the booth, please list dates and hours you can help. The fair operates from August 23 through September 2. · The building will be open from 10:00 a.m .. to 8:00 .p.m. If you have any ideas on how to promote Colorado Bee Products, please include them. We need your help.

Submitted by Leonard Blake

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Wax Moth Control

It is not too early to make plans for controlling wax moths. Late summer

(mid-July) ·;s when the moths start infesting the combs and laying eggs. Strong colonies in the field are able to hold down infestations, but weak colonies can suffer damage.

All but recent bulletins and books on beekeeping recommend the use of ethylene dibromide - THIS SUBSTANCE CAN NO LONGER BE USED TO FUMIGATE HONEY COMBS •

. .fli>

Methods of Control

1. Freezing: Hobbyists can utilize chest or upright freezers to kill all stages of th~ moth. Four and one-half hours at 20°F will give needed control or 2 hours at 5°f. · Combs can be reinfested, so store in a moth tight container after treatment. ·

2. Paradichlorobenzene (PDB): Use about 3 oz. of the white crystals on paper and stack 4-5 deep supers over the crystals. . Tape -all cracks and ho 1 es after tightly covering the top. Air the combs 1-2 days before using. Honey in the combs absorbs the toxic fumes · and should· not be eaten. Combs should be checked regularly during the summer for wax moth unless they are continuously

treated with PDB. ·

3.-·: Carbon dioxide. gas (C02): C02 will kill all stages of the wax moth ·ctue·to suffocation. The gas must be he 1 d at a concentration of. 98% for 4 hours. This means that the container for the frames or supers must be' air tight. Respect C02 - it is not toxi~ but can kill hu~ans at concentrations far less than that needed to control wax moths - use ·adequate ventilation and exhaust

the heavier than air gas from the fumigation chamber .. ·Check combs regu·larly

for reinfestation.

4. Phostoxin {Aluminum phosphide): A relatively new method of controlling wax moths. It is more expensive and the fumigating chamber must be totally air tight since even a pinhole· will allow the gas to leak out rather· rapidly. There are no residues and a11 stages of the moth are controlled. The fumigant

goes by the name of Fumitoxin. Dr. Eric Mussen, University of California, says that it ·requires 165 pellets/1000 cu. ft. and can be purchased from

I ' -5-Obituary

Carl A. Ohlson, longtime resident and beekeeper, passed away at the Bent County, Colorado Nursing .Home on February 7, ·1985. He was preceded in death by one daughter and three brothers. He is survived by his wife, Bertha, of the family home and son, Karl Ohlson, of Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is also survived by three brothers; David, Pete, and Otto.

He was born in Spoffard, Texas on April 29, 1891 and came to the Las Animas area in 1912. ..Charley", as he was better known, farmed in the area unt i 1 he

became associated with his brother-in-law, Norman Olssen, in the bee business. This association lasted for a fe\-J .years and upon the death of Norman. Charley began-keeping his sister•s bees and those of his own. For a while, his son, Karl,

·helped him with the bees. Charley continued keeping bees until 1964 when he retired and sold his operation to Bill Baublits. Charley then filled his time farming and gardening on a· small acreage until just a few years before his death.

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FOR SALE: 625 colonies of 10 frame hives and 475 colonies of 8 frame .hives. Contact Bill's Apiaries, Inc., 526 Vine Avenue, las Animas, Colorado 81054, phone

. ( 303) 456-1857.

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Jr.·

Control of

Wax

Moth, Cont'd

..

5. Certan .(Baci-llus .thuringiensis): Using this method, that of biological control, you, can control the young wax moth larvae without the use of chemicals. Young larvae are highly susceptible to the bacillus as they tunnel through the comb. Larvae and adults of the honey bee are not affected by the ..

bacillus. Also, it does not affect the taste of the honey nor is it toxic to.

humans, pets, or other wildlife. Certan is rather expensive however, but try

it out.

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Education Committee List Being Compiled:

· Th.e Education Committee of the CBA is compi 1 i ng a 1 i st of . beekeepers who would be willing to either talk to groups of young people such· as school· children~ scout troops, or to t~ke such groups on a tour of your apiary. The purpose is .to

begin to educate the public about the benefits and pleasures ·of beekeeping through I-the natural interest.and curiosity of.their children.

If you would like to have your name on this 1 ist which will be forwarded to

I

schools in your area, please write. to: Jim Thunnan

3120.

