Ommatidia The monthly newsletter of the Mecklenburg County Beekeepers Association

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Aron Carpenter
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The bees don t seem to mind as they fly out of the hive carrying dead bees who did not survive the winter. In coming bees are bringing in pollen and lots of it.

The protein in pollen can range between 2-28%. No single plant produces pollen that meets all the nutritional requirements of a bee so bees must collect pollen from a variety of plants.

They may take up to 50 foraging trips each day and visit up to 100 flowers during each trip. During a foraging trip, bees tend to visit only one type of plant.

1 the Ommatidia Feb The monthly newsletter of the Mecklenburg County Beekeepers Association President s buzzz... by George McAllister It s Sunday afternoon, January 13th and the temperature is almost 70 degrees. Not your typical weather this time of year in Charlotte. The bees don t seem to mind as they fly out of the hive carrying dead bees who did not survive the winter. In coming bees are bringing in pollen and lots of it. Pollen in the middle of January; most people don t realize pollen can be found this time of year. Pollen is essential to a bee s life as it is their only natural source of protein. The protein in pollen can range between 2-28%. No single plant produces pollen that meets all the nutritional requirements of a bee so bees must collect pollen from a variety of plants. That is why you see different colors of pollen stored in cells. Foraging bees will travel 2 to 2.5 miles from the hive to collect pollen. They may take up to 50 foraging trips each day and visit up to 100 flowers during each trip. During a foraging trip, bees tend to visit only one type of plant. Between 15 30% of the hive s foragers are collecting pollen during the day. The number of pollen foraging bees varies depending on the pollen stores in the hive and demand. When pollen is available in the wild a hive typically stockpiles about a week s supply in case bad weather keeps the bees in the hive for a few days. As winter approaches, the hive continues to stockpile pollen to carry them through the winter. It is estimated to take mg of pollen to rear a single bee. Assuming a hive rears 150,000 bees during the summer, roughly 44 pounds of pollen will be consumed. Some studies have found hives that consumed twice that amount of pollen during the summer. When a pollen forager enters the hive with a load of pollen she inspects several cells along the side and top of the brood nest before depositing her load. It is not understood how she chooses which cell to deposit her pollen but we do know a single cell can hold pollen from several plants. Nurse bees take over by packing the pollen tightly in the bottom of the cell while adding secretions from their mandibular and hypopharyngeal glands along with some regurgitated honey. This mixture keeps bacteria from growing in the pollen and increases the pollen s shelf life as it goes through lactic acid fermentation. Once pollen enters the hive, when does it become bee bread? Once the pollen is in the cell and mixed with various enzymes and acids from the nurse bee s mandibular and hypopharyngeal glands along with some regurgitated honey, it turns into bee bread. This mixture is higher in nutrition and chemically different than raw pollen. It is bee bread that young bees eat, not raw pollen. Although there is some debate on how much raw pollen, if any, adult bees eat, all agree they prefer bee bread. Most beekeepers use the term pollen and do not distinguish between pollen and bee bread. Most of the printed and online information also uses the term pollen when they are really talking about bee bread. Referring to bee bread as pollen implies the pollen stored in the cells has not been altered in anyway and that s not the case. Now you know. Have fun with the bees, ~ George February s meeting We will delve into our annual BREAKOUT SESSIONS, on rotating 20-minute classes on three timely topics: Installing Nucs & Packages, led by John Balas Management in a Honey Flow, led by Gerry Mack Inspection Do s and Dont s, led by Jimmy Odom We will gather in our usual space to kick off the meeting. Refreshments also will be located in that area. Soon after we ll go to the upstairs classrooms that will be marked by their subject. After 20 minutes, the classes will end and we ll rotate to the next class. Come find out why this meeting was so popular last year, 7 p.m., Feb. 21, at Mouzon United Methodist Church, 3100 Selwyn Avenue, Charlotte. 1

by Libby Mack Spring is in the air, but winter is not finished yet. Honeybees can starve in February and March as they use up stored food more quickly.

