APIS Volume 5, Number 5, May, 1987
In this issue
- Africanized Bees in Panama City
- More on Honey Prices From Last Month
- Sweet and Fat: Sugar and Honey
- Inadequate Vegetable Pollination
AFRICANIZED HONEY BEES IN PANAMA CITY
By now, most persons should be aware of the isolated introduction of Africanized honey bees in the port of Panama City. It is indeed fortunate that the swarm taken off a ship from Costa Rica was found and destroyed by alert bee inspectors before it could produce any queens. Latest information indicates that only the one swarm was Africanized; subsequent surveying in the area has turned up no others.
In addition, the bees have been examined for the presence of the Asian honey bee mite; none were found, another piece of glad tidings. Informal surveying continues in the area within a two- to five-mile radius of the beekeeper's residence, but in most persons' estimations, the case is closed. Not apparent amongst all the good news, however, is the fact that just a little more evidence of Africanization in the bee population would have led to disruptive quarantines complete with potential "depopulations" of colonies within a several hundred square mile area.
The incident raises disturbing questions that Florida beekeepers and the apicultural industry must face. How is it that a beekeeper deemed it acceptable to hive a swarm off a ship from Costa Rica? Was that person not aware of the potential problems that might accompany introduction of these bees that have received so much press? And, did the person understand that beyond this, introduction of the Asian mite, known to be associated with the Africanized honey bee, and also responsible for large losses in other areas of the world where it has been introduced, would be catastrophic? He was indeed ignorant of all these possibilities. He subscribed to no journals and apparently was not informed of the events in California when Africanized bees were found and made national news for days.
There is irony and contradiction that while many are saying that the beekeeper would be the first line of defense against Africanized bees, at the same time a hive of suspect bees is taken off a ship and established near a beekeeper's domicile. The first-line-of-defense statement is plausible for a number of reasons such as the potential for genetic manipulation by selection, as well as creation of competition for feral Africanized colonies by managed, more gentle colonies.
Subsequent investigation of the recent find in Panama city appears to be providing further evidence of these assertions. However, knowledge that a beekeeper purposefully introduced a swarm of unknown origin under extremely suspicious conditions does not contribute to this desired image.
The time has come to act. Beekeepers must begin to educate each other that all swarms from unknown sources are no longer resources with no risk attached. The Africanized Honey Bee Task Force, made up of representatives from the Division of Plant Industry, Florida Agriculture and Consumer Service; IFAS, The University of Florida; and USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, has gone one step further. It has stated that free-standing swarms and/or established feral bee nests near urbans areas should be summarily destroyed by police, fire departments and pest control operators.
Finally, beekeepers and the population at large must also be educated about Africanized bee behavior and its possible impact. To this end, Hints for the Hive #114, "Information on the Africanized Honey Bee," has been published by the Florida Cooperative Extension Service. Any local office has access to a copy through the IFAS Computer Network.
See the generalized Ifas site for publications in these series at http://hammock.ifas.ufl.edu/txt/fairs/31535.
HONEY PRICE INFORMATION
There have been several questions concerning the price information I published in the March issue of this newsletter. It indicated a slightly higher price for darker honey than for lighter honey, the opposite of what might be expected. Apparently the higher prices for amber honeys reflect the larger proportion of retail sales relative to the white honey classes during the reporting period.
SWEET AND FAT; SUGAR AND HONEY
The latest issue of Sugar News from the Florida Sugar Cane League contains a summary of a recent study that may be of interest to those contemplating marketing honey. There is evidence that fat people have a fat tooth, not a sweet tooth. Obese people appear to prefer foods with a higher fat content, but less sweet than foods liked by thin people.
The University of Michigan study rated three groups of women (obese, normal, severely underweight) on preferences for specially sweetened dairy beverages ranging from skim milk to heavy cream. Thinnest women preferred a drink containing 12.7% sugar and 16.5% fat. The most obese women liked one containing 4.4% sugar and 34.4% fat. Normal women preferred intermediate mixes of sugar and fat.
