A Beekeeper's Blog

2011-12-10T00:02:00.002-05:00

The December 2011 Apis Newsletter has been posted.

2011-05-20T13:54:00.002-04:00

The May 2011 Apis Newsletter has been posted. I have also created a Facebook page for both Apis Enterprises and the Apis Newsletter.

2011-03-20T23:52:00.002-04:00

Apis newsletter has been published http://home.ezezine.com/1636_2/. Am in Tallhassee where I have held two book signings http://apisenterprises.com/storey Also visited my old friend Larry Connor http://www.wicwas.com/page2.html at Caney Branch Farms, where he was doing a queen rearing workshop. Tomorrow and next day will be visiting Florida legislators on behalf of the Florida State Beekeepers Association http://floridabeekeepers.org

2011-02-12T15:22:00.002-05:00

Publishing the next issue of the Apis Newsletter. Also looking at updating the Facebook account at this time.

Mother Earth News Fair and Pine Honey Congress

2010-09-20T17:28:00.002-04:00

The beeactor is presenting at the Mother Earth News Fair on September 25, 2010, promoting Storey's Guide to Keeping Honey Bees. Read a recent review of this book.

I also leave for Turkey next week to attend the 2nd Pine Honey Congress in Mugla.

Decatur, GA Book Fair

2010-08-30T06:16:00.002-04:00

Come see the beeactor at the Decatur, GA Book Festival in September, 2010, celebrating the release of the book Storey's Guide to Keeping Honey Bees

Pre Release of Storey's Guide to Keeping Honey Bees

2010-06-21T20:50:00.003-04:00

September 2010 is the projected release of Storey's Guide to Keeping Honey Bees. I was asked to update the two books originally written by Dick Bonney, who is no longer with us. Please check with the web site for more information as the release date approaches.

March 2010 Apis Newsletter Posted

2010-03-14T11:21:00.002-04:00

The March 2010 Apis Newsletter has been posted http://home.ezezine.com/1636_2/ As usual it contains gleanings from the March issue of Bee Culture Magazine.

Apis Newsletter Posted

2009-09-28T15:47:00.002-04:00

The September Apis Newsletter has now been posted at http://home.ezezine.com/1636_2/.

More From Apimondia in Montpellier, France

2009-09-21T10:27:00.003-04:00

The sessions on the last day of the Bee Biology Commission concerned the overall theme of conserving populations of honey bees. The effect of genetic sequencing, combined with other methods using microsatellites and morphometrics, are providing a good deal of in-depth information about bee stocks. Papers in this session included a multivariate morphological analysis of Chinese bees, the first time a native Apis mellifera has been reported in the country. The genetic variablility in Bulgarian bees, Syrian populations (Apis mellifera syriaca), as well as Turkish honey bees was described. It appears that native ecotypes are holding their own in the face of organized beekeeping efforts in some areas, but the fear is that the potential exists for genetic "pollution" in many regions via migratory beekeeping.

A paper on bee "livestock" found in France described a study of 5247 colonies in 52 separate areas. This reveals that French populations are divided into three main regions, Corsica, Southern, and Northern, but with a fairly low level of population differentiation. The results of a study of a certain ecotype (Landes region of southwest France)using a multi-tiered screening process of both morphological and genetic information indicate that these might be effectively correlated to selecting for certain behaviors. These could be used on a quantitative basis to help the conservation of certain stocks.

The case study of the conservation of Laeso native honey bee stock in Denmark was an eye-opener. After a number of court cases, the small island of Laeso was basically divided into two areas, native black bees on one end, and a hybridized population with Italians and other races on the other. The results showed that most of 583 colonies on the island were relatively hybridized in 2005 (only 50 colonies contained less than 10% non mellifera genes), but by 2007 a population of 123 colonies with less than 1% emerged while 273 colonies were below 10%. It is possible it seems for stocks to be conserved, if everyone agrees with the goal, and a concrete, clear border is established, even on a small island.

Queen rearing technologies are also being developed. A paper using embryo transfer to introduce stocks with a minimum of risk revealed that this was a reliable procedure. Over 90% of transferred larvae developed normally, were able to be instrumentally inseminated and subsequently laid eggs. A Romanian paper described a database being used to calculate selection indices. The software is available over the internet, but not currently in the English language.

A discussion of the French National Breeders Association, ANERCA, revealed that it was created in 1979, has about 250 members, and as of 2004 has had one professional staff member, who edits the magazine called "Info-Reines." The latest edition of the magazine was distributed and contains articles about selecting bees for pollen collection, originally written by Dr. Robert Page, Emeritus Professor at the University of California, Davis.

A survey by ANERCA shows that beekeepers in France requeen 43% of their colonies each year, mostly by dividing and introducing cells. Most breeders sell 100 to 200 "queen equivalents," generally Buckfast, Black, Caucasian and Carniolan stock. It appears the market is growing for queens and there is more interest in the activity each year. ANERCA runs a number of classes for queen rearing around the country.

ANERCA hosted a bee breeders meeting attended by about 30 people in Montpellier. The event revealed that a good many bee breeding and conservation activities exist, but there is little coordination and no communication among the groups. The outcome of the meeting is an attempt to collect names and addresses of breeding programs and activities into a directory. Many of the activities of ANERCA and other breeding programs as described in both poster and oral sessions are in line with the goals of the Global Bee Breeders Association.

The 41st Apimondia closed with an emotional ceremony. In the most anticipated event of the evening, the voting delegates chose Ukraine to host the 2013 meeting in Kiev. The presidential mantel was officially passed from Asger Jorgensen to Gilles Ratia. In his farewell address, Mr. Jorgensen said that in the 10 years of his presidency, Apimondia had gained great stature, shown by the unprecedented number of scientists presenting their work at congresses. He implored Mr. Ratia to treat Apimondia gently in the future. Finally, Argentina took up the challenge of hosting the 42nd congress in Argentina in two years to the whirl of tango dancers on stage, accompanied by guitar and bandoneon.

Traditionally, a day of touring follows the closing ceremony. I was a member of four bus loads headed towards the northern reaches of the region (Languedoc Roussillon) to visit an apiary and castle near Mt. Lozere and the town of Ville Fort. The operation was typical of the region; a second generation beekeeper running 1200 hives in the mountains, ranging from 500 to 1400 meters in elevation. The main crops here are chestnut (chatanier) and two kinds of heather (white and blue. The extraction equipment featured plastic vibrating plugs that are needed to get the thixotropic heather honey moving out of the comb. This was combined with hot rooms used to store the supers before extracting in the mountainous, cool climate. The few bees we saw and those on display in the video of the beekeeper's operation were large and dark, almost silky in appearance, no doubt a form of Apis mellifera mellifera, but bigger than others I have seen.

After visiting the apiary, an informal lunch was provided in a restaurant loaned by the owner to his beekeeper friend for the occasion. After an aperitif of various alcoholic beverages and French "pizza," a generous supply of different meats and cheeses were provided, along with the usual red table wine.

Lunch was followed by a tour to La Garde Guerin <http://la.garde48.free.fr/>, a 12th century castle that for centuries guarded the only pass in the region between the north and the south. Clouds built up over the highlands and a drizzle began just before we got back on the bus. The trip back to Montpellier officially closed Apimondia 41.

From Apimondia in Montpellier, France

2009-09-18T06:04:00.005-04:00

I finally got a respite to post information to this blog about the 41st edition of Apimondia. I got Montpellier three days ago, after a visit to Paris, Avignon and San Remy de Provence. The pre-registration here is rumored to be 3,000; most don't think attendance will reach much higher than that although I don't have access to official information on attendance. Several themes of the congress are apparent; one is the colony losses around the world that have been reported ever since the CCD situation in the U.S. reared its head. The European Union has mounted a big project called COST network COLOSS and participants, including U.S. researchers, attended an event before the Congress will be attending several meetings in the future on this situation. The U.S. is not the only area where losses are unacceptably high it seems.

As part of the colony loss situation, there is an emphasis on bee health during the sessions at both bee biology and and bee health sessions. One problem is that measurement of colony losses is not uniform. A questionnaire is being circulated about perceptions of losses in various countries, but there is no objective measurement of this at the moment. This will a major goal of the COLOSS project.

The two most important areas of advances in bee science reported here are those associated with genetic studies (the role of genetic diversity and mapping) and those studies associated with the honey bee brain. Bees are no longer considered "dumb robots"; they can learn and have innate intelligence as well as cooperative thinking. One presentation was entitled "How can honey bees learn from robots?" A whole lot it seems. Another suggested that aging in the brain could be reversed in honey bees by artificially reverting them from aged foragers to younger nurse bees.

Describing the genome has led to many new possibilities in studying bee health. Chips arrayed with various genetic combination are becoming more and more available and mapping the genes for Varroa tolerance and disease resistance is a rapidly developing field. The evolution of honey bees has been revolutionized; it is now thought to be an African root, not an Asian one where the other Apis species are located. Loss of diversity in some places where Varroa has taken out much of the wild population is made up for in areas where diversity has and continues to be maintained. There is much concern about conserving wild ecotypes as human beekeeping and bee movement seeks to globalize the population. Many selection programs do not take into account ecotype, color or other traditional measures; instead honey production, Varroa tolerance and disease resistance are the goals.

As is the case for the past two Apimondias, the number of papers on the biology and treatment of Varroa is greatly reduced. Instead there are increasing numbers of study on Varroa-tolerant populations and breeding programs taking advantage of this trait(s). Perhaps the most colorful speaker on this subject is Dr. John Kefuss, who addressed the American Beekeeping Federation, a few years ago on his "Bond" test results in France, where he has produced a population of bees not needing treatment in some cases for 5 years. He has an open invitation to visit him in Tolouse and he will pay one cent for every Varroa mite discovered in his colonies; the record so far as I recall is a Spanish beekeeper (researcher?) who found a grand total of 9. Over a decade ago, he predicted that there would be 30 genes associated with Varroa tolerance; the actual number found so far is 37. He says that soon Varroa will be relegated to the sidelines as is the Tracheal mite (Acarapis woodi) at the present time. This was echoed by Yves Le Conte of the Avignon INRA lab during his presentation, where he has also followed colonies that require no treatment since 1992.

I have received notice that more discussion might be needed with reference to Dr. Kefuss' work described above and he kindly sent me an update:

Dear Malcom,
At the Apimondia congress in Lausanne we put forward the hypothesis that hygienic behavior is probably controlled by at least 30 genes but as we pointed out we did not have the hard data to back it up. We drew these conclusions because when we test for hygienic behavior we usually do not get curves following a normal bell shaped distribution. A good example is the data from Chile published on page 58 of the January 2010 American Bee Journal. Here there appear to be 3 peaks. However depending upon the width of the bars that you choose for your graph you will modify the number of peaks that can be observed. So I will still stand by our hypothesis that hygienic behavior is probably controlled by at least 30 genes. Whether these genes could be associated with varroa resistance mechanisms I don't know ( have to find them first, then test). I also stand by my statement to you in Montpellier that within the next 50 years ( which is soon by biological standards ) we will probably not be talking much about varroa mites.
It was Cedric Alaux et al. from Avignon who gave the talk just before mine that stated that there were 37 genes that "are potential candidates for the behavioral tolerance.... to destructive mites". He compared VSH+ and VSH- bees and found that 37 genes were differently expressed. More detailed information can be found on the Apimondia website where all the abstracts are published.
I am also of the opinion that no genes have been proven to directly affect resistance to varroa. That requires controlled testing in the bee yard. You know that there is a very good positive correlation between the number of preachers and drunks. But that does not mean because you have more preachers this causes you to have more drunks.
The World Varroa Challenge went very well. The winner Clive de Bruyn from England found 20 varroa in about 2 hours time. He had a neck to neck battle with Seith Rick from California who found 17 during the same period. They were under real stress. We had piles of dead bodies (pupae) laying on lids all over the bee yard. I had budgeted 100 cents for the Challenge but I ran over by 7 cents because the 50+ visitors found a total 107 varroa. However I am not going to cry over the 7 cents. Slave labor to do the testing would have been a lot more expensive and less efficient.
Best wishes for 2010

Yours truly,
John

Ps. You can cite my comments in your blog if you wish.

Dr. John A. Kefuss
49 RUE JONAS PHONE (33)561578715
312OO TOULOUSE FRANCE

Somewhat behind the scenes, the politics of Apimonida is also changing: Gilles Ratia, current president of the Economy Commission, has been elected President as Asger Jorgensen is stepping down. Mr. Ratia plans to open up Apimondia more by instituting commissions from Oceania, Africa and the Americas. The organization will also be involved in a number of meetings around the world before the next world event to be held in Buenos Aires in 2011. There is a lively competition for the congress after that. Most in evidence are the Ukrainians, who officially came out in Melbourne winning many prizes and having one of their own crowned honey queen; they have brought along a musical and dance ensemble, and are lobbying heavily for the meeting to be in Kiev. Others in the running include Spain (Granada), Italy (Verona), Hungary (Budapest), Bulgaria (Sofia), Turkey (Istanbul)and Slovenia. Brazil waits in the wings for the next congress in the Americas and will host an IberoAmerican Congress in Natal next October.

Another exotic pest has come to the honey bee world, beginning in France but could be introduced elsewhere. This is the oriental hornet, Vespa velutina, which has devastated hives in some parts of the country, but not in all. The French are learning from colleagues in the middle east like Jordan and Israel challenged by Vespa orientalis ways to confront this invader. The sizes of the nests on display here are pretty impressive, reaching two or three times those of the bald faced hornet seen in the U.S.

Besides sessions from the regular commissions including Economy, Biology, Bee Health, Pollination, Technology and Quality, Apitherapy and Rural Development, the 41st Congress also includes four round table discussions, two on pesticides (the effects of neonicotinoids like imidacloprid and others (e.g. fipronel), as well as the effects of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)and the role of veterinarians in beekeeping regulation and education of beekeepers. A big difference between the U.S. and the rest of the beekeeping world is that veterinarians are not involved in bee health in the former, but are very much so in most of the rest of the world. A fourth round table is on the use of honey bees as so-called "sentinels of the environment, which is the official theme of this year's Congress.

The Montpellier event is also perhaps the first Apimondia that has an official outreach to the general public. Thus, at the entrance to the meeting at Le Corum, an array of tents has been erected including a good many displays from environmental groups such as Greenpeace. In addition, each day there is children's program, including things like movies and actors on stilts.

The Congress goes on two more days; the last (Sunday) to be an excursion to a nearby region. It will include visits to apiaries and tourist sites. I hope to be able to post something else before I leave, but am not optimistic since I am finding
little time to do so and am experiencing intermittent computer problems.

Apis Newsletter Posted

2009-07-15T14:00:00.001-04:00

The Apis newsletter was posted July 14, 2009. Happy Bastille Day.

Apis Newsletter Posted

2009-06-13T13:32:00.002-04:00

The June Apis newsletter has been posted. See it and back issues at http://home.ezezine.com/1636_2/. Also bee sure to consult the Global Beekeeping Calendar coming to you courtesy of Bee Culture Magazine.

May Apis Newsletter Posted

2009-05-15T18:37:00.001-04:00

The May Apis newsletter has been posted to http://home.ezezine.com/1636_2/

Apis Newsletter Posted

2009-04-12T23:19:00.003-04:00

The Apis Newsletter for April has been posted at http://home.ezezine.com/1636_2/.

Malcolm T. Sanford
http://apis.shorturl.com

Apis Newsletter Posted; Florida Bee College

2009-03-21T17:48:00.002-04:00

I have posted the latest Apis newsletter. In addition, I have just returned from the 2009 edition of the Florida Bee College. On hand was Dr. Keith Delaplane of the University of Georgia. The Bee College graduated a number of Florida apprentice and advanced master beekeepers, as well as a a gaggle of Welsh-trained honey judges pioneered by The Eastern Apicultural Society and University of Georgia. This event revealed that a good working relationship is developing between the University of Florida and Georgia, which bodes well for the future of beekeeping in the Southeaster U.S.

Apis Newsletter Posted

2009-02-14T15:46:00.003-05:00

The latest issue of the Apis newsletter is now available. Thanks to all subscribers for their continued support.

Malcolm T. Sanford
http://apis.shorturl.com

Second and Third Day in Reno; on to Sonoma

2009-01-17T01:37:00.003-05:00

The second and third days in Reno, NV at the annual meeting of The American Beekeeping Federation were full. Thursday the 15th was much about Varroa, including a review of its history and a listing of the new technologies that will be brought to bear on its control. A special presentation by Australia's Denis Anderson revealed that he has found a species of V. jacobsoni that reproduces on honey bees. Not a good development. In addition, Australia has killed some 18 swarms of Apis cerana that appear to the be outgrowth of a single queen. Fortunately, none were found to have Varroa. He attempted to assure the crowd that incursions of cerana near Cairns, Australia was not a risk to the U.S., which is importing a good many packages for almond pollination.

Several speakers examined the virus connection with Varroa. We also learned that the $5 million ARS Area Wide Project for honey bees was underway as was a $4.1 million Coordinated Agriculture Program or CAP. The Research Luncheon sponsored by the Foundation was addressed by retired apiculturist Dr. Anita Collins.

The day was capped off by The Bee Man, March Hoffman, portraying The Rev. L.L. Langstroth at three times in his long life, ages 44, 62 and 82.

