Fantastic Experiment in Solar Wax Melting

http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2014/10/my-grandsons-science-project.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LindasBees+%28Linda%27s+Bees%29

Honey Bees activity

The  bees are starting to slow a bit in activity right now as the weather cools a bit.
 I went out and checked the hives this week.  I am now up to six working hives.
Italian and Russian.

Always wear a bonnet when you work with  bees.
It just makes for a more relaxed experience. 

 I always wear my suit and bonnet and still have received less than ten stings in my four years for working with bees, but then I try to respect them and approach them with care.  Below are both my honeybees and native pollinators at work in my garden and yard right now.

Thirsty Bees

One of our honeybees takes a sip from the bee waterer

The honeybee's mirror, and
a place to sip water on a hot day

Pollinator Stewardship

http://pollinatorstewardship.org/
 Report any Bee kills please
http://pollinatorstewardship.org/?page_id=1428
 Mosquitos are flying and Bees are dying
http://pollinatorstewardship.org/?p=2576

Russian Honeybee Breeders Association, Inc.

Conceived in 1990 by members of the
USDA Agricultural Research Service Baton Rouge Bee lab
they are currently maintaining, and selecting to improve,
seventeen (17) separate lines.  
Learn more at their website:
http://www.russianbreeder.org/

Coy's Honey Farm Inc Beekeeping Tips

http://www.coyshoneyfarm.com/beekeeping-tips.html

18th Annual Field Day at the USDA Honey Bee Lab in Baton Rouge

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Margaret Prell

Phone: 985.863.3641

Email: martp@bellsouth.net

18th Annual Field Day at the USDA Honey Bee Lab in Baton Rouge

The USDA Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics and Physiology Laboratory and the Louisiana State

Beekeepers Association will hold the 18th Annual Field Day on Saturday, October 11, 2014. The

event will be held at the laboratory, located at 1157 Ben Hur Rd. This is near the intersection of

Nicholson Drive (Hwy 30) and Brightside Dr., which is about two miles south of the LSU

football stadium.

Gates will open at 9:30 a.m.; activities are scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. A

nonrefundable pre-registration fee of $30.00 is required for attendees 12 years of age and above.

Children eleven and under, must stay with their parents at all times. 

You must pre-register by October 1, 2014. 

You may register on-line at labeekeepers.org and pay through PayPal or credit

card or you may mail your registration form that is located on the labeekeepers.org web site and

your check payable to the Louisiana Beekeepers Association to: David Ferguson, P.O. Box 716,

Brusly, LA 70719. If you do not pre-register by October 1, 2014, the cost will be $35.00 per

person.

The registration fee covers expenses including coffee, pastries and a great-catered lunch that

includes Bar B Q Chicken Leg Quarters, Smoked Sausage, Dirty Rice, Bar B Q Beans, and

Garden Salad with choice of 4 Dressings, Fresh Baked Honey Wheat Rolls, Honey Bee Cake and

Coke Products.

The Field Day will include courses for beginners and more experienced beekeepers as well as

workshops for those interested in a variety of topics. The beginning beekeeper course will begin

with how to get started for those who do not yet own bees, then will progress to how to manage a

few colonies. Topics will include equipment needs for the beginner, nectar producing plants,

maintenance of colonies, pests, safety and etiquette in beekeeping, and hands on training in an

active colony. The intermediate beekeeping course was a hit last year and it will be offered

again with a variety of topics focused on the beekeeper with a moderate amount of experience

that is now ready to take it to the next level. Topics will include anticipating equipment needs

throughout a season, pest management, honey processing, and swarm catching. There will be a

variety of focused workshops for those not attending the courses (typically the more advanced

beekeepers), i.e., queen rearing, instrumental insemination, small hive beetle control, good honey

plants and artificial nutrition sources. These workshops will represent both the USDA-ARS Bee

Lab’s research and beekeeper experiences. At the end of the day, the intermediate and advanced

groups will come together over active colonies. Here they will have the opportunity to discuss a

variety of topics and ask laboratory personnel and experienced beekeepers questions while

gaining some hands-on experience in an open hive.

For additional information please contact Dr. Lanie Bourgeois (225-767-9299), Sandra Hineman

(225-767-9280) or Joe Sanroma (318-346-2805).

Bee Generation (Official Music Video) By Porthcawl Primary and Bridgend ...

