West Virginia Takes Care Of Its Beekeepers
From Associated
Press
CHARLESTON — West
Virginia bee keepers are stocking up in preparation for this year’s honey
season.
The state Department of Agriculture reports that additional
funding is helping bee keepers purchase new bees to make up for last year’s
losses.
Last winter’s cold weather and the summer drought killed
thousands of bees across the state.
Agriculture Commissioner Gus Douglass
says the stocking program should increase West Virginia’s bee population by 20
percent.
As an extra incentive, the state is distributing 120,000 pounds
of corn syrup for bee keepers to use as a supplemental feed source this
winter.
West Virginia has about 1,000 beekeepers.
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Subscribe to the Apis Newsletter http://apis.shorturl.com
Will
the Weslaco lab close in 2009?
Word has it that USDA-ARS will close the entire Weslaco Agricultural Research
facility as of September 2009. This is one of several money-saving efforts USDA
is considering to make up a $86 million shortfall in their budget. Closing the
Weslaco facility would save about $10 - 13 million. Apparently the powers that
be are not displeased with the Honey Bee Research program at the lab, but other
research areas located there have been noted as not performing as expected. The
decision is expected to be made by the end of September, 2008.
What this will do to USDA efforts to implement, finally, a long range 5 year
plan focusing on honey bee health has not been addressed, nor has there been any
mention of short term efforts addressing the current crisis on Colony Collapse
Disorder.
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Beekeeping. www.BeeCulture.com
Latest News from Project Apis m.
Visit us on the Web at www.projectapism.org
Welcome to the first edition of the Project Apis m. Newsletter.
What is Project Apis m? A non-profit organization founded in
December 2006, Project Apis m is focused on finding practical solutions to
beekeepers' challenges by supporting practical, results-oriented in-field
research. PAm brings together
representatives of the American Honey Producers Association (APHA), the American
Beekeeping Federation (ABF), the National Honey Board (NHB), California State
Beekeepers Association (CSBA), and California almond farmers.
PAm includes representatives from both
the pollination and crop production enterprises.
Feb. 6, 2008
-
Project Apis m. (PAm) helps beekeepers with virus
screening - - Project Apis m (PAm) has pledged $30,000 to support the
purchase of IVDS (Integrated Virus Detection System) equipment. In addition to
support from PAm, the Almond Board of California, California State Beekeepers
Association, California Bee Breeders and the Idaho Honey Producers have
contributed toward this project. The IVDS equipment involves an expensive
detection device engineered by the Army that can detect virus particles and
particle sizes. It represents a creative cross-over technology, originally
built for virus screening of humans, but now with tremendous value in assisting
with furthering our knowledge of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). In addition,
it can be used for breeding purposes to screen out bees with viruses in a
breeding program. This equipment should be in place and available for sample
screening by early March, 2008, under the direction of Dave Wick, Biological
Virus Screening, Inc. (BVS, Inc.) and Dr. Jerry Bromenshenk (Bee Alert, Inc.
and U of Montana). A donation to PAm
of $40 per sample to be screened is being requested. This money will be
re-directed to the IVDS working group to assist in covering the significant
operating expenses necessary to provide this service to beekeepers. Please
contact Dave Wick (mrwick@bvs-inc.us) or Jerry
Bromenshenk (beeresearch@aol.com) for the
protocol for sending in samples.
-
PAm approves third-party testing of SuperBoost brood
pheromone - - At its January 29, 2008 Board meeting, PAm's Board of
Directors approved a proposal by Dr. Frank Eischen, USDA-ARS, Weslaco, TX, to
test SuperBoost, Pherotech's brood pheromone in honey bee colonies in almond
orchards this pollination season. PAm was pleased Dr. Eischen could prepare the
proposal and plan to implement this study within days of the request by PAm's
board, thus underscoring PAm's commitment to efficiency and proactive efforts
to find solutions and answers to beekeepers concerns in a timely manner. This
objective, third-party test of SuperBoost will answer for beekeepers just how
well the use of a brood pheromone serves to increase pollen foraging.
Treatments include both large- and small-sized colonies as well as packaged
bees. Results will be posted to PAm's website.
