Wednesday, April 11, 2018

A LESS COLORFUL WORLD - Jeremy Barnes

In recent years casual observation has suggested that both the number and variety of birds visiting our feeders was declining. Turns out, it was not my imagination.

Two studies were eye-opening and disturbing. The first, in 2006 in the journal BioScience, The Economic Value of Ecological Services Provided by Insects, evaluated the vital ecological services provided by ‘wild’ insects’ by focusing on four crucial services they provide: dung burial, pest control, pollination, and nutrition for wildlife. The answer? $57 billion in the US alone. That is about $156 million per day, or in excess of $100 000 per minute. I suspect that only the US military spends more per hour.

The second, published in PLOS One in 2017, looks at changes in flying insect biomass…

Read full Article Here....

Thursday, April 5, 2018

NEONICOTINOID PESTICIDES: A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR BEES By Ross Conrad

Ross Conrad


Ross Conrad 

In June 2014 President Obama issued a memorandum creating a Pollinator Health Task Force. Co-chaired by the USDA and the EPA it was charged with creating a national pollinator health strategy to promote the health of pollinators, including honey bees…




NEONICOTINOID PESTICIDES: A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR BEES, PART I

The often heard refrain that Varroa is the primary cause of colony losses associated with CCD is simply not supported by the evidence.

NEONICOTINOID PESTICIDES: A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR BEES, PART II

Harm to Birds and other wild pollinators –

The science is in…


NEONICOTINOID PESTICIDES: A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR BEES, PART III

The dose response characteristics of neonicotinoid insecticides turn out to be identical to those of genotoxic carcinogens, which are the most dangerous substances we know. Such poisons can have detrimental effects at any concentration level.

If you still think our primary problem is Varroa, poor nutrition, habitat destruction, etc., and don’t believe that pesticides are one of the primary issues, if not THE primary issue, for beekeepers today…think again.

NEONICOTINOID PESTICIDES: A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR BEES, PART IV


So far in this series, we’ve established that hyper-toxic neonicotinoids are severely damaging wild pollinator populations, and numerous studies showing these pesticides harm Honey Bees are stacking up like cord wood. Unfortunately, the evidence is also quite clear that neonicotinoids are harming honey bees in the field, as well as in the lab, and thus devastating colonies in much the same way as the wild pollinators.

NEONICOTINOID PESTICIDES: A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR BEES, PART V

So far in this series, we have established that neonicotinoid pesticides are hyper-toxic to bees, exposure is occurring in the field to both wild and managed bee populations, the beekeeping industry is being negatively impacted, and there is a correlation between neonicotinoid use and pollinator decline. The question that arises is “How can this be, given the stringent regulatory environment that exists in the United States?” It turns out that the U.S. EPA and USDA regulatory process regarding pesticides that are supposed to protect human and environmental health is fatally flawed and corrupted. The evidence suggests that the pesticide regulatory process in the U.S. is nothing more than an elaborate scheme to provide legal cover for toxic chemical manufacturers so they can avoid taking responsibility for the devastation their products create.

NEONICOTINOID PESTICIDES: A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR BEES, PART VI

If you still think pesticides are not as big a concern as other issues like Varroa mites, you haven’t been paying attention.

Last month we explored some of the evidence indicating pesticide regulation in the U.S. is fraught with fake science, corruption, and manipulation. Unfortunately, this is not new and attempts to reform our regulatory agencies have occurred over and over, always with failed results. In this last installment of this series, we look at why has this been the case.

Regulated Industries Take Over

It turns out that once the constitutional separation of powers is ignored and legislative, executive, and judicial authority are all concentrated in one regulatory agency, it makes it easier for it to be corrupted by the industry it regulates – all industry has to do is exert its influence upon it and take it over. This is the experience of William Sanjour, a 30-year veteran of the U.S. EPA who wrote the Independent Science News article titled: Designed to Fail: Why Regulatory Agencies Don’t Work. 