Tomorrow I make my way to Sonoma, CA to visit my cousin. Then I will make my way to San Mateo, CA to visit my aunt.

American Beekeeping Federation in Reno: Day One

2009-01-15T09:32:00.003-05:00

After its successful event in 2005 at John Ascuaga's Nugget in Reno, Nevada, the Federation has reprised its meeting at this location. The opening day was highlighted by President Zac Browning and VP David Mendes as they seek to lead the organization into an unknown future.

Jeff Pettis of the ARS USDA Beltsville Bee Laboratory provided an overview of why folks are loosing their colonies. The examination has now morphed from a look at Varroa and viruses to a more integrated approach, a measuring of interactions of Varroa, the new nosema (Nosema cerana), viruses, pesticides, etc. He did not specifically mention climate change, but that is the 800-pound gorilla lurking out there. There are some interesting developments that will be described in the next few days.

The Federation's lobbyist says things are whirling about with the inauguration and the transition of administrations. The Economist last week reveals how the Obama administration will look more toward science in developing policy; this is reflected in many areas. Fran Boyd, Myers and Associates, says the biggest thing for beekeepers to be engaged is the appropriations for the farm bill, which includes beekeeping in many more areas than before. Although money has been declared for among other things $5 million for CCD, there is none appropriated yet. Thus, beekeepers can expect to be enlisted in the effort to ensure something happens in this area, and if they are not alert, they could be caught out. The Federation vows not to let that happen.

George Hanson discussed the emerging philosophy to use funds in the Foundation For the Preservation of Honey Bees. More information on research results will be put on its web site. The Foundation will also attempt to cooperate with other organizations such as Project Apis m.

The day ended with the Special Interest Groups: The Package Bee and Queen Breeders was filled with information about new possibilities. Sue Cobey discussed her ideas as published in the latest Bee Culture, Marla Spivak talked about her California bee breeders project, which will continue next season. Jeff Harris of the USDA ARS lab in Louisiana discussed the new directions for the SMR, now called VSH program and molecular biologist Lanie Bourgeois provided a surprising analysis of genetic diversity, concluding that in spite of reports to contrary seemed robust enough at the present time.

A panel of breeders and researchers concluded the session. One of the recurring themes is that customer complaints about queen quality need to be tempered by how queens are treated once they leave the breeder's facility. Many consumers don't mark queens and few breeders are requested to provide them marked. In addition, much can go wrong during the queen's journey from producer to consumer.

In Guluk, Turkey

2009-01-10T11:41:00.001-05:00

Yaacov, Dini, Miriam, and the guide, Erol on the bay at Guluk, Turkey. A test only

Apis Newsletter Transition Continues; Calendar Information

2009-01-07T16:41:00.005-05:00

I have posted the January 7, 2009 Apis Newsletter both at the Yahoo.com groups as is customary and also via it's eventual site at http://ezezine.com. As usual, it contains gleanings from the January 2009 edition of Bee Culture

A note from Charles Frederic Andros indicates it's difficult to figure out how to subscribe to the new Apis. This will be done exclusively through a form at http://apis.shorturl.com. It looks like I'll have to post a message strictly for the new subscription to the old site.

I also have been busily putting up entries on the global calendar. Send me entries for your events.

Finally, I have been looking into a site for journalists on managing links at publish2.com. Those I'm managing are at http://www.publish2.com/newsgroups/january-2009/ and also mentioned in this month's Apis Newsletter.

Progress on the Ezine, Calendar; Spanish Content URL

2008-12-22T10:39:00.003-05:00

I am continuing to work on two projects: One is the eventual move of the Apis newsletter from its present situation at Yahoo.com groups to become a full-fledged ezine. Another is developing the global calendar.

I was sent a jam-packed URL full of Spanish content today containing information on apiculture in Argentina and linked to a Colombian periodical, Apicultura sin Fronteras.

Apis Newsletter Posted; Return from Turkey and Israel

2008-12-17T14:36:00.002-05:00

The Apis newsletter has been posted. As always, it contains gleanings from the recent issue of Bee Culture Magazine.

I now am working on a global beekeeping calendar. If you have information to place there, please let me know. This blog is also being sent via RSS feed to the Apis Information Resource Center.

Return to the United States - Reflections

2008-12-15T17:44:00.004-05:00

It was a long trip back to the U.S. from Israel..a 2.5 hour flight to Istanbul, 11 hours to Chicago and 2.5 to Jacksonville. All my trips were on Turkish airways, which has super service. This up and coming airline flies to both Chicago and NYC from Istanbul each day. It has a modern fleet flying to all continents.

Reflecting on my trip, several things stand out. Turkey is a modern nation with excellent facilities. It appears to be a major tourist spot for Europeans, less so for those coming from the Americas. It is huge (the size of Texas) and has immense biodiversity, as well as human cultures because it is located strategically between Asia, Europe and also by extension Africa. As a democracy, it is a thriving secular example in an area all too often characterized by totalitarian and religious fundamentalist governments. This is well acknowledged as the work of Mustafa Kamel Ataturk, the republic's first president. Although diverse, the population is more or less sedentary in nature with little in migration. It has fewer modern scholars than Israel, although if the University of Mugla is any indication, this could mean a big shift in the future.

Israel by contrast is much smaller than Turkey. Its biodiversity is limited by an arid climate; at one time this "land of milk and honey" was probably much more lush. Lions and their prey could be found, but human settlement has succeeded in causing the extinction of a wide array of wildlife. Like Turkey it is a democracy and also has a seminal figure in Chaim Weizman, the first president. The population is more characterized by in migration from the Jews of war-torn Europe to the more recent Africans (Ethiopian). It is much more oriented toward modern science via its population of scholars, and is a country noted for its large number of innovations. This continues today with emphasis on biotechnology startups.

Beekeeping in both Turkey and Israel too is reflected in the contrasts and similarities brought out above. I hope to be writing about those in the future.

Visit to the Weizman Institute of Science

2008-12-11T12:42:00.005-05:00

Miriam and I toured the Weizman Institute of Science, stopping at the Bauhaus-style home of Chaim Weizman, Israel's first president. This is a one-of-a-kind house, with still state-of-the-art styling. It features a pool, circular staircase, a vintge GE refrigerator and a 1950 restored Ford Lincoln given to Weizman by Harry Truman. A 10-minute movie summarizes the remarkable 78-year life of one of Israel's most influential Zionists .

We then walked over to the Memorial Plaza and ended up at the Solar Center: "Forty-four minutes of sunlight. That's all it takes to meet the energy demands of the earth's inhabitants for an entire year. For a taste of the power of creative scientific solutions in this field, come visit the Solar Complex, one of the most sophisticated solar research facilities in the world. The Complex contains 64 mirrors that are controlled by computers calculating the sun's position relative to the earth for every second of the year. Collecting sunlight in bright, arid regions to generate electricity, and creating solar-pumped lasers with significant potential in satellite communications - these and other ongoing projects are explained at the Solar Tower Observation Point."

Visit to Abraham Hefetz Lab, University of Tel Aviv; Israeli Philharmonic Concert

2008-12-11T09:03:00.006-05:00

As graduate students, both Abraham Hefetz and I met at the University of Georgia. He was mentored by Murray Blum (ants). So it was a great opportunity on my trip to Israel to meet up with him again at the University of Tel Aviv. He is currently a full professor, mentoring a number of students in social insect behavior. In an ad hoc meeting with his lab, I found out that he is currently involved in two projects involving exotic insects.

Wasmania auropunctata, a non-native ant was recently found in several Israeli villages. DNA analysis reveals that all ants so far detected have come from one queen. These ants are damaging in several ways and when present can affect the human population greatly. The research is also involving geographic analysis using Gis. This ant is causing problems elsewhere elsewhere in the world as well.

A similar dynamic is involved in Apis florea, also a recently detected invasive bee species. All colonies so far found appear to be the offspring of a single queen. Apis florea is known to be present in Oman. How it got to Eliat, Israel is not known, but it appears only a matter of time before it will spread across the Negev Desert, probably aided by humans (roads, trucks, etc.). There is debate in scientific circles here about what to do.

The Deparment of Zoology maintains a small zoo with endangered animals and others. I saw several cat species and birds of prey, but my visit was cut short due to rain.

After my visit, Abraham drove me down to where I was to meet my hosts and go to the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, accompanying a young Argentine pianist Ingrid Fliter in Chopin's Concerto No. 2 in F Minor for Piano and Orchestra. Other pieces done included Song of Ascent For Symphony by Alexander Uriyah Boskovich and Prokofiev's 5th Symphony.

Conversation with Prof. Dan Eisikowitch

2008-12-11T01:48:00.009-05:00

I arrive in Tel Aviv by the new light rail that spans Israel and am met by Professor Dan Eisikowitch. I met him first at the 10th pollination conference in Carbondale, Illinois in 1982. There he provided information on a project involving searching out nectar producing plants in the country. The fruits of that are now being enjoyed by beekeepers. He and others have busily been planting Eucalyptus around the nation and soon the millionth Eucalyptus erythrocoris will be put in the ground on this project. This project had as its base a search for Eucalyptus species that have been established in the country for a long time. It was not based on bringing in Eucalyptus from Australia. It turns out a hybrid between two types, often found in conjunction with graves of British officers, produces the most nectar. The project is now as he says, "out of his hands," as many nurseries in Israel are now propagating the hybrid, which breeds true.

I again met Prof. Eisikowitch at the recently completed Pine Honey Congress in Turkey, where he provided information on crop pollination in general in under Mediterranean conditions. In his presentation he noted that pollination by honey bees could be improved by pollen inserts (also used in some cases to deliver other organisms to crops), using high densities of colonies and employing sequential introduction of hives in crops where honey bees are diverted to more attractive plantings.

Dan, known here as "Dini" retired from the faculty so that in his words, he was "free to fail." He is a scientist's scientist and has a long resume of interdisciplinary work with many different people working in a wide variety of fields. One of his passions is pollination ecology. He was able to show me a picture machine designed on the principles of electrostatic pollen transfer currently being used in pistachio pollination in California. The pollen is given a negative charge and this is attracted by the positively-charged stigma. This is now also being used in date pollination in Israel as well.

Dan is now interested in the functions of branched hairs found on honey bees. The purported reason for these has been to attract pollen grains, however, he thinks two other things might also be important, temperature regulation and protection from pollen grains themselves. The hairs my trap air and conserve heat. In addition, they often can be seen erect and appear to be carrying pollen above the surface of the bee's cuticle (skin). Pollen grains are often spiny and if allowed to contact the cuticle might scarify it, causing the insect to dehydrate, much as boric acid crystals do to cockroaches. He has developed a device from a dentist's drill and is "shaving" bees to see what happens when their hair is removed.

He believes that Apis florea, recently detected in Eliat, near the Gulf of Aqaba, is a natural phenomenon and that further spread is inevitable. Some believe this Apis species might be a good pollinator; others think that it will be a competitor for managed honey bees the Israeli beekeeping industry cannot afford. Finally, there is the ever-present danger that this bee might introduce some kind of exotic organism (mites, etc.)

Visit to Tel Rehov Excavation of Ancient Bee Hives

2008-12-10T09:40:00.003-05:00

As part of our trip to the north Yossi Slabezki and I visited the Tel Rehov dig, part of the Beth-Shean Valley Archaeological Project. A recent find of ancient bee hives is the result of eight seasons of excavation at this site. An article on this concludes: "The discovery of an apiary of an industrial nature in an Iron Age IIA context (Area C) at Tel Rehov constitutes a unique and extraordinary discovery that, in fact, revolutionizes our knowledge of this economic endeavor in general and in ancient Israel in particular."

In addition, it says, "The average calibrated date that fell within the range of high probability (68 percent) was 960 to 870 bce, with the highest probability
within this range being the last quarter of the tenth century bce." This adds great evidence to the Bible's contention that Israel is indeed a land of honey.

Trip to Haifa, Two more Kibbutzim and Hula Reserve

2008-12-09T08:23:00.004-05:00

Haifa is quite a sight. Looking down on the lighted harbor from high up on Mount Carmel is dramatic, especially the Bahai Temple on the side of the hill. I arrived with my companion, long-time bee inspector Yossie Slablezski, who took me to a local restaurant where we shared a wonderful, vegetable soup, moussaka and portion of stuffed grape leaves. Late we repaired to Yossie's apartment, exhausted from the days events.

The next morning we were up bright and early, making a stop at Kibbutz Ein Harod Meuhad. There we met the General Manager and Madeleine Shaked, the Export & Import Manager, who shared with us her story of coming to Israel. Originally from Ireland, she said even as a little Catholic girl, she recognized that her future was in Israel. She is new to the bee business, but not to agricultural product development and is fully conversant in ISO9000 and HACCEP technologies. She showed us some honey substitute made for diabetics and also said that she was importing honey from the U.S. Israel, like the U.S. is hard pressed to satisfy the population's demand for honey and so imports the sweet, but there often is a high import duty. The outfit runs a couple of thousand colonies and like many large-scale beekeepers, moves several times a year, sometimes including at least one stop for pollination.

From here we skirted the west side of the Sea of Galilee, finally arriving at at Kibbutz Dan. It is there that my host in Rehovot, Dr. Yaacov Lensky did his pioneering research on swarming. We met a pioneering beekeeper who started in the 1960s and survived the wars the region is known for with Jordan and Syria, each time returning to the Kibbutz. He recently has found two young people to train in beekeeping and says the outfit will be going from 750 to about 1000 hives in the near future. One of his problems is finding suitable locations. It seems that Israel's Honey Marketing Board strictly controls locations, by plotting them on a map and telling beekeepers when they are too close to each other to move or face penalties. Yossie says about 1.5 kilometers is the distance decreed by law; all beekeepers must be registered. This keeps the bee pasture from being overcrowded.

It turns out the small size of Israel is good for the beekeeping industry in the sense that most if not all beekeepers are registered and the majority are doing the same management (especially for Varroa) at the same time. This is one of the reasons that Varroa remains under control in the country. One of the best management suggestions has always been to encourage beekeepers to treat at the same time to avoid treated colonies being re-infested from untreated colonies.

From Kibbutz Dan, we ride to the north of the Sea of Galilee and find the Hula Nature Preserve. This appears to be a popular destination for we saw several bus loads of youngsters here. One attraction at this Israeli park is a 3-D movie complete with other sensory information that is played in both Hebrew and English on migrating birds and the hazards they face each season. There is a board walk around the preserve in some places covered so those walking do not disturb the bird life. Clearly it is a disturbed habitat with a huge population of African catfish and abundant nutria. Those at the center were concerned as this year not as many birds showed up as in the past.

Trip to Lin Apiary and Ministry of Agriculture

2008-12-08T22:58:00.004-05:00

I was picked up in the morning by both of Israel's two active bee inspectors at the Lensky's home and taken to the north. We first visited the Lin Bee Farm in Moshav Bilu near Rehovot, one of the largest beekeepers in the country running some 3,500 hives. We had a conversation in Yuval Lin's office. His major concern was nutrition of bees and he wondered where to get more information on this important topic. I told him the Australians were probably the best source of information, requesting that he consult their publication on fat bees and skinny bees. In addition, I know the USDA laboratory in Tucson has developed a diet and there are several firms selling patties, Global Patties, are located in Montana and Alberta, and supply or have have supplied patties using a wide variety of materials, including BeePro™, FeedBee™ and Global patties. including Dadant and Sons, Mann Lake and the Canadian World. The use of soy flour came up; this continues to be the basis of most pollen substitutes, but as I pointed out we know a lot more about chicken and cattle nutrition than we do for honey bees. The bottom line is that he will have to do some experimentation on his own to find the best product for his particular conditions.

The firm is also dabbling in various bee products, including something that contains honey, propolis and royal jelly together. Finally, this is part of a Moshav, and as such is also involved in other activities, including agrotourism, although beekeeping is not mentioned on the
agrotourism web site.

Of interest is a project where some 15 hectares of eucalyptus have been planted to try to find a plant that will provide nectar in dry conditions. This so far has not worked out well for Mr. Lin, but others in Israel have become fans of this activity. I told him I have only seen on country where plants have been selected for nectar. That was in 1983 in Hungary, when I attended an Apimondia Congress in the country. This is confirmed by a more recent paper:

"Production of honey The black-locust forests constitute the basis for commercial honey production in Hungary. In years favourable to flowering, 50 to 60 percent of the honey produced comes from black locust. In 1982, honey exports brought in US$16.5 million. The Hungaronektár firm gives financial backing to improving late-flowering varieties of black locust producing large quantities of nectar. Rose-colour A.C. black locust comes into flower a week later than common black locust. While the sugar value of common black locust - the sugar content of the nectar produced by one flower in 24 hours - varies from 0.8 to 1.0 mg, and the values of the varieties Császártöltési, Kiskunsági, and Jászkiséri, are 1.8,1.56 and 1.48 mg respectively, rose-colour A.C. reaches a sugar value of 1.9 mg.

"Because of the economic importance of honey exports, the National Planning Office allocated special funds in 1982 for the establishment of 1000 ha per year of new forests of improved varieties of black locust."

We then headed for the Ministry of Agriculture in Bet-Dagan. This houses the Extension Service and other offices like plant protection and veterinary services. Like Europe, veterinary services are responsible for bee health, a completely different situation than in the U.S., where bees are regulated by Departments of Agriculture, often not closely affiliated with professional veterinarians.