A Little Bee Humor

Why do bees have sticky hair?
Because they use "honey combs"

Our Fresh Honey Always Makes a Sweet Gift

Honey from our hives dressed up in bows
as gifts for very special friends and family.

Magnolias are Still Blooming

What is Blooming Now in Our Garden

Sweet Autumn Clematis

Passionflower

Hummingbirds love this  pink salvia!( Salvia Coccinea) 

Red Rose of Sharon  detail ( Hibiscus syriacus)

Our Bees Washboarding and Bearding on Love's Hive

Thirst Bees on Our Bee Waterer

Eastern Kentucky University- Eastern Apicultural Society’s 2014 Conference

http://www.richmondregister.com/localnews/x864257951/Bee-ing-in-the-know

Clematis Vine

 Clematis ternfolia
 " Sweet Autumn  Clematis"
 Blooming now.
Bees  and other pollinators love it.

Daily Rainstorms Keep Me Out of the Hives

I don't work the hives before a storm
 the bees don't like it.

 Beautiful Rain Veils in Covington

So very excited to be moderating a panel on Pollinators tommorrow at the International Farm to Table Symposium!
http://f2t-it.com/

Yahoo! Good Yahoo News for bees and other pollinators!

http://news.yahoo.com/u-bans-gmos-bee-killing-pesticides-wildlife-refuges-193150944.html

" The move follows a regional wildlife chief’s decision on July 9 to ban neonics  in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands by 2016. The nationwide ban, however, goes further as it also prohibits the use of genetically modified seeds to grow crops to feed wildlife. A FWS spokesperson declined to comment on why the agency was banning genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in wildlife refuges. But in his memo, Kurth cited existing agency policy. “We do not use genetically modified organisms in refuge management unless we determine their use is essential to accomplishing refuge purpose(s),” he wrote. “We have demonstrated our ability to successfully accomplish refuge purposes over the past two years without using genetically modified crops, therefore it is no longer to say their use is essential to meet wildlife management objectives.” GMOs have not been linked directly to the bee die-off. But the dominance of GMO crops has led to the widespread use of pesticides like neonicotinoids and industrial farming practices that biologists believe are harming other pollinators, such as the monarch butterfly . Neonicotinoids account for 40 percent of the global pesticide market and are used to treat most corn and soybean crops in the U.S. “We are gratified that the Fish and Wildlife Service has finally concluded that industrial agriculture, with GE crops and powerful pesticides, is both bad for wildlife and inappropriate on refuge lands,” Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, said in a statement. "

Buckwheat + Beehives = delicious honey in the making

Side view of the hives - now at six, in our apiary;
Hope, Faith, Love, Grace, Charity & Patience

Buckwheat sprouts in my garden

Why Buckwheat? the nectar produces a darker and more complex honey than citrus.

 and evidently, it is good for you; 

" The study found that a small dose of buckwheat honey given before bedtime provided better relief of nighttime cough and sleep difficulty in children than no treatment or dextromethorphan (DM), a cough suppressant found in many over-the-counter cold medications." http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071203164750.htm

Fellow Beekeeper Kevin Mixon Installing a hive at SOFAB!

More on NEONICS from USGS

http://toxics.usgs.gov/highlights/neonics.html
 and links there to more articles on pesticide runoff

From USGS on NEONICS

" Neonicotinoid insecticides dissolve easily in water, but do not break down quickly in the environment."

" This is the first broad-scale investigation of neonicotinoid insecticides in the Midwestern United States and one of the first conducted within the United States."

" 

“We noticed higher levels of these insecticides after rain storms during crop planting, which is similar to the spring flushing of herbicides that has been documented in Midwestern U.S. rivers and streams,” said USGS scientist Michelle Hladik, the report’s lead author. “In fact, the insecticides also were detected prior to their first use during the growing season, which indicates that they can persist from applications in prior years.”

"One of the chemicals, imidacloprid, is known to be toxic to aquatic organisms at 10-100 nanograms per liter if the aquatic organisms are exposed to it for an extended period of time. Clothianidin and thiamethoxam behave similarly to imidacloprid, and are therefore anticipated to have similar effect levels. Maximum concentrations of clothianidin, thiamethoxam and imidacloprid measured in this study were 257, 185, and 42.7 nanograms per liter, respectively."

 Read the full article here - plus images and contact information

http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=3941#.U9gnPYBdX9f

BEE LAB DATE - BATON ROUGE

The Louisiana Beekeepers Association (LBA) will hold the 18th annual field day on Saturday , October 11, at the Honey Bee Lab in Baton Rouge. 