Monday, April 2, 2018

Fouling Our Hive - Jeremy Barnes


"Every kind of organism," Mark Winston writes in the preface to Nature Wars: People v Pests, "has defining characteristics by which it can be identified as an entity different from all others." The upward turned wing tips of the turkey buzzards that fly overhead;  the square lip of the white rhinoceros that identifies it as a grazer, separate from its hook-lipped, browsing ‘black’ cousin; the flashes of color as a family of bluebirds takes flight; the tail of a fox so distinctive from a distance; the strong smell of the Matabele ants so vivid in my childhood memory; the bouquet of frangipani or brunfelsia flowers; the contrasting barks of different oaks species... each signals membership of a distinct group.

These characteristics have been misinterpreted, sometimes with fatal consequences…. Click for more

Sunday, April 1, 2018

The Varroa Problem Part 1 by Randy Oliver


The following article, by Randy Oliver, written 1.5 years ago, with many updates since, will give to You a basic overview of just what we are up against with this Varroa Destructor Mite!

Randy Oliver
ScientificBeekeeping.com


Legend has it that King Sisyphus was condemned to the maddening task of being forced each day to roll a huge boulder to the top of a hill, only to watch it roll back down again, and then to repeat this for eternity. Sisyphus was being punished for having the hubris to think that he was more clever than the gods.

In modern times, we beekeepers are cursed with the maddening task of killing varroa mites, only to see them build up again before the season’s end. Perhaps we are being punished for having the hubris to think that we are cleverer than Mother Nature.

A Fusillade of Parasites
Varroa destructor began its invasion of the honey bee population of North America in the late 1980s, midway in a calamitous fusillade of inadvertent parasite introductions.

The Varroa Problem Part 1 – first in American Beekeeping Journal (ABJ), Nov. 2016

Monday, March 26, 2018

Jeremy’s Corner - As we approach the 150th anniversary of Gandhi’s birth

Gandhi’s great gift was to bring together in public spaces masses of highly motivated and disciplined protesters with a common passion. As beekeepers we are not alone in our loss; indeed, like the honey bee, we cannot survive in isolation. And the bees, our wards as well as our teachers, are not only motivated and disciplined but also demonstrate the traditional values that Gandhi so admired, not least, simplicity, patience and frugality. They are beacons of hope in the best of counter-cultural traditions.

Secondly, Gandhi’s ecological world view, summed up in his homily “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need but not for every man’s greed,” supports the increasing move towards backyard beekeeping, organic farming, farm-to-table restaurants and sustainable lifestyles - the kinds of practices that were common before the steam engine and the factory, a time when the majority were stewards of the land even if few could afford meat - “To bring home the bacon” originated in the late Middle Ages as a sign of unusual good fortune.

And thirdly, Gandhi realized that the triumph of the scientific world over the ethical one has desacralized nature… Read Article from Jeremy's Corner

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

A K.I.S.S. Model for Breeding Locally-adapted Varroa-resistant Bees


Although Randy’s model clearly bee best suited for those Raising Their Own Queens, if you bee tending at least 2 Colonies of Bees, Have a Look; You will bee able to adapt to it’s usefulness! All BeeKeepers should have, or have access to a minimum of 2 colonies.  Bee Buddy up if need bee!

If you bee involved with raising your own queens and/or have a significant few colonies, and a desire to bee self-reliant within your operation, this presentation, with indisputable reasoning, bee easy to implement, and as Randy mentioned, was a true eye-opener.

I truly beelieve that this approach to selective breeding will aid local bees in finding that balance so that they may co-exist with Varroa, maintaining the Varroa mite within their threshold!

If You are not a Keeper of Bees, Have a Look anyway!  Good Stuff!

Sunday, March 18, 2018

REFORESTATION EFFORTS WITH FORESTPLANET

In conjunction with our regional efforts, involvement with Penn State University’s Research, We have now Partnered with ForestPlanet!

