APIS Volume 6, Number 3, March 1988
In this issue
- Section 18 Use on Fluvalinate Rescinded
- Providing Water to Bees
- Bee Dieoffs Continue
- Honey Board Activity: Sales Seminar, Contests
- Bee Larvae and Pesticide Suceptibility
SECTION 18 USE FOR FLUVALINATED DELETED
Much is happening on the Varroa front. Agriculture Commissioner Conner in mid-March signed an order allowing bees that have been found positive for Varroa mites to move in Florida . Permission to move will only be issued after treatment with fluvalinate treated plywood sticks for 21 days under the Section 18. No reinspection is required, but the paperwork must be received by the Apiary Bureau, Division of Plant Industry which shows that treatment was in accordance with the compliance agreement.
On March 21, it became no longer legal to use fluvalinate-treated wood sticks. Instead, only Apistan (R) plastic strips are legal and still must be used under the Section 18's compliance agreement with the Division of Plant Industry. Strips should be universally available from bee supply houses in Florida. Again, because the situation is so volatile, the best, most up-to- date information on Varroa quarantine and movement in Florida is available from your bee inspector or the Chief Apiarist, Mr. Laurence Cutts, P.O. Box 1269, Gainesville, FL 32608, ph 904/372-3505.
By the time this newsletter is published, it is expected that an APHIS national movement quarantine will be in effect. It will be published in the National Register around the week of April 4-14. Details are sketchy, but it appears that the national quarantine will allow bee movement after 21 days somewhat mirroring what is presently in effect in Florida.
WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE, BUT NOR A DROP TO DRINK?
I was reminded of the quotation above from "Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner" when reading the latest issue of The Newsletter on Beekeeping, written by Dr. Elbert Jaycox, 5775 Jornada Rd. No., Las Cruces, NM 8001 [Editor's note: No longer published]. It is a constant concern of the ocean sailor that although the sea is water, it isn't fit to drink and so fresh water must be available. If this is so for sailors, what about bees? Consider the words of Dr. Jaycox:
"If you have a dog or cat, it is a safe bet that the animal has a water dish within your home or close to it. If you enjoy wild birds, what is the first thing you do to see more of them? You put out a bird waterer or bird bath. With livestock, whether penned or on the range, you make sure that good water is always available within a reasonable distance. But with bees, we usually put them out in the city or the country without a permanent source of water, often without a second thought about where they can get the water they need.
The topic of water for bees is an important one right now when brood rearing is increasing rapidly, and it does not become passe until, in temperate climates, the bees are clustered within their hive for winter. I was going to say that readily-available water is less important during a nectar flow, but we are learning that this is not always the case, at least during hot weather in arid climates.
Let's look at the reasons why beekeepers should provide water for bees rather than forcing them to find it wherever they can. Right now, the bees in normal, strong colonies are rearing brood--the amount increases every week. Brood food is primarily water, close to 80 percent the first day of larval growth and about 55 percent on the sixth day. No problem, you say, the bees produce larval food from the glands in their bodies. But the bees are eating stored honey with a moisture content of only 15 to 20 percent, which doesn't give them much to draw on for larval food. However, there is water produced from the bees' metabolism, and some of it may condense within the hive. But as soon as the bees can fly, they are out collecting water to dilute stored honey and to provide moisture in food for larvae and the queen. Without sufficient water, colonies do not develop.
Long ago, Dr. Eva Crane reported that small colonies given only water developed more rapidly than those given syrup or those not receiving either water or syrup. In the F.A.O. book, Tropical and Sub-tropical Apiculture, Crane lists the failure to provide water as one of three serious management errors, and relates the lack of water to inadequate brood rearing and colony development. Not surprising because without 90 to 95 percent relative humidity in the cells, eggs will not hatch.
In warm weather, bees need water also for cooling the hive. W.R. Sheesley and E.L. Atkins reported in 1986 that in-field water increased bee visits to alfalfa flowers and, subsequently, the set of seed. The close source of water freed extra bees for nectar collecting. Not as many bees were required to search for and collect water.
Atkins reported in 1987 that in-hive waterers improved the 'welfare' of colonies equipped with them. Earlier, Moffett, Stoner and Wardecker recorded an increase in honey production from colonies with in-hive waterers. Such results are to be expected when you consider that the bees of one colony collected at least one-half gallon of water in 24 hours in experiments by A.W. Woodrow at Tucson, Arizona.
There are other important reasons for providing water to bees. With a nearby source of clean water, bees are less liable to collect dirty and contaminated water. They have been known to collect arsenic and insecticides in the only water available to them. Colonies provided with nearby or in-hive water have survived better with more brood and honey production during intensive insecticide applications around them.
Water you provide can reduce nuisance problems when bees visit swimming pools, bird baths, wet laundry, and even newly-born born animals to obtain moisture. We can help ourselves now and in the future by making sure there is water in every apiary. Then, when we begin managing Africanized bees, we will have the equipment and techniques ready to make those bees more productive and to reduce their desire and need to abscond, which relates strongly to the availability of year-round water. We need more innovative, modest-priced ways to keep water in or near the apiary."
