Dedicated to Preserving the Honey Bee through Community Action, Awareness and Education
Dec 2020 Monthly News Letter
Download PDF
Due to Covid 19 meetings location has changed
Next meeting:
Where: Your Home
When: December 17, 2020 7:00 PM
Speeker: Randy Oliver
​
If you live in Longview or the surrounding area and already keep bees, intend to do so or are simply interested in this fascinating hobby, Cowlitz Beekeepers Association is the association for you. Even if you don’t keep bees, joining us will help support our cause, our community action and awareness and education programs.
Speeker:
Randy Oliver is the owner of Golden West Bees in northern California providing migratory pollination services for almonds and producing nucs and honey for sale. He is much more widely known as the voice of ScientificBeekeeping.com website, which he started as a place where he could give beekeepers an objective, understandable look at new research coming out in the scientific journals. He went to college at the University of California Irvine, at first in marine biology, but then shifting to entomology. In 2006 he wrote his first article for a bee journal, and his life was forever changed. He found there was an unfilled niche in the beekeeping community for a bee biologist who could accurately translate science into lay terms, and who also enjoyed the credibility conferred by actually making his living by keeping bees.
​
Today, nearly 30,000 people from nearly every country in the world visit ScientificBeekeeping.com each month. Randy is known not only for his summaries of scientific papers as they are published or his own research projects but also for his outspoken, take-no-prisoners evaluations of the quality of research and his willingness to point out fashion flaws when someone in the parade isn’t wearing any clothes. Evidence, facts, conclusions based on repeatable data; that’s what Randy is looking for when it comes to getting on board a bandwagon for causes of all of the honey bees’ problems these days. He is not about to be stampeded aboard without that evidence, those facts. And that is where the fun begins.
We are delighted to have Randy with us for our December meeting.
Zoom
​
Zoom video conferencing is celebrated for its ease of use, high quality video and audio, and collaboration facilities such as text chat and screen sharing. All you need is a computer or smartphone with speakers, a microphone, and a camera.
Attendees can join a Zoom meeting without signing into the app. Join us at our next meeting. Click the link I’ll send out before the next meeting.
​
I would like to see more of you join us. If you are nervous about trying it out, then shoot me an email and I will help you get started. Make sure you set up a calendar notification reminder. There are numerous YouTube video tutorials also.
Hope I see you
​
You can view video of speakers we’ve had at: https://cowlitzbeekeeping.wixsite.com/website/projects
There is also Honey bee disease information and recipes for how to's.
​
Western Apiculture Society presents a Free Zoom mini conference
On a Cold Day in December Let’s talk about heating beehives
Register at https://westernapiculturalsociety.org/miniconferences/ Hurry because it is on December 5th
The Buzz on the Snelgrove Board
​
by John Holmes
Commonly called a double screen board, the Snelgrove board was developed by Louis Edward Snelgrove (1879- 1965) who introduced it in 1934 in his book, Swarming – Its Control and Prevention. Although it was designed mainly for swarm prevention by pre-emptive splitting, the board’s flexibility makes it a valuable tool for the beekeeper.
The board seems complex, with paired doors on three side, one set allowing access to the lower box and one set allowing access to the upper box. A portion of the board is open but screened on both sides preventing physical contact between colony bees but allows warmth and volitive pheromones to rise above. If desired the board allows the transfer of foraging bees from the top colony to the bottom colony, giving the lower colony a greater work force during the nectar flow.
The methods used with the Snelgrove board will vary depending on the goals of the beekeeper and timing of installation.
• Use when no queen cells are present - pre-swarm colonies.
• Use when queen cells are present - colonies ready to swarm.
• Raising of a new queen for a colony because the old queen is failing.
• Changing the genetics of a colony.
• Use as a means of small-scale queen raising.
Although I have not used a Snelgrove board, what I find intriguing is using it in making splits. Although preferred, locating the queen is not essential. Also, unlike a walk-away split, a new location for the new split hive is not needed until it has been proven successful. If the upper colony fails to make a new queen or either colony becomes queenless the colonies can be re-combined by simply removing the board. As a bonus I see the board also being versatile, it can be used for added ventilation in transporting a hive or used in wintering a weak colony over a strong colony.
