Next time you are in Boston check out this honey store: Follow the Honey in Cambridge, MA (http://followthehoney.com/). They sell local honey, and honey from the world over, as well as other things bee related.
1132 Mass Ave, Cambridge MA, 617-945-7356
Researchers at Oregon State University have discovered the oldest bee ever known, a 100 million year old specimen preserved in almost lifelike form in amber, and an important link to help explain the rapid expansion of flowering plants during that distant period.
The findings and their evolutionary significance are outlined in an article to be published this week in the journal Science.
The specimen, at least 35-45 million years older than any other known bee fossil, has given rise to a newly-named family called Melittosphecidae — insects that share some of the features of both bees and wasps. It supports the theory that pollen-dependent bees evolved from their meat-eating predecessors, the wasps.
“This is the oldest known bee we’ve ever been able to identify, and it shares some of the features of wasps,” said George Poinar, a professor of zoology at OSU and international expert in the study of life forms preserved in ancient amber. “But overall it’s more bee than wasp, and gives us a pretty good idea of when these two types of insects were separating on their evolutionary paths.”
Full Story Here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061025184944.htm
From “Mark’s Daily Apple: Primal Living in the Modern World”
As a general rule, I am against the consumption of refined sugars, especially sucrose and high fructose corn syrup. To understand why – if you’re still wondering – check out my definitive post on the subject. But what about the preeminent unrefined natural sweetener – the rich amber nectar that’s been available to humans from the very start (albeit protected by barbed, flying suicide stingers)? How are we to approach honey? Because while refined sugar and particularly fructose are to be avoided, alone those are refined, manmade, processed “foods.” White sugar is just sucrose, which is just fructose and glucose. High-fructose corn syrup is just fructose and glucose. Isolated fructose is just fructose. Those aren’t even foods, though they can be eaten; they’re just disaccharides and monosaccharides, with zero minerals, vitamins, phytonutrients, flavonoids, and other micronutrients.
Honey, on the other hand, contains over a hundred different compounds, not just fructose and glucose. It has a small amount of minerals, amino acids, and vitamins, but the point is that it’s not just sugar. Entire colonies of honey bees thrive on the stuff. It’s food by any definition. And whole foods are different than refined foods, and especially refined food-like products. They have different effects when you eat them. Eating an almond is not the same as taking a shot of rancid seed oil. Eating a handful of berries isn’t the same as sprinkling an equal amount of berry-extracted sugar in your water and drinking it.
The question, then, is whether or not this holds true for honey. Is honey “better” than sugar or HFCS? Are some of the harmful effects of the sugar contained therein mitigated by the presence of bioactive compounds? Let’s take a look. Click here: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/is-honey-a-safer-sweetener/#more-26744
What was killing all those honeybees in recent years? New research shows a link between an increase in the death of bees and insecticides, specifically the chemicals used to coat corn seeds.
The study, titled “Assessment of the Environmental Exposure of Honeybees to Particulate Matter Containing Neonicotinoid Insecticides Coming from Corn Coated Seeds,” was published in the American Chemical Society’s Environmental Science & Technology journal, and provides insight into colony collapse disorder.
Click here for rest of the story: http://news.yahoo.com/honeybee-deaths-linked-corn-insecticides-221639948–abc-news.html
NOFA Mass has 3 beekeeping classes:
Here is a description of one, click link below to see the others: Participants at this 3-hour workshop will have a chance to see how a Langstroth Hive is put together. Parts of the hive will be built on site while other pre-purchased parts will be put together. The workshop will cover strength and durability, putting together an outer cover (almost) from scratch, transforming a solid bottom board to a screened bottom board, and, most important, Squaritoff frame building and wiring.
http://www.nofamass.org/programs/extensionevents/beekeeping.php
Here’s the list of places to buy bees that was collected at last month’s meeting. As you can see, some are local and some are from the South. Please post a reply with other sources, and your experience with any source you’ve tried. Thanks!
Anarchy Apiaries, nucs and packages
http://anarchyapiaries.org/hivetools/node/17198
SMALL CELL, Northern hardy, treatment-free.
Betterbee, nucs
http://www.betterbee.com/
Unknown number will be available to order sometime in February.
Reseska Apiaries, nucs and packages
http://bostonhoneycompany.com/beekeeper/bee_packages.html
Overwintered and inspected in Georgia. May have hive beetles.
Singing Cedars, nucs
http://vtbees.com/nucleus.htm
Overwintered in the South.