We sat around a table with the Israeli bee health team. It consisted of extension agents and researchers in veterinary areas including insect virology, and entomology (plant-insect interaction) and chemists (food residue analysis). Several subjects were brought up including Varroa and the recent situation with CCD. Here, like elsewhere, the fate honey bees and the world's plant pollinators are on people's minds. It appears that CCD is not a problem in Israel, although losses can still be quite high like many places elsewhere in the world. Varroa is fully under control and the Israelis are working on their 10th year of using coumpahos, a material that in the U.S. has had a checkered career, with resistance showing up quite early in the use cycle. However, the Israelis are extremely concerned that resistance to coumaphos is on the horizon and there's no material in the pipeline to replace it. Using Varroa-tolerance of so-called "suvivor bees" appears to be not on the radar at the present time. Some at the meeting were adamant that no survivor bees exist in the country, something that cannot be proven as there is little specific research on this topic.

Of particular concern is fairly recent detection of Apis florea on the Gulf of Eilat and its potential introduction to the rest of Israel. Some believe this to be an unstoppable natural event, whereas others conclude some form of control is a possibility.

A Journey to the End of the Millennium

2008-12-08T22:34:00.002-05:00

I attended a performance of A Journey to the End of the Millennium at the Tel Aviv Opera house, a thoroughly modern building just down from the city's famed three towers; I was told that after the assault on the two towers in Manhattan, the Israelis decided to put up three, although I can find no confirmation of this in my research.

The production, according to the publicity, is a "revival of the striking Israeli opera that examines the mores of oursociety through the penetrating libretto of A.B. Yehoshua and the tantalizing score of Yosef Bardanashvili." This is based on the book of the same name and one review says: "Yehoshua's tale is more than just a travelog through the Europe of the 10th century; it is also a meditation on religion, law, and the differences between the European Sephardic tradition and that of the Middle Eastern Ashkenazic Jews--differences that echo the current social and ideological conflicts within Israel today."

I went with a Romanian woman who immigrated to Israel some time ago and works in the high tech industry. She and I agreed that the story seemed more powerful than the music, although as the guy sitting next to me said, "If you expect Puccini you will be disappointed." No one could be disappointed in the set, however, showing the travel in time through waves of colored fabric and the stark black and white costumes characterizing the northern and southern jews respectively.

Visting the Kvutzat Shiller Kibbutz and Ayala Institute

2008-12-06T08:56:00.006-05:00

Today I was lucky enough to visit the Kvutzat Shiller Kibbutz situated very near the Lensky house in Rehovot. Miriam and I were taken on a lovely tour of the grounds by a couple who have lived here for most of their lives. He (Ilan) is a self-made landscape architect and has designed many of the plantings found on the grounds, some of exotic plants from Florida and elsewhere. She (Shosh) retired as the kibbutz's zipper factory's accountant a few years ago.

The place was established in 1927; a website has been set up to tell the story in honor of Ruth Tetteles (Schwartz), who arrived at the Kibbutz with the Youth Aliya group in April 1941 from Europe. She also served in the British Army.

The history of the Kibbutz is fascinating, included the rationale for the name, significant events over the years, and location details.

This kibbutz like most of the rest in Israel is undergoing great change. Challenges for this one in particular include the rapid urbanization of the nearby town of Rehovot, which helped eliminate the orange groves that used to provide income, and now threaten the large dairy that the kibbutz runs. Water in particular could be a problem as the wells drilled decades ago to supply the place appear to be running dry, and the thirsty urban area nearby is in continual competition for this resource. Fortunately, there is a factory making zippers on the grounds, but it also appears to have been affected by change, particularly brought on by Chinese competition.

The Kibbutz movement in Israel is dynamic and rapidly changing. It will be interesting to see how those inhabiting Kvutzat Shiller kibbutz (also known as Gan Slomo) will face an uncertain future. Significantly, the section concerning "future plans" on the web site has yet to be written. A variant of the kibbutz is the moshav.

Elements of the Kibbutz and/or Moshav model appear to have been taken up by other communities to some extent, such as East Lake Commons in Decatur, GA. Different formats of the cohousing movement, exist in other places .

I also visited another Kibbutz with a very different purpose as it's rationale. This is the famed Ayalon Institute near the Rehovot Railway Station where a clandestine bullet factory was developed by the Haganah during under the British mandate. It was in reality a normal agricultural kibbutz on top of another developing kibbutz whose members were recruited to make bullets "right under the nose of the British," instead of the traditional activities Kibbutzim are known for. Now it is the focus of a new kind of kibbutz that will be based on education rather than agriculture, with the bullet factory museum as its base.

Visit to the Faculty of Agriculture, Rehovot, Israel

2008-12-04T14:53:00.003-05:00

Today I visited the Faculty of Agriculture of the Hebrew University in Rehovot. My host, Dr. Yaacov Lensky, came came to the faculty in the 1950s both as a student and then professor and retired in 1997. His focus was research relating to bee biology and beekeeping methods. He provided a report of these activities on his departure.

His successor, Dr. Sharoni Shafer, continues the tradition as noted on the faculty's present web site, including behavioral and pollination ecology. Also included are cognitive, ecological, and genetic aspects of decision making in bees. Choice under uncertainty. Evaluation of floral rewards by honey bees. Instrumental insemination of honey bee queens and selection for pollination of commercial crops. Honey bee nutrition. Colony management for improved crop pollination.

Dr. Lensky used high technology during his time to look at cellular ultrastructure and use of sophisticated chemistry detection techniques to ferret out the role of honey bee pheromones. Dr. Sharoni carries on this tradition, and has designed a unique, automatic device that both trains bees using their proboscis extension reflex or PER, providing information on decision-making.

Predicting Risk-Sensitivity in Humans and Lower Animals: Risk as Variance or Coefficient of Variation

Elke U. Weber
Columbia University - Management & Psychology

Sharoni Shafir
Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Ann-Renee Blais
Defense Research and Development Canada

Psychological Review, Vol. 111, pp. 430-445, 2004

Abstract:

In this paper, we examine the determinants of risk-sensitivity exhibited by humans and other animals. Our dependent measure is the proportion of respondents who choose a sure option over a risky option with equal expected value. We present a meta-analysis of human risk-preference data and compare it to the results of a similar meta-analysis of animal data by Shafir (2000). Both sets of data show that the coefficient of variation (CV), a relative measure of risk per unit of return, significantly predicts choices across a broad range of decision situations. In those situations where the CV can be compared to outcome variance, a more traditional (absolute) measure of risk, the CV outperforms variance as a predictor of risk sensitivity. This is especially true when decision makers (humans, or animals foraging for food) acquire information about choice outcomes and their variability experientially and over time, as demonstrated in an experiment in which we attempted to put students into a risky learning and decision making situation comparable to the experiential information acquisition in risky foraging choice tasks in animal experiments.

The town of Rehovot is known as a city of science and culture with many high technology start up companies and is a stop on the historically important railway line. It also hosts the world famous Weizmann Institute of Science and an interesting museum revealing the activities of a local Kibbutz that secretly manufactured ammunition in the support of the war for independence.

On another note, take a look at the San Diego Bug Alert blog.

Last Day in Turkey - Milas and Labranda

2008-12-03T10:59:00.003-05:00

This was a long day. We met with a Mr. Erol Uysal, a professional guide at the Seckin Konaklar this morning in Bodrum. We departed toward Milas with a stop in Gulluk to see this quiet fishing village before arriving in Milas during the Tuesday market day. We visited the famous mausoleum that is supposed to be a replica of the one we visited the previous day in Bodrum, which had been severely looted. The one in Milas is original and extraordinary, but not nearly the size as the one in Bodrum (Halicarnassus), considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

From there we went to one of the least visited sites in the region, Labranda the City of Zeus, with the symbol of the double-headed ax. This is a remarkable ruin in a lot of different ways.

We arrived after traversing a road lined with hundreds of beehives. The bees were in full flight, harvesting honey dew from the local pine trees. One tree is particular was huge right over the Labranda site and seemed to buzz with activity.

Prior to being left at the international airport, the one we had come in on a week earler, we visited the Beçin castle that overlooks Milas. Beçin Castle, the capital of Menteşe Beys, is situated at the dependent township of Beçin, at a distance of 5 kilometers from Milas city. The fortress has been restored in 1974, and the compound includes two mosques, two medreses, a hamam, as well as the remains of a Byzantine chapel.

As the light fell, we quickly visited the nearby hamam, a roman era bath that was active right up to the 14th century with all the appropriate rooms for undressing and cooling down.

The long day continued as we made our Turkish Airways flight to Istanbul and then on to Tel Aviv, arriving at the dawn of new day. I woke up this morning in the town of Rehovot, hosted by my friend Dr. Yaacov Lensky, retired from the Triwaks Bee Center at the Faculty of Agriculture of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The Castle in Bodrum, Turkey

2008-12-01T16:44:00.003-05:00

The local castle in Bodrum is a sight to behold. Not only has it been rebuilt, but it includes some dynamite museums of ancient ship wrecks and their contents, including ancient glass work and a huge collection of clay pots (amphora), the way most commodities (wine, olive oil, honey and cow bones) were transported by ship in ancient times. The display reveals how this technology developed over the years by displaying various kinds of these unique pots with handles and a tapered bottom.

The Bodrum Castle withstood several dynasties of change. Built by the Knights of St. John in 1405, it solidified their hold on the island of Rhodes and the mainland for many years until they were evicted. At the mouth of the harbor on a promontory, the castle overlooks a forest of ship masts in the modern Marina that encompasses most of the port; pictures taken in 1964 show how much has changed; at that time the number of boats seen could be counted on two hands. There are four towers to look at: English, French, German and Snake, each with its own story.

The castle houses the Turkish Underwater Archaeological museum. Two wrecks are beautifully displayed, including both a diorama complete with bubbling air hoses for the divers and their equipment, and a video demonstrating some of the techniques of underwater archeology. Since the wrecks were in relatively deep water, the divers could only spend about twenty minutes under water, meaning these projects took a huge amount of time.

The Yassi Ada 4th century Roman ship had length about 20 m and was loaded with 1100 amphoras. Discovered on 36-42 m depth in 1958, investigated by the INA in 1967, '69 and '74, it was excavated under the direction of Dr. George F. Bass, Texas A & M University. The museum reveals how the ship was built and one can stand on the foredeck and imagine sailing across the Roman wine-dark sea of the time. Also displayed are artifacts including how ancient scales for weighing, coins, lamps and other paraphernalia.

The Tektas Shipwreck excavation began in 1999, again under the direction of Dr. Bass. The ship sank between 450 and 425 B.C., the Golden Age of Classical Greece, the time when the Parthenon was being built, and of Pericles, Thucydides, Sophocles, Socrates, Herodotus, and others. It lies about 130 feet deep off a cape known as Tektas Burnu, north of ancient Teos on the western coast of Turkey. The museum contains a reconstruction of the ship complete with ancient anchors, amphoras and metal ingots in their original position in the ship and on the sea floor after the sinking occurred.

More on Pine Honey Production

2008-12-01T16:31:00.002-05:00

As its name implies much of the attention at the Pine Honey Congress just completed in Mugla, Turkey was devoted to selling and producing the honeydew crop. In this regard, papers from investigators in nearby Greece were important as well as those from Turkish researchers. Pine honey is honeydew collected from the complex of the scale insect Marchalina Hellenica feeding on pine trees (Pinus sp.). The scale has to imbibe so much liquid from the plant’s phloem that it is forced to excrete a good deal of sweet juice that can be collected by honey bees. The honeydew honey from pines is highly sought after and commands a good price, but it requires special management; is not easy to characterize for export purposes, and thus is a great candidate for economic adulteration.

There is no codex standard for this pine honey, as Dr. Stefan Bogdanov of Bee Product Science in Switzerland confirmed in a review of the subject. Characterizing the material does encompass similar analyses, including organoleptic (taste, smell), and pollen and chemical analyses, as well as electro conductivity. However, because there is no internationally-valid criteria to distinguish pine honey as there is for unifloral honey in the E.U., the International Honey Commission is currently working on the issue. Another paper by Banu Yücel reported that because 92 percent of Turkish pine honey was produced in the Mugla area and 15,000 tons were exported each year to the EU, a specific codex should be created for this product.

A paper by Dr. Chysoula Tananaki investigated the possibility of using volatile compounds measured via Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometery on pine honeys in both Greece and Turkey. Specific compounds including 3-carene were found only in Turkish pine honey, suggesting these might be markers for the product. It was nevertheless concluded that although useful, they should continue to be used only in conjunction with physiochemical and organoleptic methods.

Dr. Sofia Goundari reported on a six-year study of the scale, Marchalina Hellenica (M.h.) in Greece. Aspects studied included morphology, taxonomy, evolution, life cycle and population density in relation to life cycle in five regions: Crete, Attiki, Evia, Chalkidiki, and Thessaloniki. It is concluded that:

M.h. has one generation per year.

The appearance of adults and egg-laying is from 25 March through 25 April.

There are very few males, although on Crete some large populations have been found.

Egg laying in both lab and field has been documented to averag 30 days.

The number of eggs by an individual can reach 400, with an average of 222.

All first instar nymphs become attached to pine trees and begin secreting honey dew by 15 June.

Further ecdyses (developmental changes) occur at the end of August and in October.

The resulting third instar hibernates and continues to secrete honey dew, but the bees often cannot collect this material due to inclement weather.

The developmental times of M.h. nymph are fairly constant over the five regions, but the honeydew secretion varies considerably. Thus, the weather conditions and the health of the trees determine to a great extent the amount of honeydew produced. This makes it difficult for beekeepers to figure out when to move colonies; they can be caught out if the flow does not occur as projected. Dr. Goundari suggests beekeepers in Greece and Turkey develop an information network as found in Germany and other places to help with this decision making.

The advantages of pine honey for beekeepers includes the fact that the harvest is relatively stable from year to year, large numbers of colonies in holding yards do not appear to affect the flow (controversial for some), the flow helps to winter honey bees (perhaps, although the honeydew is not considered optimal for bee nutrition), there is little danger of pesticide damage (the trees are not sprayed), and robbing in limited. The disadvantages include colonies not going into winter in the best possible shape (the queen can easily become honeydew bound and unable to lay eggs) and the spread of disease is enhanced since colonies are placed in very large congregations.

Given the biology noted above, Dr. Goundari provided information on how to exploit the M.h. scale in terms of when and where to move colonies and how to manage them specifically for pine honey production. Before moving, colonies should be strong, treated for Varroa, well fed (syrup and pollen) and they should be “hungry,” not have too many empty frames. In order to determine the optimum time to move, “sentinel” colonies should be placed in areas and monitored for incipient flows.

After the colonies are moved into the honeydew, the management shifts to monitoring combs and pulling them as they fill up – only one brood chamber is used and combs are taken from it. Too much space (the reason supers are not uniformly used) can mean the bees will put the honeydew in small patches all around the frame instead of filling it up uniformly. This seems to parallel to some extent bees managed for section comb honey where they are reluctant to enter the sections unless “force” to do so. Clearly the art of managing honeybees for pine honey is just as demanding, if not more so, than producing good section comb honey.

Arrival in Bodrum, Turkey

2008-11-29T12:31:00.002-05:00

It's a two and half hour drive from Marmaris to Bodrum via the towns of Mugla, Yatagan and Milas. Bodrum is known for its museum, castle and underwater museum, where one of world's oldest ship wrecks has been excavated from the Aegean Sea. Clearly it's all about boats here with the Wooden Yacht Regatta just concluded. After spending two days here, I will be off to Israel. In the meantime I hope to post more complete information about the Pine Honey Congress just concluded in Mugla.

The Fifth Conference of Caribbean Bee Keepers resulted in Brazil coming forward to help Guyana enter a new beekeeping era.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Pakistan has planned to introduce apiculture to costal areas of Sindh and Balochistan, as mangroves forests have been identified to have potential for this alternative source of income.

“We are mobilising communities residing at the 1050-kilometre-long country coast to safeguard the beekeeping and promote it themselves to earn sufficient income. Bee farming can be better source of income as the fish reserves are declining fast around the coast due to climate change, over fishing, increasing marine pollution and indifferent fisheries policy,” said Mohammed Tahir Qureshi, Coastal Ecosystem expert, while talking to The News during the IUCN workshop on ‘Banking on mangroves: a case for investing in coastal ecosystems’ at a local hotel here on Friday.

All the way from the Middle East, I hear that a new organization is brewing in the Sunshine State.

Pine Honey Congress Concluded

2008-11-28T02:25:00.004-05:00

The Pine Honey Congress in Mugla, Turkey concluded yesterday with the usual closing ceremonies and trappings. I was have been unable to recount much of the second and third days until now as the activities have been substantial and Internet access reduced. Besides the discussion on bee losses, which are occurring across the beekeeping world, papers at the Congress were varied and the last day was principally turned over the specific issues surrounding pine honey production.

Honeydew from the Marchalina hellenica is quite interesting and there are a few types
found in this region. Beyond the Mugla pine honey, some others are found in Greece and other areas as well. There is a special management required for this substance because bees don't build up on in (it has no pollen), it is produced in autumn, wearing bees out, and precluding production of winter bees so they must winter in a substandard environment. The bees are almost forced to collect it although it is found in abundance; it is not their favorite food. Comb space also must be managed; too much space and the honeydew is not stored conveniently for extraction. More about this later.