Good articles have been written on the Snelgrove board. Wally Shaw’s article is comprehensive, Sid Lehr’s article covers the pre-emptive swarm control. For those who are visual learners, Beekeeper Bob Binnie has produced a video demonstrating its use. In learning about it I have decided to place the Snelgrove board on my Christmas wish list. Merry Christmas everyone!
Wally Shaw:
http://www.wbka.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/The-Many-Uses-Of-A-Snelgrove-Board-by-WallyShaw.pdf
Sid Lehr:
Bob Binnie:
Out in the Beeyard
​
by Bill Holmes
Every year our CBA Christmas party has warmed our hearts and strengthened our spirit. Dixie has been hosting for several years and between the food and friendship a better party would be hard to find. There are several items that we took home from the white elephant gift exchange mixed into our Christmas decorations because sometimes white elephants are amazing.
I am trying to guess when we will back at the Sons of Norway hall instead of on my computer. Could it be April? Likely not but maybe May. I am going to hope so and I think we should make it a very special meeting.
In the Yard I’ve been checking hive weights regularly. Currently there is no need to feed sugar. Later, if I do need to feed, I prefer a no-cook candy board. When feeding sugar, use refined granulated sugar either cane or beet.
My annual project is to make creamed honey also called spun, whipped, candied, or churned. I’ve been making it since December 2017. It’s easy to make. Over time natural honey will develop large chunky crystals. But those crystals aren't so pleasant on the tongue. Those crystals have square corners that feel sharp and give an unpleasant sensation. Professor Elton Dyce from the University of Cornell developed a process to control the formation of crystals so that smooth oval shaped crystals are created. These are very spreadable and smooth on the tongue. So how do you get these smooth oval crystals in your honey? You start by buying them, though you can grind your own with a mortar and pestle. You can try various organic creamed honey products looking for the one that tastes the smoothest on your tongue. But I just went down to Country Village and bought some YS eco bees creamed honey because that’s what they had. Since then I’ve saved 2 pints of my own product to use the following winter.
If you add smooth crystals to clear honey it will replicate them naturally as it crystallizes. The small crystals prevent the formation of larger crystals. It's very similar to how yogurt and cheese are made, although they use cultures as seed. Mix your creamed starter honey into liquid honey at a 1:10 ratio. You can use more starter than that without ruining anything, but don’t use too little or your honey could come out coarse and gritty. My 2 pints makes 2 ½ gallons of creamed honey.
Before mixing, make sure your honey does not have any crystals forming. Some recipes suggest heating to 140-degrees to make sure all crystals have liquified. I don’t want to heat my honey, so I just made sure it was clear before adding the starter. It’s important to fully blend the starter and honey together but be careful not to add any air into the mixture. I Stir slowly with my drill and a paint stirrer I bought at Lowes. Once it’s thoroughly blended, you immediately transfer to jars.
Store the jars in a cool room in the 50 to 57-degree range (my garage stays about 55 degrees all winter) undisturbed until the honey has solidified which could be a week or two. When you can tip a jar on it’s side and the honey stays put, it’s ready to spread. I sell honey at the local farmers market and this is an extremely popular product. I also soak 2 gallons of honey with vanilla beans, and 2 gallons with organic lavender flowers for about 3 months at approximately 89 degrees then filter and follow the creamed honey recipe.
Thank you to all who voted in our online CBA election, it went very well. I am looking forward to having Ken Curtis on the board. We had 5 great candidates for 4 positions so I knew we would have a great board for 2020. Bill 9 Cowlitz Beekeepers Associ
Our Zoom Meetings
I’m seeing some of you at our monthly meetings but there’s a few I have not seen yet. Our zoom meets are not the same as getting together but they are easy and informative. Just jump in and join us at our next meeting.
BEEKEEPERS CALENDAR OF SEASONAL ACTIVITIES
Suggested Activities for Beekeepers in the Coastal range from Washington, Oregon and Northern California...
December
​
-
Add an upper entrance to vent excess moisture.
-
Insulate the top of your hive. Use a quilt board or solid foam board 1”~2” thick.
