Spring is here out comes the bees

Coming out of winter is a worring time for beekeepers. They are just hoping that there colonies have survived through winter.
Unfortunately, I have been very unlucky this year having lost 68% of my colonies. Hey Ho, back to the drawing board and concentrate on building up my colonies. What is the saying, "one step forward two steps back". I suppose I have come out of winter better than some.
I received an email from another breeder who informs me that a breeder he knows went into winter with 740 hives, he is left with 12! Now me, I would have sat down and cried, but what can you do?
We have no control over the weather, shame!!

Dead bees looking through frames.

One good thing is that due to the lose, it will concentrate my mind on breeding from my "British Black Bees",
These hives are the ones that have survived all other breeds died. There is a moral in there some-where.

Over winter it gives one time to catch up on your reading, beekeeping seems to be changing every year, mostly due to the hardships beekeepers are having to face with diseases and all the problems associated with chemicals.

Rodents fed a diet which included chemicals sprayed on crops!

Here in the UK and indeed throughout the EU the debate on chemicals is becoming very heated. It looks as if the UK government will be the only government that has not baned various chemicals that are used for crop spraying. How the government can stand and say that these chemicals are not harming our country side is beyond belief. It starts to make one wonder if there is something not right at DEFRA. It will be interesting to see what the outcome is, watch this space.

As part of my set up I have one Top Bar Hive (TBH). This year I will be increasing this number to become more Natural with my beekeeping. One of the subjects I read over the winter was about Varroa mite and how it seems as if they tend not to lay in comb that is small. British Black bees are small and the comb they build is smaller than the comb you buy from beekeeping equipment stores. The down side, (there is always a down side), is that these type of bees do not produce as much honey as other breeds of honey bees.
I will be reading more on this interesting subject (bees in the wild (smaller comb) do not have the same problems with Varroa that bees in hives have.

RoundUp Weed "Killer" in more ways than One!

Is world's most popular weed killer causing Parkinson's? New study shows Roundup herbicide also could be linked to cancer and infertility.   

Heavy use of the world's most popular herbicide, Roundup, could be linked to a range of health problems and diseases, including Parkinson's, infertility and cancers, according to a new study.

The peer-reviewed report, published last week in the scientific journal Entropy, said evidence indicates that residues of ‘glyphosate,’ the chief ingredient in Roundup weed killer, which is sprayed over millions of acres of crops, has been found in food.

Those residues enhance the damaging effects of other food-borne chemical residues and toxins in the environment to disrupt normal body functions and induce disease, according to the report.

 

Silent 'killer': A peer-reviewed report says the herbicide Roundup could be linked to multiple diseases, including Parkinson's, infertility and cancers

Large-scale use: Roundup weed killer, whose main ingredient is glyphosate, is sprayed over millions of acres of crops

The study was authored by Stephanie Seneff, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Anthony Samsel, a retired science consultant from Arthur D. Little, Inc.
Samsel is a former private environmental government contractor as well as a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

‘Negative impact on the body is insidious and manifests slowly over time as inflammation damages cellular systems throughout the body,’ the study says.

We ‘have hit upon something very important that needs to be taken seriously and further investigated,’ Seneff said.

Environmentalists, consumer groups and plant scientists from several countries have warned that heavy use of glyphosate is causing problems for plants, people and animals.

Agriculture giant: Monsanto is the developer of both Roundup herbicide and genetically altered crops meant to withstand being sprayed with the weed killer

Alarming find: Residues of glyphosate, which farmers spray directly on crops in the form of Roundup, has been found in food

The EPA is conducting a standard registration review of glyphosate and has set a deadline of 2015 for determining if glyphosate use should be limited. The study is among many comments submitted to the agency.

Monsanto is the developer of both Roundup herbicide and a suite of crops that are genetically altered to withstand being sprayed with the Roundup weed killer.

These bio tech crops, including corn, soybeans, canola and sugar beets, are planted on millions of acres in the United States annually. Farmers like them because they can spray Roundup weed killer directly on the crops to kill weeds in the fields without harming the crops.

Roundup is also popularly used on lawns, gardens and golf courses.

Monsanto and other leading industry experts have said for years that glyphosate is proven safe, and has a less damaging impact on the environment than other commonly used chemicals.

Devastating illness: MRI of Parkinson's Disease, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, which experts now say may be linked to exposure to food-borne chemical residue from Roundup

Jerry Steiner, Monsanto's executive vice president of sustainability, reiterated that in a recent interview when questioned about the study.

‘We are very confident in the long track record that glyphosate has. It has been very, very extensively studied,’ he said.

Of the more than two dozen top herbicides on the market, glyphosate is the most popular. In 2007, as much as 185 million pounds of glyphosate was used by U.S. farmers, double the amount used six years ago, according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data.

