Posts in category Beekeeping

The Ohio Queen Project is DEAD.

May21
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Tim Arheit

The Ohio Queen Projects was started by the Ohio State Beekeepers Association in 2007 with two goals in mind.  First, to teach beekeepers to raise queens and second,  to develop a stock improvement program (ie. a breeding program).  To quote directly from the Ohio Queen Project's Mission Statement from their website:

The Ohio State Queen Project was begun in the spring of 2007. A need to improve the quality of queens used by Ohio beekeepers was recognized by the OSBA board and a committee was established to set up a state wide program to help beekeeper to raise their own queens from outstanding queen stock. OSBA decided to develop a stock improvement program in conjunction with the classes being taught…….

……A need exist within Ohio for queens which will carry desirable characteristics for our climate and will provide an enjoyable experience for beekeepers to keep bees.

Both parts of the program are critical.  Without beekeepers to raise queens, stock that does better in our area wouldn't benefit anyone.  Without improved stock, we just have less desirable stock that happens to be raised in Ohio.

OSBA supported the program from 2007-2009 while coordinators give queen rearing classes and OSBA even held a queen symposium which I hoped would be repeated but never really happened.  Minimal work was done on the stock improvement portion of the project, in part due to the difficulty of running a distributed breeding program and due to a lack of funding and guidance.  In 2010 a member of the Ohio Queen Project stepped up to lead the the breeding program and the project had an opportunity for a significant grant to fund the breeding portion of the project to really get it off the ground.

However, after meetings, work preparing the grant and shortly before submitting the grant, the powers that be decided:

"…it is not appropriate nor would it be effective for OSBA to play a primary and direct role in achieving those goals."

"…the goals  … for an Ohio queen project would best be accomplished by a separate group."

In short, since OSBA is not interested in supporting the Ohio Queen Project per their mission statement the Ohio Queen Project is DEAD.  All they apparently want are some random queen rearing classes given by volunteers.  While I can't speak for those that have lead the Ohio Queen Project and the other coordinators, I feel disappointed, used, mislead and have little interest supporting OSBA's volunteer teacher program and I believe many of the others involved in the program feel the same.

As for me, I will continue my breeding efforts, and while not a breeding program yet, I'm working towards that goal.  I also hope to enlist others in the effort much in the spirit of the Ohio Queen Project, but it will not be associated in any way with OSBA.

Posted in Rants

Swarm Removal by Zip Code

May19
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Tim Arheit

It's taken longer than I hoped for to get this feature up and running, but I now I'm pleased to announce that users can now search for beekeepers and companies that do swarm removal by zip code.  This should make it much easier for users to identify someone to do swarm removal who is near them.  This was becoming a bit of a problem in some states because we were getting quite a list users were having to sort though.  It is based on the latitude and longitude of the zip code, so it's not completely accurate when calculating the distance  (it's based on the centroid of the zip code area).  But it will give a good idea who is close to the swarm.

Search for swarm removal by zip code:

Want to get on our list for swarm removal.  Email us your name, contact information, zip code and any other information you think relevant to your listing.

Looking for Package Bees?

Apr22
2010 2 Comments Written by Tim Arheit

We just received our 3rd shipment of package bees from Gardner's Apiaries.  Like the past 3 shipments they have been on time and look to be in great shape.   We hived one ourselves from the first shipment and it is building up strong.  I've heard a lot of people still looking for packages or that have had their packages delayed and delayed again so I've been very pleased our have been on time.

The good new for those still looking is that as of this time Tony has 300 or so packages available for the May 6th pickup date and they can be picked up in Cincinnati, Columbus, Tipp City or here at my location near Lima.  But act fast, he needs to receive the order by April 29th.  Details and the order form are on his website at  olddrone.com

Posted in Journal

West Virginia Passes Beekeeper Immunity Law

Apr11
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Tim Arheit

West Virginia has become the first state in the nation to pass a law giving beekeepers immunity from liability for ordinary negligence. This law came about as a result of strong support by the leadership of both the House and Senate. We are fortunate to have a State Senate President, Earl Ray Tomblin, whose father is a beekeeper. Additionally, House Speaker Richard Thompson was raised by a grandfather who was a beekeeper. Finally, it helped that the honeybee is the state insect!

The law requires that beekeepers register their hives. It also mandates the WV Department of Agriculture to promulgate Best Management Practices for beekeepers. All beekeepers who abide by these two provisions will have absolute civil immunity from ordinary negligence. The Department is working on a set of emergency rules they hope will be in effect soon. Governor Joe Manchin signed the bill into law the first of April making this the first state to protect its beekeeping industry

Come on Ohio!  West Virginia is getting their act together.  Why can't the Ohio legislature get something done?  The best they have come up with is to form a Task Force to study what they may want to plan.  (Basically they planning to plan.  Which means nothing will be done for quite some time, if ever.)  -Tim

Posted in Rants

Time to Graft…The Season has Begun

Apr08
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Tim Arheit

With the unseasonably warm weather in the 70's the bees are building up quickly and flowers are well ahead of schedule.  Based on pictures from last year (Specifically the picture from the blog post Buzzing Trees with it's picture of a pear tree taken last year) the blooms are about 2 weeks 3 days ahead of last year.  This all means it's time to begin grafting, just in time to be perfectly on schedule for this years queens  (the first graft was actually this past Sunday). 

