Newsletter0606

Don't miss information on the Fall Meeting October 27 & 28, 2006 at Valley Plaza in Midland in the next newsletters.

Press Release

National Honey Board 390 Lashley Street Longmont, CO 80501 Phone: (303) 776-2337 Phone (800) 553-7162 Fax (303) 776-1177 www.nhb.org www.honey.com

Longmont, Colo. - Issues of current interest to the honey industry will be discussed at an industry roundtable, June 28, in Denver, Colo. The National Honey Board (NHB) is hosting the event.

Topics scheduled or discussion at the roundtable include standard of identity, voluntary quality assurance and labeling. The forum will include speakers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service and from the Food and Drug Administration.

Invited organizations are the American Beekeeping Federation, American Honey Producers Association, National Honey Packers & Dealers Association, Western States Honey Packers & Dealers Association and Sioux Honey Association.

The roundtable is open to the public, and any honey industry member is welcome to attend the event. NHB periodically sponsors industry roundtables to provide a discussion forum. The last such roundtable was held in 2004.

Secretary's minutes were read. Motion made, 2^nd to accept and approved by Board Treasures report Bal of $16,236 as of meeting date. Motion made, 2^nd to accept, approved by Board

A representative from Blackmore-Row Insurance Company, Flint spoke briefly about a policy they are writing exclusively for beekeepers. Representative will present this to the membership at the fall meeting and will be available to answer questions. Representative will be there both days of the fall meeting.

Mike Hansen- MDA talked briefly of Tylan 10 and its use to control AFB. He will have a brief synopsis for the upcoming newsletter.

Bylaws- changes to the by-laws were handed out and discussed. Board members are to review them and submit any changes to Ed Wracan. New Bylaws will then be presented to the membership at the fall meeting for approval.

ANR - It was discussed to increase the number of rooms available to the MBA to allow for more vendors, speakers for the 2 day event. Motion made, 2^nd and approved by the Board

Beekeeper of the Year - Ruth Dunlap has been appointed to Chair this committee. Any suggestions for the award can be forwarded to Ruth at 517-547-3487 or by email at

Newsletter - Motion was made to the Board to combine the B+ newsletter currently published by Roger Hoopingarner and the MBA newsletter into one mailing to be done on a monthly basis. Motion was 2^nd and approved by the Board

Guest Dean Hutchinson replied to the Board that all the information that is available is an important tool to new beekeepers and that MBA should do whatever it takes to get that information out. Suggested that the names of those non-members and new beekeepers that attended the recent ANR be given to each district rep to have them contact them regarding membership or any help that be provided them by the MBA.

Election of officers - Offices of Secretary, Treasure, Reps from District 2, 4, 6 and

Treasurer - Roger Hoopingarner, Judy Schmaltz District 2 - Ron Noble, Ruth Dunlap

District 6 - Ed Wracan, Jim Dodder, Dean Hutchinson Member at Large - Roger Sutherland

Any MBA member that would like to run for any of these offices, please submit your name to Dave Anthony, Terry Klein or Richard Leonard.

Fall Meeting - will be held again this year at the Valley Plaza, Midland. Motion made to keep Midland as the fall meeting place for the next 3 years dependent upon the contractual agreement submitted by Valley Plaza. Motion 2^H.andapproved by Board. Ed Wracan will chair committee for Fall meeting.

Honey Sticks - At the January meeting MBA Board agreed to have honey sticks made by an individual to have available to MBA members and public at a cost. These honey sticks have been refused by the Board President due to the fact that the producer is not a licensed 'packager", etc. Motion was made, 2^nd and approved by the Board to deny these sticks.

National Honey Board - Motion made, 2^nd and approved by the Board to keep Eric and Jim Goodrich on the nominating committee as representatives of MBA.

Website - Motion made, 2^nd and approved by Board to add a "web director" who will help the web master getting things such as the newsletters onto the website. Cost to MBA would be $25-$50/month.

Motion made, 2^nd and approved by the Board to add the current President to the checking account after each Presidential election year.

- spoke of Community Food guides that are in several counties that are used to promote local products.

Michigan Welcome centers have requested recipe handouts - amount is down from previous years, however.

Bill Sirr spoke about the licensing for beekeepers. In his research he has found that in regards to Farm Markets, it is the responsibility of the "market master" to make sure that its vendors have licenses if selling honey.

Motion made to adjourn @ 1: 15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted by

Ann Leonard MBA Secretary

At the meeting on Saturday, Dave Anthony asked me to share a few words on the subject of Tylosin use for American F oulbrood control. I was told there are some rumors already regarding the proper use of Tylosin, and even some rumors about problems with Tylosin in Europe. Just a few notes on the subject.