ForestPlanet Plants Trees, Lots of Trees, leveraging the unique benefits of trees for positive social & environment impact. 

 

As Countries needing reforestation, Beecome TreeRich, All Inhabitants will Blossom into
"Finding That Balance"


Have a Look: www.forestplanet.org




When you check out of the Honey Store, When asked 'If You would like to Plant a Tree with that', A reply of Yes, costing You 12 cents, will fund the Planting of Two Trees, for we will bee matching Your Donation! Consider Donating 8 Trees for 96 cents, which, after doing the math,allows 16 more Trees to bee Planted where needed, Offering HOPE! Aside from Large Donations, which will bee forwarded to ForestPlanet Swarmbustin' Honey will match all Donations, Tree for Tree.

To illustrate the transformative power of trees, here are 'beefore & after' pics, taken only Five Years apart, from the Mahabana estuary area of Western Madagascar!

Thursday, March 1, 2018

December 2016 Update

T’is December 2016 as I draft this briefing, normally a season offering a less hectic schedule for the non-migratory beekeeper. Not so this year. Oh, we are still keeping our colonies in permanent bee yards in Southeast PA, yet the workload decreased not. This bee an observation, not a complaint, for this season’s projects are rejuvenating.

Our State Winters Meeting was moved to State College, PA and the program, speakers and Buzz in the air rivaled last years meeting, resuming with offerings motivating change. The theme in 2016 was
"Audacious Ideas for the Future of Beekeeping".

Click Here for 2015
PSBA Winter Program
Click Here for 2016
PSBA Winter Program

Mark Winston counsels “Today’s growing environmental ethic exists because our impact on the globe is finally fouling our own nest,” Commercial Pollinating Beekeepers are the backbone of Agriculture, tirelessly accommodating the needs of crop farmers, as they rent tractor-trailer loads of bees for their monoculture crops. Go back in history as far as you care to unscroll and Beekeepers have always played a vital, revered role in the community. Winston challenges us when he argued for a new paradigm "that recognizes beekeepers as stewards of both managed and wild bees, promoters of healthy environments, managers of economically sustainable apiaries and paragons of collaboration and cooperation. It’s time for some audacious thinking about the future of beekeeping."  Winston dissected all components of Apiary Management and illustrated the impact of the xplosive interest in beekeeping. Beekeeping Clubs boast of membership tallies, oft times with a roster 10 or 20 times more than a mere 20 years ago.

I propose that all keepers of bees, (Hobbyist, Commercial, Queen Rearer, Nuc Producer and participants in the Factory Farm Package Industry), analyze ALL THAT WE DO and WHY! If not satisfied with the analysis, CHANGE!

A Must Read - The State of Honey Bees by Hanna Carroll

Thursday, February 22, 2018

WAYS to HELP without the OUCH!

NUTRITION and LOCATION, which, incidentally, defers back to Nutrition, are key issues contributing to the decline of our BEELOVED HONEY BEE’S HEALTH! Take a LOOK at these BEEAUTIFUL TRANSFORMATIONS Blossoming, Adapt the theory to your ability, collaborate with others and JOIN IN

Wild bees play a crucial role in maintaining natural areas

Native Pollinators Can Increase Crop Yields 

Planting for Native Bees

Potential Areas for Bee Habitat

Habitat for Pollinators

The Penn State Center for Pollinator Researchis world-renowned and hosted the Third International Conference on Pollimator Biology, Health and Policy in 2016. The following are two among many of their research projects:

LANDSCAPES FOR BEES: MANAGING BEES IN A CHANGING WORLD: This study will utilize data provided by collaborating beekeepers to evaluate how Land Use, Forage Quality and Microclimate impact Colony Health and Survival. The Conclusions of the Study will in turn inform land managers, growers and beekeepers about how to find and create optimum resources for bees. We have been in contact with Tyler Jones and are xcited about participating in this research project!