I've talked to a number of beekeepers over the past weeks and the results of the winter are quite mixed. Some did quite well and have mostly strong hives and few losses.  Others did poorly with 50-75% losses.  Unlike past bad years where almost everyone did poorly, there doesn't seem to be a pattern by area, size of the beekeeper or experience.   Fortunately most of our bee yards fall into the mostly strong with few losses category.  I chalk it up to good stock and the extra effort in winter preparations we made last year.  Still, if our winter had been a few weeks longer some hives may have run out of stores and would likely have starved out without assistance as some of the strong hives were getting light.

A good start to the season so far but we aren't out of the woods yet.  The last time I recall such a great start to April ended with snow the last week of April.  So keep your fingers crossed.

Posted in Journal

2010 Bee Census (Winter Loss Survey)

Mar30
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Tim Arheit

The Apiary Inspectors of America and the USDA-ARS Beltsville Bee Research Laboratory are seeking your help in tabulating the winter losses that occurred over the winter of 2009-2010. This continues the AIA/USDA survey efforts from the past 3 years which has been important in quantifying the losses of honey bees for government, media, and researchers.

 

This year’s survey is faster, easier and does not require your time on the phone. It is all web based and automatic, just fill and click.

Please take a few moments to fill out our winter loss survey at:   http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/beeloss0910

This survey will be conducted until April 16th, 2010.   If you have any questions or concerns please email beeloss@gmail.com., or Honeybee.Survey@aphis.usda.gov

ELAP is a Joke (2008 Farm Bill)

May20
2009 2 Comments Written by Tim Arheit

The 2008 Farm Bill (June 18, 2008) created a new Emergency Assistance program for Livestock, Honey Bees and Farm-Rased Fish (ELAP).   According the the limited documentation on www.fsa.usda.gov you would need to buy in by September 16, 2008.  Most of us would not be requried to pay any "buy-in" fees as we would fall in the "Limited Resource Producer" classification (Less than $100,000 in gross farm sales), though it’s unclear what needs to be done if you fall in such classification…

However…..  there is no additional information at all on what the program covers, what documentation is required nor what the benifits may be.

So I wrote the USDA…. their official response after 3 months….

Until the regulations are published in the Federal Register for ELAP, all types of losses for which honey bee producers may be compensated for under ELAP will not be known.  However, some of the possible losses that may be compensated for under ELAP are:

1.  purchased or harvested feed that was intended as feed for honey bees that was destroyed or lost because of an eligible adverse weather event;

2.  physical losses of honey bees/honey bee hives because of colony collapse disorder or eligible adverse weather events.

Remember, these are just examples of losses that may or may not be compensated under ELAP.  A forthcoming regulation in the Federal Register will provide final determinaitons.

So, in short.. nearly a year after the program was created, and long after any losses and required paperwork should have been submitted….  The USDA still does not know what the program covers, what is required to obtain coverage or make a claim, nor when they might actually have this information.  I guess this shouldn’t be a surprise coming from a government agency.

The sad thing is, any producer who really needed the money to stay in business due to losses over the 2008-2009 winter will be out of business by the time they receive any money that could have helped them rebuild their apiaries this spring.

Posted in Rants

Bees on a Plane

May08
2009 1 Comment Written by Tim Arheit

 Snakes on a Plane?  Nope, just bees.  Most beekeepers just picked up their bees by car or truck, but this Michigan beekeeper saved some time by air.


Bess on a plane

Posted in Journal

Package Bees

May06
2009 1 Comment Written by Tim Arheit


Packages Bees

The package bees arrived this past Friday and most beekeepers who had ordered a packaged picked them up on Saturday with the remainder picked up on Sunday.  I must say I was impressed with the quality of the packages so far.  The bees were in very good shape with fewer dead bees than I’ve ever seen in packages, plus the packages weighed a full 2.5-2.6 pounds of bees in the couple I checked.  Very good for 2lb packages.  I only got a few for myself as I really have enough bees.  It’s too soon to see if the queens are as good, but it’s a very promising start.


Package Bees

Posted in Journal

2009 Queen Rearing Classes

May04
2009 Leave a Comment Written by Tim Arheit

The Maumee Valley Region will be holding it’s class on June 5th and 6th.   It is a hands on class where you will learn both the theory of queen rearing and practical methods with a slant on rearing queens in Ohio.  Cost of the class is $50 to members of the Ohio Beekeeping Association, otherwise the cost is $70 and includes a 1 year membership to the association.

Full details and a map to the location can be downloaded in this PDF – 2009 Queen Classes

If you have any questions or to reserve a spot call me at 419-371-1742 or email tarheit@honeyrunapiaires.com

Classes will be held this year in 8 regions of Ohio.  Should our class not fit your schedule or location, check out out the OSBA webpage for other queen rearing classes held in Ohio this year.

Note: Unlike last year, there is a fee to all individuals taking the class this year.  This fee was set by the Ohio Queen Project and all of the money will be used to further the project and its goal of both teaching beekeepers to raise queens and to develop a breeding program in Ohio.  All the regional coordinators are unpaid volunteers and donate their time, money and often supplies to teach and further the program.

Posted in Events
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