Dennis Hlynsky's Fabulous Capture of Pollinators

pollination from Dennis Hlynsky on Vimeo.

Our Bees "Bearding" on Love's Hive on a Hot Summer Night

Add caption

Fresh Comb Shared with Friends

After we gathered a frame of honey, we sampled a bit
with fresh cherries, peaches, plums and pecans and blue cheese,
 and a few Lotus biscuits. It was very light and a little peppery.
It is always nice to share fresh honey with good friends and family. 

Becky Came Over to Help Work the Hives

Becky learning how to "smoke" the bees and gather honey.
She did a great job! I can't wait to go visit her apiary. 

FatBeeMan 1-Minute Tip - Dust your bees

True- FatBeeMan 1 Minute Tip- Cinnamon and Ants

Marla Spivak: Why bees are disappearing

Gardeners Beware 2014

promising news

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/home-depot-looks-to-limit-pesticides-to-help-honeybees/

The Xerxes Society

"Of the more than one million species of animals in the world, 94 percent are invertebrates. The services they perform, Pollination, seed dispersal, food for wildlife, nutrient recycling, are critical to life on our planet. Indeed, without them whole ecosystems would collapse. But when decisions are made about environmental policy and land management, these vital and diverse creatures are often overlooked. 
The Xerces Society works to address this situation through advocacy, policy, education and outreach, applied research, and publications."
Learn more about this amazing advocacy group at their website
 http://www.xerces.org/
  

My Beekeeping Library

People ask me what I did to prepare to keep bees. Well I  have over one hundred really great mentors at our bee club. More specifically what books did I read? I  have several that I have collected over the years, some well before beekeeping and some recently given as gifts. Here is my list of books that I use as a reference and guide. Not much has changed over the thousands of years that people have been interacting with bees (except, pests and pesticides).

Beginning with BEES

LSU AgCenter 

Louisiana Honey Plants

Dale Pollet, Ph.D.

an excellent resource! Dale is an incredible speaker. Don't miss him this August at Farm to Table

The ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture; A Cyclopeadia of Everything pertaining to the care of the Honey-bee; Bees, Hives, Honey, Implements, Honey-plants, etc. Facts Gleaned from the Experience of Thousands of Bee-keepers, and Afterward Verified in Our Apiary.A.I. Root and E.R. Root 1910, first edition 1877

The Hive and the Honeybee 

Dadant -edited by Joe Graham

Honeybee Democracy

Thomas D. Seeley

Bee

Claire Preston

Bees in America; How the Honey Bee Shaped a Nation 

Tammy Horn

Beconomy;  What Women and Bees Can Teach Us about Local Trade and the Global MarketTammy Horn

The Backyard Beekeeper; An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden

Kim Flottum

Beekeeping for Dummies

Howland Blackiston

The Beginner's Guide to Beekeeping; Everything You Need to Know

Samantha Johnson and Daniel Johnson

The Xerces Society Guide to Attracting Native Pollinators

Foreward by Dr. Marla Spivak

The Book of Honey; over 200 sugar free recipes 

Claude Francis & Fernande Gontier , Autumn Press

Wick, Wax and Talk; 2nd Time Around

Maxine Wilhelm

The Life and Times of the Honeybee

Charles Micucci

A Book of Bees

Sue Hubbell

Bee Pollen and Your Health

Carlson Wade

BEE POLLEN

with Morton Walker 

( acquired in 1981 when I worked at Whole Foods Market)

and of course I had to read the Secret Life of Bees  by Sue Monk Kidd. but  it was not really about beekeeping... 

New Bee Bonnet

My new bee bonnet is easier to wear and see out of

 I am no macho beekeeper. 

I wear a suit, gloves, boots and a bonnet. 

Oh, and yes, occasionally pearls ; D

 I  have only been stung  about 4or 5 times so far while working my hives, 

and each time, it was because I was not following proper procedure;

 not enough protection, working the hives before a thunderstorm, 

or wearing shorts.( what was I thinking?)... 

So when my friend asked if I had another bonnet that she could use,

since her husband does not wear any bee suits 

 and is into the Tao or Zen of beekeeping...

 I gave her one of my extra bonnets. 

She asked if it was  really okay that she wanted to wear one??

Heck yea!. 

Bees are not trained pets. They can act however they wish.  