The report concluded that taste responses to sugar and fat appear related to indexes of body fat and my be early warning signals of eating disorders. The last line of the piece is perhaps its most significant: "An ounce of sugar contains less than half the calories of an ounce of fat."
INADEQUATE VEGETABLE POLLINATION
The 1986 Vegetable Summary has just been published by the Florida Agricultural Statistics Service, 1222 Woodward St., Orlando, FL 32803. For those interested in providing pollination services, the report is required reading. It contains a detailed map of areas where certain crops are grown, the planting dates and when crops are scheduled to go to market.
Of the vegetables listed, perhaps the most important for pollination possibilities are squash, cucumbers and watermelon. Last year they represented 3.5, 3.1 and 4.7 percent respectively of the entire crop. Each has its own peculiar set of circumstances.
Cucumbers: The 1985-86 crop totaled 5.2 million bushels and was about the same as the previous year. Acres planted for fresh market were up 1,100 from the previous year. Unfortunately, price was down about $.77 per bushel
Cucumber acreage is well distributed across the state. The south- west area, with 36 percent of the planted acreage during 1985-86, is the largest area. The west central area accounted for 29 percent of the planted acres.
Watermelon: Watermelon acreage in 1985-86 totaled 53,550 acres, a 9 percent decline from last year. Harvesting also declined by 12 percent, but average yield was up 11 percent. Area yield varied from 130 hundred weight in the Panhandle to 259 in the south.
Average price was $6.23 per hundred weight, up $.28 from last season. Prices received were highest in the south and west central area of the state where harvest begins early.
Squash: Florida production was up 13 percent to 3.2 million bushels in 1985-86. Although acres harvested decreased 4 percent from the previous year, yield was a record 202 bushels per acre.
Best news was that squash prices were also at a record high, averaging $12.60 per bushel, up $1.60 from last season. Florida produces acorn, butternut, yellow crookneck, yellow straightneck, white and zucchini squash. Squash is one of the few crops grown in Florida that is shipped every month of the year.
Other crops of importance to those interested in establishing pollination services include cantaloups, pumpkins and an increasing number of tropical vegetables being introduced into the southern part of the state with major markets in Miami and Tampa.
That pollination as a necessary requirement just like fertilizer and pesticide application or irrigation is not always recognized by growers. There is much evidence that routine use of honey bees can take much of the guess work out of vegetable production. Yields poor in quantity and quality are often blamed on bad weather, but a strong pollinating force may substantially offset marginal climatic conditions. The key to a prospering pollination service is proper promotion and marketing followed by honest, quality service. Unfortunately, standards for pollination do not exist and this can lead to confusion and frustration.
I received a call several days ago, for example, asking why the bees a man paid for were not pollinating his squash. This apparently was the second year in a row that the insects were not seen in the field and the number of culled squash was very high. Conversation indicated there were no competing crops nearby. The grower asked if the cool weather might keep the bees from getting out early in the morning when the blooms were open. He indicated the bees were not in the shade.
The man knew little about bees, had not been inside the first colony to see what kind of populations were there, and was not in contact with the beekeeper. When I suggested to bring more bees in, he said the price was already too high for the one colony per acre he'd already contracted and he simply couldn't afford more. What would be your advice?
This is one less potential customer for a pollinating service next season. The pollinator/beekeeper must be a communicator and educate the grower about bees. The best reference on pollination continues to be Agriculture Handbook 496, Insect Cultivation of Cultivated Crops Plants by S.E. MacGregor.
Sincerely,
Malcolm T. Sanford
Bldg 970, Box 110620
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-0620
Phone (352) 392-1801, Ext. 143 FAX: (352)-392-0190
http://www.ifas.ufl.edu/~mts/apishtm/apis.htm
INTERNET Address: MTS@GNV.IFAS.UFL.EDU
©1987 M.T. Sanford "All Rights Reserved