E.

Caley Ave.

Littleton, Colorado 80121 OR CALL: (303) 798-0820

Colcmdo Bee Notes

Robert G. Simpson,

Editor

Department of Zoology and Ento100logy

Colorado State University

Fort Collins., Colorado_{·.· .} · 80523.

' ' i. .•

PERMIT 19

THIRD CLASS

NONIPiltO'IT OiltG4NJ!ATION U.S. 'OSTAGE ~ PAlO ,.,, c... ..

,

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c.._...,

_,,

COLORADO STAT£ UNIVERSITY El(PEAIMENT STATION I'N1'0MOt.OGY SIECTION DEVOTED TO EDUCATiON AND RESEARCH FOR THE COLORADO BEE INDUSTRY

SEPTEMBER, 1985

NATIONAL HEARING

One of two National Honey Marketing Order hearings was held in Denver on July 30. Some of those testifying for the marketing order were Harry Gunter,

E. R. Johnson, P. G. Rossman, Frank Robinson,

Troy Fore, Jr., Binford Weaver,

Darrel Winner, Bob Brandi, James Reynolds, Harry Rodenberg, and John Haefeli. No one testified against the marketing order. Six beekeepers attended that did not testify.

By Doo 1 ey Toyne

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COLORADO BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION CONVENTION- 1985 (Nov. 30-0ec. 1, Denver, CO)

Noted speake·rs for the convention wi.11 be Mr. Tim Lawrence and Sue Co 1 by

from Vacaville Apiaries, Vacaville, California. Topics wi11 be "Breeding of Bees and Artifici'al Inseminationn.. l\ demonstration will accompany the presentation. A 1 so fo 11 owing their presentation wi 11 be an update on the

Afri~an Bee in California.

A talk on "Pollination" by Paul Limbach anda panel discussion on uAerial

Sprays" by chemi·ca 1 representatives and state beekeepers re 1 at i ve to . the . effect on bees pr.omi ses to be interesting. An update on new chemica 1 s Vii 11 be discussed as well.

The convention wi 11 be held at the Denver Day • s Inn at Co 1 fax and Hwy.

70. The meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. When making reservations be sure and say that you are with the C.B.A. for special rates.

Barb Morr·i s

-2-NORTHERN COLORADO BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION

The Northern Co 1 or ado Beekeepers Association had a booth at the We 1 d

County Fair on August 2-5. Popular exhibits included free samples of honey,

an observation hive loaned by the Laramie Bee Laboratory, Rosie the Beekeeper

(manikin), . video tapes on bees and beekeeping and a display of different

colors and forms of honey. Several club members provided help to man the

booth and transport exhibits. Cynthia Manuel, of Fort Collins, put on a bee

beard demonstration Satur'day and Sunday with the he 1 p of Dave Primer. Cynthia

is one of the few

women

nationwide to wear a bee beard. Also included was a pilot program display of honey to be judged. First place prize went to Dick

Johnson of Greeley. Second place prize went to Mike Whiteside of Loveland.

Rosie accompanied Joyce Johnson, Barb Morris, and Dave Primer to Ag Days

1985 at Colorado State University on September 14. Association members gave

out tastes of honey and talked to at least 1500 of the people who attended the

barbeque.

Many peop 1 e at both events asked questions and were interested in the

free recipe leaflets and other literature that the club has available for such

events. ·

Joyce Johnson

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SEND IN ITEMS OF INTEREST FOR THE BEE NOTES

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ITEMS FOR SALE OR WANTED ARE PUBLISHED FREE

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ESTABLISHMENT OF LICENSE FEE SCHEDULE FOR COLORADO BEEKEEPERS

The commissioners of the Co 1 orado Department of. Agriculture . met at the

University Ho1id.ay Inn in Fort Collins on September 13 at 2:00 p.m.. The

object ·of the meeting ~vas to establish a fee schedule for . the honey bee

registration and inspection in Colorado. Suggested schedules were presented

and discussed by Robert Sullivan and Les Zermuehlen of the Division of Plant

Industry. The commissioners established the fact that they must follow the

new law irrespective of whether or not it was complete, proper, or satisfactory to the beekeepers. Everyone had an opportunity to express their

views and to make suggestions as to a fee schedule. It was ·.obvious,. and we

were so instructed by the commissioners that the beekeepers must meet and come to an agreement (among ourselves) regarding the fees. The commissioners will meet i.n early November and will expect us to present a unified decision to

them. ·

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DOES ANYONE HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH THE NEW UNCAPPING PLANES THAT YOO WOULD SHARE WITH US?