It is up to you the beekeeper to be prepared. 

Bees seem to be able to smell fear and anxiety. 

Wearing proper attire makes for a calmer experience 

in the event of a misstep, or mishap. 

 Feel comfortable and confident. 

You will be happier. 

The bees will be too.

Honey in the Making

Patience, Charity, Grace and Love's Hives

Honey in the making - a frame from Patience's Hive

Honey for a Wedding Day

Honey from Love and Patience's Hives

Recently a dear friend got married. 

 I went out early in the morning on the day of their wedding and gathered some honey as a gift for her Wedding and "Honeymoon". I took a frame from both "Love"s hive and from "Patience"'s hive.

 I know that some people think I am daft for naming my hives instead of numbering them, but I think its important to give the queens a name.  I enjoy the poetry of it.  "Faith"'s hive always takes more work than the others. "Love" is always a very active hive. When my Veterinarian came over to open my hives with me, I cautioned her that "Love"'s hive was not as gentle as "Grace"'s hive, which we had just opened.  She quickly replied- "Love needs to be fierce"..  and so a bit of honey from "Love", and from "Patience, I thought, was a nice way to start a marriage. 

waiting for the bride

Good News for Louisiana Hobbyist Beekeepers

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/06/bobby_jindal_sale_homemade_bak.html

The latest from our Hives

Thirsty  Italian Bee on the Waterer

Our new Nucs Patience and Charity, getting a new home

A taste of honey from Grace's hive

Hope and Faith buzzing along

Johnny helped this time!

Patience, Charity, Grace and Love

Patience, Charity, Grace and Love

Hope and Faith get smoked!

Grace's Field Bees

 My Father was an Air Traffic Controller  with the FAA.
 He read me books about meteorology and stars and the planets when I was a kid and gave me a love of the heavens and clouds, lightning and the vast unknowns of space.
I grew up visiting him at the radar room and the control tower from a very early age.
At the urging of my Dad, I even took the ATC test in my early twenties and passed.
But I am not someone who could do that for a living as my Father did.
 I wanted to be a fighter pilot, but my myopic vision and difficulty with math steered me otherwise
Watching  the comings and goings of my bees in and out of the 1/ inch opening on the hives,
 I can't help but think of my Father trying to  help navigate heavy air traffic.
I have always marvelled at the flight paths of my bees to and from the hives as they stay out of each other's way and  quarrel only with intruders that the guard bees keep out of the hives..
To take this video of Grace's Field bees  coming and going like Jets at Moisant Air Field,
I  placed myself under the hive with my android phone and trying to steady my hand as much as possible as the clouds rolled by.
Bees, much like pilots who fly planes, do not like inclement weather and prefer to fly on a sunny day.
I will try to take another video when the weather permits once Winter's grey skies have left us.
 Enjoy!

American Bee Federation Baton Rouge

I attended the Expo and met some wonderful people from all over the world.  Here are a few photos  of my experience.  Nicest was the free shipping offers from various suppliers for ordering  at the event. Greatest joy was seeing old friends and mentors  such as Dave Ferguson and Robert Taylor from the Louisiana Beekeepers Club  and also meeting some of my beekeeping heros  like Marla Spivak and Tammy Horn.   Suppliers to the industry had some styling new Bee Suit wear and lovely hives.. and lots of beetle traps and mite killers.  Of course there Beekeeping Queens  and a Bee Quilt Raffle, as well as Honey and a honey auction. The most interesting new thing there for me? Hive tracks http://hivetracks.com/ check 'em out!

The "Bee-stie!"  Harley- Sweet Ride!

Bee Suit Styling

"Glory Bee"

"Glory Bee"

Honey Spinners

Our Bees in Winter

One of our Italian Honeybees
on the thawing bee waterer

One of our Italian Honeybees
drinking from the thawed bee waterer

Two of our Russian Honeybees gathering pollen
on our Toki-No-Hagasane Camellia

Forgive me for not posting for awhile. We've been extremely busy. The Bees of course have been also. People often ask me how my bees are. Aren't they cold now?  Well, as the above photos show, they are  out and about on the Sunny cool days and even after 13'F nights.. they find the bee waterer that we set up and wait in the Sun for the ice to thaw and drink it in. Tough little ladies aren't they? 

I attended the ABF  and the LBC conventions and events and will post photos  shortly.  Bee ordered for this year from the club will arrive in April. Check back soon!