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Tylosin is licensed for use in Michigan as an Animal Remedy under the Livestock and Poultry

Remedies Act, Act 134 of 1929 as amended. MCL 287.141 through MCL 287.150. For that matter Terramycin and Fumidil are also licensed under this act. Prior to being licensed for use in any state, these products go through testing (by the manufacturer) and review, by the Food and Drug Administration and the Center for Veterinary Medicine. Through this process the manufacturer develops and prepares labels and directions for these products to ensure efficacy of the product, as well as proper use directions for the person using the product. Use directions are very important, and include key information such as, how much product to use, how to apply it, when to apply it, and how to ensure that use of the product does not result in residues in the food we eat.

As tylosin went through the registration process, Scientists recognized that inappropriate use of this product could result in unacceptable residues. So the directions are specific. Scientists also found that when you mix Tylosin with water, residues persist much longer that they would if the tylosin was mixed with powdered sugar. Thus the label calls for mixing with powdered sugar.

In general, beekeepers should not be using Tylosin at this time of year. Tylosin can easily persist in honey, so use of tylosin in the spring will almost ensure that residues will be found. It may be appropriate to use Tylosin in the spring and early summer to treat a colony that will not be producing honey. You'll need to ensure that the honey you produce is free of antibiotics.

So when do we use Tylosin to control disease in the colony? Note the key word "control". Tylosin is not a preventative product like Terramycin. It should not be used to "protect" a colony. It should only be used to treat a colony with an active .American Foulbrood (AFB) problem. By active, I mean that a few cells are broken down and you want to do something to make the colony whole again. If the hive is filled with American Foulbrood, the best option is the burn barrel. Tylosin is active on the vegetative stage of AFB, not the spores. If you have scale or capped deal brood in your colony, the tylosin is not going to clean that up. You will have to physically remove as much inoculum as possible and then use the Tylosin to clean up the colony.

Remember, AFB spores are found in just about every hive tested. It's the dose or number of spores that makes the poison. Using Tylosin to clean up an active outbreak will control the vegetative stages of the disease. If you leave frame after frame of diseased cells in the colony, don't blame the Tylosin for not working.

I've not heard of concerns out of Europe. That doesn't mean there aren't any, but remember that they've been using a number of pro ducts for some time. If each tylosin user was following the directions properly, then there might be reason to be alarmed if the product didn't work. Remember that the medicine a Doctor gives you is just one of the tools you need to get healthy. You still have to rest, eat, drink fluids and reduce your exposure to whatever is making you sick. We need to provide the same care for the bees if we expect them to recover.

I do recognize that the European Union has taken a number of steps to create uniformity in how products are offered for trade. There have been several reviews and changes in the way that antibiotics are licensed for use, with many products removed from the market for various reasons. So anecdotal information from the EU needs to be challenged before it is accepted as fact.

Use Tylosin wisely and it will be a valuable product for years to come. If we misuse the product, the result could affect us as illegal residues in our products. If that happens, if the industry is not able to use the product properly, then the manufacturer, or even the government may have to restrict its use.

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All District Reps-We need names for Beekeepers of the Year. All Members please contact

your area rep and turn in names. We also need names of anyone interested in running for offices up for reelection this year, please contact your district rep or Dave Anthony or Terry Klein .. (All phone numbers listed on back page of newsletter.)

Thank You for your help

District 1 Scott Barnes is putting a roundtable discussion for the Annual Meeting geared especially to the commercial beekeeper, please contact Scott and give your input and assistance.

District 6 Well, spring is here and off we go to the bee yard hoping for a great year.

I would like to thank the Saginaw Valley Beekeepers for their participation in the Spring ANR Week. Without their ideas, we could not have been as successful as we were. They were a major part of hosting the largest spring meeting we ever had. Thanks again Wouldn't it be great if each District would host a Spring ANR Meeting. It would be a great way to meet and know your fellow beekeepers throughout the state.

Our bees wintered over much better than ever before. My son, John believes it is because we have replaced 1/3 of our frames every year and also we have been getting strong bees from California.

Don't forget the Summer Meeting in Traverse City on June 17, 2006.

Also, plan on attending the Fall Meeting in Midland on October 27 & 28, 2006. We are having 2 great speakers, Rob Green and Kirk Webster plus breakout sessions for our commercial beekeepers, hobbyists, and spouses. Look for future news regarding the fall meeting.

A recent study of ant foraging behavior, done in England, has set off a little controversy. It seems that the research showed that when these ants, Te111111othorax albipennis, that normally forage in the rocks near the seaside, will lead (teach?) recruits where the food is located. If this is the case, that is teaching, it is the first non-human example of teaching others. The research has sparked a debate over what is learning in the non-human world.

