George Imirie's PINK PAGES
August 2001
Beekeeper Burnout?
In recent articles of Bee Culture and American Bee Journal, some notable
beekeepers have written about beekeeper burnout, pointing out that so many
beginners start out with great enthusiasm, attend local bee meetings, lose some
bees to improper maintenance, failure to treat pests with either correct
chemicals or treat at the wrong time, their bees swarm, and they discover much
to their chagrin that there is a lot of hard work in the hot, humid summer to
produce a saleable crop of honey or a lot of unknown expenses related to
properly preparing their honey as gifts to neighbors and friends. These writers
imply that people today are no longer really interested in hard physical labor,
but rather prefer a computer job with high pay, short hours, in an air
conditioned environment. Therefore, the conditions of beekeeping cause so much
beekeeper burnout, and we are losing more and more beekeepers and bee colonies.
Is this true? If so, does it make a difference? What is so different about
beekeeping in 2001 than it was 20 years ago?
Having been a beekeeper in Maryland for almost 70 years, beginning in
May,1933, under the direction of Dr. James I. Hambleton, the Chief of the future
Beltsville Bee Lab, there were not any great earth shaking bee problems until
almost 20 years ago when the tracheal mite was found in 1984, to be followed by
the Varroa mite in 1987. If these two mites were not enough misery and confusion
to beekeepers and causing 80% losses of bees in many apiaries, in 1990 the
Africanized Honey bee entered Texas and now 4 other states, followed by a new
disease, Parasitic Mite Syndrome in 1995, the Small Hive Beetle in 98, and the
Resistant American Foul Brood disease in 2000. This past 16 years, one problem
after another caused some previously successful beekeepers to give up, some new
aspiring beekeepers to give up, and many young people looking for a hobby or
even training to become a professional honey producer to search for another
interest. In those years before the discovery of mites, "newbies" had
learned beekeeping from the midst of successful beekeepers at that time,
attendance at meetings of the local bee association, and reading some of the
pamphlets sent out by bee equipment suppliers. This was a father and son
experience, and "on-the-job" training; but this type of learning to be
a beekeeper totally disappeared because "Daddy had never seen a mite, an
Africanized Honey bee, a small hive beetle or even heard of Apistan, Check-Mite,
formic acid or all the other new chemicals, new procedures, new treatments, or
new everything". A whole new stage had been set, and the old performers
would have to "learn new lines", the beginner would have to start by
referring to new books and new articles written by bee scientists, bee
researchers, and some enlightened Master beekeepers rather than support the
outmoded teachings of the local bee associations which generally are led by one
or more of the "old timer successful beekeeper" who unfortunately
refused to change their procedures.
Perhaps the most abused new way of doing things is the failure to perform a
task or give a treatment at the EXACT TIME with the EXACT quantity of chemical
that the bee scientists and bee researchers have reported. Perhaps a suggested
treatment interfered with a fall honey crop, or a planned vacation trip for the
beekeeper, or the theory that giving twice the prescribed dose would shorten the
treatment time by half, or a thousand other ways to be in conflict with the
prescribed treatment made by bee scientists and bee researchers who were PAID by
the government, university grants, commercially interested bee companies, or
gifts from bee organizations like EAS and ABF.
Has it occurred to anyone that perhaps some of these "problems",
new in past 16 years, were in reality beneficial to beekeeping? Many beeHAVERS
and surely some of those beeKEEPERS of the past who were too stubborn to change
lost many of their bees at some point, bought new bees, lost them a second time,
and then GAVE UP and decided to pursue some less humbling hobby or business. In
spite of the fact that state upon state testifies that they have less beekeepers
in 2001 than they did 16 years ago, the number of people maintaining bees today
must be BETTER beekeepers than they were 16 years ago, because government
records show that professional honey producers in this country are producing
record crops of honey in spite of diminished crop acreage. No longer are "newbies"
or beeHAVERS practicing beekeeping as "Daddy did", but they are
reading more up-to-date writings about the new treatments, new bees, new
management tools, and treating at the TIME recommended rather than at a time
personally convenient to them; and these new BETTER BEEKEEPERS are being
rewarded by healthy bees and fewer losses of bees.
Another MAJOR help that all this many problems has created is a great deal
more investigative research on a few things that had ONLY been mentioned 40-50
years ago but had fallen by the wayside because of lack of commercial interest.
Two of these very important things, which I predict will greatly change future
beekeeping and remove us from the chore of changing chemicals like we change
socks as well as understanding our bees better are: HYGIENIC BEHAVIOR and hence,
hygienic bees, which can deal with certain diseases naturally without much
beeKEEPER assistance; and increased knowledge about PHEROMONES, not only the
QUEEN PHEROMONE, but a WORKER pheromone, and a DRONE pheromone.
It is the DUTY of every beekeeper to CONTACT your Federal legislators, your
State legislators, and even your County legislators, and tell them of the
importance of the honey bee to human ecology due to honey bee pollination of
food for humans, and DEMAND that they support any legislative bill that
authorizes more research money about honey bees; and REJECT any legislative bill
that authorizes pesticides that can kill honey bees. If you claim to be a
BEEKEEPER, GET INVOLVED and help these legislators understand that apis
mellifera is NOT a bee like a sweat bee, a Carpenter Bee, or a Bumble bee; and
certainly different than the carnivorous Yellow Jack, which is not a bee, but
part of the wasp family. How much do you know about law or surgery? Could you
defend a thief in court, or could you remove someone's appendix? Of course not!
What make you think that an elected legislator knows anything about a honey bee?