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WHAT WE CAN EXPECT WITH

·

AFRICANIZED HONEY BEES

The

following is

a

reprint from Malcom

T.

Sandord•s excellent

July,

19~5 issue

of APIS,

published by

the Florida

Extension

Service.

It pays to think ahead. There's little question that Africanized honey bee

behavior wi 11 give beekeepers cause to rethink some of their

mana

·

gement

practices. When I was in South America, I .heard about some beekeepets who harvested honey at night; it seemed that Africani zed ·honey bees are often more manageable in the evening. This certainly is a turnabout. because experiences mani pul at i ng col ani es of European honey bees at night are some of the most unpleasant x•ve ever had. It's difficult to defend yourself against an unseen honey bee that crawls and stings. Nevertheless, the risk of getting stung by a few crawling Africanized bees at night appears to be preferable to facing

the agg·ressivity· of the bees during the daytime.

Honey harvesting at night is also common practice in Africa. A recent article, however, in the Newsletter for Beekeepers in Tropical and Subtropical Countries, by S. O •. Adjare of the University of Science and Technology, Ghana reports a simple, safe and inexpensive method for harvesting honey in daylight, even at the. warmest time of day, when the bees are most active... As reported in the June/July issue of Life, newsletter for the League of International Food Education, the method uses beehives on platforms that can be easily moved, rather than being hung from trees as is traditional. First the bees are smoked, then the hive is moved at right angles from the flight path. This diverts the field bees which return to the old site where an empty hive has been placed for them to cluster and keeps· them from "bothering" the beekeeper. This makes sense because fewer bees

are

left in the hive and they are younger bees less likely to sting. The comb is then collected as quickly as possible, put in a covered receptacle with a lid and the hive returned to its old location. The author points out that daylight harvesting of honey is advantageous all around. By being able to see, the l;>eekeepers

can

harvest more efficiently and control the brood nest better, as well as detect diseases and predators.

From "Gleanings in Bee Culture"

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From time to time, as space permits, excerpts from the out-of-print bulletin "Nectar and Pollen Plants of Coloradan by W. Wil.son, J. Moffett, and

D. Harrington (1958) will be included in Bee Notes. This bulletin is being revised by Wi 1 son _and Simpson.

-4-"A good knowledge of the plants which furnish nectar and pollen in an

area is important for severa 1 reasons. Beekeepers need this information so

they can locate apiaries close to areas which will provide nectar and pollen

for the spring buildup of colonies. They also need to know what plants will

provide a surplus of honey later in the season. ·

Orchardists and other farmers who rent bees for pollination need to know

what plants may attract bees -away from the crop they are trying to po 111 nate.

The attractiveness of the plant they are trying to pollinate is also

important. Spray damage can often be avoided if the plants attractive to bees

are known.· For example, bees have been killed because they were visiting

cover crops in orchards when these orchards were sprayed, eve·n though the

orchard was not in bloom. Cover crops in bloom have also attracted the bees

away from the trees they were moved in to pollinate.

An indication of the color of honey prod~ced from a plant can be obtained

by noting the co 1 or of the honey sac of bees gathering nectar from these

plants. *(See methodology following.) This knowledge will enable the

beekeeper either to avoid large plantings of plants from ~hich the bees

produce dark-colored honey, or to ~eep this honey from these~plants separate

from his light-colored honey." 1

To observe the honey sac, kill a bee that has just come from the field.

Grasp the thorax (middle body division) of the bee with o_ne hand and the

abdomen (third or 1 ast body di vi.s ion) with the other hand without squee.zi ng

too hard. Slowly, but fi nnly, pull the thorax from the abdomen. You wi 11

note a clear, colorless tube attached to both body. divisions with a sac-like

structure, the honey sac, hanging from it. The color of the plant nectar wi11

be apparent through the· honey sac. Size of the honey sac a 1 so wi 11 be quite

variable depending on the nectar flow or the nectar available. {See Cant. p.6)

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As soon as honey harvest is complete, you should initiate preventative or

cleanup treatment for American and European foul brood. Check your books for

the

symptoms if you see something suspicious.