To put this into perspective, if you look at the left hand side of picture 4 "Alien" is lurking in our brains!!!

Seriously, just sit and watch my bees returning from an area that has been sprayed and that would answer all questions.

I lost half a colony because a next door neighbour spray her weeds with this stuff. It took the colony weeks to recover. What harm is it doing to us long term?

Coloured Honey

Coloured Honey

Sacre bleu! Mystery of French bees making coloured honey is solved... after keepers find M&M waste plant nearby

Beekeepers around the town of Ribeauville in the region of Alsace have seen bees returning to their hives carrying unidentified colourful substances

Biogas plant has been processing waste from a Mars plant producing M&M's in bright red, blue, green, yellow and brown shells

Beekeepers in France were confused after their bees produced honey in mysterious shades of blue and green.

However, now the mystery has been solved, as it is now believed residue from containers of M&M's candy processed at a nearby biogas plant n northeastern France is the cause.

Since August, beekeepers around the town of Ribeauville in the region of Alsace have seen bees returning to their hives carrying unidentified colourful substances that have turned their honey unnatural shades.

Confusion: Since August, beekeepers around the town of Ribeauville in the region of Alsace have seen bees returning to their hives carrying unidentified colourful substances that have turned their honey unnatural shades

Determined to solve the mystery the beekeepers embarked on an investigation and discovered that a biogas plant 4 km (2.5 miles) away has been processing waste from a Mars plant producing M&M's, bite-sized candies in bright red, blue, green, yellow and brown shells.

Asked about the issue, Mars had no immediate comment. Hmmm would have thought they would have said “A Mars a day, equal work rest and play”

The unsellable honey is a new headache for around a dozen affected beekeepers already dealing with high bee mortality rates and dwindling honey supplies following a harsh winter, said Alain Frieh, president of the agriculturists' union.

  

Discovery: Beekeepers discovered that a biogas plant has been processing waste from a Mars plant producing M&M's, bite-sized candies in bright shells

Agrivalor, the company operating the biogas plant, said it had tried to address the problem after being notified of it by the beekeepers.

'We discovered the problem at the same time they did. We quickly put in place a procedure to stop it,' Philippe Meinrad, co-manager of Agrivalor, told Reuters.

He said the company had cleaned its containers and incoming waste would now be stored in a covered hall.

Mars operates a chocolate factory near Strasbourg, around 100 km (62 miles) away from the affected apiaries.

Bee numbers have been rapidly declining around the world in the last few years and the French government has banned a widely used pesticide, Cruiser OSR, which one study has linked to high mortality rates.

France is one of the largest producers of honey within the European Union, producing some 18,330 tonnes annually, according to a recent audit conducted for national farm agency FranceAgriMer.

Falling: Bee numbers have been rapidly declining around the world in the last few years

Ribeauville, situated on a scenic wine route southwest of Strasbourg, is best known for its vineyards.

However, living aside winemakers are about 2,400 beekeepers in Alsace who tend some 35,000 colonies and produce about 1,000 tonnes of honey per year, according to the region's chamber of agriculture.

As for the M&M's-infused honey, union head Frieh said it might taste like honey, but there the comparison stopped.

'For me, it's not honey, It's not sell-able', Just jealous that his was not coloured! It would sell because of its unusual colour.

This is just one of the many comments made by the public.

For those who keep asking, "Why don't they sell the colored honey," they can't b/c it is not honey, at least not pure honey, but has toxins in it. In order to get the colorful candies, M&Ms utilizes various chemicals to get the blues, reds, greens, etc. I don't know about you, but I don't want artificial chemicals in my honey. Another comment the article makes is that the bee population worldwide is diminishing. Bees are a major contributors to our ecosystem. With their recent high mortality rate and now the unnatural changes to their byproducts- honey- we could be looking at an ecological breakdown. We tend to forget that we need these insects, along with many other insects, to sustain life on the planet. The insects die, the plant life begins to die, the animals begin to die. . . you can follow what happens next.

Now I am sure this will raise its own comments, "like it is not pure honey as it has toxins in it" I would dispute this in that most honey these days has some sort of toxins in especially if the beekeeper treats for Varroa!

Only beekeepers like those at 3 Mile Bees can claim they have no added toxins as they do-not treat but use only natural remedies. 

 I also wonder if this person has ever eaten M&Ms, as for not wanting chemicals in their honey, most food off the shelves has been treated with some sort of Chemicals that is why there is so many forms of cancer etc.

As for the rest of their argument, I agree with the comments.

Zombie Bees

Oh dear this is becoming our worst nightmare as beekeepers. Please America do not export this parasite to Europe and the UK in revenge for Varroa mite! 