-
Project Apis m. (PAm) rolls out its first color
brochure at the National Beekeeping Conference held in Sacramento - - After
being in existence almost exactly one year, PAm rolled out its first color
brochure at the National Beekeeping Conference held at the DoubleTree Hotel in
Sacramento, CA, January 8-12, 2008. This meeting consisted of a joint meeting of
the American Honey Producers Association and the American Beekeeping
Federation. In addition to this joint convention, the annual meetings of the
American Bee Research Conference, the American Association of Professional
Apiculturists, the Apiary Inspectors of America and the National Honey Packers
and Dealers Association were also held. Project Apis m.'s Board Chairman, Dan
Cummings, discussed PAm's research focus and current projects on Friday, January
11, and then participated in the "Pollination 2008" Panel, moderated by PAm
Board member Joe Traynor. The conference was a suc cess, with over 1,600 in
attendance. Research from the top scientists in the country was presented.
Colony Collapse Disorder, varroa control, and bee nutrition were just a few of
the numerous topics presented and discussed. PAm is in front of the curve in
accessing Specialty Crop funding for beekeeping research. On the first day of
the conference, Richard Adee of the American Honey Producers Association
discussed the potential availability of federal Specialty Crop funding for bee
research. PAm, in its first few months as an organization, applied for and
received California Department of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crop funds to
develop quick in-field tests to assess honey bee health.
-
PAm undertakes test of Australian packages -- At
its October 3, 2007 Board meeting, PAm's Board of Directors were given the
top-line results of research by Dr. Frank Eischen, USDA-ARS, Weslaco, TX, on
pollen collection by Australian package bees (AUS). The list of treatments in
ascending order of pollen collected were : US 4-frame; US 6-frame; AUS colony
established Dec06 from 4-lb pkg; US 4-frame + 4lb AUS pkg; US 8-frame; US
4-frame + US 4-frame (2 united 4-frames); US 10-frame; and US 14-frame. AUS
colonies were small in strength and only grew slightly during bloom. They may
handle pollen traps differently than US colonies. Complete results along with
the materials and methods of the test should be published in the coming
weeks.
- A Sample Pollination Contract is
available Click here to download (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
"The sample form is for informational
purposes only and should not be considered as providing you with legal advice.
Any use of the form should be made only after considering whether modification
is required in light of your circumstances. Any questions regarding its use,
completion or modification should be addressed to your legal adviser.
"
- Project Apis m awarded CDFA grant for research - - The California
Department of Food and Agriculture has awarded a two-year, $100,000 grant to
Project Apis m to develop field level testing on the
health of honeybee hives. Click here to read the entire press
release.
- Colony collapse creates buzz at bee conference.
Beekeepers and researchers discuss threat facing nation's 2.5 million colonies
- - More than a year after it was first discovered, colony collapse disorder
remains a mystery to bee researchers and a source of high anxiety for the
nation's beekeepers. At a national bee conference here Thursday, a standing room
only audience listened as beekeepers and researchers discussed the challenges of
the disease, which threatens the nation's 2.5 million bee colonies and the
billions of agricultural crops that they pollinate. Colony collapse disorder,
known as CCD, causes a rapid loss of the adult bee population. Dr. Jeff Pettis,
who heads up the research team at the USDA's Agricultural Research Service Bee
Research Lab in Beltsville, Md., said the key for researchers is to look at the
interactions of the various stressors to get to the bottom of colony collapse
disorder. He said CCD is likely an interaction .<more> Jan. 11, 2008 Capital Press
- Honey bee research is long-term solution to almond
industry's growing pollination needs - - California's almond bearing
acreage is expected to mushroom about 22 percent in the next five years, from
615,000 bearing acres in the 2006-2007 crop year to 750,000 bearing acres in
2011. Yet what's a stinging concern in the side of almond growers is whether
adequate and healthy honey bee numbers will be available for crucial pollination
every spring. Research is a fundamental answer to honey bee issues, including
the so-called colony collapse (CCD) disorder that killed millions of bees over
the last few years. There is no single answer to the massive bee die-off that
helped push colony rental prices up to the $135 per hive range during the
2006-2007 almond season. "For almond growers, the price of colonies of bees has
tripled in the last five years. It has become quite a significant cost of our
operations," said Dan Cummings, owner and general manager of Cummings-Violich,
Inc., Chico, Calif., which manages 7,000 acres of almonds and walnuts. Cummings
is also co-owner of Olivarez Honey Bees, an apiary business. <more> Jan. 16, 2008 Western Farm
Press
Chinese Honey
Exported From Australia to US with OZ Label.