2 by Libby Mack Spring is in the air, but winter is not finished yet. Honeybees can starve in February and March as they use up stored food more quickly. They are trying to raise brood and build population, but outside food sources may be scarce and the weather might prevent heavy foraging. Continue checking stores and make plans to feed syrup if necessary. If the colony is starving then 2:1 syrup (or fondant candy) is best, but otherwise in spring, feed 1:1 syrup prior to the honey flow to stimulate brood laying. Once you start feeding, continue until the honey flow is underway, otherwise the population of bees might outstrip their food supply. Fumidil-B can be added to the syrup to head off a Nosema infection. On nice days you should see lots of pollen coming into the hive. (If not, those bees going in and out might not live there they might be robbers taking whatever stores are left back to their own hive.) By the end of the month you should be able to find a nice day to do a thorough inspection. It s time to look for drone brood, and when you find it in substantial amounts, it s a signal that it s time to start swarm prevention tasks. Make sure the hive has empty space to expand the brood nest, ideally above the existing nest. This is easily accomplished by reversing the boxes in a two-box arrangement. Spare boxes and comb can also be added to the hive. If you see queen cells, make splits to convince the bees they have already swarmed. Letting the It s That Time The Pirates of the Bee World by Science Daily Aug. 30, 2012 The biota of island archipelagos is of considerable interest to biologists. These isolated areas often act as evolutionary laboratories, spawning biological diversity rapidly and permitting many mechanisms to be observed and studied over relatively short periods of time. Such islands are often the places of new discoveries, including the documentation of new species. The Republic of Cape Verde comprises 10 inhabited islands about 570 kilometers off the coast of West Africa and have been known since at least Although the bee fauna of the islands was thought to be moderately well known, research by Dr. Jakub Straka of Charles University in Prague and Dr. Michael S. Engel of the University of Kansas have shown that this is not the case. A recent study published in the Open Access journal ZooKeys documents the cuckoo bee fauna of the islands, revealing that their entire fauna of cuckoo bee species is in fact new to science. bees swarm can be scary to the neighbors, so try to keep your bees in your boxes. Now is the time to make sure you have some extra hive equipment and/or nucleus boxes to get ready for swarm and splits. The hive beetles will be active, so put some clean traps in the hive. The varroa mites are also reproducing right along with the bees, and they love all that drone brood. Toward the end of the month when you start to see more drone brood, you can fool those mites. Get some drone foundation (those green plastic frames are fine), paint a little extra wax on it, and put it on the outside edge of the brood nest. When the drone cells are capped, remove the frame and freeze it for 48 hours. Scrape off the dead brood (along with a lot of dead varroa mites yay!) and replace it in the hive. Doing this twice in spring will help keep the mite population in check. Treating for mites with medications is acceptable in the spring but follow the label directions exactly, especially the part about waiting a period of time after removing the medication and prior to putting on the honey supers. Newsletter submissions Have a great photo you d like to share? Experienced a neat bee adventure or learning experience? Know of informative recent articles or studies that might be of interest and help to your fellow club members? Send submissions to tom@tsbeeshoney.com. These bees, like the more widely known cuckoo birds, invade the nests of other host bee species. While the host is out collecting pollen for its brood, the cuckoo bee female enters the nest and deposits her eggs on the food resource. The cuckoo bee egg hatches and the immature promptly dispatches the host egg, leaving the pollen and nectar reserves for itself. The Cape Verde cuckoos are mostly large, black-andwhite species, almost zebralike in their appearance. However, one species, Chiasmognathus batelkai, is quite small, merely millimeters in length. Despite its small proportions, C. batelkai is still the largest ( see Cuckoo, p3 ) 2

NCSBA Spring Joint Meeting March 1-2 The NC State Beekeepers Association and SC Beekeepers Assoication are hosting a joint spring meeting in Rock Hill, SC this March 1 and 2.