PORTLAND - It sounds like a bad horror movie, but "zombie" bees are real.
Robert Joki was the first to document a zombie bee in the Pacific Northwest.
Three weeks ago, he was outside his Southeast Portland home one night when he noticed that his beloved honey bees had left their hives. It was unusual behavior.
“We could see honey bees kind of flying in circles and smashing into the sidewalk and smashing into the bushes. There were maybe 20-30 bees out doing this strange behavior,” recalled Joki.
Joki’s honey bees were dying. He captured one and put it in a jar. A week later, he made a shocking discovery.
“All of a sudden 14 (pupae) came out when the bee's head popped off,” he said. Scientists confirmed the honey bee had been infected by a tiny egg-laying fly.
Oregon State University assistant professor Dr. Ramesh Sagili is studying the parasitic fly, which is actually native to our area.
“It has been attacking bumblebees and some other wasps, like yellow jackets, but we have never documented this in honey bees, even today we don't know how serious it is,” said Sagili.
Researchers don't know why the honey bees are being targeted now or how many are infected, but they say since the pollinating bees are critical for our agriculture, its imperative they find out.
If you capture a zombie bee, or want more information on how you can help go to ZombieBeeWatch.org.

Invasion of the Zombie Bees

Invasion of the zombie bees: Parasitic infection that causes insects to lurch around until they die spreading across the US

Infected animals found in Washington for the first time as fears grow invasion is spreading

Infected insects previously found in California

The infection is as grim as it sounds: 'Zombie bees' have a parasite that causes them to fly at night and lurch around erratically until they die.

And experts say the condition has crept into Washington State.

'I joke with my kids that the zombie apocalypse is starting at my house,' said Mark Hohn, a novice beekeeper who spotted the infected insects at his suburban Seattle home.

Zombie invasion: Mark Hohn, a novice beekeeper in Washington, holds up a plastic bag with a dead zombie bee and pupae - two at each end of the bag.

Hohn returned from vacation a few weeks ago to find many of his bees either dead or flying in jerky patterns and then flopping on the floor.

He remembered hearing about zombie bees, so he collected several of the corpses and popped them into a plastic bag. About a week later, the Kent man had evidence his bees were infected: the pupae of parasitic flies. 

'Curiosity got the better of me,' Hohn said.

The zombie bees were the first to be confirmed in Washington State, The Seattle Times reported.

San Francisco State University biologist John Hafernik first discovered zombie bees in California in 2008.

Hafernik now uses a website to recruit citizen scientists like Hohn to track the infection across the country.

Observers also have found zombie bees in Oregon and South Dakota.

The infection is another threat to bees that are needed to pollinate crops.

Hives have been failing in recent years due to a mysterious ailment called colony collapse disorder, in which all the adult honey bees in a colony suddenly die.

  

Life cycle of the zombie fly: The parasite attacks the creature, in a destructive circle of life

The life cycle of the fly that infects zombie bees is reminiscent of the movie 'Alien,' the newspaper reported.

A small adult female lands on the back of a honeybee and injects eggs into the bee's abdomen.

The eggs hatch into maggots.

'They basically eat the insides out of the bee,' Hafernik said.

After consuming their host, the maggots pupate, forming a hard outer shell that looks like a fat, brown grain of rice.

That's what Hohn found in the plastic bag with the dead bees.

Adult flies emerge in three to four weeks.

  

Mark Hohn, a novice beekeeper, checks out bees in one of the hives in the backyard of his Kent, Washington home. His are the firm zombie bee infections found in the state.

There's no evidence yet that the parasitic fly is a major player in the bees' decline, but it does seem the pest is targeting new hosts, said Steve Sheppard, chairman of the entomology department at Washington State University.

'It may occur a lot more widely than we think,' he said.

That's what Hafernik hopes to find out with his website, zombeewatch.org.

The site offers simple instructions for collecting suspect bees, watching for signs of parasites and reporting the results.

Once more people start looking, the number of sightings will probably climb, Hohn said.

Let us hope and pray that this type of fly is not imported into Europe and the UK by some-one who imports bees illegally.

It sounds as if it is confined to a limited area, let us hope that the Americans come up with cure before it gets too widespread!

French No Neonicotinoids

French beekeepers hold mass-demonstrations in the street to say:

No! To the neonicotinoids insecticide CRUISER!

No! To neonicotinoids insecticides that kill bees!

Despite the withdrawal of the license for Syngenta’s pesticide ‘Cruiser’, by the French Council of State,  for use as a seed treatment on maize in 2008, 2009 and 2010, the Ministry of Agriculture not only continued to allow use of this product, but in June 2011 it authorized the use of Syngenta ‘Cruiser OSR’ for oilseed rape/canola.

 "Cruiser" contains the active substance 'thiamethoxam", a neonicotinoids insecticide that is deadly for bees. Permitting the use of thiamethoxam as a seed-dressing for oilseed rape/ canola - on flowers visited by bees, butterflies and bumblebees, poses a grave threat to the future of all bee-colonies in France.

