Welcome to the Madison County Beekeepers Association S Newsletter s2
Welcome to the Madison County Beekeepers Association’s Newsletter.
The Prez Sez
First off, thanks to the Madison Street float crew for a job very well done. The float project was headed by Dale Rohe with significant assistance from Frances and Scott Ackridge, Bob Martin, and Henry Smith (furnished the trailer).
Congratulations to Dale and his team for another job well done. This year I witnessed the work involved by Dale’s crew and it is surprising how much hard work they put into our award winning float. This float was better than last year and the turnout of individual members marching with the float from our Association was tremendous. Madison streets were quiet packed with spectators. All in all, this parade was a huge success. Thanks to the crew (builders and marchers). Click here for float pictures.
Winter is at our door step. Check your bees for honey stores. You should have a minimum of one medium super (60 lbs) of honey to get your bees through an average north Alabama winter. I prefer a minimum of 100 lbs just in case we have a colder than normal season. If your bees need feeding, do it ASAP, in fact it should have been done in the month of October. Bees can be fed with a top feeder (as well as other ways) and survive winter months but it is far better to have fed them while the weather was warm. This allows them to store the reserves where they are needed. I personally also like the idea that late fall honey is mixed with the sugar syrup, hopefully providing a more nutritious diet. There are differing opinions as to whether sugar water or honey is best for winter feed. Honey is more nutritious but has higher ash content.
Sugar water for winter feed should be 2 parts sugar to one part water. I mix 50 lbs of sugar with 3 gallons of water. The water has to be heated (or agitated a LOT) and should not be allowed to boil after incorporating the sugar and especially do not let the sugar caramelize as it will cause dysentery.
Plans are in place for the 24th consecutive offering of our Practical Beekeeping class. This is a free class – no charge. This year it will be held in the upstairs “Event Room” at the Huntsville Public Library "main library" located at 915 Monroe St., in Huntsville. There will be 4 sessions (it takes all 4 sessions to complete the course). Class dates are Jan 11, 25, Feb 8 and 22 (all 2011) from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM. Click here for a map to the meeting place. Please pass the word to your friends and acquaintances that might be interested in becoming beekeepers or are just interested in learning about bees. Chris Cambron and Bob Fanning will teach the class.
This is our very best class location to date. It is convenient, has ample parking, with a guard on duty and a large meeting room with excellent AV equipment. Thanks to the Huntsville Public Library. At this writing, I already have 21 students signed up for the class. We have room for more!
Hope to see you all at the January regular meeting in the class room at the Huntsville Botanical Garden.
Submitted by Bob Fanning, President MCBA
VP Corner
Well the year is coming to a close, and if most are like me you have plenty of equipment to clean and repair before next season. This year was a wild ride for me between the weather, and SHB but I still look forward to next year. I hope to see everyone next Tuesday at Gibsons BBQ for our annual eating meeting. It begins at 6:30 but I'll be there earlier. This is the Gibsons that is located just south of Parkway Place Shopping center. Once again if anyone would like to present a program for next year we still have a few openings. For those of you that can not make the meeting next week, I wish you and your family a great holiday season, and see at the January meeting where we will have a presentation of making "Mead".
Submitted by Roger Owens, Vice-President MCBA
News and Events
In Memoriam
Mr. Jim Smith of Chunchula, AL died on September 7th. Jim was a past president of the Alabama Beekeepers Association and, the last secretary before the offices of Secretary and Treasurer were combined in the late nineties. He did a lot of good things for the Alabama Beekeepers Association that was pretty much overshadowed by the controversy he caused.
Mr. William "Bill" Zed Gafford of Greenville, AL died September 19th. Bill was the second or third generation owner and operator of Bolling Bee Company from which he retired around 2005. Upon retiring he sold Bolling Bee to Charles Livings. Bill produced and sold Gray Caucasian bees, known for their productiveness and docile nature. Bill’s pure line of Gray Caucasians is no loner available. Bill served several terms as Vice President of the Alabama Beekeepers Association. Some may remember Bill and his wife Virginia for their musical entertain at ABA banquets in years past. Bill will be missed.
Meeting Programs
Roger Owens has a very good lineup of programs on slate for this year BUT he needs help. His toughest job is guessing what you want to hear and see. We have enough experience in the MCBA to cover darn near any topic you can ask for so please ask! On the same vain, if you have a specialty or interest that you think the association would like to hear about, we would like to talk to you about doing a program. We do have to reject a program on occasion but please do not assume yours will be.
Contact Roger Owens, Bob Fanning or any other officer or Board Member with your input and/or suggestions.
The Buzz Around the South
Africanized Honeybees Found in Georgia
Entomological tests have confirmed that Africanized honeybees were responsible for the death of an elderly man in Dougherty County last week. News reports say the man accidentally disturbed a feral colony of bees with his bulldozer and that he received more than 100 stings.
“This is the first record of Africanized honeybees in Georgia,” said Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin.