Bee Friendly PA is a new initiative from the Pennsylvania State Beekeeping Association (PSBA) that recognizes bee-friendly communities across the state: those that encourage beekeeping as well provide hospitable habitats and pollinator-friendly pest management practices.

Rachel Carson concluded Silent Spring by writing that “the control of nature is a phrase conceived in arrogance born of the Neanderthal age of biology and philosophy, when it was supposed that nature exists for the convenience of man.”

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

MULTIPLE STINGS Afflicting HONEY BEES

Beekeepers across the United States lost 44 percent of their honey bee colonies during the year spanning April 2015 to April 2016, according to the Bee Informed Partnership, after conducting their annual nationwide survey.

The Art & Adventure of Beekeeping was Oh, So Sweet beefore Mites, (BM). All guidelines were shattered upon entering this Era of After Mites, (AM) in the early 1990’s. The only consistency to beekeeping practices during this era has been change. Randy Oliver of ScientificBeekeeping.com fame details the severity of the two Symbiotic Parasites, Varroa Mites & Deformed Wing Virus, (DWV), in his article, Coevolution of the Honey Bee, Varroa Mite & Deformed Wing Virus (DWV). This article xplains the likeliness of Varroa’s permanent status within our Colonies, authenticated by Varroa's crafty propagating procedures, including the Mite’s Mutation during its short stay in the USA. Understanding that the Declaration of War to Varroa was unsuccessful, sheds Hope on finding alternative solutions, as we strive to find a balance with which our Bees can coexist with these Destructors, as did Apis Cerena in Asia!

Have a look at To Treat or Not, for a Heated Debate, or if viewing one platform from the other it appears to be a dichotomy as parts of the same mission, all intending to bee in the Bees best interest.
I now refer You back to Randy Oliver, "We now stand at a point in time in which our common beekeeping practices have become a self-perpetuating hindrance to the natural course of evolution of mite-resistant bees. With the impending failure of amitraz, commercial beekeepers are going to be forced to shift to a Plan B for varroa management.

If You Xperienced a Deadout in the Fall/Early Winter whereby the Girls Simply Vanished, leaving beehind Brood to die and Honey to bee Robbed out by Unsuspecting Opportunist Robber Bees, which, incidentally, will bee returning to their Home with Dye Packed Laced Loot, I sincerely Hope that You Read Meghan Milbrath’s Death by Varroa.

Dr. Milbrath is the Coordinator of the Michigan Pollinator Initiative @ Mich. State University. She also Manages 150 – 200 Colonies at Sand Hill Apiaries for Queen Rearing and Nuc Production, and will bee a Guest Speaker @ CCBA’s Annual Seminar on March 11, 2017.

If Death By Varroa has Played Out in your Apiary, You are not alone, and following Mark Winston’s counsel, All Beekeepers Must reanalyze All That We Do, Questioning Everything, Probing for the Root of the Problem. In Addressing the Root, You will fare Better than applying a Band Aid, more Sunscreen or Another Miticide!

Mites & Viruses are not the Root of ALL Problems Plaguing our Beeloved Honey Bees, yet by Keeping the Varroa Destructor Mites in Balance, many Viruses & other Ailments will Subside. We Must continue with Breeding from our Survivor Stock and Introduce Genetic Strains with Favorable Traits, (Hygenic Beehavior, Propolis Gatherers and Varroa Sensitive Hygiene (VSH), arming our Bees to police themselves. But First, We Must heed Randy Oliver’s Diagnosis, "Since the essence of the problem is that so long as we keep replacing our varroa/DWV-killed colonies with fresh colonies from the same susceptible stocks (isn't that someone's definition of insanity), the situation is only going to get worse as the mite and the virus continue to evolve."

I invite you to read an article gleaned from PSBA’s newsletter on Nucs v Packages by Jeremy Barnes, with the support of Karen Roccasecca, State Apiarist.