If he is normal, he knows two things that perhaps his grandmother told him when
he was a boy: Honey bees make honey and they STING. Millions of farmers depend
upon the honey bee to pollinate their cash crops, and each of these farmers has
a VOTE. The honey bee is the principle pollinator of alfalfa hay, and both dairy
cattle and beef cattle need lots of high protein alfalfa hay to make prime beef
and rich milk. The loss of honey bees could cause the demise of McDonald's
Hamburgers or Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream, and the legislators surely won't get the
vote of kids after they become of voting age.
What am I saying? My glass of water is half FULL, not half EMPTY! In my bee
association as well as others with whom I am familiar, I find fewer members
still trying to "keep bees like Daddy kept bees" and more potential
beekeepers buying and studying recent books and articles written by bee
scientists, bee researchers, and Master bee- keepers, many more attending those
meetings that feature talks by these same highly educated apiarists (To set the
record straight: Many Master Beekeepers do not have some fancy college degree,
but have proven their "high education about beekeeping" by passing the
difficult EAS tests to become a Certified Master Beekeeper). You don't have to
be a professional writer to address a letter to a legislator, so send them a
letter about the value of honey bee pollination which supplies 35% of the food
that humans eat, and who vote for our legislators. Don't let him continue to
think that the importance of a honey bee ends with two things: honey and sting.
Volunteer a few hours of your time to work at Old Mac Donald's barn at the
Montgomery County Fair to tell the public that our bees are not like the
"killer bee" movies, and explain their VALUE to our human food supply;
and volunteer to talk about honey bees to our children at their schools.
It would not be George if he did not tell you instructions to do something
that might keep your bees alive. In Maryland, the BEST time to kill 99% of your
tracheal mites is to install 50 grams of menthol in a colony close to August
15th, but before September 1st! Menthol is far and away the best tracheal mite
control, but it MUST be installed in hot weather or it will not work. Although
today is August 1st, some bees are DYING RIGHT NOW due to lack of food, because
of horrible nectar conditions for the past two months. You better check your
food supply in each colony TODAY and forget that undependable fall nectar flow.
If I told you that I have never lost a colony to Varroa mites, no doubt some
people that will say "he is a liar." The fact is, although maintaining
as many as 60 colonies these past 16 years, since the tracheal mite, I have
never lost a colony to either mite, BUT I HAVE FOLLOWED THE SUGGESTIONS OF BEE
SCIENTISTS regarding the best time and how often to treat to kill the greatest
percentage of mites rather than selecting a time that is convenient to ME or a
time that might not interfere with some nectar collecting. In the central area
of Maryland which includes all of the state except the higher elevation western
counties, Apistan strips should be installed as late in the year as possible so
that the queen has either drastically slowed down in laying new worker eggs or
actually stopped laying, and therefore there is little or no bee larvae for the
female Varroa mite to lay new mite eggs that can feed on the bee larvae. Hence,
I install my Apistan, 1 strip for every 5 frames of brood, on OCTOBER 1st and
allow it to stay in place for a full 6 weeks, but surely remove it by December
1st. Too many people say that they stop beekeeping by October and think about it
again about April. If you are one of those people, ask yourself "Are you a
beeHAVER, or a beeKEEPER?" Some folks are reluctant to try and remove
Apistan strips in November for fear that it is too chilly for the bees. Bees are
not clustered in a winter cluster at temperatures of over 50°, and there are
numerous days in the last half of November, around Thanksgiving time that have
afternoon temperatures of over 50°. This might even mean that you have to leave
work for 3-4 hours, come home, and take care of your bees health, just as you
take off to go deer hunting, quail shooting, or to a football game. The reason
that you definitely DON'T DARE LEAVE THE APISTAN IN PLACE LONGER THAN 6-8 WEEKS
is that the longer time is the THING that creates RESISTANT MITES that Apistan
cannot kill! TAKE APISTAN OUT BEFORE DECEMBER 1st!
Please make a point of saying "hello" to me at the Montgomery
County FAIR, and go to all the fairs that you can to help spread the word about
the importance of apis mellifera to our human food supply. By the way, the FAIR
has found a good use for this old stroke disabled beekeeper: They have honored
me as GRAND MARSHALL of the FAIR PARADE which is held at 6:00 P. M. on Sunday
night, August 12th. In spite of difficulty walking, I even have to CROWN the new
KING and QUEEN of the FAIR. By the way, the FAIR is making my NEW BEE
DEMONSTRATION SCREENED CAGE in Farmer's Triangle section a permanent part of the
FAIR. There, four times each day for 9 days, I will open colonies of live bees,
show the marked queen to the spectators, talk about bees, their life, their
behavior, and their value to the human race while I am dressed only in shoes,
shorts, tee-shirt and NO VEIL. As a disabled old man, I need all the help I can
get so someone can take my place after my death. Have I got any volunteers to
help me or take my place?
Site Locations for Bees and Honey at the FAIR:
- Honey, hive products, and display competition is in the Farm and Garden
Building #2
- MCBA booth about Honey Bees, Equipment, Pictures and Observation Hive is
in the #1 booth on the west side of Old MacDonald'd Barn, and Master Beekeeper
Barry Thompson needs 40 volunteers to do a 4 hour shift of talking to the kids
about bees which almost everyone of you CAN do. Please contact Barry at 301
947-4652
- George's NEW Demonstration Cage and George's Honey House is just 50 yards
east of Old MacDonald's Barn in Farmer's Triangle adjoining the John Deere
Tractor Display. Why not visit and help George answer all the questions from
children and adults, the Number 1 question is always: "Why don't the bees
sting you?" or "Aren't you afraid of being stung?" or "Do
the bees KNOW you?" My stroke disabled voice can use some help!
George W. Imirie
EAS Certified Master Beekeeper
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