TREATMENT OF FOULBROOO

Proper treatment with various chemica·1 compounds can effectively prevent

the

spread of foulbrood disease within an apiary or control the infection in

a

colony. Chemical treatment should be a supplement to, but not a substitute

for, good management practices, e.g .. , removal of the source of infection or

badly diseased combs.

Terrafl\Ycin works well as a preventive treatment or as a chemotherapeutic

compound in the control of both American and European foulbrood of honey bees.

The antibiotic 'TerramYcin is often abbreviated as TM5, TMlO, or TM25,

depending on the concentration of the antibiotic in the di"luent powder. In

preparing a dust treatment for "sprinkling over the top bars of the brood

combs, mix one part TM5 with. one part powdered sugar. The same formulation

can be obtained by mixing one·part TMlO with two parts powdered sugar~ or one

part TM25 with five parts powdered sugar. Give each colony 4 teaspoonfuls of

the preparation (this is equal to about 200 milligrams of antibiotic

-5-Terramycin should be used early in the spring or late in the fall when there is no chance of contaminating surplus honey. If additional treatment is required during a major nectar flow when· surp 1 us honey is being .stored, do not use the honey for human consumption. Care should .be taken not to apply the dust directly over uncapped heal thy brood s i nee .the powder often fi 1 ters down into the open cells and kills young larvae.. In most cases, one or two treatments are sufficient as a preventive. When caring for diseased colonies, several applictions should usually be given at weekly intervals. An uninterrupted suppy of antibiotic should be available to the worker bees during the ent~re tleanup period. Treatment should continue until all disease symptoms are gone.

From "Beekeeping in the Intermountain Region:

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The following table of toxicities to honey bees· could be of considerable value to all beekeepers. Clip it out for future reference.

TABLE 2. loxlclty of lnaectlcEdos to .honeylx!n, allalfa lNicuitlno and 11\all bHI.

(Couri"Y Hugh W. Hom•n «nd Cra/IJ n. 81lrd, Ut~:we;alfr ol (tlaho £xfMSHIIt St#~lct.)

R•tmg auhr: o • No d•t• Of axJNrionoo I• naiiAble. Oo nor ""' 1 • Oo nat epp!y to ~II plertll.

2 • Apply In evenlslg eher bnal\owa 1~d torajjlng.

' .. Applf duflnol•t• .-ttt~fAtleltar beu till.,. •loppO«<Iotlflno Willi -'Y momlng btrota bno begin lorll\}lllf.

<I • Clin 116 l!)plitd nhrly 111 eny tim ..

AI IIIII Alfalle Honey. lllf•GUUI"f Alktill HoM~ ttaf.oulttnG Alllall ln-tlolcf• bee ~ .. bao lnll!Ctlcfdo bee

...

.,..

~---, ---,---,-um;a~.~;;----.. .. .. ·Ambuah ~ \

,

Undana 1 1 1 At;pon 2 0 .o \ofiban 1 1 ' otlnpl\oal1leU\yl 1 1

'

malatlllon l

'

a

Alodtln I 1 1 Mlllothk-n IA.V 1 1 1

BMM • 0 0 MaiOIIobafl 2 1 :s

Bacillus 4 .. 4 Mat Mil

' 0 0

IIIUtlngietllll Maaurol 1 1

,

8111101 t 0 0 MetHYIIOli·A 3 3 3

Baygon

,.

t t U.tacldo

'

,

t

BaygonG 4 .. 4 methyl ~ramlhlon 1 I 1

Bayttlt t• 1 1 m1111y1 ,.,alfllon I 1 ,

GHC 1 t 1 (Microancoptut•tedl llldfln 1 1

,

JMthollyctllot WP 2 2 Bron\yl I 1 1 MoniiOl ' 1 QhiOrdaM . 1 1 1 _~·- 4 0 Cldlal t ' t Hudfill ~ 1 Clodrlft ' 0 0 Omit a 4

•

Comlte • • .. OmiliO + Oylol: 2 a

calclu111 1 1 t + SVatow trtenate Ofthecle a 1. 2 CtriOI a l t J'llrllillo4\ t ~ t Cygon I _' ' l'enlltli!I)M t ' t OOl a \ 3 Peill*'> 4 0 0 OeFend ' ' 1 PM! hiM a 0 0 Delna" s 3 0 Ptlo:ulrlll ' l t Olbfom a 2 :s pl\oll)!lllinkl<ln \ ' 1 dleidfln 1 I ' Fttctlltt~ a 0 0 Olnlllln 0 0 0 Plrlmat ) 3 3 dlatlnoo t t 1 Pounce