Warm Colors Apiary, packages
http://warmcolorsapiary.com/
Sold out this year. Bees come from Georgia.
Jeff Burdick, Club member. Usually comes to most meetings. Will have Nucs.
Northern Berkshire Beekeepers Association
July 2011 Newsletter
It’s almost that time again. Time for our monthly bee club meting on Tuesday July 26th, 7pm, at Price Chopper on State Road, North Adams. We don’t have a specific guest speaker this month. That means it’s your chance to be a star. Bring in something to show and tell, or bring in your questions, advice or stories to share. It’s a free for all. I believe David Lachman and Maria Hanby are at the treatment free conference in Leominster. Perhaps they can share some of what they learned on Tuesday or at the next meeting.
Well, the thermometer broke 100 degrees here this week. Propped up covers for ventilation and a good water source are two things you can do to help your bees. I’ve heard from a few people and from looking into the hives that final capping off of some honey frames is going slowly. I guess it’s hard for the bees to get the water content down low enough in this weather. If you are working on your hives, be sure to dress as cool as possible and drink plenty of water, and don’t spend any more time than necessary, and if you can, avoid mid day.
For those who aren’t ready to attempt totally treatment free beekeeping, we have taken orders for mite away quick strips, and will have some available for those who didn’t get an order in. The price will be about $3 per strip. It takes two strips to treat a hive. We are hoping they come in in time to distribute at Tuesday’s meeting.
Tom will give us an update on the Aggie Fair schedule and who we have for volunteers so far. A couple of hours at the booth gets you free admission to the fair for the day.
You can contact Tom about bringing a desert for this month’s meeting. The weather is supposed to break by then and go down into the high seventies.
Ideas are being kicked around about bringing back our summer bee picnic. We should hear more about that at the meeting also.
There is never a lack of things to do around here and usually too many things to choose from. For example, the Betterbee Field Day falls on the same Saturday (Aug 6th) as the Aggie Fair. But it’s good to have choices. There are others coming up including EAS.
The American Apitherapy Society Inc. (AAS) is pleased to let you know that we will be holdnig a full day of Apitherapy at the Eastern Apiculture Society's Annual Summer Convention, in Warwick, Rhode Island, on Thurs. July 28. We have fine speakers as well as hands-on demonstrations. It should be a lively day and we anticipate a good turnout. You can review the program on the EAS website at http://www.easternapiculture.org/index on the left under Apitherapy. To sign up in advance you must go to the EAS website and register, the one day fee is $75.00. In addition, AAS will also host a Wine and Cheese Reception in the same room at 5:30 to provide an opportunity for networking and exchange of ideas. The Reception is free to members, and is $5 to all who are not members. People can pay at the door, but we would appreciate an e-mail to the AAS office at aasoffice@apitherapy.org to let us know that you will join the reception, so we know how many will be with us. Bennington County Beekeepers Club Limited Reminder: Vermont Beekeepers Association Contact: Bill Mares 802-863-4938 Summer meeting: When: Aug. 6, 2011 8:30 AM-all day Where: Camel's Hump Middle School, Richmond. Guest: Jennifer Berry. Meeting includes hive inspection. July 26-29 Eastern Apiculture Society, Providence RI www.easternapiculture.com Empire State Honey Producers Association, July 23, 2011, VA Medical Center, Canandaigua NY summer picnic. Contact: Aaron Morris Round Lake NY 518-899-6113. Plans for Bennington club is a meeting mid to late Aug. Watch for announcements. An older beekeeper may wish to sell extractor, supers and other items. Check your inventory. Contact Jacob Esh 802-447-0198
Tony’s Corner
A letter came in the mail from the board of health saying a neighbor complained about the look of our front yard. We believe it came from someone across the river in the Eclipse Mill, since all of our nearby neighbors have lived on the street for many years. We’ve gotten plenty of compliments from people attuned to nature about our little sanctuary for the birds and bees. After talking to the people at city hall and stating my case about beauty being in the eye of the beholder, natural plantings being much better for people and nature than short clipped grass with herbicides sprayed on it, and not being given the “standards” which are expected or who decides what fits those guidelines, I was told to make it look maintained. So my wife and I cut down a bunch of milkweed, some white sweet clover and tansy, and made things looked more grouped with some space around them. Today as I sat in the backyard admiring the birds, garden, berry bushes, fruit trees and beehives, it occurred to me that staring out at a well kept lawn would be as exciting as sitting in an empty room.
