Honey money demanded

While I have been off doing other things, you may be interested to know that the British Beekeepers Association has been kicking up a media stink about the plight of honey bees and the UK Government's refusal to invest research funding.

Bees ferry ban

Amongst the new conditions for the resumption of the Hawaiian interisland Superferry are: watch out for whales. But Governor Linda Lingle admitted that she forgot to include restrictions on the transport of bee equipment to deter the spread of destructive varroa mites from O'ahu to the Big Island, the centre of the state's bee industry.

Welcome to New Zealand!

The Federated Farmers organisation of New Zealand is calling for a tax on tourists to meet the growing biosecurity costs necessary to keep the world's pests from the islands' shores.

It points the finger at tourist sailors and trampers (hikers) whose equipment they say brings in the nasties.

Federated Farmers president Charlie Pedersen spoke of tourists in “silk-bottomed waders” who he says probably introduced didymo and tourists on expensive yachts who probably introduced sea squirt.

Thank goodness he didn't get around to beekeeper tourists. Faceless, leather-gloved bumblers in dirty white suits, perhaps?

It's a wind-up

The New Zealand Varroa Agency set up in 2005 to try to stop the spread of the varroa mite throughout South Island will close next month.

The Agency claims to have established a good biosecurity control model and that the mite has not strayed far from the apiaries it was first identified in South Island. It will consult with Biosecurity New Zealand on border control being transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Preparations downunder

Australia is on high alert for the varroa mite. It's the only major area where honeybees are not yet affected by the mite and they are looking to improve their national sentinel hives program, a network of beehives near ports to ensure early detection of the mite and other pests:

... no more than two hives stood sentinel at each site. “At this stage we're the cleanest country in the world for bee diseases, so if there's any incursion, it's vital we stop it at the door,” he said. “There really should be a bait hive every 500 metres at these hot spots.”

Varroa reaches Hawai'i?

Varroa may have been found on Oahu in Hawai'i -- samples from three abandoned hives are being sent for confirmation. Entomologists will survey all the Hawai'ian islands for the mites as soon as possible.

In recent years, Hawai'ian beekeepers have exported queens on the strong selling point that the island bees have few of the bee diseases prevalent elsewhere in the world.

That may leave just Australia as the only apparently varroa-free area.

Honeybees as canaries

Montana researchers believe that the buzzing of a colony of honeybees may indicate the presence of certain chemicals and even the presence of the varroa mite. Using artificial neural networks, the same technology behind voice recognition software, they say they will be able to analyze the buzzing to determine the specific buzz for each chemical.

“We found bees respond within 30 seconds or less to the presence of a toxic chemical,” said Jerry Bromenshenk of Bee Alert Technology, Inc and the University of Montana. “But the real surprise was that the sounds bees produce can actually tell what chemical is hitting them.”

“We can tell not only whether the colony has mites or not,” he said, “but also the level of infestation they have. The sounds they make change with every stressor in characteristic ways.”

Bromenshenk says he and his colleagues hope to translate the technology into a handheld device that could instantly detect an infestation.

Living with varroa

Michael Young, wonderful showman that he is, demonstrated what it must be like for bees infested by varroa. As reported in BeeCraft, at a Northern Ireland bee conference he produced four 100mm live crabs from a proverbial hat and placed them on his bee surrogate. Wonderful!

Varroa sparks political points scoring

At long last it looks certain that South Islanders in New Zealand are accepting that they must learn to live with varroa. Opposition parties are blaming the government because they failed to get clearance from the German manufacturers of Fiprinol for its use to kill off feral colonies of bees that might be carrying the mite. Management, not eradication is now the focus. (And some of us might mutter: not before time!)

Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb

It might just be under-reporting, but the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is investigating oxalic acid as a varroa treatment. Oxalic acid has been used by some beekeepers in Europe for many years now (it's not that popular though).

In fact as far as I understand it, the UK authorities are turning a blind eye to its use even though it's not regulated. I'm not sure if the American researchers have a new angle on its use.