There are also quality issues. Because it commands a high price the urge to adulterate this product is great and it is difficult to characterize it. It contains no pollen so the usual way to look at origin via pollen analysis doesn't work. More about this later.

Today is another excursion on the water out of Marmaris. The weather has finally cleared and it is a great day to further explore this region. Fortunately, it is off season and the summer mobs are not in evidence.

First Day of the Pine Honey Congress, Mugla

2008-11-25T23:52:00.002-05:00

Off early this morning from Marmaris to Mugla University in Mugla town.
high on a hill with a spectacular view across the valley. The facilities are quite modern and the opening ceremony interested with the proverbial image of Ataturk framed by the Turkish flag. The nationalism seemed palpable as the national anthem pounded out of the speakers.

It is now clear that one mission of the Pine Honey Congress is to get ready for Turkey's bid to host Apimondia in 2013. Today featured the usual statistics on honey production for Turkey, considered the world's 5th largest producer of the sweet and certainly the first producer of honey dew. The Mugla area sports a huge number of hives and beekeepers.

Another thing expressed is the huge biodiversity that Turkey has with some 5 to 6 honey bee ecotypes, depending on region. The Thrace bee, the Syrian bee, both Caucasian and Carniolan are here; there's even a Mugla bee, adapted to the honeydew region. There was a good paper on the DNA study here in an attempt to further categorize these races. The big danger is that Turkey will be a victim of its own beekeeping successes and that these unique races will be overrrun by importations of other bees from abroad as usually happens.

Today it's off again to Mugla.

Excursion from Marmaris

2008-11-24T15:53:00.002-05:00

Some thirty people travel on a short bus (short for a reason) out of Marmaris
into the surrounding hill toward the town of Bozburun via a place called Turun ç
and stopped at a local beekeeper who runs 350 colonies, moving them the citrus, almond and finally winding up in the fall of the year near Marmaris to make pine honeydew , which only is thought to be made in Greece and Turkey . This unique product is sought after by some estimates 7000 beekeepers in the region. Most run one brood chamber, but some few use supers. This is a challenging product to make as it comes at the end of the beekeeping year; thus, the beekeeper must not only ensure a crop of pine honeydew, but must also ensure that the bees are in good enough shape to winter. Worse the honeydew is not an ideal nutritional resource for bees; the suffer for collecting it.

Honeydew or pine honey is found in other areas of the world. It uniformly is collected by honey bees, but the plants and insect complex from which the product is made can by quite different as show in New Zealand for example, which is a beech tree.

The trip today includes a typical lunch in a small village of Arabian flat bread (pita) prepared locally, consumed with a liquid yogurt called Ayran and of course some pine honeydew on the side.

Next we visit a hand-made carpet outlet, of which there appear to be many in the region. This is an intricate process and provides unique piled carpetting wool on wool, wool on cotton, silk on silk (the most expensive). You can tell a true hand made carpet at the threads on the outside run through the carpet and are not attached at the last minute and the flexibility is such that it can be easily folded in many ways.

Tomorrow The Pine Honey Congress begins and will seek to educate beekeepers on the latest bee management issues. There is concern here as there is around the world due to what many consider "unacceptable" losses. This congress is sponsored to an extent by Apimondia and there is an international coterie of individuals here from Europe and America.

Pine Honey Congress Information

2008-11-24T00:39:00.004-05:00

Here's information on the Congress: The First Muðla International Congress on Beekeeping and Pine Honey will take place in Muðla – TURKEY from 25 – 27 November, 2008.

The Congress will provide an international forum on all aspects of beekeeping including technical and economical problems, bee health and the environment. All aspects of beekeeping are featured in the Congress agenda. The Congress will be honored by the attendance of distinguished national and international colleagues eminent in beekeeping.

There will be presentations by several national and international colleagues who will provide attendees a detailed insight on apiculture. In addition; delegates from the private sector and civilian social organizations will have an opportunity to review challenges and to elaborate solutions in the beekeeping industry.Muðla is the premier production centre of pine honey in the world.

There will also be ample opportunity to discuss the important headline of honeybee losses occurring in recent years all over the world.Pine Honey of course is honeydew; there are about 7,000 beekeepers in this region producing the highly desirable product.

Arrival Marmaris, Turkey

2008-11-23T05:18:00.002-05:00

I am here for the Pine Honey Congress in Mugla, Turkey. Arrived in Marmaris last night from Istanbul, waking up to a view of where the Aegean meets the Mediterranean right across the famed island of Rhodes. The Congress is outside of Marmaris and supposed to be made up of both beekeepers and scientists. Beekeeping is a big deal here it seems.

Check out the new book on superorganisms. This is a hot topic these days it seems. I wrote a report in Bee Culture on the book by Jurgen Tautz about the same topic.

Gourmet Honeys

2008-11-21T08:28:00.002-05:00

There's a lot of interesting honey products out there. See Kim Flottum's blog on varietal honeys.

Apis UK Published; Unregulated Bugs; Turkey Journey

2008-11-20T10:55:00.003-05:00

I always enjoy the Apis UK. See the latest from David Cramp, et.al.

Contents: Editorial; Beekeeping news: The Petition; Research News: New Research Focuses on Anti Varroa Fungi, Bumble Bee Decisions, Insect Pollination Worldwide Estimated At € 153 billion (U.S. $217 Billion) in 2005, Feeling a bit off colour? , More Research on Fungus V Varroa from the USA, Honey as a treatment for chronic rhinosinusitis And honey for burns, Bees Can Mediate Escape of Genetically Engineered Material Over Several Kilometers, Food and Pheromones, Honey bees can learn to count – up to four!, Another Bee Disease Mystery, The Guidance of ‘Streaker Bees’, Social Behaviour in Some Bees Encouraged by Parasites, How Plants Control their Pollinators; Recipes of the Month: Honey & Gorgonzola Mushrooms, Peanut Butter & Honey Biscuits; Historical Note: On the Breeding of Bees, and of the Drone; Poem of the Month: The Arrival of the Bee Box By Sylvia Plath (1932 - 1963); Readers Letters: Sue McBean; Dates for your Diary; Quote of the Month and more.

Worried about introduction of honey bees by hook or by crook. What about roaches?

I am off tomorrow to the Mugla Beekeeping and Pine Honey Congress. I hope to be able to blog about this experience.

African Workshop Held

2008-11-18T22:32:00.002-05:00

Winneba, Nov. 17 GNA - The International Beekeeping Research Association (IBRA) African Research, in collaboration with the Tropical Agricultural Marketing and Consultancy Service (TRAGRIMACS), Sunflower Ghana, an NGO is organizing a two-day workshop on beekeeping to teach Ghanaians modern beekeeping techniques in Accra.

Bee Brains and Emotions

2008-11-17T13:18:00.002-05:00

Bees have a brain the size of a sesame seed, yet they can perform marvellous feats of navigation, count to four and learn tasks, patterns, colours and odours. So says Professor Mandyam Srinivasan (Mandyam Srinivasan), the winner of the Prime Minister's Prize for Science in 2006 and a Queensland Smart State Premier's Fellowship in 2007.

And what about emotions? Emotions in organisms other than people is a controversial topic to some. Much depends on the definition of an "emotion" and then there are the human emotions that arise when it comes to describing people as animals.

This discussion fits in a number of ways with the human-honey bee interface. Take, for instance, the honey bee dance "language." Other topics in the emotional realm might be "telling the bees" when their beekeeper has died, and the idea that bees notice when the beekeeper is not calm in manipulating a colony, resulting in more stings.

Backyard Beekeeping; Organic Sector Interest

2008-11-15T11:21:00.003-05:00

There's a resurgence in backyard beekeeping interest and at least one region is reconsidering its ordinances:

Denver's zoning ordinances currently prohibit beekeeping. Fortunately, Councilwoman Peggy Lehmann is sponsoring a bill to allow Denver residents to keep bees in their backyards. The city council will consider the proposal on Monday evening.

This change would be good for the whole community. New beekeepers would have honey to share with friends and neighbors. Honey is a healthier sweetener than refined sugar or high-fructose corn syrup because it is a whole food, full of micronutrients from the flowers it comes from. For gardeners, more pollinators would mean higher yields of flowering plants like tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, beans, pumpkins, and zucchini. (And if you think higher zucchini yields are the last thing we need, you haven't tried my wife's zucchini bread.)

In Florida best management practices might be a way to interest municipalities in encouraging beekeeping: "We have just had approved the Beekeeper Compliance Agreement, "Best Management Practices for Maintaining European Honey Bee Colonies" and so has Maine it seems.

Check out the latest interest in the Organic sector in the Organic Trade Association's latest newsletter

Apis Newsletter Posted

2008-11-13T16:42:00.002-05:00

The monthly Apis newsletter has been posted. It was written partly at the A.I. Root Company and features Editor Flottum's blog, and also contains information about the new beekeeper pilot insurance program, as well as the usual teaser contents to the November Bee Culture.

Apis Newsletter Posted

2008-10-17T12:50:00.002-04:00

The monthly Apis newsletter has been posted.

Apis Newsletter Posted: Rooftop Bees in NYC

2008-09-22T14:28:00.004-04:00

The September 2008 Apis newsletter is published, which contains a synopsis of the September 2008 issue of Bee Culture. To see the author's past contributions, visit his Squidoo lens on the topic

Also check out rooftop beekeeping in New York.

Revised BIBBA web site

2008-08-14T15:52:00.002-04:00

Check out the newly revised Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders' Association website. Note that the annual meeting is scheduled for Sept 20 and 21. If anyone is going to this meeting, I would appreciate a report of the goings on.

Apis Newsletter Posted

2008-08-14T15:41:00.004-04:00

See the latest Apis newsletter, which includes Gleanings from the August 2008 Bee Culture magazine.

2008-01-12T02:52:00.000-05:00

Friday was occupied by a number of sessions. Dr. Larry Connor’s Serious Sideliner Symposium began and was held opposite the final presentations of the American Bee Research Conference. At the same time, the general session sported presentations on the futures of the current and proposed honey board and predictions about the state of the almond pollination industry from both beekeepers and almond growers (also themselves beekeepers). I presented some information on discussion lists and web sites in the sideliner session, and attended discussions in the ABRC of queen mating efficiency and sperm cyopreservation. There appear to be significant advances in the knowledge in the latter.

Joe Traynor, the industry’s traditional pollination “broker” (he prefers the term “contractor”) provided hints on the season; set a price around $140 - $150 and then communicate with your customers and don’t flinch. His advice was also seconded by others that now the word is out that pollination matters and beekeepers should not be shy about asking for a rental price that is appropriate. Each year there is significant “agitation” this time of year as both beekeepers and growers try to “read the tea leaves” with respect to supply and demand for bees. For everyone’s sake, all recommended coming to terms as early as possible (June- July if possible) to ensure the best experience for all.

The almond prices continue to support the bee industry; they are responsible for the income to beekeepers from pollination outstripping income from honey production. The almond board too deserves credit for keeping the price and demand up. However, there are clouds on the horizon. The weak dollar means that those purchasing with Euros are getting a big break and the actual market price peaked last year at about $3.00/lb and now has settled at about $1.75..still high, but not at record levels. No one knows what this might portend, however, another 50,000 acres of almonds is due to come online in the next few years. I remember the interest in Australia in almonds and hearing that that country too is eyeing the market that California has developed.

Of special significance to beekeepers is the development of an organization called Project Apis Mellifera <http://www.projectapism.org/> a development by almond growers in cooperation with beekeepers. This is an non-profit given over to bee research, inspired by almond growers who see their health intricately associated with bee keepers. The suggested donation to fund the various projects (see the web site) is $1/hive for both grower and beekeeper. At the present time donations are 2 to 1 in favor of almond growers. Dan Cummings, former Chair of the Almond Board, and now Chair of Project Apis Mellifera, discussed the advantage of doing research via this non-profit, useful because turn around time is quick and the Project can literally begin a study in literally hours as compared to other bureaucracies that take much longer.

The final presentations of the day began with an explanation by trade attorney Micheal Coursey concerning U.S. Customs and the fact that much of the money in duties owed by importers was not being collected. A new kind of honey “packers blend” has been developed by the Chinese to creatively get around countervailing duties.

A representative of U.S. Customs discussed Country of Origin Labeling and how this was being ramped up with reference to honey. A limiting factor is lack of suitable samples for controls from various countries, but that is being rectified in the future. One of the issues reported by Richard Adee in another situation was the Chinese use of “packer blend” honey; this ultra filtered product the Chinese say is less than 50% honey and so no countervailing duty is needed; however, it really is honey and so this represents an elegant way to avoid paying the duty.

A panel on the prospects of the world honey market discussed a number of issues from prognostications on the world crop (Argentina is thought to have a small crop, but this has surprised folks in the past), Brazil is ramping up export (its honey was not allowed into Europe but now that has been rectified). The world price appears to still be stable at best around $.50/lb. Richard Adee in an earlier presentation related that the honey loan deficiency payments in the new Farm Bill would probably be between $.52 and $.72 per pound. A big problem in the domestic market according to Dwight Stoller of Golden Heritage foods is that much of U.S. honey cannot be exported because it contains unacceptable levels of tylosin, a potential wake up call for all beekeepers in the country.

George Hanson provided a report on The Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees, Inc. <http://www.honeybeepreservation.org/>. Six students around the nation were supported by the Foundation by providing each with $2,000. Reports from these studies were given during the American Bee Research Conference. The luncheon honoring the students was keynoted by a spirited speech on scientific ethics and career prospects by retired USDA researcher, Dr. William T. Wilson. “Bill” was introduced using the words I wrote regarding his retirement at the meeting of the American Beekeeping Federation in the year 2000 http://home.earthlink.net/~beeactor/papers_htm/Meetings/ABF%20Meets%20in%20Fort%20Worth.htm

Dr. Marla Spivak discussed her concept of developing a bee lab as part of construction of a new natural history museum on the U. of Minnesota St. Paul campus in a place that is very near the outdated “honey house.” She is embarking on a fund raising effort to find donors interested in an attached honey bee exhibit to the museum.

Finally, Colin Stewart of USDA APHIS provided an effort to discuss the current status of importing bees and bee products. He was taken to task by many for what a lot of beekeepers see as inconsistent policy decisions by APHIS with reference to stock and semen importation. He said that the new research he had seen at the conference was a real eye opener and the kind he and his agency needed to make informed decisions. A special case is the existence of quantities of imported Chinese pollen in U.S. warehouses that APHIS seemed unaware of. Much of this pollen has been sterilized by irradiation, but some is not leading to several raised eyebrows and questions about the adequacy of irradiation and its impact on the pollen’s ability to nourish honey bees. The session ended with few agreements by APHIS and attending beekeepers exacerbated by an obvious problem of lack of communication between the two parties.

Thursday's Events

2008-01-11T09:45:00.001-05:00

Thursday January 10, 2008 was given over to the topic of the year Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Although there continues to be no “smoking gun” in determining the cause of this, researchers are turning big research “guns” toward the project. Perhaps most innovative is Bee Alert Technology’s Integrated Virus Detection System (IVDS) <http://www.bvs-inc.us/honey_bees.htm>.

The American Bee Research Conference (ABRC) also began in conjunction with the American Association of Professional Apiculturists (AAPA). Traditionally these abstracts will be published in an upcoming issue of American Bee Journal. Concurrent to these presentations were updates on the University of California, Davis bee project (H.H. Laidlaw Bee Lab) and reviews from all the USDA bee laboratories. The afternoon culminated in a tour of the U.C. Davis bee lab.

January 8, 2008

2008-01-10T02:23:00.000-05:00

The whole day was given over to the First International Symposium on Honey and Human Health <http://apitherapy.blogspot.com/2007/12/usa-program-of-1st-international.html>
. This was sponsored by The Committee for the Promotion of Honey and Health, Inc. <http://www.prohoneyandhealth.com/custom.aspx?id=4>.

This delightful event was put together supported by a number of sponsors. As part of the event, the Committee put up a web site and invited several internationally known researchers to present their findings.

This information was billed as the first of its kind presented anywhere and the objective was to move research on honey into a different plane as explained by Dr. Ron Phipps who moderated the session and is co-Chair of the Committee.

Dr. Stephan Bogdanov began the symposium with a comprehensive review of the literature on human nutrition and health. Dr. Bogdanov has spent a long time at the Swiss Bee Research Center in Switzerland http://www.apis.admin.ch and is responsible for initiating the International Honey Commission, which boasts about 100 members, several from the U.S.

Mike Mcinnis discussed the uniqueness of honey. He and his son published The Hibernation Diet. Relating a number of studies revealing how glucose metabolism in humans is regulated, including the glucose-fatty acid cycle and metabolism, which inhibits fat metabolism. Of special significance is the consequence of honey consumption that facilitates sleep. Although originally a work oriented toward weight loss, there is evidence that honey consumed at bedtime insures adequate liver glycogen stores, stablizes blood sugar level and contributes to melatonin release and this restorative sleep.

Jessica Beiler revealed that controlled studies show that honey is better at suppressing coughs than over-the-counter medications. Not only was this curative for children, but also for the parents.

Kirsten Traynor provided a comprehensive history of honey’s role in human health from early cave drawings through use in Sumerian and Roman times, by ancient Egyptians and finally early into the twentieth Century. Other presentations showed that with the avent of antibiotics, the medical establishment gave over soley to these at the expense of earlier, more traditional medicine like use of honey.

