The Bees are screwed - Part Two

This morning all over the world honey bees were heard to be muttering 'For Christ's sake....' on hearing the news that another possible threat to them has been discovered.

According to a New Zealand farming web site,

Independent scientists have identified a new parasite in bees on the Coromandel peninsula, one of several regions around New Zealand that have reported the loss of thousands of colonies of honey bees since last spring and a substantial drop in honey harvests since.
Lotmaria passim, a parasite that attacks the gut of honey bees, was only discovered by a team of American researchers about six months ago.

Beekeeping sources confirm bee losses on the Coromandel Peninsula last spring amounted to thousands of colonies. Reports suggest up to 95 per cent of bees in each hive disappeared without trace, with production losses of between 40 and 65 per cent for many large commercial beekeepers in the region.

Undoubtedly the parasite will spread and and will make Manuka honey, which comes from the North Island where the Coromandel peninsula is , even more expensive and only be afforded by Arab Sheiks and Donald Trump.

Although New Zealand is remote, this didn't stop Varroa from spreading there in 2000.

Also the Small Hive Beetle [its small, it doesn't live in small hives and is particularly nasty], travelled from Africa to Sicily and was discovered in Italy earlier this year.

Doubtless controls and regulations will be introduced and strategies implemented to stop their spread.
I'm sure they will be effective.

Let's bee friends

I think I probably admire bees more than like them. They way they operate is frankly amazing but unlike dogs or cats you can't have any relationship with them and the best you get is that they ignore you.
However yesterday I met a bee that made me wonder.

For a little while now we have been taking an observation hive to the Forest Centre and some of the bigger events we go to.

Its a brood frame in a glass case and on the morning of the event I take a frame from one of the hives to put in the case. I have put a temperature sensor in it and have a water spray and small fan to keep them cool. There are ventilation holes on each side of the case and the lid is locked.

The first time I used it at the Forest Centre John, who has the stall next to me, pointed out a couple of bees were escaping so a second lock was added to make it absolutely bee tight.

As usual yesterday it proved irresistible to people passing by and all day I could hear people saying 'Ooooh look at the bees!. Parents then usher their kids towards the hive and their reactions range from trying to get into the hive to a 'You are joking aren't you?' stand off.
Yesterday, as an added bonus when I put the hive on display, a bee was attracted to it and spent all day flying around the stall and trying to get into the hive.

At one point I thought it had gone and sprayed some water into the hive only to find the bee was just by the ventilation hole and got soaked. It still didn't leave.
She acted as a perfect ambassador for bees  by allowing me to coax her onto a finger and then be shown to the audience. 'See, bees don't sting' I announced through gritted teeth but was thinking 'Please, please, please don't.....'

Mid afternoon a young boy and his sister were  looking at the hive and the boy was very keen and inquistive but his sister kept her distance and glowered at the bees from underneath lowered eyebrows. However, with the help of my new assistant she gradually thawed and became very interested in the bees.

At the end of the afternoon I decided to put my new friend in a lavender bush near the market and as I walked towards it I heard a young voice squeak ' Its the Honey Man and the bees!'
It was the young girl from earlier in the afternoon with her brother and they galloped over to have another look. The bee was still on the hive and again she agreed to perch on my finger. The young girl looked me straight in the eye and said with all the conviction a five year old can muster 'I think the bee loves you'.

We said our final goodbyes [to the bee] and walked away only for the kids to errupt into a giggling fit when the bee landed on my arm. The young girl announced at the top of her voice to her watching parents 'Mummy, the bee loves him!!'

In reality I don't think the relationship has a long term future but she knows when the next market is and she'se more than welcome although she's been told not to bring her sisters.

How do I let myself get involved in these things?

Just a quick update on some of the things I have managed to get myself involved in.

Propolis

At my first ever market someone asked me about Propolis tincture. I said I would look into it but shortly after that the market closed and I didn't see her again.
After a couple of recent discussions about it I decided to make some. I scraped enough propolis from the hives and to make the tincture it had to be dissolved in very strong alcohol [ minimum 70%+ABV]. I eventually managed to get some from abroad and added the propolis to the alcohol. For the next two weeks the jar was shaken 2-3 times a day.
30ml dropper bottles were purchased and labels made and finally the gloopy liquid was drained through coffee filters to make rather a nice reddish brown liquid.

I have done some leaflets about Propolis which can be found  here
I will bring it along with me to the Forest Centre on the 19th.

Mead

Another request. After speaking to someone at the last Forest Centre market, I agreed to have a go at making some.
Mead is basically honey, water and yeast but there are numerous variations.
Spoke to Happy Brewer in Bedford and finally decided to try two types, Orange Vanilla Cinnamon metheglen and raspberry. It seems mead can take a long time to produce but these can be done in a couple of months.
If you're reading this Paul, be afraid, Be very afraid.

Last year I made some cider from windfalls from the garden and I think I will use it to make an apple mead [Cyzer]. However it probably wouldn't be ready for Christmas.

You can download a leaflet on mead from here

Candles

A few weeks ago at Sandy market I met someone who had a friend that loved the Minions. She liked the candles I did and asked if I could make a Minion candle for her friend.
I soon found out that although here were loads of cake and sweet molds for Minions, I couldn't find anything suitable for candles. After taking advice from a fellow bee keeper who makes lots of different beeswax candles, I decided to make the molds myself. Apparently you take the figure/shape you want and paint it with layers of latex to make the mold and then peel it off the starting shape. You then pour bees wax into the latex mould.
I purchased some MacDonalds Happy Meal Minion toys from eBay and some latex and latex hardener.

The problem with this method is that any unwanted hole or gap on the figure can let the latex seep into the hole so I will have to fill in any gaps with resin before they're painted with latex.

To be continued.......