Populations of honeybees and wild bees continue to disappear:

 The granting of these licenses is a complete disaster for our beekeeping industry, for agriculture and for wildlife and biodiversity!

That is why beekeepers have organised a day of national demonstrations against Syngenta’s pesticide ‘Cruiser’ for the day of Saturday, October 15, 2011

Demonstrations and marches by beekeepers in many regions of France:            

At Agen with beekeepers union of the Great West: Aquitaine,

 Brittany, Loire-Atlantique, ...

 Gathering point of the event: 2:30 p.m.

 In front of the Hotel de la Prefecture - St. Armand Fallières - Agen

 Press Contact: Auzeral Bertrand, President of the Gascon Bee - 06 89 29 48 62

“Pesticides – A Danger to Your Health and to Bees” -

 At Dijon with beekeepers' unions from the Burgundy region

 Franche-Comte and GDSA Côte-d'Or

 Gathering  point of the event: 9:30am

 In front of the Hotel de la Prefecture - Rue de la Prefecture - Dijon

 Press Contact: Philippe Gaulard 06 12 47 75 16         

 In Grenoble, a united demonstration of the entire beekeeping profession,

 Gathering point of the event: 2:30pm, In front of the Hotel de la Prefecture - Place de Verdun - Grenoble

 Press Contact: Frederic Chasson, President of the Union beekeeping - 06 61 68 91 36

“Gaucho, Regent, Cruiser –Stop the Bees Dying – No Biodiversity Without Bees!”      

 In Paris: one day earlier, on October 14, a delegation of beekeepers

 With hives and smokers demonstrated outside the headquarters of pesticide company Syngenta in Guyancourt.

 Friday, October 14, 2011 at 12am

 1 Ave. Meadows in Guyancourt          

  

France Leads the Way!

 This spring, the government of Slovenia withdrew the market-authorization of ‘Cruiser’ (Thiamethoxam) on maize because of excess deaths of bee colonies. In late June 2011, the Italian government renewed its ban on Cruiser for the third year running, banning the use of Cruiser on maize. A few days later, also in Italy, a study was published of bee colony deaths in the maize-growing regions: bee-colony-deaths stood at 37.5% for the period 2007-2008 (before the ban on Cruiser); the observed mortality dropped to less than 15% for the period 2010-2011 (after the ban), whereas colony mortality is still averaging 30% in other EU countries like France, Germany and the UK.

And still we bury our heads in the sand, why of why are we so slow to recognise the danger we as humans inflict on our selves?

Only when the last tree had died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish caught will we realize we cannot eat money.....based on a Cree saying.

Comments are the authors own.

Beeswax 6500 year old Filling

Beeswax filling reveals human dentistry began 6,500 years ago

Researchers have discovered an ancient 6,500-year-old human tooth which could provide evidence of the earliest form of human dentistry.

And while 21st century dentists boast all manner of modern technology for dealing with aches and pains, the ancient find indicates that the first ever dentists treated toothache with beeswax.

Experts in Italy who studied the 6,500-year-old piece of human jaw and tooth, found more than 100 years ago in Slovenia, believe the beeswax was applied around the time of the persons death, but cannot confirm whether it was shortly before or after.

The first filling: A 6,500 year old tooth with a beeswax filling (within the yellow dotted line).

  

However, if it was before death, they said that it was likely intended to reduce pain and sensitivity from a vertical crack in the enamel and dentin layers of the tooth.

Dr Claudio TUniz from the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, who led the research, said: 'It is probably also due to its use in non-alimentary activities, possibly such as weaving, generally performed by Neolithic females.'

Evidence of prehistoric dentistry is sparse, so the new specimen, found near Trieste in modern today Slovenia, may help provide insight into early dental practices.

Dr Federico Bernardini added: 'This finding is perhaps the most ancient evidence of pre-historic dentistry in Europe and the earliest known direct example of therapeutic-palliative dental filling so far.'

The find was reported in the journal PLOS ONE.

The Lonche jaw from a karstic cave of southern Slovenia, which researchers were stunned to find contained a beeswax filling.

The researchers also believe they may know the patient's dental history.

'If the filling was done when the person was still alive, the intervention was likely aimed to relieve tooth sensitivity derived from either exposed dentine and/or the pain resulting from chewing on a cracked tooth: this would provide the earliest known direct evidence of therapeutic-palliative dental filling,' they wrote.

The damaged tooth showing the fractures through the dental tissues The main vertical fracture (in blue) and the sub-horizontal ones (in red) are shown in lingual (A), distal (B) and occlusal view (C).

The researchers used a range of scanning techniques to see inside the tooth and reveal the beeswax filling.

Yet another use for bees wax, this little insect becomes more and more important, I wonder what other medical uses the ancients had that we, over the years have forgotten.