'

1 ' OiSyllton !C a l t PYimlcld 0

,

0 OISy$1011 G • 4 .. Pr6llol 2 3 3 ONOC 1 t

,

Pydtln \ t t diiiONb t I t Rabon ' a 3 Ouraban ,. 1 l Rebololcs 1 '

'

Dylo~ 2 3 3 ro411n<lM 2 0 0 tndtln 2 t t Sll'#ln 1 1 1 EPN 1 t 1 alllfw 4 4 4 othlon a t ' Su.-nathloo 1 0 0 Fu;OtUmF ' t 1 Gupractd$

'

t

,

.Puradv.G 4 .. 4 Syl!OI 3 3 :s Oulhloo t t 1 lradlor. 4 3 4 hllplllcltlol 1 1 ' Temlk ' 1 t lmldlln t 1 a TEPP 2 1 3 Karatflane 4 0 0 Thlm&l EC a 1 ' Kellt\aM • 4 4 Thlmel G 3 s 3 Ktllh•r .. + a a 2 Thlod6n t 1 1

DyiOx + Sya\oll toxap!IOM I t s

Kot11111 I) _{0 Tfilhlon} :r

,

I l.!tnnale 1 , Vapon•

'

1 ' t.N<1traenato 1 1 Vydal& 3 :t 2 ZoloM 3 :! 3

'OIIfaban, Bay!o• •® Baygon 1.1 lllt\lqullo aim-* ratea t.an be ~~only MMII\d

'IlOilO~,.,....

Tho to~lclly rollnoa wtro bllced on labOratory and llollld •tudlea by -lllncSIYidiHU with major

contributions by CA Johanael\, WatNnoton Slate tlAIIIOfllty.

From 11

Agrichemical Age11

, April, 1979

-6-Rubber Rabbltbrush, Rabbltbrushr

lCHRYSOTHAMNUS NAUSEOSUS_) Composltae Sln-uba 8 Inches to 6 feet tall: k!aves narrow: tloweraln headl, ut~ually about 5 torether, yellow, no atrap.llhaped onea preaent; beacla In round or llat·topped clusters: achenes with long hatra at the apex. Plalna. valleya and hUla. Saakatcllowan to Brltlah Columbia. aouth to Tuu and Calltor• nln. Scattered over Colorado at 4,00().10,000 tcot. ·

Rabbltbruah hs probably the beat aource ot late ~aaaon nectau• In Colorado. The honey Ia reported to be amber In color and atrona In flavor.

The Uquld In the honey aa~ ran(ea trom colorlltll to yellow and usually haa a stron1 odor. The honey from thla plant Ia a valuable aource ot

overwlnterlns atore1. The tan t1owen1 are of Jlttle lmportanc. u a pollen

source.

Thla wuteland plant has a wide dlat.rlbutlon over the entlre atate • • Lat'ie numbera arow on the dry alopea and the poor lOll amona the aaa•

brush.· Early-troat does not appear to affect the flowea'll or 11top nectar secretion. The late flow Ia dependable. John Hol:tberleln, Jr., of Meeker reports that ralna In late Au(USt and September occaalonaUy hamper the collecting of nectar from lt.

This plant Ia much mot•e Important In Colot-ado Ill a IOUrce of latC! nectar than the aatera.

8ummat1' of obeanlatfoM Oft 11oft t~laitlno tkfe ~~:

Percent supr In the nectar .. , ... 19.4 t35.5l 61.3

Bees collected ... 60

Bees with meaaurable honey sacs ... 40

Size ot ~oney aaca and color ot their llqui4 ... Modlum to lar1e:

. colorleu to Uaht

yellow

Datea observations were made ... Auaust 24, Scptemboa· 5, 1955: July 28. A\lgust 22, Septombcr 4 and 5, 1956

Localities where bees wore obscrvcll ... Monte Vista, Fort Col· llns, Antonito, Gardner, Craig, Meeker

PIGIIII J, 1-llllro .. Ia IM . . . , ... ,_,..,., loto ' " ' " . . . - 1o ,.. ... ef Col4otoft. tloh _ , . . . . pl•t k wl4oly ollllrll••••-loo I V - I, MM<I efllew-.I.Pie-.