I have had the Pleasure of Tending Honey Bees for nearly twice as long as I’ve been Dealing with Mites, and would much prefer NOT to have to Treat for Mites. No Doubt, all Beekeepers would rather not bee involved with Mite Treatments, yet the General Consensus among all the Speakers at Pennsylvania’s Winter Meetings was that as we are Restructuring all that we Know & Do, Timely & Responsible Treating is still a Wise Choice, as opposed to Losing Your Bees and with them the Genetic Strains that You have been Developing!

Consider This Scenario: It’s Fall and You are monitoring your Bees prepare for Winter. Your Bees are Looking Good, Glistening...

At Swarmbustin’ Honey we treat our Overwintered Hives in the Winter, whilst they are Broodless, with a Commercial Model Oxalic Acid Vaporizer. We beelieve that this Treatment is the Most Dynamic of all that We do to offset the Miteload, allowing us to begin The Bee Season with a neglible Mite Count. We monitor our Mite Count continuously, Shakin’ Sugar Rolls, every Visit, every Yard. When the Mite Count xceeds 2%, We Treat, beefore Symptoms Appear. This Reduces # of Treatments, therefore less resistance.

The Twofold Invasion of Varroa & Viruses is Huge, yet like Humans which can ward off Illnesses with a Strong Immune System, Honey Bees would have a defense, if only they were Healthy and supported by a Good Immune System, not compromised by Toxicity, which is rooted in Agribusiness & Apicultural Practices.

Randy Oliver delivers his Reader Friendly, yet thorough Breakdown on the Coevolution of the Honey Bee, Varroa Mite & Deformed Wing Virus (DWV), including the Varroa Mites Mutation.
Mark Antunes, beekeeper and auctioneer extraordinaire gave a talk on "WHAT YOU DO'T KNOW ABOUT YOUR PACKAGE MITE KILL THEM" He shared with us that he had his Beeginning Beekeepers that he was mentoring last Spring, treat their newly installed Packages with an Oxalic Acid Dribble. The Treatment was applied 7 days after the Queen was released, corresponding with an absence of Capped Brood. The Mite Count for 10 Days ranged from 4 to 174. Maryann Frazier, of PSU Fame, needed Clean Bees to use in one of their Studies, and so, as a precaution, they gave to the packages an Oxalic Wash. One Day Mite Kill Counts were in the mid 70’s to 80’s.

Randy Oliver, Commercial Beekeeper, Pollinator of Almonds, and Webmaster of ScientificBeekeeping.com fame is constantly giving up Fresh Findings accompanied with cross-references from World Renown Researchers. Oliver refers to Ingemar Fries and Scott Camazine as the Brightest Minds in Bee Research. Fries and Camazine beelieve that “in the case of Varroa, Apicultural Practices are Responsible for Maintaining Virulent Forms of the Parasite.

Nutrition is Vital for the survival of all species.
"You are what You Eat"
I’ve adopted and have illustrated with the following:
"You are Responsible for how You Feel"


Reflect on Your vitality,
and apply when,
Your diet has drifted from your Norm,
Sleep Patterns have been altered,
your Stress Levels have Spiked, or Reduced
Honey Bees are no different, although, I feel that as Beekeepers,
We are Responsible for How they Feel.
Look back on Mark Winston’s new paradigm, (highlighted on first page).
Rusty Burlew, monitor for The Honey Bee Suite, has a nice blog on Nutrition.
The USDA recently released findings supporting the need to improve the Nutritional Deficiency Plaguing our Honey Bees. The USDA’s awareness is Good, yet, in my opinion, their proposed Remedies are alluding to New & Improved Supplemental Formulations.
Have a Look at the last paragraph in the publication on Honey Bee Nutrition prepared by Deb Delaney and MAAREC, the Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium.
Honey bees are vulnerable to many of the insecticides used to control damaging pest species by fruit, vegetable, nut, and seed growers. Growers dependent on honey bees for the pollination of their crops. Protecting Honey Bees from Chemical Pesticides.
Have You any idea as to Why Beekeepers are Suing the EPA? Check out the Pollinator Stewardship Council’s analysis of the “new label.”