-
The entrance should also be periodically checked to make sure it is not plugged with dead bees. The undertaker bees don’t carry bodies out very far when it is cold and they can pile up at the entrance.
-
December provides a late-season window of opportunity to deal with the dreaded Varroa mite using oxalic acid.
-
Check hive weight, and if light feed solid sugar. Start planning, building, and reading. Spring will be here soon!
-
Keep entrance small so mice don’t foul your hive.
Cowlitz Beekeepers Association
Monthly Meeting
November 19, 2020
​
• Zoom Meeting came to order at 7:00 p.m.
• No treasurer's report this month.
• In attendance at the meeting: 24
• Voting for Officers and Trustees closed on Sunday November 15, 2020. The results are as follows: President: Bill Holmes. Vice President: John Holmes. Secretary: Zenobia Scott. Treasurer: Barbara Skreen Trustees: Ken Curtis, David Scott, Kathy Scott and Dixie Tollefson. Congratulations to all.
• Because of COVID-19, we will not have our annual Christmas Party.
• Next Zoom meeting will be December 17, 2020.
• Guest speaker was Cassie Cichorz from the Washington State Department of Agriculture. She joined us from her office. Her presentation was on the Asian Giant Hornet. For more information you can go online to agr.wa.gov/hornets. E-mail is hornets@agr.wa.gov. To speak with Cassie, her work phone number is 360-688-0560.
• At the end of the presentation we had a short Q & A on what has been happening locally with our hives.
• Meeting adjourned at 8:49 p.m. Minutes taken by Zenobia Scott, Secretary
Donate your extra but still serviceable suits, gloves, jackets, tools, woodenware, books, or anything honey bee related that a new beekeeper might find useful and help them a little on startup costs. Call or email Zenobia if you can participate. Her contact information is on page 1.
Supplemental Feeding During the Fall and Winter
From Blythewood Bee Company Newsletter
In this article we’re going to talk about what you can do if your colony is short on stored honey supplies. What you do to remedy this issue can mean the difference between life or death for your colony. If your colony is short on supplies you may want to immediately implement a winter feeding program.
Supplemental Feeding During the Winter
Nectar dearths often occur in the fall; therefore, feeding 2:1 (2 parts sugar to 1 part water) sugar water inside the hive is often beneficial. Feeding colonies sugar water once temperatures drop below the 50s is not beneficial. Excess moisture in the hive during the winter can cause problems, and the bees have to expend a lot of energy to convert the sugar water into nectar.
Although you might be tempted to do so and think it safe, do not feed your bees honey from an unknown source. This may cause an infection in your colony. Instead, the following can be used:
• Sugar syrup/water
• Granulated sugar
• Fondant
• Pollen patties
Of these choices, pollen patties, which are high in carbohydrates and protein, are one of the best choices for winter feeding. They can be placed inside a top feeder or a frame feeder, or laid across the top of the bars or queen excluder where the bees can easily access it. Fondant can also be laid across the top of the bars; however, it can become sticky, at which point the bees can become trapped in it.
Feeding granulated sugar can be tricky and messy, although, the use of a top feeder or a frame feeder can make it much easier.
When it gets extremely cold, bees can starve even when food is available in a super on top of your brood box. This is because the bees cluster together to keep the queen and brood warm and will not venture up to the super to retrieve food. For this reason, food sources that are convenient and close – such as with the use of a top feeder or a frame feeder – may work best of all. Then the bees don’t have to go far to obtain the food.
Remember, DO NOT open the hive unless absolutely necessary when temperatures fall into the below 50.
Editorial note: dry sugar, no-cook candy, fondant, or drivert supply only carbohydrates which may be the only boost your hive needs. Protein/pollen patties supply protein and sugar which is eaten by your bees and not stored or fed to larvae. They need protein for a host of biological functions. Supplementing with Mann Lake Ultra bee Patties just might work for you. Bill
Curious honey bees are more likely to have curious kids
Lila Westreich, Pollinator Ecology, University of Washington
Humans are curious about the world. It’s our curiosity that has led to life-saving inventions and Nobel Prize-winning discoveries about the world around us. But curiosity is not limited just to Homo sapiens — it also exists in the insects we know and love. When you think of honey bees, you probably think of giant swarms of bees, all working in tandem to raise offspring, bring back pollen and nectar, and serve their queen. But in order to survive, honey bees must be curious.