Africanized honeybees are a hybrid of African and European honeybees. Because of their extremely defensive nature regarding their nest (also referred to as a colony or hive), they are sometimes called “killer bees.” Large numbers of them sometimes sting people or livestock with little provocation.
The Africanized honeybee and the familiar European honeybee (Georgia’s state insect) look the same and their behavior is similar in some respects. Each bee can sting only once, and there is no difference between Africanized honeybee venom and that of a European honeybee. However, Africanized honeybees are less predictable and more defensive than European honeybees. They are more likely to defend a wider area around their nest and respond faster and in greater numbers than European honeybees.
Africanized honeybees first appeared in the U.S. in Texas in 1990. Since then they have spread to New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida and now Georgia. Entomologists and beekeepers have been expecting the arrival of these bees in Georgia for several years. There has been an established breeding population in Florida since 2005.
Because Africanized honeybees look almost identical to European honeybees, the bees from the Dougherty County incident had to be tested to accurately ascertain they were the Africanized strain. The Georgia Department of Agriculture sent samples of the bees to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services which has the capability to do FABIS (fast African bee identification system) testing and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture identification test (the complete morphometrics test) to confirm the bees’ identity.
“Georgia beekeepers are our first and best line of defense against these invaders. They are the ones who will be able to monitor and detect any changes in bee activity,” said Commissioner Irvin.
“The Georgia Department of Agriculture is going to continue its trapping and monitoring of bee swarms to try to find where any Africanized honeybees are,” said Commissioner Irvin. “We also want to educate people about what to do in case they encounter a colony of Africanized honeybees. Georgians can visit our website for more information. The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service has a publication on Africanized honeybees that is available online (http://pubsadmin.caes.uga.edu/files/pdf/B%201290_2.PDF) or at Extension offices.”
This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping, published by the A.I. Root Company.
RECIPE CORNER
RASPBERRY-HONEY SAUCE
2 cups frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed
½ cup water
1 Tbs. cornstarch
2 Tbs. honey
Puree berries with the ¼ cup water in food processor or electric blender. Strain and discard seeds. Combine pureed berries, cornstarch, and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, (boil 1 minute), stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Cool and refrigerate till ready to use.
From “Old-Fashioned Bread Puddings & other old-fashioned desserts” page 31
AGAR BERRY JAM
This no-process, low-sugar fruit jam can be made with any berry.
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 cups washed, hulled, and finely chopped berries at room temperature (about 1 quart whole berries)
1 cup cold water
2 tablespoons agar flakes
¼ cup mild-flavored honey, such as clover honey
1. In a mixing bowl, stir the lemon juice into the fruit. Set aside.
2. Place the water in a small saucepan and stir in the agar flakes. Wait for 1 minute, then, without further stirring, bring the agar to a simmer over medium-low heat. Once it is simmering, stir for 2-5 minutes, or until the agar is completely dissolved.
3. Using a heatproof rubber spatula to scrape around the pot, stir the honey into the agar.
4. Pouring with one hand and stirring with the other, add the agar mixture to the fruit. (Do not add the fruit to the agar mixture). Continue stirring until they are completely mixed. Taste, then add more honey – up to 3 tablespoons – if desired.
5. Pour the jam into sterile half-pint jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace. Cap and seal. Let cool in the refrigerator for 10 to 12 hours, then label and freeze the jam for up to 6 months. When you want to use the jam, thaw it in the refrigerator. After opening, it will keep about 3 weeks in the refrigerator. Yield: 4 half pints.
From “Jams, Jellies & More” by Carol W. Costenbader, Page 29
NOTE: Agar (or Agar-agar) is a vegetarian substitute for gelatin. It is made from a red seaweed that is processed into bars, powder, or flakes. The bars are also known as kanten bars.
This puzzle will test the knowledge you gleaned from this issue of the Buzzword.
Across
5. Africanized honeybees are a hybrid of African and ______honeybees.
7. ______tests have confirmed that Africanized honeybees were responsible for the death of an elder Georgia man.
9. "This is the first record of ______honeybees in Georgia,"...
11. Sugar water for winter feed should be 2 parts sugar to ____ part water.
13. You should have a minimum of one medium _____ of honey to get your bees through an average North Alabama winter.
14. Madison streets were packed with ______.
Down
1. Africanized honeybees and European honeybees look almost ______.
2. The European honeybee is the state insect of what state?
3. Dale Rohe, Frances Ackridge and crew put a lot of hard work into MBA's award winning ______.
4. Because of their extremely defensive nature, Africanized honey bees are often refered to as ______bees.
6. Entomologists and ______have been expecting the arrival of Africanized honeybees in Georgia for several years.
8. The name of the restaurant this year's Eating Meeting will be held.
10. How many sessions does it take to complete the Practical Beekeeping Class?
12. Africanized honeybees first appeared in 1990 in what state?
To submit articles or items for sale, or if you have comments, send them to or:
William T. Bradshaw
118 Cheyenne Trl.
Huntsville, AL 35806