Promoting major changes to Agriculture and Beekeeping, Mark Winston has observed during his Educational Tours, that there is now recognition "that beekeepers’ interests and those of agriculture as it is practiced today are not necessarily compatible". Finding alliances with other organizations with allied values could create a considerably more effective coalition lobbying to shift agriculture in a direction healthier for bees.”
Having Vented in this section, the last section will bee Inspiring Hope, when You learn of all of the Collaborating already in motion…
BUT FIRST, Jeremy Barnes has composed a MUST READ, Rousing Analogy involving rodents and soldiers with PTSD that relate to the big (VERY big) picture.

Sunday, February 18, 2018

STING RELIEF for HONEY BEES & BEEKEEPERS

If you found the last section depressing, you should, at least until you beecome proactive. The Fall of 2015 ignited a sense of Depression, a word I knew not the meaning of prior. Our State Meeting in 2015, radiating with Hope, provided Inspiration to Resuscitate me. With a sincere Passion for Honey Bees, I beelieve that I now know why Bees first entered, and in due time, took over my life.

Accepting the challenge presented in Mark Winston’s Paradigm is Huge, yet Buffered by available resources. Pennsylvania State Beekeepers Association, (PSBA), is one of the oldest beekeeping associations in the nation. The collaboration beetween  PSBA, PA Dept. of Agriculture and Penn State University, (PSU) is recognized and respected nationwide. This Trilogy offers many opportunities for you to assist with regenerating Healthy Environments. Nutritional Deficiencies are a symptom, inflicted by lack of Forage and Agribusiness.

Marla Spivak, Breeder of “Minnesota Hygenic” Queens, xemplar of University of Minnesota, (UMN), is making Huge progress in providing foraging areas for Bees to Detox. Instead of good, clean bee food we have acres of lawns and monocultures (bee deserts) which are treated with a variety of chemicals. Honey bees, wild bees and other pollinators are reduced to feeding on scraps.
Click Here, only if you have ample time to peruse UMN’s Web site, and learn about the Bee Squad, Pheasants Forever and Flowering Lawns.

Feeding honey bees a natural diet of pollen makes them significantly more resistant to pesticides than feeding them an artificial diet.

“Populations of many bee species are in decline across the world, and poor nutrition is thought to be a major factor causing these declines,” says Christina Grozinger, director of the Center for Pollinator Research at Penn State. “Our studies can help identify plant species and stocks that provide high-quality nutrition for bumble bees and potentially other bee gardens and planting strips.”

If we give the bees what they need, as in nourishment from clean forage, abundant not so long ago, they can heal themselves. Ric Orlando, proprietor of potentially my favorite restaurant in the world, New World Cooking, says it all in his book, We Want Clean Food.
We want Clean Food.
Natural Foraging
No more Patties & Cakes
“B” Rations
Meals on Wheels
We Wanna Bee
Free Rangin' Bees,
Foraging in a Detox Zone
Healing as Our Immune System Strengthens.
Research from North Carolina State University shows that honey bees self-medicate when their colony is infected with a harmful fungus, bringing in increased amounts of antifungal plant resins to ward off the pathogen.
The Benefits of Propolis to Bee Health by Marla Spivak Hope has sprouted like dandelions in a grassroots movement to breed survivor stock honey bees across the country
Distributing Hope was the force beehind our entry into producing and selling Nucs. Despite the resemblance of this ramble to an advertisement, the Goal of this update was to Broadcast Seeds through Education. Our Mission is to Produce and Distribute into our region Nucs, Hardy, with Genetics worthy of Splitting. Some folks that beegan with, even more that restarted with, our Nucs are now Self Sustaining, increasing without Purchasing Bees each year. And now, back to the Goals of this Update:




Saturday, February 17, 2018

COLLABORATION - BEE THE BUZZWORD

Collaboration – The Buzzword in the Bee Industry
To bee Stewarts of both managed and wild bees, Promoters of Healthy Environments – WOW! NOTE, Will require Networking & a Hot Minute to accomplish, Which Surprises me not as the Sustainability of Mother Earth has been declining since the Industrial Revolution...
Wendell Berry argued during the 41st Annual Jefferson Lecture that "Ecological health, in a land dying of abuse, is not worth ‘something’; it is worth everything."