-7-LOCAL HAPPENINGS

The State Fair Honey Booth should be a success. The following Colorado Packers plan on having honey available at the booth; Haefeli Honey Farms, Danny Culhane, Madhava Honey, Rice•s lucky Clover, Paul Limbach, Leonard Blake, Guy Lee, Paul Hendricks, and Oalgarn

&

Sons.

Gary Milligan of Durango found a seven pound fawn while moving some bees. The family adopted it with the blessing of the Fish and Game Department.

Monte Anderson, a teacher and beekeeper living at Crook, had an electrical fire in his home. Part of his house had to be demolished. He is

in the process of rebuilding.

Glenn Toyne, so·n of Doo 1 ey Toyne, a 1 so had a fire. His doub 1 e-wi de trailer was destroyed by a malfunctioning water heater.

Tim Baublits, son of Bill and Dianne Baublits, will be teaching at Fowler. He graduated from U.N.C. in June and was a counselor for Frontiers of Science at U.N.C. this summer. Sherry Baublits, daughter of Bill and Diane

Baub 1 its, toured with the Continental Singers this summer for the second time.

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FOR SALE

250 colonies· of 8 frame hives and 250 colonies of 10 frame hives located in northeast Colorado. Several hundred supers with Pierco frames - both B's and 101

s. Contact Larry Johnston, 637 Co.ttom>~ood, Las Animas, Colorado, 81054. Phone {303) 456-0492.

Dadant Mini-melter, stainless steel, nearly new and in excellent condition. New price: $264.00, will sell for $225.00. Contact R. G. Simpson, 1317 Lory St., Fort Collins, Colorado 80524.

Phone

{303} 4;84-1206. ·

~ \ : ' ' I , '

500, 10 frame medium and shallow supers~ Conta·ct Ernest Harer, 415 Fullenwider, Center, Colorado 81125. r :

Root Extractor, 4-frame, reversible \vith motor. Galvanized and ·treated

with epoxy. $300.00 Contact Tom Theobald, 8019 Neva Rd., Box 33, Niwot,

Colorado 80544. Phone (303) 652-2266 from 7:00-7:30 a.m.

Cotoro.do Bee Notes

Robert G. Simpson, Editor

Department of Zoology and Entoroology Colorado State University

Fort Co 11 ins., Co 1 ora do 80523

-8

-PERMIT. 19

THIRD CLASS

NONPROfiT ORGANIZATION

U.S. POST AGE PAlO

'on C..li111, Co !Of 1100 1062 t

DEVOTED TO EOUCA TION AND RESEARCH FOR THE COLORADO BEE INDUSTRY

DECEMBER, 1985

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NOTICE

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NOTICE

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NOTICE

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OATES FOR THE C.OLORAOO BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION MEETING HAVE BEEN CHANGED

The dates of the CBA Convention have been set back one week to December 7 &

8. Since the meeting follows Thanksgiving by only two days, it was felt that it

would create many holiday and travel conflicts. The convention will be held at the, Denver Day•s Inn at Colfax and Hwy. 70 as previously announced (see map).

Noted speakers ·for ~he co·nventfon will be Mr. Tim lawrence and Ms. Sue Colby from

Vacaville Apiaries, Vacaville, California.· They will speak on the .. Breeding of Bees

and Artif,cial Insemination ... A demonstration will accompany the presentation. They

·wi)

J.

give an . update on the African. Bee in Ca 1 i forn1 a.

·. · · Paul Limback will speak on . "Pollination". This will be fo11owed by a panel discussion on 11

Ae-~ial Spraying~~. An update on new chemicals will. be presented as

well.

The meeting wi11 ·start at 9:00 alrm. on December 7. When making reservations

be sure

and

say

that you are with the

C.B.A.

for special

rates.

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NOTICE.

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NOTICE .

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NOTICE

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The Pike's Peak Beekeepers• Association will soon have their 1986 Bee Calendars

on sale for $2.50. My 1985 calendar is a dandy and I treasure the monthly hints,

artwork, and information. Contact Mike Herr, 4641 N. Crimson Circle, Colorado

Springs, Colorado 80917 for your calendar.

The Editor

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Little drops of honey, little grains of wax

Help the thrifty beekeeper pay his income tax.

