Don't kill honey bee swarms!

With all the swarming activity, spring is a great time to teach friends and neighbors about bees. Though intimidating, swarms aren't really dangerous since they're just moving to a new home and highly vulnerable. Swarms have about a 20% chance for survival, and like many others the beautiful swarm pictured here didn't make it. Tragically, this one was recently destroyed by the frightened owner of the property on which it rested.

If you want bees off of your property, you should call the North Carolina Extension Office at 828-255-5522, and ask for a list of beekeepers on the "swarm list" in your area. They will ask you a series of questions to help identify the bees.  If they are honey bees, someone will be thrilled to come out to wrangle them, and it will make a great show to boot!

North Carolina Extension Office: 828-252-5522

Studies reveal dangers of neonicotinoids!

A new pair of studies conducted by Sterling University suggests that the use of neonicotinoid pesticides places bee populations in significant danger. Neonicotinoids became widely used in the 1990s, in large part because it has little effect on humans while being very effective against insects, acting as a nerve poison to prevent important messages from being processed. According to Rowan Jacobsen, these pesticides cause interruptions in the same receptor affected by Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease in humans. The symptoms include "disorientation, short-term memory loss... tremors, spasms, and eventually paralysis and death."

What makes neonicotinoids so attractive to farmers is that they are systemic insecticides; instead of polluting the air and water, they spread through the plant itself. When insects snack on the leaves of treated plants, they die. Unfortunately, this is also true for bees, who dutifully collect pollen to bring back to their hive, essentially dosing the entire colony with poison... if they can make it that far. Part of what makes this chemical so dangerous to honeybees is that it causes such severe disorientation that affected bees are just not as likely to find their way home. In one of the studies published by Science magazine, "free-roaming honeybees were tagged with RFID chips that allowed researchers to track their movements. When dosed with a neonicotinoid, bees were more than twice as likely as non-dosed controls to die outside their hives."

Supporters of neonicotinoid use point out that farmers have strict limits placed on how much of the chemical they can use in their fields, and that the levels they use are hardly strong enough to endanger bees. But no two farmers are alike. While one farmer may be using one pesticide, his neighbor is using 2 others, and so on. When a bee can cover upwards of 15,000 acres, it is scary to consider the variety of chemicals with which they come into contact, and what the compounded effect is. A single shot of tequila may not have much effect on me, but how do I look when I follow it with a margarita, a beer, a gin and tonic, and long island iced tea? Certainly don't ask me to drive home, because I probably wouldn't make it.

"The fundamental problem isn't neonicotinoids," says James Frazier, a Penn State entomologist. "We're making ourselves the guinea pigs. I don't think that's what a rational society should be doing." It is certainly disconcerting to consider the effect of pesticides on bee populations (not to mention other stressors like poor nutrition, new diseases, and shipment). But bees are not the only pollinators, so how is it that native insects vital to the health of diverse ecosystems are faring? And what can we possibly do about it?

Check out these web pages for more information:

wired.com: Controversial Pesticide Linked to Bee Collapse

The Telegraph: Pesticides Harming Bee Populations, Researchers Suggest

BBC News: Insecticide Blamed for Bee Deaths by Stirling University Study

Also pick up Rowan Jacobsen's "Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis"

Asheville for Bee City, USA!

Members of the Buncombe County Beekeepers Chapter are lucky to live in such a green city and region, and blessed to be among people who value and celebrate biological diversity. Because our county's residents are generally ecologically conscientious, Asheville, our fair city, boasts one of the largest beekeeping communities in the country.

In a collaborative initiative, backyard beekeepers, the Buncombe County Beekeepers Chapter, and the Center for Honeybee Research propose for Asheville to officially become the inaugural Bee City USA. Not only would this cast a spotlight on our neighbors the honey bees, but it would also obligate Asheville to uphold a set of standards in cultivating habitats for the pollinators that play such a vital role in our ecology. This includes setting aside a portion of the city's landscaping budget for pollinator-friendly plants, and educating the public about honey bees and the keepers that love them. Not to mention the fact that learning about bees is fun!