Other presentations revealed intriguing information about how honey contains beneficial lactic bacteria (Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium), originating from honey bees, how honey could have an effect on improving human cognition and potential weight gain. Dr. David Behr of theUSDA revealed graphic statistics about the incidence of obesity and type 2 diabetes and potential for honey use in this environment; he noted that many studies need to be done with better models and more statistical controls. Honey use by diabetics continues to be recommended in some instances as it is metabolized more quickly and clears the blood stream more rapidly. Finally, Dr. Shona Blair provided excellent evidence that in many situations, where honey has been applied as a last resort and has cleared up many serious conditions, there seems little reason for waiting so long to use honey. That in fact a better strategy is to use honey first, then broad spectrum antibiotics only if the honey doesn’t work as advertised. This would keep the current situation with respect to bacterial resistance emerging so quickly under control.

In summary, Dr. Ron Fessenden, M.D. provided a nice summary of the kind of research that will be needed in the future to move honey treatment out of the dressing room and onto the playing field. Dr. Fessenden it seems found some converts at this seminar, but of course he was “speaking to the choir.” It is thought the next edition of the Hibernation Diet, published in the U.S. (First edition was published in the UK) perhaps with a different name, might convince others that nutrition and wellness based on a natural substance like honey should be looked at by physicians instead of the current focus on diseases (what has gone wrong with the body.) This seminar was a welcome addition to much material already published. It now will be up to those attending this event to enroll others in the various salutary uses of honey.

2008-01-07T13:01:00.000-05:00

I am about to depart for the National Beekeeping Conference to be held in Sacramento, CA from 7 through 13 January 2008. This is a landmark event as both the American Honey Producers Assocation (AHPA)<http://www.americanhoneyproducers.org/> and The American Beekeeping Federation (ABF) <http://abfnet.org/> are meeting at the same place at the same time. These two organizations have been at odds for a number of years and so this represents a beginning of sorts of cooperation between the two groups. Also at this event are meeting the American Association of Professional Apiculturists (AAPA) <http://entomology.ucdavis.edu/aapa/index.cfm> and the Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA) <http://www.apiaryinspectors.org/>. Finally the American Bee Research Conference (ABRC), and brand new Honey and Human Health Association <http://www.prohoneyandhealth.com/UserFiles/image/Symposium_2(1).pdf>. For many of the above organizations, I have written a piece about what many of the acronyms above mean <http://www.beeculture.com/storycms/index.cfm?cat=Story&recordID=444>.

I have done a number of reviews of the meetings of the American Beekeeping Federation over the years. For specific articles, see my vita at <http://squidoo.com/apis>. The 1995 meeting in Portland I subtitled it; “Has The Federation Come Full Circle?”

“The last American Beekeeping Federation (ABF) meeting in Portland, Oregon was in 1969. It was a momentous one according to all accounts. For it marked the secession of a cadre of members that became the American Honey Producers Association (AHPA). Ever since then, this group has vied with the Federation for the hearts, minds and dues of the United States beekeeper. The division resulted in two national associations walking the halls of the nation’s capital, each seeking to represent a very small beekeeping industry, but often with a different message. It took a long time and common foe, Chinese honey, to finally get both groups to cooperate once again. This culminated in the successful anti-dumping suit that almost doubled the price of bulk honey. Only time will tell, however, whether this auspicious beginning, a celebration of elevated honey prices in Portland in 1996, will bring the Federation full circle culminating in a reunion with the AHPA.

This was premature. I will be interested to see how this second attempt to “bury the hatchet” goes.

End of The Australia Apimondia Congress

2007-10-10T02:54:00.000-04:00

This brings to a close the end of my experiences associated with the 40th Apimondia Congress in Australia. There was much more as I stayed a week in Perth after the congress and then flew on the New Zealand, visiting beekeepers along the way and doing a presentation for the Nelson Branch of the New Zealand Beekeepers Association, finally visiting Airborne Honey, before flying back to the United States.

Day 16 – Post Congress Tour, Day 6- Denmark to Perth

2007-10-10T02:49:00.000-04:00

The next morning we leave Denmark for the town of Albany. Here the British flag was first planted in 1826 in response to French activity along the coast. This was the major port in this part of the world until Fremantle near Perth was dredged and made ready for shipping. Wood chips, grain are major exports. We visit the war memorial where the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) left for Europe during WWI only to finally land in Egypt, and after a long respite, be defeated in the debacle known as the battle of Galipolli by the Turks. This began Australia and New Zealand’s cooperative military adventures, ending with the latest war in Iraq. 25 April is celebrated in both countries as ANZAC day.

Albany was also the last whaling port in Australia and a U.S. submarine base during WWII. We see a replica of the vessel that planted the flag the Amity, which along with the whaling station is now a tourist attraction. I have a scare in that I can’t find my camera; I packed it by mistake in my bag and find it at the rest stop on the Albany highway going to back to Perth.

Day 15 – Post Congress Tour, Day 5- Fremantle to Denmark

2007-09-26T22:11:00.000-04:00

Today we go south down the coastal road to Bunbury and then inland into the hills, stopping for a short time at Manjimup. Many places with the suffix “up” apparently indicate aboriginal language usage meaning near water. Manjimup is clearly a tourist place in what is called the Karri and Cultures Heartland. http://www.southernforests.com.au, featuring abundant water and rich soils. The cultures are agriculture, viticulture, aquaculture, horticulture and silviculture. It is not only an area of large wild trees, but also tree fruits. The long Bibbulmun trail runs through here, beginning near Denmark and going 1000 km north to Perth and beyond.

Our destination in the region is the Valley of the Giants http://www.valleyofthegiants.com.au/

in the Walpole-Nornalup National Park and its well known tree-top walk that is handicap accessible, at its highest 40 meters above the forest floor. It is built to swing, providing the sensation of being in a swinging tree, which takes some getting used to. The Red Tingle trees here are some of the largest trees in the world, approaching the sequoahs in California. Many are like the California trees are marked by fire and hollowed out, making nice photo opportunities.

We see the “kangaroo lady” here in a beat up Toyota Land Cruiser filled with baby roos and wallabies, victims of road-killed parents often. She sits placidly in the parking lot nursing them on roo formula. We learn the formula must be adjusted periodically to the developing “joeys.” When they get larger, she liberates them on her land.

After an enjoyable interlude at the Valley of the Giants, we head up the road to Bartholomew’s Meadery just outside of Denmark. This place is for sale at the moment. It features some of the best mead, both dry and sweet varieties http://www.honeywine.com.au.. We see yet another extracting facility and make a tour of the grounds. The place has a “new age” feel about it with manikens and references to spirits and gods.

Day 14 – Post Congress Tour, Day 4- Fremantle, West Coast Honey, The Pinnacles.

2007-09-26T22:02:00.000-04:00

An early start driving out of Fremantle through Perth to the north up the Brand coastal road. We stop to visit West Coast Honey Co.a third generation operation (about 3,000 colonies) in Gingin, just south of Badginarra and Nambun National Parks, mostly based on red gum trees for nectar. Beginning in 1933, the place that has 12 beekeeping families and is also the olive capital of Western Australia. The West Coast Honey Company is the retail end of the Fewster family’s beekeeping enterprise; it is kept separate from the bulk honey extraction business. All are enchanted by two young kangaroos, Eastern grays that are foundlings. A nice garden of wild plants is at the front of the building. A specially big “black boy,” now called grass plant is in evidence. These are seen in the bush in great numbers and were used by the aboriginees to produce a glue mixed together with kangaroo scat; my host in Perth has written some high faluting stories, one concerning the great amount of “hopperite” found in the bush, which is collected by energetic tourists and others.

There is a honey tasting at the store, featuring the supreme honey of the area, Jarrah (high in fructose; not prone to crystallize; low glycemic index, flowering every two years) unique to this area, salmon gum, mallee and Gold Fields, from old gold mining sites.

Water in the area a problem like elsewhere in Australia; one desalination plant in operation; another on the boards. Meanwhile some ground water pumping going on. Again emphasized that bee yards are required to have a local water source (open tanks) for the bees.

One of the Fewsters gets aboard our bus as we make our way up the western coastal road to a place called Cervantes. We pass through an area of cultivate crop land (much canola) along the way, passing by a large wind farm. Stop and look at vegetation along the way including Banksia and areas of Cape Weed and canola. Here we finally are able to dip our feet in the Indian Ocean; a nice lunch is spread out under a veranda. The beach is white sand, but filled with decaying kelp. Lobster boats are anchored off shore; it takes a lot of money to get into this business according to Michael the bus driver, given the restrictions due to potential over fishing.

We are now in the boundaries of Nambung National park http://www.australianexplorer.com/nambung_national_park.htm
according to a sign at the Cervantes site. I note that part of the official map is the Southern Beekeepers Nature Preserve. This appears to be a good way to preserve beekeeping sites, perhaps something others might use as a strategy for overzealous land managers; have your site declared a preserve inside a national park.

We journey south of Cervantes to the Pinnacles Desert, an area with what are rock (limestone) pillar http://goaustralia.about.com/cs/photos/l/blpicpin.htm

This is a popular site for tourists from all over the world and region. There is an interpretative center being planned here (solar powered in part) and will soon be finished along with a ranger station. We trek about half way out the 4km track that runs around the site.

Back on the bus, we head out back to West Coast Honey http://www.about-australia.com/travel-guides/western-australia/perth/attractions/agriculture-produce/west-coast-honey/
for the traditional thing we have become to expect, a barbecue. Again, a group of convivial beekeepers gathers to interact with the guests on the tour from other places in the world.

After dinner, it takes 2 hours to get back to the Esplanade Hotel in Fremantle http://www.esplanadehotelfremantle.com.au/. We arrive exhausted and dive into bed for tomorrow will be another early start.

Day 13 – Post Congress Tour, Day 3- Kingscote to Perth

2007-09-26T21:57:00.000-04:00

An early rise to leave Kangroo Island for Perth via the Adelaide Airport.

Words about the Ligurian bees of Kangaroo Island: Before the 1880s, there were no honey bees on Kangaroo Island. Importations were made between 1881 and 1885 with the intention of breeding bees as a future source for the beekeeping industry. The bees came from the province of Ligura inItaly and are called “Ligurian bees.” In 1885, the South Australian government proclaimed Kangaroo Island as a Ligurian bee sanctuary. No more importations were made, and they are considered the last remaining pure strain of these bees left in the world. The island is out of flight range by bees to the mainland.

The Ligurian strain is gentle and productive, producing honey from many varieties of native eucalypt, bottle brush, tea trees, banksias as well as introduced plants. In recent years, canola, an introduced crop plant, has become increasingly important. Honey is harvested at three-week intervals and hives moved every 6-8 weeks.

The Sealink crossing is much different than the previous day with the breezes very much calmed and few clouds in the sky. The trip to Adelaide is uneventful as we again traverse the Fleurieul Peninsula but along the Western coast road directly to Adelaide. We learn some more about Adelaide, an “overgrown country town” laid out in a series of neat, easy-to-follow grids.

The flight to Perth is uneventful, but long (3.5 hours); good food and complimentary wine. We view the movie, “The Flying Scotsman,” about a bicyclist who developed some of the technology modern cyclists use today like dropped down handlebars. We fly directly across the “Great Australian Bight,” a nick as if someone had taken a real bite out of the continent, where eons ago Antarctica nestled as part of Gonwanda Land.

It’s relatively late when we see land flying between the old gold center Kalgoorlie Boulder and Albany, where the British flag was first planted. Landing in Perth, we board yet another bus for the Eslplanade Hotel in Fremantle, Perth’s port city. This is by far the best accommodation we have had on the tours; pretty high class as Internet service from the room is AU$9.90/ hour.

Day 12 – Post Congress Tour- Murray Bridge to Kingscotte, Kangaroo Island

2007-09-18T13:24:00.000-04:00

Up early and leave the motel by 0600 to make the Sealink Ferry to Kangaroo Island http://www.tourkangarooisland.com.au/gettingthere/default.aspx. We descend onto the Fleurieul Peninsula http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleurieu_Peninsula and make our way via Victor Harbor and Port Elliot http://www.fleurieupeninsula.com.au/location.asp.

Prior to the crossing, all honey products are put into plastic bags to leave with the Sealink folks as there is a strict quarantine for honey products, which might introduce disease. This will also be true for folks going to Perth. No honey products can be brought to West Australia from South Australia as EFB does not exist in the west, but AFB does. It turns out that South Australian honey in fact is seen in Perth, the Espanade Hotel where we stay, but it must be heated to 60 degrees C to rid it of EFB risk.

The ferry crossing is a brisk 45 minutes. Today is extremely cold and windy. Lots of little pied cormorants http://www.amonline.net.au/factsheets/little_pied_cormorant.htm on the jetties. We land in a driving rainstorm, but it is short lived, and on the bus we are met by Kangaroo Island hosts including Betty McAdam of Hog Bay Apiary http://www.users.on.net/~hogbay/.

From the landing point at Penneshaw we travel to American River http://www.tourkangarooisland.com.au/directory/americanriver.aspx to Emu Ridge Distillery http://www.australiablog.com/places-to-go/kangaroo-island-south-australia-emu-ridge-eucalyptus-oil-distillery.html, where oil from the narrow leaf eucalyptus is distilled from the leaves; they are so high in oil that kohalas won’t eat them. Here we see a small orphan gray kangaroo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Grey_Kangaroo and an emu family http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu. Next we travel to Clifford’s Honey Farm http://bestofkangarooisland.com.au/centralki/index.html where we have a lunch, see the extracting outfit and taste the famous honey ice cream; recipe remains a secret. After that we check in at the historic Ozone Seafront Hotel, built 1906 and rebuilt after a disastrous fire around 1916 http://www.ozonehotel.com/.

We journey to the Islands Seal Bay Conservation Park http://www.parks.sa.gov.au/sealbay/index.htm where we see a bunch of exhausted Australian sea lions sleeping off their latest exertion. We are told not to wake them up as they have just been out feeding at the edge of the continental shelf and are pretty tired when they return. We are told this population has not grown in several decades and therefore remains on the edge of extinction http://www.parks.sa.gov.au/sealbay/sealion/index.htm.

We return for dinner at Island Beehive http://www.island-beehive.com.au where a bevy of guests have been invited; the Kangaroo Island Beekeepers Assoc. http://www.honeybee.com.au/beeinfo/assn.html

is out in full force and a good time is had by all. We return to the Ozone but on the way are treated to seeing a koala bear http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koala in the wild. They have a checkered history here it seems as they are introduced and have no predators the population has exploded and they are pests eating trees and other vegetation. One wag calls them klunking koalas, that’s what they sound like when they are shot and fall from their perch in a tree.

Day 11 – Post Tour: Day one – Melbourne – Adelaide- Murray Bridge

2007-09-18T13:08:00.000-04:00

A very early start this morning; 4:20 a.m. The bus takes much longer than expected to get the full quota of passengers; we visit 5 hotels and cross the Yarra River at least 4 times: Finally we are off to the Melbourne airport, and we push off the gate on time at 0:800 destination Adelaide, named after the queen of King James and designed in the European style with a center square framed by four others; we journey through the town and back on the main road to Melbourne, having a coffee break just east of the town of Murray Bridge (called King’s Crossing as well). Two bridges are here; the motorcar and railway, both built before the turn of the century. There is a hilly winding road out of Adelaide, which then dips down to the Murray River.

Harry, our bus driver, gives us a discussion of camels http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/publications/camel/index.html. Abandoned by their Middle Eastern handlers when railways and trucks took over distribution of goods and commodities throughout the great deserts of Australia, a wild population now flourishes at times even to pest levels in some areas. These also have become a resource, however, as many are shipped back to the Middle East (Saudi Arabia) to add genetic diversity to herds, which often have disease problems. The breeding program in Australia has also attempted to produce a jet black camel, for which there would be huge demand, but although individuals have become darker (chocolate) the true black camel so far has yet to be produced. The females are the basis for much of this and the males not as important. The often are harvested for meat and camel burgers are considered a delicacy in some places as the meat is high in protein and low in fat and carbohydrate.

There is a large enclosed pipe along the road here, which delivers Murray River water to the region http://www.envict.org.au/inform.php?item=1258. There is also an aquifer in the region that is being pumped to the detriment of the water resource, similar to the Ogalala aquifer in the U.S. Most roofs have guttering systems delivering water to cisterns. Every hotel in the country provides information on the effect of the current drought and need for tourists and others to conserve water.

Areas along the roadway show that on occasion, fairly rich farmland gives way in low areas to almost barren, swampy sites. This is where salt has risen to ground level. Close to these areas are usually patches of salt bush, which is a crop http://www.abc.net.au/landline/stories/s331210.htm. One result is sheep fed on salt bush creates a lamb that is a delicacy in some regions, so-called “saltbush lamb.” http://www.bultarra.com.au/.

An interesting and well written article by Shelley Gare, The Sting, The Weekend Australian Magazine, September 15-16, 2007 http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22417482-5012694,00.html
reveals the depth of press coverage Colony Collapse Disorder is receiving in Australia and around the world. The Melbourne Congress is mentioned as is the research by Dr. Denis Anderson, billed as “The world’s only general bee pathologist. Bearded, unassuming and smiley…” There’s a general history of Varroa, especially introduction to New Zeand’s north island (2000) and the south by 2004, leading to a loss of 2000 beekeepers and 30,000 hives “that’s about 2,000,000,000 bees.”