I haven't read the original research paper so I am not sure of all of the controls and techniques used in the study. However, I do not think most of us, including scientists, have a even a slight concept of how good is the odor tracking of insects. We have known that ants use odor tracks laid down on previous trips to re-trace their path to food. So how is this new study different from earlier research? Only time will really tell, and if other research shows that the ants are not using odor tracks set down on early foraging trips.

We now know that honey bees can detect a new queen pheromone that is released from a queen in amazingly small quantities. As I said, I do not think we have any real concept of these insect's odor detecting abilities.

This past spell of wet weather (a full week here in mid-Michigan) brings up the question of weather's effect on swarming. It does not seem to matter if your colony is an over-wintered one or a new package or nuc, a long spell of wet weather that confines bees to the hive seems to trigger swarming. I suspect that there are several things that are happening, and if some of all of them do not occur, then the swarm will not leave the hive.

We know that the queen pheromone (probably pheromones) has to be distributed evenly among the workers. The trouble with a rainy spell is that the distribution of the pheromone may be disturbed simply by the foragers being confined to the hive. I have seen queen cells started and then removed in these situations. It may be because the queen returned to a portion of the brood nest that she had not been using and her presence caused the workers to remove the queen cells. Another factor of importance is that nectar must be available in the field for a swarm to leave. If when the rain stops and there is no nectar, the swarming process may stop. It is a complex behavior that includes many factors so if all of them are not right, then nothing happens-hope we can be so lucky.

This is the season when it all comes together for the colony. The queen is laying at her maximum, the colony is growing at a log-rate of increase, and nectar is really beginning to accumulate in the hive. All of these can cause crowding within the brood nest. Thus, it is time to reverse the colony's brood chambers for the second time. It is also time to add supers for the honey flow.

With the rain we have had the weeds around the colony probably can be cut down again if you did not treat with an herbicide previously.

Getting additional supers ready is also needed - that super-colossal year may be at hand and it is important not to be left short.

A second check of the varroa population should be done - either with a powdered-sugar roll, or with a sticky board. If you know the population growth of the mites you can better prepare for any treatments that will be needed in August and September.

For most of the mid-west of the U.S. this is the month of the clovers. I suspect that star thistle (spotted knapweed) is our single most important nectar plant, but overall the clovers contribute more total honey for Michigan beekeepers. The clovers start blooming in late May here in mid-Michigan with white Dutch clover, and it is followed closely by alsike and red clover. Just about the same time as red clover we get yellow sweet clover. Next is white sweet clover and alfalfa (if it is allowed to bloom). I generally figure the honey flow is on full when white sweet clover starts to bloom. Since the sweet clovers are biennial clovers their importance can vary from year-to-year. As far as alfalfa

is concerned, we did an analysis a few years ago that showed that when an alfalfa field (probably fields) is allowed to bloom that it will provide 100 pounds of honey to the hive. It is just that in modern agriculture they cut the alfalfa just before it starts to bloom. This early cutting is done to enhance the protein yield of the hay.

There are a lot of other nectar plants in June, and some of them can be of major importance in individual locations. Some of these are sumac, yellow rocket (carryover from :Nfay), other mustards such as the planted Brassica species that produce canola oil. I have noticed some fields in full bloom (5/22/06) on the MSUfarm.

Late in the month the basswood, or linden, begins to bloom. American basswood often does not bloom every vear so it is a little of an unknown. If they do bloom, and you can see the buds almost a month in advance of their blooming, you often can get a super of honey from them-sometimes a lot more than that. I do not think that I ever saw an apiary of bees work any harder than foraging on a basswood woods near Traverse City.

Around cities the home owners have planted a variety of trees, shrubs and plants and many of these contribute to the pollen and nectar income of the bees. My little patch of raspberries will be swarming with honey bees and bumble bees. In these cases we usually label the honey as wildflower, though it should probably be better named as mixed flowers. (Wildflower honey sounds better.)

HONEY SHOW RULE'S

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1. There must be 3 unlabeled jars or containers for each class you are entering.

2. The classes are

1 # White Honey - 1 # Water White Honey -1 # Amber Honey -1 # Light Amber Honey

1 # (wide mouth) Creamed Honey -1 # (wide mouth) Chunk Honey -Comb Honey

Cut Comb -Section Honey Bees Wax

3. All honey should be in Queenline or Gamber jars.

4. All honey including Comb Honey must be under 18.5% moisture.

5. All extracted honey will be checked by a polarscope for debris, foam, and crystals.

MICHIGAN BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION

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The backside of this form has your mailing label, which qualifies you for the discounted Association price.

Please check the date near your address to prove that you are a paid up member in the' Association. Please include' the part that shows your mailing label.

Please send your subscription order direct to the publication of your choice.