The popular press constantly reminds us of the pressing issues of the 1980s. Certainly a major one is availability of uncontaminated water. True for the human population, this is also the case for honey bee colonies. Reports of damage by beekeepers where bees were forced to use insecticide-contaminated water drives this point home. The fact that eggs will not hatch in dry conditions and larval feeding is to a large degree based on moisture content of food as stated by Dr. Jaycox cannot be ignored. Creatively using water in areas where pesticides are applied or under conditions where availability of moisture is marginal should be explored by the beekeeper. This is especially true in Florida, a subtropical land where rainfall is variable and unpredictable.
BEE DIEOFFS CONTINUE
Word continues to come in from many areas of the nation concerning widespread colony dieoffs. Beekeepers in Florida's panhandle appear to be very hard hit, some reporting as much as 80-90 percent dieoff just before the honey flow. The spring titi flow in Florida is now in full swing, but many colonies are in no condition to make a honey crop, and some are not expected to survive even as the flow progresses.
This situation continues to confound beekeepers and researchers alike. Most agree that high infestations of tracheal mites are associated with the situation, but are not willing to put all the blame on just one factor. What many think has happened is that bees in these areas have always been under great stress brought on by massive brood rearing when resources are limited, but never were drastically affected until the advent of tracheal mite. Adding to the confusion is the variability seen. Although many colonies are affected in the area, they all are not. Some yards are reported to be in great shape and making lots of honey. Many have correlated this with movement patterns; colonies moved in from the midwest for winter are reported in much better shape than those that stay in the panhandle year around.
For further information see, February, March and April 1987 APIS.
HONEY BOARD ACTIVITY
In late February, the National Honey Board met in Florida and several actions were taken. A two-page advertisement was approved for food-service publications. "Add Honey, Make More Money" is the message. The ad urges foodservice operators to recognize the value of the ingredient honey and includes four diverse and easy-to-prepare honey recipes. It is due to be run in the June-December issues of Restaurants and Institutions and Bakery Production and Marketing magazines.
Plans were also approved for cooperative consumer advertisements, merchandising promotions, couponing and publicity efforts with Lipton Herbal Teas. Full-page ads will appear in the October/November issues of leading consumer magazines (Better Homes and Gardens, Family Circle, People, Good Housekeeping, Good Food, Ladies Home Journal, Woman's Day) featuring a couple enjoying a cup of honey-sweetened tea. Retailers will also be encouraged to promote honey and tea by the Board's "Take a Break from Winter" display and advertising contest. The retailer winning the most points in the contest will be given $10,000; twelve regional prizes will also be awarded. The Board will provide retailers with artwork, shelf talkers and flyers to aid in the effort, and Lipton's 800-person sales force will be spreading the word about the contest. Finally, the cooperative ad and merchandising campaign will issue 25-cent coupons for honey in over 2 million Lipton Herbal Tea Packages.
It was reported that National Honey Board features, recipes and photographs are appearing in newspapers across the country. Over 3,947 column inches of information on honey has appeared in newspaper food sections as a result of Board public relations activities. Combined circulation of newspapers publishing Board news releases is 3 million.
The National Honey Board's 1988 Sales Seminar will be held at the end of August. Dates are not set yet, but the seminar will include presentations on the Board's advertising and merchandising projects, food technology program and export market development program. For more information, contact Ms. Mary Humann of the Board's staff, 9595 Nelson Rd., Box C, Longmont, CO 80501, ph 303/776-2337.
BEE LARVAE AND PESTICIDES
My colleague, Dr. Eric Mussen, recently published a summary of the above topic in his newsletter, From the U.C. (University of California) Apiaries. The information came from "Comparative Morphogenic and Toxicity Studies on the Effect of Pesticides on Honeybee Brood," Journal of Apicultural Research, Vol. 25, pages 242-255, written by E.L. Atkins and D. Kellum.
According to Dr. Mussen, larval susceptibilty can vary with age, and larval and adult stages of honey bees differ in reactions to pesticides. Thus, cases in which adults tolerate pesticides more than brood can result in brood losses which are not readily apparent to the beekeeper. Some chemicals, called "amorphogenic" may also cause emerging bees to be deformed.
Materials reported to be about equally toxic to both adults and larvae are Sevin ®, malathion, Cygon ®, Supracide ® and Ambush ®. The first three are also amorphogenic. Chemicals ranging from 1.5 to 28 times more toxic to larvae than adults include Lorsban ®, Monitor ®, Lannate ®, Dibrom ®, Curacon ®, and Vydate ®. Diazinon was found to be over 3000 times more toxic to brood than adults and an experimental growth regulator, non-toxic to adults was extremely effective in killing larvae.
Of specific interest to some Florida beekeepers is that a breakdown product of Temik ® or aldicarb was found to be 374 times more poisonous to brood than adult bees. This is another bit of evidence that the honey bee/aldicarb connection I reported on in both the January 1987 and 1988 issues of APIS is extremely complex. Most research dealing with the issue has concentrated on toxicity of the parent compound and its breakdown materials to adults. The fact that adults may tolerate exposure far more than larvae cannot be ignored in the search for solutions to this vexing problem.
As Dr. Mussen concludes: "This information is very valuable in explaining some of the severe losses of brood observed in colonies following applications of certain pesticides. I hope that more chemicals can be tested in the future to round out the story of the effects on bee colonies of applications of various agrichemicals in the field."
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
©1988 M.T. Sanford "All Rights Reserved