There follows an explanation of the bees’ pollination value and how it has been understated and taken for granted with a research budget of only $AU 40,000. According to the article, there are just under 10,000 registered beekeepers in Australia with about 1.5 million hives, but only 2000 commercial operators (250 owning more than 500 hives), producing 20,000 to 30,000 tons of honey a year mostly for export, and “everyone knows everyone else.” There are also bee brokers for pollination and the author came in contact with one “bee smuggler, a man who once tried to sneak in eight queen bees from Liguria, Italy, inside 8 ballpoint pens http://www.honeybee.org.au/may01.html..”

There are just three package bee producers in the country, the largest is “Warren Taylor from Blayney in NSW…with an annual turnover of $AU 2.5 million.” There follows the history of almond pollination in California and Dr. Anderson’s belief that the press has over sold the issue and its based on anecdotes rather than data. He says scientists see things through their own specialty, bacteriologists blaming bacteria, virologists viruses, and all through the prism of not enough funding. A side bar suggests the honey bee situation could be saved by Australia’s native bees. See http://www.uq.net.au/~zzrzabel , http://www.aussiebee.com.au and http://www.sugarbag.net. He decries a recent article in Science linking CCD in the U.S. to a specific strain of Israeli acute paralysis virus found to have originated in Australian queens, concluding that the virus has been found in hives not suffering from CCD and asking why if this was so, there are no hives in Australia suffering from the malady.

Almost to the Victoria border we come to Tintinara, the home of Zadow apiaries. Here two brothers, Ian and Ross Zadow run 1400 hives. Ross is one of the featured naked beekeepers on the Aussie beekeepers calendar sold at the congress. They represent the youth and future of Australian beekeeping. This small town of 300 features 7 beekeepers.

Australias’ small towns are suffering to survive as the magnets of Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide continue to attract young folks away from the rural lifestyle. One woman has stayed because she is employed by a governmental program assisting farmers in programs like reforestation, but these jobs are scarce.

Ian Zadow is president of the local association, the southeastern branch of the South Australia Apiarist’s Assocation http://www.honeybee.org.au/members.htm#SAAA. There are other branches in this state, including riverland, northeast and central, representing about 800 beekeepers running 64,000 hives. There is also an amateur association, which Ian says is entering into an arrangement with commercial beekeepers to develop a 5-year strategic plan.

The newest crop in the region is canola http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canola, which has come on strong in the last few years and considered a great resource for beekeepers. The big crops here are oats, barley and Lucerne (alfalfa) http://www.lucerneaustralia.org.au/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfalfa; the latter produces a good honey crop and beekeepers do not charge for pollination. However, there is a budding almond pollination industry as like California, this crop is due for rapid expansion across Australia in the next few years.

Discussion with Yurij Riphyak on the tour, Chief Marketing Officer of Medyanarosa, a Ukrainian outfit http://www.medyanarosa.com which is attempting to develop markets for Ukrainian honey. He and others in his group know Dr. Alexander Kommisar, who I met at the 2005 meeting of the IUSSI (International Union for the Study of Social Insects) in St. Petersburg, Russia http://home.earthlink.net/~beeactor/papers_htm/ABJ/IUSSI%20Meets%20in%20St.%20Petersburg_full.htm. The company is attempting to get youngsters involved in beekeeping.

The Zadows have a large building with an integrated extraction room, but they also extract in the field. A trailer carries the extraction house fully set up, which pumps honey into pipes that dump it into the 1000 liter plastic Capilano containers sitting on the truck bed. They wheel the frames from the field in a carrying apparatus that looks like a wheel barrow. They use plastic foundation dipped in wax and try to re queen regularly, sometimes introducing 50 queens per week into the operation. Like others in Australia, biggest problem is AFB treated by irradiation and burning; wax moths controlled using a cold room, both emphasize the philosophy of no chemical treatments. No major small hive beetle problems (drought contributory?).

We see cape weed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctotheca_calendula, which can result in EFB and blue gum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Gum, one of their major nectar plants like so many has little pollen. Feeding Palmer’s protein patties http://www.penders.net.au/catalogue/quick_order.php. Discussion of a wooden extractor on the premises; intricate wooden gears which turn a galvanized screen container (typical 4 frame tangential extractor, often used by small-scale operators). Discussion of the unique fork lift seen on the premises. The inventor was on hand, billed the oldest beekeeper there, filled with historidal information. His forklift design was disseminated around the country and further improved on. The wheels are large to accommodate sandy soil and the boom is able to move colonies through a good radius; this may be the ideas behind the commercial boom (self levelers).

We proceed to Mr. Barry Pobke's apiary, where we see a demonstration of a forklift and various pallets being moved. He has a solar panel on his forklift to help maintain a trickle charge. He shows us his record keeping system; most beekeepers in Australia use isolating mechanisms either hive barriers or yard barriers to ensure disease is not transmitted. Mr. Pobke shows us his record keeping system and also his records involved in the quality control plan he uses; this was discussed at the Apimondia meeting, the B-Qual plan http://www.b-qual.com.au/overview.aspx.

We have a farewell barbecue hosted by the Zadows and others in Tintinara http://www.smh.com.au/news/South-Australia/Tintinara/2005/02/17/1108500204720.html
at the local meeting house, also a theater, containing historical items and pictures. We feast on Coorong mullet http://www.abc.net.au/tv/cookandchef/txt/s1865509.htm. Originally the tour was to be to the Corrong http://www.thecoorong.com/exploring.html but this was deleted from the itinerary. We return to Murray Bridge Motel for the evening.

Day 10 – Australian Technical Tour Ends the Congress :

2007-09-14T08:06:00.001-04:00

Some 32 buses pulled out of the Melbourne Convention Centre this morning with eager beekeepers on what were billed as “technical tours.” This featured a visit to a fairgrounds facility some two hours to the northeast near the Bendigo area. It was a fairly cold, windy day with intermittent light rain, but a good time was had by all. The fairgrounds featured a typical Australian barbecue and displays of old farm engines that have been restored, wood chopping and perhaps the most intriguing, snakebusters featuring not only many species of boas that hung around beekeepers necks, but also some of the most poisonous snakes in the world, were handled with relative ease because they had been brought up in captivity. In addition, we saw some intriguing blue tongued skinks and large green hylae tree frogs http://www.snakebusters.net.

Also at the fairgrounds was a open-hive demonstration with the obligatory discussion about the “box” and “gum” trees that are the primary nectar sources in the country. In addition, there was hand a gaggle of bee trucks of every shape and size. One featured a tow-along honey house with hoses running directly into the 1,000 liter tanks on the truck bed of the towing vehicle. A visit to various honey houses and apiaries were deftly choreographed by the organizers so that no single place was overrun with eager beekeepers. The place I went to featured box dipping and old honey extracting facility and the chance to see not one, but two specimens of Australia’s night jar, the tawny frogmouth. This visit provided a great end to the Congress “Down Under.”

Day 9 – Fourth Day of the Congress:

2007-09-14T08:04:00.000-04:00

Today featured two symposia on bee health. One focused on the emerging problems associated with small hive beetle. There was discussion of the beetle’s management in the U.S. and its recent introduction into Australia. Presentations on beetle traps, chemical control and diagnosis were featured. The Russian bees in the U.S. are as resistant to SHB as are other races.
Tropilaelaps mites have some of the same dynamics as found with Varroa sp classification by Australian researchers, as certain types are associated only with specific bee hosts, variations of the giant honey bee Apis dorsata. Studies about these mites will provide important information as there have been incursions into Australia of the host Apis cerana and the mites are also found in some of the close-by islands of Indonesia.

Finally, colony collapse disorder as named in the U.S. considered responsible for more than normal bee losses was discussed, including a unique session featuring short presentations by scientists, officials of Apimondia (Chairmen of the standing commissions on bee biology, bee health, beekeeping equipment, and pollination and bee flora. This was followed by comments from the audience ranging for polite questions concerning the details of the research to more pointed observations by those who believe that pesticides and gmo crops are major causes. President Asger Sogaard Jorgensen took the microphone at the end asking participants to keep an open mind and not fall into the trap of developing hard line philosophical “camps.”
The closing ceremonies that evening featured the Australian group The Sundowners singing Irish and Scottish-derived melodies brought to Australia and the featured song heard before, Waltzing Matilda.

The two most emotional points of the evening were when the Australian chairman turned over the reigns to the French delegation who will host Apimondia 2009 in Montpellier and the selection by a “clear majority,” (75% of the voting delegates) of Argentina to host the congress in2011 in Buenos Aires.

Day 8 – Third Day of the Congress:

2007-09-14T08:02:00.000-04:00

Several commissions held plenary sessions this day. Chairman Gilles Ratia provided an overview of the Beekeeping Equipment standing commission’s activities. The keynote speaker, Dr. Jeff Pettis of the U.S. Department of Agriculture provided a discussion he characterized as thinking “inside the box,” most specifically, the honey bee box or hive. He related some research attempting to raise bees in a hiving situation more like natural homes in trees, most specifically looking at different nesting configurations with respect to placement of the entrance with reference to the bottom board of the modern bee hive. These revealed that entrances on the bottom board level might be re examined and exploration of higher entrances might be warranted.

Mr. Ratia provided a discussion of honey crystallization and how modern packing plants currently treat honey with respect to filtering, heating and packing the product. There are many things to consider here from concepts about flash heating to avoid production of hydroxmymethlyfurfural (HMF) and how handling the barrels differently (temperature during storage, positional shock due to shifting position) can influence crystallization. Other talks here included progress of the Varroa “mite zapper,” the round Hungarian hive and use in Brazil of a white colored veil (painted black inside and white outside), which reduces defensive behavior in Africanized honey bees.

Another symposium featured strategies in controlling American foulbrood. One participant noted that foulbrood was emphasized at this congress far more than in the past to the exclusion of other diseases, including Varroa mites. Foulbrood is the biggest problem in Australia as the country has no mites and the strategy to control it incorporates hive destruction by fire and increasingly the use of cobalt 60 radiation treatment. New Zealand is on its way to accomplish something few thought possible, the complete eradication of American foulbrood via a program of education and enforcement by the beekeeping community itself and not state regulators.

Finally, the bee flora standing commission featured a keynote presentation on the changing landscape for commercial pollination, which is slowly becoming the major rationale for beekeeping, and replacing the traditional basis, honey production. This has a different set of challenges and opportunities when it comes to managing bees. The Australian situation features this aspect; the main concern with respect to Varroa introduction on the national level is not its effect on honey production, but how it will impact pollination via devastation of feral bees. Thus, funding is more available for this kind of research than it might be otherwise.

An initial meeting of the Global Bee Breeders Initiative with representatives from Argentina, USA, Australia, New Zealand occurred that evening. A round table discussion provided impetus to move toward the establishment of a bee breeders association, somewhat modeled on the Honey International Packers Association that already is in operation http://www.hipa.org.uk. Tasks that need to be done include establishing a mission statement and investigating the legal structure under which such an association might prosper. The vision is to ally it with two of Apimondia’s standing commissions, Bee Biology and Beekeeping Equipment.

There will be a meeting emphasizing global bee breeding sponsored by Apimondia in Neuvo Vallarta, Mexico 15-18 October 2008 apicolaelite@hotmail.com
or enriqueabeja@hotmail.com. . Other international meetings advertised at the convention were the 9th Ibero Latinoamericano Congress in Chile in 9-13 July 2008 http://www.apicongreso.com ,and the 9th Asian Apicultural Apicultural Association Conference in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China 1-4 November 2008 http://www.aaa2008china.com . In addition, there will be a Bee Safari in Turkey with Biyotematur 1-14 August 2008 http://www.biyotematur.com, concentrating on the Causcasian honey bee.

Second Day of the Congress

2007-09-11T09:08:00.000-04:00

Day 7 – This day was taken up with bee biology and bee health for this observer. Prof. Dr. Karl Crailsheim provided an analysis of the explosion of study about bees in general and honey bees in particular. In 1909 there were few papers on bees, but over the decades especially in the last two there has been a huge increase. In the current decade they are approaching 2,500 papers in 10 years. Mostly these are in English and generally are involving behavior and neurobiology. Apimondia has been greatly involved with its two publications, Apidologie (general biology in focus) and Journal of Apicultural Research (management in focus).

Sequencing the honey bee genome has also provided a huge number of possibilities never before possible, rather as if a cue ball breaks up a rack of pool balls. Surprisingly the honey bee genome is small, 10,000 genes, in comparison to humans (20,000), fruit flies (13,600) and silkworms (18,500). This means the honey bee genome is stable with no need for rapid change. Honey bees also have similarities with humans, including a circadian rhythm and pattern (facial) recognition. They have fewer genes for innate immunity, detoxifying enzymes and gustatory receptors, but more genes for odor receptors (mine detection) and nectar and pollen utilization. The genes for royal jelly appear to have made evolution of sociality possible. Novel micro RNA has been found and via population genetics the origin of Apis in Africa has been confirmed.

Finally the genes for group decision making are being identified (swarming). This includes finding new homes via scouts and following dancers with higher probability, rather like a democracy.

He then introduced Dr. Robert Page as the keynote speaker, who provided the audience with a resume of 18 years (31 generations) of high vs. low pollen hoarding. From this research has come an enormous base of information by comparing high pollen hoarding bees and observing their interactions. These bees store more pollen, collect more pollen, forager earlier (not expected), collect nectar with lower sugar concentration, even water (not expected) and are more successful foragers (not expected). This was matched up with wild bees and the phenotypic architecture (QTL maps) has been studied (at least 4 QTLs).

Other presentations featured introduction of Apis mellifera into Australia (Trevor Weatherhead), the debate about how Apis bees interact/compete with native bees (Norman Carreck), Apis melliera capensis and larval queen selection (Peter Neumann), absconding and swarming in Africanized honey bees (Lionell Goncalves).

Dr. Wolfgang Ritter presided over a bee health seminar in the afternoon, which included information about diseases and pests in general, American foulbrood (Michael Hornitzky), overview of EU regulations (Emma Soto), the European working group on Animal Health (Antonio Nanneti).

The evening was billed as a cultural event, with Gail Robinson, a beekeeper’s wife and story teller, as master of ceremonies. She introduced the Yarra Yarra dancers doing the Werundjeri people’s greeting and smoking ceremony (actually created fire on stage via friction), the Bushdrovers Band (Waltzing Matilda), Cameron Bawden the whip cracker and the Australian Girls Choir.

Dinner this evening was at Lucky Chan after a cruise through the Crown Casino, the biggest in the southern hemisphere. Drizzling most of the day, tomorrow the front is due to be gone and the sun hopefully returns.

First Day of Congress

2007-09-10T07:20:00.000-04:00

Day 6: A breakfast at the local McDonalds. It has breakfast food, including the ubiquitous Weetbix and also some berry cereal with milk, which are different. I also have thick toast advertised as from Australian wheat. The plastic spoons have a specific shape apparently so they can be used in flurries. We can’t understand the waitress, who we find is from New Zealand. The sitting place in the restaurant is almost outdoors, surrounded by glass panes that are not connected to each other. There are also outdoor heaters, which radiate heat down on customers.

I attend two symposia this day. One on bee health is chaired by Dr. Wolfgang Ritter, who began by speaking about the Organization of International Epizoites OIE (name changed to World Animal Health Organization) which has taken on a larger role in recent times due to the activities of the World Trade Organization. I discuss with Dr. Ritter the administration of OIE in Paris. He has little information, but gives me an e-mail address. I am left wondering how this fits with U.S. regulatory efforts and administration. Dr. Ritter assures me the U.S. is a member, but I am left wondering who really pays the bill and why.

The symposia features talks on a new media for Paenbacillus l. spores, which can be used perhaps to develop better screening techniques (Steve Pernel, Canada. Page 179) and three presentations by personnel at the Australian National University (Page.209). These discussed characterizing the microorganisms in the gut of the honey bee and how they coorelated with chalkbrood incidence. Especially interesting was the inhibition (and actual mechanism found) for inhibition of the chalkbrood fugus by the Pseudomonas bacterium strain AN5 (genetically marked by a jelly fish green florescence protein). This leads to the conclusion that the more bacteria in a bee gut, the less chance of the chalkbrood fungus growing; in addition, gluconic acid (also produced by the Pseudomonas bacterium strain AN5) inhibits chalkbrood and since it is used in many other animal applications, there should be no problem using it on bees from a regulatory standpoint. Also reported were herbal remedies for the Thai sacbrood virus found in Apis cerana (a real problem in India, killing up to 95 percent of colonies), Portuguese studies showing amitraz resistance by Varroa, and a Chinese investigation showing that high larval hemolymph levels of micro elements (Zn and Hg) and free amino acids might be responsible for why Varroa destructor cannot reproduce on worker brood in Apis cerana.

In the afternoon a symposium chaired by Susan Cobey at the University of California, Davis brought together discussions of the utility of instrumental insemination, cryopreservation of sperm and breeding programs in Turkey, Slovenia, Argentina, USA and France. This was capped off by remarks from Martin Braunstein on the current situation surrounding bee regulations and the proposal by my self and Martin of The Global Bee Breeders Initiative.
Later we attended the French night, billed as food, music and by invitation only. We find out it really is almost an advertisement for the 2009 Apimondia to meet in Montpellier, France. Obviously, a way to drum up business for the next congress, which one wag said would change Apimondia to Hapimondia.