Foraging honey bees must act like tiny explorers, searching for new food sources as new flowering plants emerge. Bees, just like humans, can be extremely curious about the world around them. Some bees would rather stick to the flowers they already know. A recent study from researchers at Marquette University found that some bees are genetically predisposed to being more curious explorers, seeking out new food sources even when familiar food sources are present.
To understand how bee behavior differed between individual honey bees, the researchers separated genetically “curious” and “focused” bees and gave them access to two food sources: a familiar location, and a location with changing smells and colors. The bees were separated based on the behavior of their parents — if their parent was very adventurous and curious about the world around them, they were more likely to be curious, too. If the bee parents preferred to only visit the same places, eat the same foods, and keep to what they know, the offspring of those bees were likely to have the same preferences.
The researchers found that the bees that were genetically predisposed to being curious were more likely to visit the location with changing characteristics, and to perform more intense waggle dances to alert their fellow honey bees to these new foraging opportunities. The curiosity stemmed from the bees’ genetic background, and is an important trait to a successful colony, especially in the face of climate change and shifting flowering landscapes.
Oxalic Acid Dribble Treatment
Prepared by Linda Zahl President Columbia County Oregon Beekeepers
Oxalic Acid Preparation and Dribble Treatment of Honey Bee Colonies
This can also be found in our December 2020 Newletter
​
-
Items needed.
-
Soft or distilled water.
-
Granulated White Sugar.
-
Oxalic Acid Crystals = Wood Bleach.
-
Baking Soda.
-
Two Mason jars Two plastic containers
-
Two lids for the jars (one of which must be plastic)
-
Eye protection h. Eye wash cup
-
Nitrile or Latex gloves
-
Particulate filter mask (paper)
-
Electronic weigh scale
-
Thermometer
-
Small piece of paper
-
plastic spoon
-
0.50 ml syringe
-
-
​Notes about Oxalic Acid
-
The final preparation will be a 3.5% solution which is twice the concentration of naturally occurring Oxalic Acid found in chives, parsley, and rhubarb
-
Always have a Baking Soda/Water Solution stored in a jar on hand. The jar’s top can be metal or plastic. This is to be an emergency rinse to neutralize the acid in case the Oxalic Acid gets on your skin or eyes. It is always nice to have an eye wash cup also
-
Crystals must be weighed (not measured) because they clump. Place the small sheet of paper on top of the scale before measuring the crystals
-
Sugar and Water are the same by weight and by volume: 1 pint granulated sugar = 1 lb and 1 pint water = 1 lb
-
Never use metal because it will react with the acid. Use glass or plastic
-
Oxalic Acid will react with hard water and cause a precipitation to occur. This will make a solution of unknown strength. Therefore, it is best to use distilled water
-
Oxalic Acid Crystals will not hurt you when it is dry but when it comes in contact with mucus membranes (eyes, nose, mouth) or water it is dangerous and will can cause permanent eye damage and severe skin burns. You MUST use eye and hand protection. You should also wear a long sleeved shirt, long pants, socks and shoes. Remember to not rub your eyes or nose while using Oxalic Acid
-
You will need 5-6 ml of solution per seam of honeybees in the colony. Maximum of 50 ml per colony
-
Dribble the solution onto the bees. Do not spray. Spraying will have the solution go onto the top bars etc. Practice dribbling the solution with plain water into the sink in order to get used to the syringe and to be able to draw a smooth 5 ml line of water
-
Use only when brood is absent. It will not control Varroa in capped brood. Remove honey supers in order to prevent contamination of honey
-
The mixing stage is the most dangerous. Again use eye and skin protection and have the baking soda solution on hand
-
Oxalic crystals dissolves better in warm water (150 degrees F)
-
ALWAYS add Oxalic Acid crystals to the water, not water to the Oxalic Acid crystals
-
Oxalic Acid kills mites for about 4 days. Use a sticky board to count them
-
The Oxalic Acid solution can be stored in the refrigerator for a week. Always label the jar as POISON. Also add the date it was mixed and that it is 3.5% Oxalic Acid solution
-
Discard the solution by neutralizing it with baking soda and pouring it down the sink
-
Wash hands before eating, drinking, chewing gum, using tobacco, or using the toilet
-
Oxalic Acid treatments can be used to treat Walk Away Splits at 20 days, and newly caught swarms at about day 4
-
-
First Aid as stated on packaging- have the product label with you when calling poison control. Oregon Poison Control (1)800-222-1222, Washington Poison Center 1-800-222-1222.