The Bee City USA proposal is almost finalized, and the planning team could use some extra help. Specifically, they would like new volunteers to help with getting the name legally trademarked, as well as a graphic artist to work on designing a logo. If you are interested in getting involved, or have any additional questions, you can contact Phyllis Stiles at beecityusa@gmail.com. Let's show the rest of the country what it means to live green!

April 2 BCBC Meeting!

Come join us on Monday
to learn more about beekeeping and bees.

Our featured topic for April is
STINGS, ALLERGIES and EPIPENS.
Come learn more about coping with
the business end of your bees
and the reactions that can follow.

We will also talk about
this month in the bee yard
and follow up our recent bee school
with some interesting questions and answers.

7:00 pm on April 2, 2012
at Groce United Methodist Church
at 954 Tunnel Rd in Asheville, NC.
Come early at 6:30 for informal mentoring,
conversations about your bees,
opportunity to talk to other beekeepers.

WNC Bee School and Other News

The 2012 WNC Bee School has passed, and a whole slew of expert beekeepers is ready to go forth and become kings and queens of the land of wax and honey. Our speakers were extremely gracious to put together an an introductory event wherein they did their best to clarify the basics and answer our questions, and I'm grateful that they are making their experience available to us newbies. I can't speak for the other attendees, but the more that I listened, the more I realized that I still have a lot to learn (does it ever stop?). For you poor souls who couldn't make it out, here are some book recommendations that our wonderful seasoned beekeepers shared with us over the course of the school, in no particular order, to help you cry yourself to sleep:

 Michael Bush -- The Practical Beekeeper; Beekeeping Naturally   (the essential contents of this book are available for free online on his website)

Jürgen Tautz -- The Buzz About Bees (a discussion of bees as a superorganism)

Thomas Seeley -- Honey Bee Democracy (a look at how honeybees collectively make decisions, including when and where to swarm)

Also, Carl Chesick and Lady Spirit Moon announced that the Center for Honeybee Research is starting a new project comparing the pro-chemical honeybee management method to natural beekeeping. This project will involve keeping bee yards using both methods, and Carl stressed the need for experienced volunteers to see this project through. So, if you're a bee lover with a bit of extra time on your hands, get in touch with the good folks at the Center for Honeybee Research and make beautiful bee science happen.

Again, a huge THANK YOU to all the speakers this weekend at the WNC Bee School! I'm very excited to get my first hive, and just a little bit less terrified.

 ----------------------------------------------
Are you in the downtown Asheville/Montford area, and HATE waiting all month for BCBC meetings? So does Mary Fierle, a lovely Asheville bee enthusiast, who wants to organize an informal mini-bee group whose members will help each other by answering questions, being available for bee yard help, and general honeybee high-fiving in the area. If you're interested in getting involved, contact Mary at maryfierle@bellsouth.net.

Chris Mathis Lecture on Building Efficiency April 9th

A local building scientist, Chris Mathis, who is also a beekeeper, is giving a lecture on building efficiency in which he speaks about the lessons that can be learned from the honeybee when building our own structures.  He is very passionate about both beekeeping and energy efficiency. It is free and open to the public, although donations to student clubs GreenPowerAVL and Phi Theta Kappa will be collected.

Monday, April 9th, 7pm
Ferguson Auditorium on AB Tech's Main Campus


More Information from Mountain Xpress

March 5 BCBC Meeting

Join us to hear the marvelous Diane Almond
7:00 pm on March 5, 2012
at Groce United Methodist Church
at 954 Tunnel Rd in Asheville, NC.
Come early at 6:30 for informal mentoring,
conversations about your bees,
opportunity to talk to other beekeepers.

The program, as described by Diane:
"I'll do a bit of review on just what the heck pollen and pollination is; a bit of latest news from perspective on beeks and honey bees, and then go into the other managed pollinators, and if time, end with what we all (not just as beeks) can do to help all pollinators, managed or not, native or not!"

Join us for news, fun, education and beekeeping joy!