Arrival Melbourne

2007-09-10T07:18:00.000-04:00

Day 5 - We board the bus after breakfast at the Motel Nirebo on the banks of the Murray River and begin the last day of the tour. About an hour out we meet up with Craig Scott, a local first-generation beekeeper who runs about 1,100 hives for both pollination and honey production. The pollination is mostly for fruits and seed production (onion, alfalfa or Lucerne) and rental is about AU$ 60/colony. He runs a palletized operation, moving bees within about a 3 hour radius for pollination and about a 5 hour one for honey production.

Mr. Scott is Mr January on the 2008 Beekeeper’s Calendar, a series of almost full monte naked beekeepers, ranging from their 20s to 80s. He runs Caucasian Queen– Italian drone crosses and does most of his queen production himself and requeens every year most of his colonies. The resultant stock is very gentle something most of those on the tour from America can appreciate, especially those running close to African bee country in the tropics of North, Central and South America. I realize that temperament has really been compromised in the U.S. over the years since Varroa. Again, looking at Australian beekeeping is like going back in time to a much different beekeeping that prevailed before Varroa.

The honey production in this region, Golden Valley environs, would be the envy of beekeepers anywhere. Basically there is some kind of flow on all year around; the management is to move a truckload of empty supers to a yard that has just finished a flow, take off the supers and return for extraction; then take the empties back on a sort of rotation scheduled based on flow. Supers can be filled usually on a four-week rotation. There is a bout a t 140 kilogram/colony average yield. Honey is put into 250 Kg plastic barrels or the 1000 liter plastic bulk container that appears to be ubiquitous and used by Capilano, Australia’s large packer.

Near the city of Shepparton we visit an orchard of the Corboy Fresh Fruit, a huge operation with many hectares of stone fruits, apples, pears. The young fellow who orients us is extremely knowledgeable. The place has compute controlled drip irrigation and we see several ways of putting fruit on a trellis, some result in a much more dense planting, requiring more bees. Bees are put at the end of the rows. A surprise is the picking labor. It turns out this is by what are called “backpackers,” from Asia and Europe. Young folks get AU$ 14.84/hour, also working by the piece, for which they also get their visa extended. Australia has very strict immigration laws and doesn’t allow people to stay very long. On arrival Melbourne, I see a sign at a youth hostel advertising “guaranteed” work for backpackers.

A nice lunch at the Belstack Tourism Complex and strawberry farm features both beef and chicken, under a large stand of red river gum trees, which are perhaps known as the premier Australia honey plant. Also called a “widow maker” because many a camper under these trees has died due to branches falling on them, especially in frosty weather.
Back on the bus we depart for Melbourne along the Riverine plain. This changes to the last remnants of the Great Dividing Range prior to entering Melbourne and thus some hills with a change toward more “urban” environment. There is a nice panorama from the roadway as we approach the city on the bank of the Yarra River. We are the last to be dropped off at the Travel Lodge South Bank. A quick change of clothes then down the quay and across the bridge to the Convention Center.

Registration was a breeze, as we were pre registered. I get a black bag with a copy of the program and abstracts. This will be one of the banes of my existence as I like to find the abstract associated with each talk. It is difficult as all are simply put in the book in almost willy nilly with no alphabetical order, no index, not referring to any part of the program.

The opening ceremony is typical of most I have been to with the standing commission chairs seated on stage and a welcome by various dignitaries and the response by Asger Sogaard Jorgensen (Denmark). There is a homily to Dr. Silvestro Cannamela by the current Secretary-General Riccardo Jannoni-Sebastianini (Rome, Italy). In addition, there is a moment of silence for Eva Crane who died just three days before congress convened. Usually opening ceremonies have some kind of cultural demonstration, but that is scheduled for Tuesday night during this congress.

In bed by 9:30 as I am still suffering from jet lag and all that time on the bus. I sleep like a log, but am up early at 5:45 a.m. ready for the beginning of the congress.

Canberra to Echuca

2007-09-08T16:18:00.000-04:00

Day 4: A good breakfast at the Novotel then a quick trip down to the Internet shop next door before boarding the bus to leave Canberra. We do about 100 km to Gundagai where Paul Mann boards the bus to take us to Sticky Knob, his extracting facility on the top of a knob outside of the city. He runs 1,500 hives for honey and pollination using standard equipment, trucks and forklifts and bobcats, moving bees in about a 300 mile radius. He makes the observation that queens last twice as long (over 3 years in some cases) in the mountains than in the coast (yearly requeening necessary), a consequence of nutrition available and humidity levels. He has gone to a galvanized steel pallet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallet, with integrated bottom board, which he says has been quite successful in keeping colonies drier leading to more productivity. The old wooden ones soaked up the moisture. The New Zealander on the trip Franz Laas says that his open bottom boards have also contributed to better health of his bees, even though he not been challenged by Varroa as yet on the South Island. We also visit Mr. Mann’s brother’s place and manipulate a few hives. EFB mentioned as a manageable problem here as is small hive beetle at the moment. 75% of the honey comes from the introduced week, Patterson’s Curse http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/nreninf.nsf/LinkView/EB966B5D67EDD011CA256BCF000AD546ECC844336D72F0634A256DEA00293F8A, an introduced weed difficult to control. The nectar sometimes has such a low moisture content that it will not pour out of a jar.

Several things are discussed. The large number of kanagroos, shooting 40-50 a night makes no dent in the population, which controls its population by managing abortion rates and moving the young quickly into and out of the pouch to make room for others or even stopping development entirely http://www.pocanticohills.org/cook/7thgrade/redkangaroo.htm. The road kill here is intense and the beekeepers’ trucks are fitted with large bumpers to keep from being damaged and this even extends to armor protection over the windshields. Discussion of gun control; it is almost impossible to get a permit to buy a gun; although he had a gun for years, one year the permit license was not renewed and it was lost forever. Bees on public lands in the reserves are no longer permitted. Farmers in general have been driven out of the parks. The did care for the land, but now there is none and it is being overrun with the bad kind of dingo dog, kangaroos and too much timber is allowed to pile up as a fire hazard. See conclusions of the land management folks http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/international/forests/fs-australia.html, In addition, the H&S (health and safety) http://www.ablawyers.com.au/services/occupational.htm laws are putting the squeeze on farmers. They have many of the same complaints as folks in the U.S. have about OSHA http://www.osha.gov/.

We board the bus to visit the tourist attraction, known as Dog on the Tucker Box. A small statue of a dog on top of a food box is a homily to the pioneers who carried their food with them in boxes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_on_the_Tuckerbox

We have another long way to go into the town of Wagga Wagga (words are repeated to show number—the more repeated words, the more connoted in aboriginal language) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagga_Wagga,_New_South_Wales

. We begin to move out of the western foot hills of the Great Dividing Range into the Riverine area associated with the Murrumbidgee River. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murrumbidgee_River.

We see mixed vegetation turn to a flat river plane. Associated with this is the shift in bird life, from sulfur crested cockatoos to the reddish galah (crimson). As the land becomes more irrigated and we see large fields of canola then rice, laughing kookaburras become more prevalent, as they are in the kingfisher group and so attracted to natural and human waterways. We also see crested pigeon and doves on the ground along with flocks of cockatoos and the odd emu (wild population here). There is also many sheep in both habitats, making the pastures look like they have been mowed. Historically, this is the heart of the wool industry.

We motor through the Riverine passing by small hamlets, moving toward our destination, Echuca on the Murray River. The River was the lifeblood of the region and Mark Twain called it the Australian Mississippi when he visited. With rail and truck traffic and the upper reaches transformed by irrigation, it is now a favorite tourist destination http://www.murrayriver.com.au/history/#General%20History. Thus, our trip features a trip on the Pride of Murray http://www.emmylou.com.au/About%20Pride.html

complete with dinner. I manage to get up into the wheelhouse, about as close as a modern guy can get to the halcyon days when the paddleboats ruled this region. You can also join the Murray River Club and purchase your own boat if you wish http://www.murrayriver.com.au/boating/paddlesteamers/emmylou/default.htm

Discussions on the coach about other topics associated with the Murray River:

Murray Cod http://www.nativefish.asn.au/cod.html, a native top predator is endangered due to habitat destruction. This fish can be long lived and very big, well over 80 lbs. Australian bit of lore, the Murray Cod is so big it can only turn around at the confluence of rivers where the width is appropriate. Then there’s the European Carp, which one web site calls a misnomer, http://www.murrayriver.com.au/members-club/fishing/carp.htm#Rehabilitating%20the%20environment. This is European in the sense that it’s an Asian fish introduced to Europe and then via humans, Australia. Dubbed the “rabbit of the river” http://www.murrayriver.com.au/fishing/carp.htm, it is associated with degradation of the riverine environment, causing vegetational decal and oxygen deprivation. Trees fall into river closing them down. What was once a clear flowing river has become impassible. As one web site declares: “But are carp the villians or just one of the many syptoms being displayed by our stressed rivers. Are carp a scapegoat for 200 years of inappropriate river management, or are they one of the prime causes of degradation in our rivers?” http://www.murrayriver.com.au/fishing/carp.htm.

2007-09-07T17:32:00.000-04:00

Day 3 – We finally leave Sydney, under the cross city tunnel, which has an interesting history all its own. Apparently many of the residents refuse to use it and the private company that built it went bust. It is very long and spits one out onto the airport road. From here we climb onto the coastal range, which is very old and had a table on top. It provides somewhat of a rain shadow for the interior. We journey through mixed farm land, climbing through forests of eucalyptus, seeing the occasional magpie and every once in a while a cockatiel. There are several varieties. Also Ian our tour guide discusses the birds in his back yard, honey eaters, which are adapted to eat pollen. Fed normal birdseed they become ill as they do if a lot of honey is added to their diet; they are nectar feeders in the wild. I find out that there are no hummingbirds here, so the honey eaters apparently take their place. Every once in a while we see an Australian kestrel hunting along the road way. It is difficult to bird watch in a rolling bus. We will end the day at the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Discovery Center in Canberra and find an exhibit, which provides good information on birds, according to habitat where each species is likely to be found and their song http://www.anwc.csiro.au.

A short stop at a roadway concession and then 130 km to Weerona Apiaries in Sutton. Here three generations of beekeepers (the Bingleys) run a family business, which has been in existence since the 1950s. This is classic commercial beekeeping outfit, which sells all of its honey in bulk, mostly to Capilano, one of Australia’s large packers. The honey goes out the door in large plastic containers in metal cages in 1400 kilogram lots. We are told the outfit runs 7 – 800 colonies, which raises a few eyebrows (there is discussion that perhaps we heard wrong—others think it as 1300 colonies. Nevertheless, there are so few colonies compared to commercial outfits in the rest of the world, because the yields are historically high per colony, an average of 400 kilograms, over 800 pounds per colony.

The extracting room holds an expensive extracting line that throughputs 400 supers a day. The extraction line contains a hot water heat exchanger to ensure the honey flows through the line (this is a temperate area and can be cold as we are at the present time). We also see a kind of portable hot room, a box that is put over several stacks of supers to heat them prior to going to the extracting line. The small number of colonies allows for much attention to be put on equipment, which I call Cadillac equipment, supers soaked in copper napthenate then painted inside and out with oil-based paint. Frames wired diagonally as well as horizontally. Again, a lot of attention can be put on these basics due to the honey yield.

However, the last good year here was a few years back and right now the long drought is making the Eucalypts look pretty sad. This is a typical boom and bust outfit that lives on its financial and intellectual capital built up over a long period of time, which can afford to loose money due to poor yields over a several year period and get it back quickly in a good season.

Questions about disease problems. The biggest is European foulbrood (EFB), which crops up now and then and can exist at high levels. This classic stress disease may be exhibiting itself as the Bingleys are continually moving their bees and in essence have a year-around operation with brood in a temperate area; there is no down time for the bees as they are continually trucked. They don’t use TM for EFB, nor fumigillin for nosema due to potential contamination problems; again no broodless period. American foulbrood crops up now and then; cases are quickly burned. The reason that no honey products and no bees can be moved to West Australia is because there is no EFB in West Australia and they don’t want it. Each state has its own apiary inspection service, like the U.S. and Canada (provinces) and the rules are therefore set by these entities. West Australia has a great natural barrier, the great desert and nullabor plane that separates it from the rest of the country.

According to the Bingleys one of the big changes they have seen is that queens, which used to last a year and a half are now lasting less than a year, perhaps because of environmental changes and the type of management, which is pushing colonies to their limit, exacerbated by drought. Another change is that canola has become a crop of interest in the last 15 years, which allows bees to build up earlier due to pollen availability from that crop.

After this visit its off to lunch. Billed as a typical Aussie pub lunch, lasagna, chicken in peanut sauce don’t seem to ring true, although the place, Gundaroo Pub, has been in continuous operation since 1872.

Another 100 km up the road, we come to Canberra, the Australian capitol, built as a compromise when Sydney and Melbourne could not agree on a place to construct the governmental center. This is a designed town by an American architect and is now is almost totally inhabited by urban bureaucrats. It features the Australian War Memorial and other exhibits and is the center for CSIRO. At the Entomology Discovery Center we meet up with a group of Koreans and are briefed by the head of the Division of Entomology (one of the oldest divisions in CSIRO, established in 1928) before being turned over to Drs. Denis Anderson and Ian East.

Dr. Anderson discussed the role of pollination and its value (globally AU$ 37-92 billion; U.S. AU$ 14 billion, Australia AU$ 60-78 million). His research, mostly carried out in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Indonesia, where he has found a complex of Varroa mites, each specifically adapted to a specific variant of Apis cerana. Only two (the Japanese and Korean haplotype) reproduce and adversely affect Apis mellifera, and called Varroa destructor. The Korean haplotype appears to be the result of a cloning situation, a single female mite, which created a whole line of mites that can exist and reproduce on Apis mellifera. He is looking for the switch that allows some Varroa to reproduce on Apis mellifera. If he can find this, it might lead to a way to control the mites now affecting the beekeeping of the world, except Australia. He is pursuing similar research on another mite found on Apis cerana, Tropilaelaps clareae.

Ian Smith is working with regulators to ensure that Varroa is not introduced into Australia. In addition, the introduction of Apis cerana is always a possibility. There is more and more evidence that out of its environment cerana could become a devastating problem for beekeeping with mellifera bees; it might be far more invasive and problematic than previously thought. There are three lines of defense, ship inspection, sentinel hives at ports of entry and bee inspection by regulators and beekeepers. Several incursions by cerana have already been discovered and eradicated.

Questions about small hive beetle and research at CSIRO. There is little on SHB, which has not been determined to be much of a problem, but has been declared indemic to the country and cannot be eradicated. Another question concerning the recent news that a strain of virus from Israel has been identified as coming from Australian packages shipped into the U.S. and is a reason for colony collapse disorder (CCD) in the U.S. Dr. Anderson indicated that he is preparing a rebuttal to the paper in Science reporting this phenomenon.

Back on the bus, we head up to Mt. Ainslie, which provides a great view of Canberra. We also go by the War Memorial and see several kangaroos on the hillside along with a gaggle of rabbits. We return to the city and check into the Novotel for the night and are in bed by 9:00 p.m. It has been a long day.

Day 2 - Sydney and Environs

2007-09-06T09:51:00.000-04:00

Day 2 – : A full day beginning with a hearty breakfast just off Liverpool street. The little restaurant had some problems because they are not set up for over sixty people the show up and be served a la carte from a menu of several breakfasts.. Tomorrow, they will change their mode of operation. They will open earlier and the same breakfast will be served to all.

We depart Sydney on the coach for Belgenny Farm, the birthplace of Australian agriculture, established in 1805 by John and Elizabeth Macarthur. It was based on convict labor and pioneered production of wool (Merino sheep), wheat, dairy products, horticulture and grapes. It is currently almost a museum but has been converted into a meeting place, with buildings walled in glass to produce a semi-outdoor setting for lectures and meetings, especially weddings. It also features special commemorative days, including Australia Day (January 26) Mother’s Day, The rum rebellion (last Sunday in June), Farm Sunday and the music, food and wine festival. The research institute is named after Elizabeth Macarthur and it is located on Elizabeth Macarthur Ave. Apparently, the place is named after Ms. Macarthur as she was the inspiration for it.

It is now part of the New South Wales Dept. of Primary Industries or DPI (formerly) department of agriculture). The reason the bee event was held at Belgenny Farm is because the DPI is in an uproar at present due to detection Equine Influenza, which has caused most movement of horses to stop and a team of scientists and regulators to determine where to go next (eradicate or “live with it”).

The same was true for detection of small hive beetle in 2002 and the “live with it” decision was made. The insect was spread due to the current drought, which caused much more bee movement around the state and country. The beetle research in area by entomologists is showing some results, similar to those in other areas where the beetle was introduced. So, there are studies on ground drenching, trapping and using chemical control.. A presentation revealed that a aluminum-foil-covered cardboard insert treated with insecticide would be a good control measure; at present the material fipronil is the active ingredient that seems most promising. There are discussions with Bayer about supporting the development of a product, however, it will be slow going since this kind of technology could be easily compromised by creative beekeepers as has happened in the past..