Bee Culture Magazine First With The Story. Next...What Importer Bought
The Honey? What Did They Know, And When Did They Know It? Stay
Tuned!
From Alan Harman
Two companies
and three people are convicted in
Australia of
customs fraud and fined A$580,200 over an elaborate international import/export
scam involving 1.7 million litres of honey that was shipped to the
United
States.
The fraud was
part of a worldwide scam to circumvent anti-dumping duties imposed on Chinese
honey by the
U.S.
The honey was
exported from
Australia to the
U.S. as an
Australian-made product, but was actually from
China.
Australian
Customs Service investigations national manager Richard Janeczko says the
investigation was lengthy and complex.
"This degree of
complex fraud can be challenging to detect, investigate and prosecute,” he says.
“Commercial fraud of this type also has potential to damage
Australia's
relationship with our major trading partners."
Between July
2001 and June 2002, some 28 consignments of Chinese honey were imported into
Australia by
CHS Enterprises Pty. Ltd. and JHM Trading Co.
in 125 shipping containers.
The two
companies claimed the honey was from
Singapore –
which does not have honeybees.
Australian
Customs said the honey, packed in 200-litre drums, was relabeled as Australian
product by the importer and repacked for export. It was not blended with
Australian honey and it did not undergo any other form of processing.
The honey was
then exported in 39 shipments to the
U.S. described
as Australian product.
An
investigation by Customs officers found JHM Trading Co. was bogus.
CHS Enterprises Pty. Ltd. and its
freight forwarder AK Unicargo International Pty. Ltd. were charged with 38
offences under the Customs Act 1901 and 58 offences under the Commerce (Trade
Descriptions) Act 1905.
Also charged
were Robin Hu, his then wife, Hui Min Jing, and Gordon (Pui) Lam.
Jing pleaded
guilty to all charges in the New South Wales Supreme Court and agreed to assist
Customs with its inquiries. She was fined A$129,200.
At a subsequent
Supreme Court trial, Lam and AK Unicargo were found guilty of all charges. Hu
and CHS Enterprises were found guilty of
charges relating to the original importation of the honey.
The court
imposed fines and costs against the two men and companies totalling
$451,200.
Diabetic Market
Opens Up Worldwide for FDA-Approved All-Natural Sweetener Marketed by
SuperVision
Major
Deal to Be Announced Soon; Stunning Supermodel to Host New International
Diabetic & Diet Cooking Show
Supervision entertainment Inc.
is pleased to announce that the FDA recently approved an artificial sweetener
mande from all-natural crops such as wheat, rice, corn, potatoes, barley etc. It
is a radical departure from such artifical sweeteners such as Aspartame, Splenda
and others that are basically chemical cosktails of one form or
another.
This amazing new product is
produced by creating an enzymatic degradation of all the natural crops which is
then processed and purified. The end result is an all-natural sweetener
that looks exactly like honey, tastes exactly like honey, and has the same
consistency as honey. In fact, it's putting bees out of business.
The product is FDA approved
for inclusion in literally thousands of products from cereals, chocolate bars,
colas, nutrition bars, baking goods and hundreds of other classifications of
foods. In short, anywhere sugar is used, this product can be used to replace
sugar.
This is the perfect product
for the Diabetic market, which is reaching a chronic epidemic stage. It is
estimated that every 21 seconds a new diabetic is diagnosed and for every one
diagnosed there are two others who become diabetics but do not yet know it as
they are not diagnosed.
Diabetes affects an estimated
one billion people around the world, almost one sixth of the world's population!
Diabetes is also closely associated with obesity, and again this is the perfect
product for that market.
While providing the sweet
taste experience that most people crave in their diet, this product contains no
calories, no carbohydrates, and passes through the body undigested.
The company is now working on
several marketing approaches and expects to announce a major marketing contract
shortly.
To support the
marketing, Supervision has created a new television series of 135 half-hour
shows for national and international broadcast. The content deals with healthy
diet and specific diabetic recipes using this amazing new product. These
television shows, in addition to them being available in
DVD form for the
approximate billion diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetics around the world, are
currently in pre-production and feature a beautiful supermodel host.