Honey 'flu

A US farming magazine has published a neat review of the pollination crisis in the USA dubbing the varroa problem as "the honeybee 'flu" en route. Talk seems to be increasing about importing bees.

Another option being touted by entomologists is to import large numbers of bee colonies to replace losses of native bees to pests and natural disasters. Australia, South America and some European countries are potential sources of the common type of gentle bee that is typically raised for honey in the U.S.

Any type of program involving importation of bees will require exceptional inspection vigilance to be certain the imported sources do not bring in any hitchhiking new super virulent pests. One approach is to send genetically superior, inseminated queens to the exporting countries to allow them to establish pest-resistant and tolerant colonies before sending them to U.S. beekeepers.

Alors!

Still only sporadic posting as my main PC continues to have relapses, but I couldn't resist posting this photo from the Wanganui Chronicle in New Zealand.

Ashley and Loma Head can't get anyone to remove a swarm outside their house and, as you can see, they are very scared!

It seems that beekeepers in New Zealand are less keen to collect swarms now that varroa has arrived.

Late season report

All my hive treatments are finally underway. I may be late, but all looks well ... so far. First, I found another 100+ lbs (40kg) of honey on the hives; all look healthy, and this weekend after between 8 and 4 days of treating with Apistan, the mite drop doesn't look as severe as I have seen in previous years.

But could any resistant varroa be lurking? I hope not. None have yet been found within 50 or so miles, but it can't be long now until they arrive.

And will all the queens manage to continue laying throughout winter? Now there's a question!

My bees are too healthy

I've left treating for varroa a little late this year, but my bees seem healthy -- almost too healthy. They are still occupying supers and I'm having to remove them before treating (with Apistan this year since resistant varroa aren't quite here yet). There are so many bees, it's turning what used to be a quick job into a more elaborate one involving double and triple trips to apiaries as thunder is in the air and heavy showers come just when they are least expected.

Cold feet over fiprinol

Since I've been out of action, I haven't kept up with the story about the attempts to eradicate varroa in South Island.

Latest news is that the German company whose pesticide that was designed to kill varroa (and feral bees) has withdrawn permission to use it -- after beekeepers had set up more than 300 sugar bait stations to lure feral bees that might be infected with varroa.

The active ingredient to be used to kill bees and varroa was fiprinol, often used in New Zealand to control moths and butterflies on cabbages. The manufacturers appeared to have balked at widespread untested use on bees.

Another chemical is now being sought. “The aim is to wipe out feral colonies in the three targeted areas along with any varroa they might be harbouring, so that replacement hives can be brought in from other parts of the South Island in June and July next year.”

U Haul of B haul

A reported 30 million bees are being shipped out of the varroa-infected top of South Island, New Zealand to the already infested North Island in a last ditch attempt to rid South Island of the mite. Scientists give them a 50% chance. No costs seem to be available.

I haven't been following the story recently (hoidays), but what about the infested feral colonies?

Nelson wants to see no varroa

Kiwi beekeepers in Nelson are planning their own attempt at eradication of varroa following the decision of government to manage rather than eradicate the pest.

Management not eradication

It seems that plans to eradicate varroa in South Island, New Zealand have at last been abandoned.

Government opposition parties are grumbling, the Federated Farmers' Bee Industry Group chairman, Lin McKenzie, says the government's decision is a betrayal, but bee farmers in Nelson, the infected area, have welcomed the end to the uncertainty and are now planning for spring orchard pollination.

The government says it will spend NZ$3.2 million over the next four years to try to slow the spread of varroa. Eradication costs were estimated to be NZ$9.5 million.

Newest honey factory

The honey business seems to be booming downunder despite varroa. In North Island, New Zealand Steens Honey is building a $500,000 factory to service about 7000 Wairarapa hives and employ up to 20 people. At full capacity, they will be processing 250 tonnes of manuka honey annually for Comvita and other outlets.

Out of the zone

Not surprisingly, varroa has already been found to have leaked from the New Zealand South Island exclusion zone. I would expect that this would put a nail in the coffin of any eradication policy -- but who knows?