Other research reported on treatment options for European foulbrood and the use of the polymerase chain reaction to see what variants of Nosema apis are found in Australia. So far no Nosema ceranae has been reported.

Lunch at the nearby golfcourse featured chicken or beef, regular potatoes, squash, corn and beans finished with trifle. There are many golf courses in Australia; the demand is principally from Japan where very few exist and are expensive to play. Relatively speaking Japanese can get economical, easy access to this popular past time in their country where excess land is extremely scarce.

After lunch it was off to see Blue Mountain Honey, a family owned place run by a previous pastry chef who has taken this skill and applied it to honey products. He has taken spices and flavors like cinnamon and boysenberry and added them to honey. He has also developed his own method for making a creamed honey. His shop contains many types of local honey that are unifloral in source. Of particular interest is that of Patterson’s Curse, an introduced weed responsible for the death of horses in this country. Another twist. We tried to buy honey to take to friends in Perth who are hosting us only to find out that honey cannot be sent to the state of Western Australia due to quarantine laws. If we want to give honey to folks in Western Australia, it must be purchased in the state.

We then visited a local queen bee breeder, Pat Carol, to see his operation. This is where the tour operators reveal themselves as unfamiliar with visiting beekeeping operations and tours. Many of us debarked the bus with no veils and wearing plaid and flannel shirts and were unceremoniously ushered into a bee yard, which also had two large dogs ambling about. No smoke was in evidence should any trouble from defensive bees develop. Fortunately, the bees were gentle and no stinging incident occurred. Clearly this beekeeper is quite small scale (2,500 queens per year), but he is ramping up his operation as there is boom on in beekeeping, along with other commodities, and a strong demand for queens, exacerbated by packages being shipped to the U.S. for the first time. He will have plenty of room to grow and could probably have learned a lot by spending more time with one guy on the tour, one of the world’s largest queen producers, Gus Rouse of Kona Queen Company.

Seat Belt Use: My partner found that the bus (coach) we are on has seat belts for all passengers. It turns out that in Australia since 1995, all passengers and drivers are required to use seat belts. The fine for not doing so is AU $250.00.

The day finished with the obligatory Sydney Harbor cruise. The Captain Cook, a three decker, picked us up at Darling Harbor Kings Pier Number 1, and we put out into the main harbor. The dinner was excellent and there was live music aboard. We sailed back and forth under the Sydney Harbor Bridge with its APEC sign, welcoming the dignitaries. The major attractions were the famed Opera House and a fully lit amusement park, Coney Island? of Sydney? Many police boats in evidence for the APEC; that evening we hear of the prank where a group of comedians, one dressed as Osama Bin Laden breached the multi-million dollar security system, arriving in a black limo at the foot of George W. Bush’s door.

2007-09-05T07:12:00.000-04:00

Day 1 Sydney. It was a long flight (14 hours) from Los Angeles to Sydney, and that was after a 5-hour wait in the Los Angeles airport, after a 4 hour flight from Atlanta (2 hour wait) and 1.5 hour flight beginning in Gainesville.

The security people have really turned the Los Angeles airport into a problem; to go from terminal to terminal you have to do security all over again, including removing shoes and belt buckle. I cannot recommend LAX due to this situation.

In Sydney we decided to take a cab given our luggage, AU $35 (US $.79) to 8 Quest on Dixon, Darlington Harbor. This is billed as one of the economy hotels in Sydney. The place is good, right near the Darlington Harbor that features a walk around a small park, the tourist Centre (free maps, information) the IMAX theater and Aquarium with Wildlife Show attached. We had a head and shoulders massage Chinese style (AU $15 each) to help get the kinks out. We also ate Korean noodles (watch the piquant sauce) and took a tourist train ride during a small shower. Saw a couple of interesting birds, one that looked like a Florida Ibis, but bigger with a black rump.

While attending “Sounds of the Outback,” an original musical presentation at Darling Harbor featuring a guy playing some huge didjeridoos, we learned that the name is not aboriginal in origin, but came from Europeans coining a name that mimicked the music. The instrument was born, according to the musician, when aborigines discovered a hollow eucalyptus filled with a native bee nest. The buzz of the bees, amplified by the hollow log, apparently gave rise to the idea that it could be used as a musical instrument.

After a small nap we joined the tour in the hotel lobby (the other group is staying somewhat further away in the Marriott). We are 64 total; originally capped at 42, the tour has increased about 30 percent. It is a two language tour, Spanish (Mexicans, Chileans, Spaniards) and English (U.S., UK, Sweden and Denmark). We repaired to the Spanish pub (bottle shop) up Liverpool Street and found it to be very much like the Centro Asturiano in Tampa, complete with flamenco guitar and Argentine Tango dance instruction.

Mr. Kees Von Haastern provided an introduction. Wine and beer was served along with squid, shrimp, meatballs (albondigas) and salad (bread). He provided the outline for tomorrow’s session. The biggest headache is the extreme security as George Bush and other world leaders are here for Apec and traffic is rerouted, streets are closed and the opera house where the meeting is taking place barricaded with barbed wire. The benefit to this is that the city is much quieter than normal as local folks have decided to take these days off.

Our Australian beekeeper host welcomed the group and gave a quick overview of beekeeping in New South Wales. 4,500 beekeepers, producing 30,000 tons of honey and pollinating several crops. Major honey source is the various Eucalypts. Few young people entering the business. Most beekeepers are migratory. The queen industry has been given a boost by beginning to export queens to the U.S. Quarantine station in place (we visit it tomorrow). About 1,300 folks have registered for Apimondia at the current time, about an average turnout, but more appear to be coming each day.

We left the pub and went to the main market and there found a bank of computers, an in-mall cyber cafe (No café). AU $2/hour. In the hotel the Internet service is around AU $6/ hour. I bought some yogurt at Coles grocery store, huge and right in the down town Sydney mall.

Tomorrow we begin early with a 6:45 a.m. breakfast, leaving on the bus at 7:50 a.m. .

Leaving the United States

2007-09-04T02:06:00.000-04:00

It has been a long day! I am now seated in the Los Angeles airport with an hour to go before taking off on Quantas 108 for sydney. The trip across the country was uneventful. I had some reservations that delays were possible due to weather or other kinds of delays, but that has not been the case. My major complaint so far is the design of the Los Angeles airport termina, where one if forced to exit security to change terminals and then have to go through the arduous process again fifteen minutes later.

I will be experimenting on this trip, 13 hours to Australia, with taking melatonin. We will see how this operates. More later as they are calling my flight at this time for boarding.

What is Apimondia and Why Australia

2007-08-27T16:15:00.001-04:00

Some folks have asked me about my reference to Apimondia and why Australia. APIMONDIA exists to promote scientific, ecological, social and economic apicultural development in all countries and the cooperation of beekeepers` associations, scientific bodies and of individuals involved in apiculture worldwide.

There is a world beekeeping congress sponsored by Apimondia every two years. I have been to several, starting with Acapulco, Mexico (1981), followed by Budapest, Hungary (1983), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1989), Vancouver, BC, Canada (1999) and Durban, South Africa (2001). For the latter, I wrote a series of articles published in the 2001 Bee Culture, a magazine that caters to beekeepers.

The 2007 venue is Australia, a land that has long tradition in beekeeping. Australia is extraordinary in a lot of ways for beekeeping. It's eucalyptus trees are great sources nectar and since they have been exported around the world are important nectar plants in other places like Ecuador in South America. It is also one of the increasingly rare places free from the ravages of Varroa destructor, originally named Varroa jacobsoni, but more often just called Varroa. Thus, a trip "Down Under" will be one back in time to look at beekeeping as it was before the arrival of this exotic mite that changed beekeeping forever around the world.

I will be presenting a paper at the Melbourne congress along with my Argentinian colleague Martín Braunstein on what we are calling The Global Bee Breeder's Initiative.

I will be participating in two arranged tours in Australia. See other entries for the Itinerary. After a week in Perth, my trip down under will end in New Zealand, returning to the United States on October 8, 2007.

Cell phone arrives - Contact details

2007-08-23T21:03:00.001-04:00

The cell phone arrived. The Siemens AF51 is much smaller than I thought and is proving somewhat difficult to use; a learning curve. Charged up and with two sims, one each for Australia and New Zealand; Just prepaid mobile for Australia gives a phone number on this phone of 0424387848. To call this phone when I'm in Australia, arriving 5 September and departing 28 September, from the U.S., dial 011-61-424387848; International access 011, country code Australia 61, phone number without the first 0.

Instructions to dial out of Australia is dialing0011 country code (U.S. is 1) area code and phone number.

The New Zealand sim is a Vodaphone, giving this phone number: 0211282882; to call this phone when I'm in New Zealand, arriving 28 September and departing 8 October, from the U.S., dial 011-64-21128282.

Instructions to call out from New Zealand are to dial 00 plus country code (for U.S. this is 1) plus area code and phone number.

The U.S. number on the phone, T-Mobile sim card resulting in this phone number (bought this one ebay for $10; it provides 140 minutes at about $.20 ($28.00) and gives a phone number or : 213-493-3247. This is valid until 3 September and will again be valid after 8 October.

Thus, I have three sim cards for this phone, U.S., Australia and New Zealand.

Post Tour - Melbourne to Perth, 15-20 September

2007-08-21T20:53:00.000-04:00

Day 1 - Melbourne to Adelaide via airplane. Travel by bus to Tintinara area and see a major beekeeping operation (mobile) focusing on Hunter River Lucerne seed production. View the mallee and blue gum forests, including the unique Coorong wetlands of Murray River estuary. Visit an apiarist using the barrier system near Cooke Plains. Stay night at Murray Bridge Motor Inn.

Day 2 - Murray Bridge to Kingscote: Depart by bus across the scenic Fleurieu Peninsula (timing coincides with the 2007 South Australian Writers Festival) to Cape Jervis; Ferry across to Kangaroo Island; visit ligurian bees at Bellevista bees, topped off by visit to seal bay; stay night in Ozone Seafront Hotel.

More soon!

Trip Insurance

2007-08-21T20:25:00.000-04:00

I usually don't obtain trip insurance, but this one is complex and expensive, so we have decided to take it out (Travel Insurance Order #7592758). There are two of us on the trip and for a premium of $628 we are each covered for trip cancellation of interruption for $5,500 and baggage at $500, baggage delay $100, travel delay %500, medical $10,000 ($50 deductible), dental $500 and Emergency Evacuation $100,000. The policy is under AIG Travel Guard International, 1145 Clark Street, Stevens Point, WI 54481, phone 800-826-1300, if overseas call collect 715-345-0505, Insure My Trip, 100 Commerce Drive, Warwick, RI 02886, email: service@insuremytrip.com, customer service, 800-487-4722, outside U.S. 401-773-9300. Let's hope nothing happens.

Cell phone purchased - International Telephone Cards

2007-08-21T02:22:00.000-04:00

I have purchased the Telestial cell phone package for Australia and New Zealand, Anzac promotion, which includes a Siemens AF51 phone, Australia Sim Card (Just Prepaid Mobile), New Zealand Sim Card (Vodaphone) and all-in-one International Plug adaptor.

This also comes with $5 Telestial Global Phone Card: Australia Access 1800-150-812 (Connect fee $.59 and $.49 per minute) plus economy numbers, New Zealand Access 0800-443-045 (Connect fee of $.59, and $1.57 per minute for mobile phones, $.39 per minute landlines at 0800-445-108, Economy numbers also available and the card is rechargeable .

I also have a Net2Phone International calling card with two kinds of access numbers, universal and toll free. Rates are $.15 per minute from both countries after connect. 800 numbers may have a surcharge, but it isn't easy to find out what that might be. The nice thing about Net2Phone is you can get a list of calls made and charges directly from the web. They charge $.90 to connect calls from payphones in the U.S. using 1-800-840-7438 and if one calls a cell phone it's $.39 per minute. Most U.S. calls from landlines are $.04 per minute.

How I got started in Beekeeping

2007-08-20T06:08:00.000-04:00

Folks often ask me this question. As a graduate student in Geography at the University of Georgia, I was given a fellowship to study fishing technology in the Yucatan. Arriving there, however, revealed that little data was available. Before leaving from Athens, GA I took a beekeeping course from Dr. Alfred Dietz in the Department of Entomology and had installed my first colony and collected my first swarm.

Yucatan it turned out at the time was one of the world's largest honey exporters, principally through the efforts of honey exporter R.B. Wilson who had visited the region and saw its potential. While in Yucatan I met one of beekeeping's pioneers, J.F. Martinez Lopez and with his and others' help, so I switched topics and wrote my thesis, A Geography of Apiculture in the Yucatan Peninsula, not published. Another by Calkins was also written about the same time, but was more ethnographic than economic in focus. There was an update on the topic published in Mexico on the subject in Bee World 1997 by Carlos Echazarreta González. I returned to the region as an invited speaker in 1998.

Later, I decided to become more involved in Beekeeping and was admitted to the Department of Entomology at the University of Georgia and became a technician for Dr. Dietz, administering the University Bee Program when he was on sabbatical in Germany and taking his place for the period he was absent. Next I took a job at The Ohio State University as Extension Specialist in Apiculture after meeting Dr. Walter Rothenbuhler. As part of my exploration into beekeeping, I worked for Rossman Apiaries for a short period in 1977.

Pre-Tour: Sydney to Melbourne 5-9 September

2007-08-19T20:45:00.000-04:00

Leader: Mr. Kees Van Haasteren, born and educated in the Netherlands.

Kees began his working career with the Curacao Trading Company in Amsterdam. At the age of 24 he emigrated to Australia and immediately became involved in agriculture, ultimately managing a large Merino wool, prime lambs, beef breeding/fattening and cropping property in the Central West of N.S.W.

Mr. Kees has obtained an Advanced Diploma of Farm Management (Orange Agricultural College now part of the Charles Sturt University) and has developed strong interests in Landcare and production/sustainability balance. Having been a Tour Leader since 1997, Kees is able to combine his international background, skills in Australian Agriculture and language capabilities (English, Dutch, Spanish, German, and French) to provide a unique resource for the benefit of international visitors.

Days 1 and 2. Gather in Sydney for two night stay (most of day one free), Next day tour to Animal Quarantine Station (where honey bees are shipped) , visit to the NSW Department of Agriculture (research on bees), University of Western Sydney (bee research), bee queen producers of Western Sydney; dinner cruise on Sydney Harbor.

Day 3. Syndney to Canberra, vising villages of Bowral and Mittagong, honey extraction plants (Goulburn or Queanbeyan), CSIRO Division of Entomology, Mt. Ainslie.

Day 4. Canberra to Echuca, tour foothills of the Snowy Mountains, scenic eucalpyt country, late afternoon arrival and dinner cruise on the old paddlewheel vessel on the Murray River .

Day 5. Echuca to Melbourne, Bendigo to Maryborough, visiting Australia Honey Corporations packing plant and local beekeepers.

Cell phone for Australia, New Zealand?

2007-08-18T12:33:00.000-04:00

Wow! is this a can of worms. I would like to have cell phone coverage in Australia and New Zealand while there. I have never had a cell phone and looking to get one that works in the U.S. as well. I am learning the hard way this is not simple. Let's see, you need a phone, but which one? Turns out an "unlocked" international phone GSM is required for overseas; most U.S. cell phones are locked and won't work. Then you need a Sim for each country visited (Australia and New Zealand, maybe U.S.) and you need a battery charger(plug adapter). Ok, a package deal is offered called AnZac at Telestial which gives you all these at $216 (a 49$ savings buying them separately is claimed). This is a pre-paid plan. You charge up the Sim as you need more minutes, buying cards at local tobacco shops.

The phone sold as part of this deal is the Siemens AF51, which sells any where from $99 to at Telestial $165. Reviews on this phone are variable. Now the Sims; Internationa sim cards don't work in New Zealand, a New Zealand sim card is $ 39 and an Australian one is $49; you must have both. Then there's the plug adapter for $14.99.

When I return, this phone won't work in the U.S., but apparently you can buy a sim for parts of the U.S. and then you have to buy a plan (prepaid perhaps?) with a local carrier. This will have to be researched as I go; this place looks like a start.

Then there's RangeRomer which offers a slightly different package; the so-called bread and butter package $149; the phone is the Siemens 870, which I can find no where else for sale..I wonder if it's strictly for RangeRomer? It looks like their world sim card will work in Australia and New Zealand and only the U.S. Virgin Islands, thus no possibilities in the continental U.S.

Any comments?

Who's on the tours?

2007-08-16T17:04:00.001-04:00

I have received e-mail from the tour coordinators providing a list of folks on the pre- and post-tours of the Apimondia Congress that I am signed up for. The audience for the pre-tour, which runs from Sydney to Melbourne has folks from the Americas, Europe and Australia. Most of these people I do not know, but have interacted with Gus Rouse of Kona Queen, Hawaii's number on queen producer/breeder. In addition, I see quite a contingent from Chile, a place I visited just a few years ago.

On the post-tour to Perth, I see my old friend and colleague, Mr. Laurence Cutts.

Opening gambit: Preparing for Australia

2007-08-16T15:47:00.000-04:00

I have begun this blog in preparation for my journey to Australia to attend the Apimondia Congress in Melbourne in September. I will be posting my observations along the way. At present the itinerary will include a pre-congress tour from Sydney to Melbourne, attending the Congress where I will have presentation on The Global Bee Breeder's Initiative, followed by a post-tour to Perth and then New Zealand.