3 NCSBA Spring Joint Meeting March 1-2 The NC State Beekeepers Association and SC Beekeepers Assoication are hosting a joint spring meeting in Rock Hill, SC this March 1 and 2. Speakers for the meeting will include Jerry Hayes, Monsanto, St. Louis, Missouri; David Tarpy, N.C. State University; Sue Cobey, Univ. California-Davis; Bart Smith, USDA/ARS Beltsville, Maryland Bee Lab; Stanley Schneider, UNC-Charlotte; Jamie Ellis, Univ. of Florida, Gainesville; and Mike Hood, Clemson Univ., Clemson, SC. Early registration for members of either of the state associations will be $20 for individuals and $30 for families. Early registration for non-members will $25 for individuals and $35 for families. Onsite registration fees will be $10 higher for each category. To register go to the NC State Beekeepers Association website. See you there! Bees Driving Scientists Cuckoo ( cont d from p2 ) species of its genus, a group which otherwise comprises even more diminutive species. It appears as though at slightly less than 5 mm, C. batelkai is a remarkable case of island gigantism, whereby founder effects or genetic drift lead to an increased body size in isolated populations during the initial stages of species origination and differentiation. The researchers are now attempting to explore the diversity of the cuckoo bees hosts and also to understand their evolutionary diversification across the archipelago. Great news! We are now an authorized dealer for Brushy Mountain Bee Farm! Want to avoid shipping charges? Tired of taking a 3-hour round trip to the mountains to pick up equipment and supplies? Convenient delivery schedules with no additional charge to you! For more information contact: Randall York (704) cloisterhoney@cloisterhoney.com Place your order through us!!! 3

4 DUES DUES DUES DUES DUES DUES 2013 Yes, it's that time of year: time to renew your membership in Mecklenburg County Beekeepers Association for Also, if you'd like to join or renew membership in the NC State Beekeepers Association, we can help by submitting your dues payment for you. Both organizations deliver great value for your membership dollars and we encourage you to support them. Mail this form and your check made out to Mecklenburg County Beekeepers Association to Sam Bomar Mecklenburg County Beekeepers Association 1645 Sterling Road Charlotte NC Mecklenburg County Beekeepers Association Please Print Clearly Name * Address * City State Zip * Phone County * Send newsletter via (thanks!) paper Number of hives: How long have you kept bees? Would you like to get more involved with the club? Yes No Today's Date Membership Year 2013 County Association $5 I am a New Member Renewing Member State Association $15 I am a New Member Renewing Member Total Payment * This information (name, mailing address and address) will be provided to all members of Mecklenburg Beekeepers (and to members only - no one else will receive this information from us). If you DO NOT want this information released to the membership, please opt out by initialling here. 4

5 Pollen Is Coming In Club officers President - George McAllister, (704) , meckbees@yahoo.com Vice President - Tom Davidson, (704) , tom@tsbeeshoney.com Treasurer - Libby Mack, (704) , mack.bees@gmail.com Membership Secretary - Sam Bomar, (704) , sam@theiag.com Chaplain - Jimmy Odom, jimmy.odom@gmail.com Webmaster - Kevin Freeman, , kfreemannc@mac.com The bees are bringing it in, gathering what pollen and food they can find in the middle of winter, in this Jan. 12 photo. Who knows what kind this is, but bets are on red maple trees, which have been seen blooming just before the cold blasts from two recent winter storms. These bees were hard at work in Wayne Hansen s apiary. Notice the one lone forager (bottom left) who is so loaded down she missed the landing board. With winter blasts killing off some red maple blooms, make sure your bees have enough food resources going into February and March! ~ Photo by Wayne Hansen MCBA Newsletter 7623 Glencannon Dr. Charlotte, NC

Grow Your Own Queen Bees Recap. Presented By: Kevin Lewis

Grow Your Own Queen Bees Recap Presented By: Kevin Lewis Queen Rearing Resources: Michael Bush beekeeping website: http://bushfarms.com/bees.htm Queens -A few good queens & Queen Rearing Michael Palmer