Eastern Apicultural Society, (EAS), Highlights Scott Famous, Vincent Aloyo and Meghan Milbrath for their Queen Rearing. 

Chester County Beekeepers Association’s, (CCBA), members are collaborating with their Queen Rearing,  insuring that the Drone Congregation Areas are saturated from peripheral Drone Hives, which, require constant replenishing.

Meghan Milbrath harnessed the need for Local Bees and Kickstarted Funding to start Clinics to teach Beekeepers How to Split their hive into a Nuc.

Mike Palmer Illustrates A Better Way than Buying Bees

Erin Forbes-MacGregor, Master Beekeeper, Mainiac and of ‘Denial is not a Management Strategy’ fame, teaches about the benefits of Artificial Swarming, Breaking the Brood Cycle

I maintain that, at our location, rather handy to the Mason Dixon Line, seldom will we lose Bees to the Cold of Winter. A Dead Out is usually a symptom of a Ventilation/Condensation Issue, Starvation or an insufficient Population. In assisting Colonies to prepare for Winter, they will need adequate Food Stores, Free Flowing Ventilation and a Strong Population of Young Bees. The Fresh Wintering Bees will bee more competent in Nurturing the Brood in the Nursery once the Queen resumes laying eggs, and the Older Bees, well, will not live till Spring. Most Beekeepers have Stimulating Techniques to encourage, when necessary, late season Brood Rearing.

I’m following and planning on getting involved with Mehmet Ali Doke, a Grad Student at PSU. His Research is centered on using Forager Pheromones to Stimulate the Rearing of Winter Bees.


Go to your fields and gardens
And you shall learn it is the pleasure of the bee
To gather honey of the flower.
But it is the pleasure of the flower
To yield its honey to the bee.
For to the bee a flower is the fountain of life.
And to the flower, a bee is a messenger of love.”
Kahil Gibran, The Prophet, 1923.

THE MONSANTO ISSUE




Welcome to Bee Informed – The Monsanto Issue, where we will take a closer look at Monsanto. If you scare easy, proceed reading with caution! All joking aside, the practices and politics of Monsanto are terrifying.

We invite you to explore our informative links, articles, videos, and even a “letter to the editor” by Walt, expressing our opinions about Monsanto, GMO’s, and how they relate to the Beeloved Honey Bees.

New developments in the issue are cropping up daily, and if you (the educated consumer) have any scary Monsanto stories to share, bee it web page links, articles, or videos, please email us at swarmbuster@911honey.com. Only through working together, with a colony mind will we succeed in righting the injustice beeing done in our day, for the betterment of our descendents.
Monsanto Links
Monsanto Articles & Videos

Friday, February 17, 2017

BOOKS TO READ

Here we've compiled a list of books to read that contain a bunch of information on beekeeping, bees and helping our bee-loved bees!



“Natural Beekeeping: Organic Approaches to Modern Apiculture” by Ross Conrad

“The Life of the Bee” by Maurice Maeterlinck


“Robbing the Bees, A Biography of Honey- The Sweet Liquid Gold That Seduced the World” by Holley Bishop

“Bees” by Rudolf Steiner

“Wisdom of the bees” by Erik Berrevoets

“The Buzz about Bees, Biology of a Superorganism” by Prof. Dr. Juergen Tautz

“Toward Saving the Honey Bee” by Guenther Hauk

“The Sacred Bee” by Hilda M. Ransome

“The Shamanic Way of the Bees” by Simon Buxton

“Fruitless Fall” by Rowan Jacobsen