The Bee Buzzer

\.

-2 ...

ARVADA

DENVER METRO

.

AREA MAP

Gol4kn ... • ·' f9'tiki. ,. ~ o.f o.ft\'et

vl.a U.$ ~ \Jf l·";'ll

THORNTON

E N<.~t t Yt'()OO

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Send in your equipment items for sale or wanted - there is no charge to have them

published in Bee Notes.

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-3-BEEKEEPING LICENSE FEE:

The CBA Advisory Board met in Denver on October 8, 1985.

The purpose was to

establish annual fees for beekeepers--something everyone could live with under the

new 1 aw.

The fee schedule

the

Advisory Board came

up with which is

to be

considered

by

the Colorado Agriculture Commission members is as follows:

Colonies

·

1-3

(The

intent for

this

fee is

4-15 16-30 31-100 101-200 201 to

infinity

Fee

$ 2.50

to cover license plates, etc.)

$10.00

$15.00 $20.00 $25.00

$25.00

plus

Sf

per colony

The

Commission

will

meet later

th·is

month

(O~tober}.

infonned as to their decision.

We wi 11 keep

you

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The Best Angle--The best angle from which to

approach

any problem is the

try~angle. The Bee

Buzzer

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FOURTH

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON APICULTURE IN TROPICAL CLIMATES

The I nternat

i

ona 1 Bee Research Association is p 1 eased to announce that the

Government of

Egypt

has agreed to host the 4th International Conference on

Apiculture in

Tropical

Climates. Dr. Youssef A. Walli,

Minister

of State

for

Agriculture and Food Security, has invited IBRA to convene this conference in Cairo

in March, 1988.

The President of the conference will be Dr. Abdel Rahim

Shehata,

Director of

the Agri cul tura

1

Research Centre Cairo,

and

the conference Chairmen will be Dr.

Ahmed Awada11ah, Head of the Plant Protection Research Institute, Cairo, and Mr.

Tecwyn Jones, Deputy Director, Tropical Development and Research Institute, London.

Or. M. M. Mazeed of the Bee Section of the Plant Protection Research Institute,

Cairo, will be Conference Secretary.

The Conference will be organized by a local committee of representatives from

the Ministry, a number of university departments in Egypt, and

by

a Steering

Corrmittee of

international specialists

includingt from IBRA,

Or. Margaret

Adey,

Director. and

Dr~

Nicola Bradbear, Information Officer for Tropical Apiculture.

Further infonnation on dates, programs, and organizational matters will be

issued as soon as this is available.

From International See Research Association

-4-Sandb.ar Willow; (SALIX INTIRI~Rh Sallcaceo•

· · · Low ahruba to small treu up to 15 feet tall; le~lVes narrow: tlowera In · elonpted catkins, the 1tamtnato and pistillate on separate tree~. Banks

~1 streams and lake& Maine to wutern Canada, south to Marylan<l and Colorado. MOlt common In the eastern half of Colorado at 4,500-6.700 feet. The early season bloPOma are very valuable for eolony etlmulatlon and buUdup. The worker bees were exceptionally active In gathering nee· tar and pollen from thla willow. The willows aro a reliable minor source of honey and pollen ln the spring in many areas.

Stunmar» o/ obtBMX~tiont em bse~J ttfaltJng this BtJCfcle•:

Pereent sugar in the nectar ... , ... 40.1 <52.8) 63.7

Bets collected •...•... .,... ... 3 Betta with meuun\ble hor..ey sacs... ... . . .. 8

Size of honey saca. and color of their liquid ... Small to medium: light yellow Date observations weN madc ... May 30, 19!6

LoeaUty where bees were ob~erved ... ~ ... Fort Co!ltna

-5-WOOD-ROTTING FUNGUS CAN EAT UP TOXIC CHEMICALS

The discovery that a common fungus that rots dead trees also degrades toxic

chemicals

may

open up a whole new field of

environmental

waste disposal. Possible

applications for the organism, Phanerochaete chrysoseorium, better known as wh1te

rot fungus, could include

cleaning

soil and water of problem pollutants, converting

coal into liquid fuel, and reclaiming valuable chemicals from agricultural and

industrial waste.