-
If swallowed; Call a poison control center, sip a glass of water if able to swallow. DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING unless told to by the poison control or doctor. Do not give anything to an unconscious person
-
If on skin or clothing; Take off contaminated clothing, Rinse skin immediately with plenty of water for 15-20 mins
-
If inhaled; Move person to fresh air. If not breathing give artificial respiration with a medical device. DO NOT give mouth-to-mouth. Call Poison Control
-
If in eyes; Hold eye open and rinse slowly and gently with water for 15-20 minutes, remove contact lenses if present after the first 5 minutes, then continue rinsing eye. Call poison control center
-
-
First Aid according to Tom Seeley is to have baking soda on hand and use it to neutralize the acid on the skin and in the eyes with an eye wash cup
-
Prepare the solution
-
Put on goggles and nitrile or latex gloves
-
Warm some water to about 150 degrees F
-
Measure the ingredients. Following are two formulas.
-
1 liter water + 1 liter sugar + 35 grams of Oxalic Acid = 1500 ml solution = enough to treat 30 full sized colonies
-
86 ml water + 86 grams (ml) sugar + 5 grams Oxalic Acid = 214 ml solution = enough to treat 4 full sized colonies
-
-
Put half of the warm water in a glass or plastic jar.
-
Add the Oxalic Acid Crystals to the water.
-
Stir until the crystals are fully dissolved.(Don’t shake with a lid on or pressure may build up.)
-
Add the sugar
-
Add the rest of the water and stir
-
Screw on the plastic lid.
-
-
Applying the Oxalic Acid Solution as a Dribble to the Hives
-
Wear goggles and gloves.
-
Lightly smoke bees down from the top bars.
-
Fill the syringe with 50 ml Oxalic Acid solution
-
Hold the syringe about 3-4 inches above the seams at a 45 degree angle
-
Apply 5-6 ml to each seam that has bees in all the brood chambers and do not exceed 50 ml per hive. Note: what lands on the frame doesn’t count.
-
Close up the hive.
-
Count the mite drop in 4 days.
-
Resources:
-
Randy Oliver Scientificbeekeeping.com Oxalic Acid: Questions, Answers, and More Questions: Part 1 of two Parts
-
HoneybeeHealthCoalition.org “Tools for Varroa Management”
-
Brushy Mountain Bee Farm Oxalic Acid Dihydrate for Varroa Mite Control on Bees, package directions
​​
How to safely tilt a box up
Tilting up a box in order to look under it without taking it off the hive is one of those bee handling skills that takes a bit of gumption to do with confidence. But it is an extremely useful skill, and well worth learning to do.
​
Use your hive tool to break the propolis seals all around the perimeter of the box you want to tilt. Stand directly behind the hive and with your hands on the sides of the box, tilt the back end up while simultaneously pulling it towards you about 3 or 4 inches. Pulling it towards you will prevent the box from sliding off the front end as you raise it up high enough to look underneath (or in this case, to apply the oxalic acid mixture.)
When you’re ready to set the box down, don’t just slide it forward. Instead, pick it up, get it level and set it down vertically. Otherwise you risk decapitating a lot of bees along the front edge.
Practice this skill, because you can often gather enough information about what’s going on in a box just by looking at it from both above and below and avoid having to pull frames to inspect them. It’s especially useful during swarm season when you want to check for queen cells without having to pull frames. You can check a dozen hives for swarm cells by tipping the boxes up in the time it would take to check just a few of them if you were pulling all the brood frames, one by one.