How to do a bee cutout Boing Boing

How to do a bee cutout Boing Boing

Russian Bee Breeders Association

Russian Bee Breeders Association

The Russian Honeybee Breeders Association received its' Articles of Incorporation in 2007 and held its' first annual meeting on November 1st, 2007, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The purpose of the association is to maintain and improve the various lines of Russian honeybees through propagation and selective breeding. All members are required to contribute to this extensive effort.
The initial Board of Directors of the group is made up of Charles Harper, CRADA holder and cooperator with the USDA Russian bee program, as well as Hubert Tubbs and Manley Bigalk, also both longtime cooperators with this program. As other members begin to contribute to the maintainence and selection of the various lines of bees these members will be certified by the Board of Directors as Russian Honeybee Breeders.
Collectively, all involved are pleased with the number of participants and their level of commitment. With many participants focused on this effort we anticipate even more rapid improvement in these bees.
For further information contact Vice President Hubert Tubbs

Genomic Study Yields Plausible Cause Of Colony Collapse Disorder

ScienceDaily (2009-08-25) -- Researchers have found a surprising but reliable marker of colony collapse disorder, a baffling malady that in 2007-2008 killed off more than a third of commercial honey bees in the US. Their study is the first to identify a single, objective molecular marker of the disorder, and to propose a data-driven hypothesis to explain the mysterious disappearance of American honey bees.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090824151256.htm

Losing Hives

I lost almost all of my hives through the past few weeks when the highs were only 32 degrees and the low's in the lower 20's and below. Our honey bees had plenty of food, but it was so cold so fast for so long they couldn't move to their food and died of starvation. I will be looking to purchase as many Russian Bees as soon as it gets warmer to build my supply back up. Please let me know if you have an Russian Honey Bees to spare at the beginning of spring.

RIP : My lovely Queens 

Small Hive Beetles - Major problems in SC

Small hive beetles can be a major problem in the areas that you mentioned however they can be a problem anywhere in the state if the right conditions are met for beetle reproduction. You need a good understanding of beetle control and then you can still have major beetle problems at times. I'd suggest that you locate some beekeepers in that area to discover if beetles are a present issue for them.

If you move into an area where there are lots of beetles then your colonies will become quickly invaded. Trapping is one of the best ways that I know to keep the beetle population down. There are several traps on the market and you will have to decide which ones to use. Some are hive bottom traps such as the West beetle trap and the Freeman Trap. There are other traps that have been developed such as the Hood Trap that I developed here at Clemson University. My trap is made to be fastened to a hive frame and can be placed in the top or bottom of a hive. There are other beetle traps that are available in the bee supply catalogs.

There are other small hive beetle control recommendations such as keeping your colonies in full sun so that the soil will hopefully not stay wet which is one requirement that beetles have for good reproduction. However, this are gets lots of rain so you will need to be careful with this issue.

There are a couple of pesticides labelled in SC for SHB control.

You can check out a leaflet on small hive beetles on our dept website. Go to <bugs.clemson.edu> and click on information fact sheets. Click on apiculture. I am also writing an article for Bee Culture on SHB integrated pest management. It should be in the January or February issue.