MSU biochemists Stephen D. Aust and John A. Bumpus and colleagues report 1n

Science magazine that they disovered P. chrysoseor1um's remarkable properties in the course of research on the chemical processes that allow white rot fungi to

break down the main component of wood, a complex polymer called 11gn1n that is not

affected

by

most microbes. Some of the carbon-based molecules that are components

of lignin are also components of a number of long-lasting toxic chemicals and

carcinogens. When the scientists tested the white rot fungus on some of these

chem1cals, they also went down before the voracious rot •

.

Among the chemicals that

!·

.!=hrxsosporiuiJl will

degrade are

DDT,

dfox1ns,

Lindane,

benzopyrene. and two

.

kinds

of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)tl

According to Aust, the fungi do

not

actually ingest toxic

·

chemicals; rather,

they secrete an enzyme. 11 gnase, that breaks a chemica 1 down into sma 11 er, more

eas11y

degraded molecules.

These in turn are broken down into harmless carbon

dioxide, with perhaps some chloride or bromide ions left over. Aust says the .,

chemistry of the reaction is such that the fungus should be able to degrade many organoha 1 ides, that is, chemica 1 s based on carbon, ch 1 ori ne, bromine, and other·

re 1 a ted e 1 ement s. Th 1 s wou 1 d 1 nc 1 ude PCBs and many other tox 1 c chem1 ca 1 s that 'tend

·

to persist 1n the environment.

A 1 though the process has so far proved · i tse 1 f only in the 1 aboratory • Aust is

optfm1st1c about its prospects for application. He suggests

such possib111t1es as

inoculating contaminated so11 with fungus grown on wood chips, or adsorbing

wastewater onto sawdust or some such material and then treating that with the white

rot fungus. Such procedures cou 1 d we 11 prove cheaper than the current costly

decorit~ination

methods used to clean up toxic waste.

From Agrichem1ca1 Age

August ..

september.

1985

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tJf

Co Z.On:ufo S.e No us

Robert G. Simpson, Editor

Department of Entomology

Colorado State

University

Fort Collins, Colorado 80523

PERMIT. 19

-.

THIRD CLASS

COI,..ORAOO STATE UNIVERSITY

· E)(P.f:RIMENT STATION

INTOMOI.OGY !J!CTION

DEVOTED TO EDUCATION ANp RESEARCH FOR THE COLORADO BEE INDUSTRY MARCH 1986

WINTER MEETING - COLORADO BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION

The 1985 winter business meeting of the C.B.A. was held in Golden at Day•s Inn on December 8th. President Danny Culhane called the ~eeting to order at 9:15AM.

The first item of old business was the Colorado Bee Law. Danny reported on the license fee schedule. He explained the fee schedule and the volunteer bee inspection program that the Advisory Board recommended at the meeting held in October. He then reported on the considerably higher fee schedule that the Agriculture Commission passed at their meeting. The difference being a comparison of $125 to $475 for 1700

·colonies. The volunteer inspector•s program was kicked out because they

· stated that we could not legally do it. Tom Jones, who was the only beekeeper available that attended the meeting, gave a r·eport. Danny read a quote made at an earlier meeting of the commission which stated that "Chairman Moschetti reiterated that this was only~ proposed schedule and the Commission will not do an,ything that the majo!'it_y of the industr,y did not agree to11

• It was s~ggested that we use Chairman Moschetti's

statement to protest the fees. After a lot of discussion ft was decided that the C.B.A. would send a resolution to all the members of the

Agricultural Commission, Tim Shultz, and Bob Sullivan. The resolution will state that we feel the fees that are in effect now are too high for

. us to live with and that we would like to see the schedule the Advisory Board recommended be adopted. It will suggest that perhaps there could be an added inspection fee to be paid at the time of an inspection. We feel the new fees will cause a large number of beekeepers not to renew their licenses because the fees are too high. We are concerned that after more than 10 years we still do not have a Bee Law that is workable, and that we hope the fee schedule c~uld be resolved before the new licenses are due.

The next item of old business was the report on the honey booth ·at State Fair. Leonard Blake reported that we sold $2,300.00 worth of

honey~ Several members of the C.B.A. were there to work in the booth and the Bee Cage. Live demonstrations wer·e given throughout the fair and each was well attended. Guy Lee stated that the fee for the booth next year may be considerably higher. The booth fees will be set by the Farm-City Council of which Guy and Leonard are members. The C.B.A. set a limit of $500 to be spent for a booth.