As expected, 1990 was the year of the African bee. In January and February,APIS carried articles on planning for the bee's arrival in Florida and results of the DNA honey bee research program underway at the University of Florida. A new video, A Glimpse of Florida Beekeeping, was also released which is a good resource to use in communicating to the general public what Florida beekeeping is all about. And, of course, there followed the news that the bee was finally detected in Texas (October). Trapping bees and expanded knowledge about the bee's potential northern distribution were covered in the November issue.
Varroa bee mites also received a lot of ink. The June issue summarized thoughts on stock introduction to combat the mite. There continue to be many persons who don't know about Varroa, still very new to beekeepers in the U.S.; the August APIS provided a quiz to ensure readers were up to date on this parasite. This was closely followed by a description of the first find of fluvalinate, the only material approved to control Varroa, in honey. As a followup, the September issue (which also noted that particular month as National Honey Month) detailed a resume of food safety concerns along with information on honey contamination crisis programs.
Bee management was also featured with articles on limiting factors (April), the "sad and bad" bee phenomenon reported in California and reflections on protein management (July), and oiling your bees for tracheal mite control (May. A sprinkling of other issues were also reported: infotainment--the media's hybrid of information and entertainment (March), professionalism in the beekeeping business (May), and registration requirements (July).
I have always tried to find a succinct description of the kind of publication APIS really is. It is not meant to and cannot compete with the established big three beekeeping subscription publications in the U.S. It was Kim Flottum, editor of Gleanings in Bee Culture, who put his finger on it. "APIS seeks to write "around the edges of beekeeping." This is more than food for thought; it provides one reasonable answer to the question: why publish one more bee newsletter?
We have now completed our move into the new building in Gainesville. Notice the changed address and added extension number on the telephone. Although physically moved, this is really only the beginning. You can expect to see significant changes in departmental programs, including that devoted to apiculture, as we adjust to the new location.
It is certain that Varroa mites, African bees and food safety will still be of great concern to the beekeeping industry in 1991. Although there are plenty of problems surrounding these issues, at least beekeepers can now focus more easily than in the past when they were only on the horizon. And it is important to remember that all of them are manageable in one way or another. It is the decade of the manager, as many pundits have said. And often, the manager's point of view determines the probability of success or failure of a venture. As I said last year at this time while trying to sum up what we might expect in the 1990s, "It will depend on whether those involved (managers and beekeepers) perceive their cup as half empty or half full."
This information may be valuable for beekeepers to communicate to home gardeners. In addition, this solution may also be a good candidate for eliminating unwanted bee swarms. A paper at the latest American Bee Research Conference compared killing swarms by using several materials. Water and detergent mixed sixteen to one worked well; however, use of detergent has been criticized as polluting the environment. In many communities there are strict regulations concerning the disposal of "gray" or soapy water. By mixing in vegetable oil, the amount of detergent used can be reduced. It should be emphasized that although this technology is promising, it is technically not legal to use either detergents or vegetable oils as insecticides.
The reason for the above paradox is that both materials are not registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for this use. Thus, it is illegal even to recommend the use of these materials. This is a classic "catch 22" that must somehow be resolved as registration of these materials is highly unlikely. It takes at least $150,000 for filing fees and much more money to run the appropriate tests required by EPA. There is little incentive to spend this amount on a relatively inexpensive product just to register its use as an insecticide.
Steve Buchman at the Carl Hayden Bee Research Laboratory also is quoted as describing honey bees' bodies as "living Swiss Army knives." This image brings to mind the quaint Christmas flick now at many theaters, Edward Scissorhands. Maybe bees and humans aren't all that far apart.
With reference to the African bee, the article beats the refrain we have heard for many years, predicting a decline in beekeeping (especially) hobbyists in the sunbelt where many municipalities are likely to introduce stringent laws concerning keeping these insects. In time, however, beekeepers will learn to manage them. As the article concludes: "For as long as we have records, people have lived with bees. There is no reason to believe the honeymoon will end soon." This is a well-written article that many will be able to use as a reference for those calls by journalists asking one to "tell me all you know about honey bees and beekeeping in the next 90 seconds."
Malcolm T. Sanford
Bldg 970, Box 110620
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-0620
Phone (904) 392-1801, Ext. 143 FAX: 904-392-0190
http://www.ifas.ufl.edu/~entweb/apis/apis.htm
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Address: MTS@GNV.IFAS.UFL.EDU
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