Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Planting for Bees



Here is a beautiful list of plantings for our delightful little foragers

Wanting to plant flowers, shrubs and trees that benefit local bee populations? This is your definitive guide of what to plant. Of course, do your research into these plants. You don’t want to accidentally plant something that’s incredibly invasive in your area, right?
Spring and Summer Bulbs
  • Purple flowering onions (Allium spp.)
  • Golden crocus (Crocus x luteus)
  • Bishop Series dahlias* (Dahlia)
  • Winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis)
  • Grape hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum)
  • Siberian squill (Scilla sibirica)

Perennials and Biennials
  • Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
  • Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
  • Lesser calamint (Calamintha nepeta)
  • Cornflowers (Centaurea spp.)
  • Gas plant (Dictamnus albus)
  • Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
  • Globe thistles (Echinops spp.)
  • Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium)
  • Blanketflowers (Gaillardia spp.)
  • Cranesbills (Geranium spp.)
  • Fall sedums (Hylotelephiumtelephium)
  • Knautia (Knautia macedonica)
  • Forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica)
  • Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
  • Meadow sage (Salvia nemorosa)
  • Showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)
  • Fall asters (Symphyotricum spp.)

Annuals
  • Cosmos (Cosmos spp.)
  • California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
  • Sunflower* (Helianthus annuus)
  • Heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens)
  • Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena)
  • Breadseed poppy (Papaver somniferum)
  • Portulaca* (Portulaca spp.)
  • Blue anise sage (Salvia guaranitica)
  • Profusion and common zinnias* (Zinnia spp.)

Herbs
  • Chives and onions (Allium spp.)
  • Borage (Borago officinalis)
  • Horehound (Marrubium vulgare)
  • Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)
  • Mints (Mentha spp.)
  • Catmints (Nepeta spp.)
  • Creganos (Origanum spp.)
  • Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
  • Rue (Ruta graveolens)
  • Sage (Salvia officinalis)
  • Thyme (Thymus spp.)

Shrubs
  • Heather (Calluna vulgaris)
  • Blue mist bush (Caryopteris x clandonensis)
  • Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)
  • Winter heath (Erica carnea)
  • Lavenders (Lavandula spp.)
  • Sumacs (Rhus spp.)
  • Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)

Trees
  • Maples (Acer spp.)
  • Alders (Alnus spp.)
  • Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
  • Hazels (Corylus spp.)
  • Tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)
  • Fruit trees, especially apple, plum, and cherry (Malus and Prunus spp.)
  • Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica)
  • Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)
  • Willows (Salix spp.)
  • Basswood/linden (Tilia spp.)

Weeds
  • Viper’s bugloss (Echium vulgare)
  • Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
  • Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
  • Clovers (Trifolium and Melilotus spp.)
 Thanks Russ!

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Happy Easter, Happy Spring!



Have a beautiful Easter and enjoy seeing those dear bees bringing in lots of pollen!

Monday, March 21, 2016

HCBA March 24th Bee School Meeting



Hi There Bee Lovers

HCBA March 24th Bee School Meeting  7-9pm

Ken Warchol will be our guest speaker and the topic-

Challenges of Beekeeping


What a perfect egg for this spring season.

Hope your hives are filled with them!

WHIL, 118 Mount Vernon Road, Chicopee MA 10013

Friday, March 18, 2016

Honey Nut Cheerios Buzz the Bee Mascot Goes Missing!

In an effort to raise awareness of the decline in pollinator populations, General Mills in Canada has launched an integrated marketing campaign revolving around finding a solution to unstable bee populations. 

To draw attention to the cause, General Mills has temporarily removed Buzz the Bee from Honey Nut Cheerios packaging. In an Adweek Magazine article, Emma Eriksson, director of Marketing for General Mills Canada, said "This is the first time in the brand's history that we've taken 'Buzz' off the box, One-third of the foods we depend on for our survival are made possible by the natural pollination work that bees provide. With ongoing losses in bee populations being reported across Canada, we wanted to leverage our packaging to draw attention to this important cause and issue a call to action to Canadians to help plant 35 million wildflowers—one for every person in Canada."

The campaign includes free packets of wildflower seeds, contests, free product samples, a special website - www.bringbackthebees.ca - and new television ads.

As of this writing, there is no word on whether The Big G is going to extend the campaign into the United States.

Similarly, there is no word on whether General Mills is going to mention the role pesticides and GMOs have in honeybee endangerment.

.

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Controversy Over MDAR's Proposed Pollinator Protection Plan

In an article published on March 11 2016, the Boston Globe said that Massachusetts beekeepers has "enraged beekeepers, who say the state has ignored their plan to address the problems and underestimated the threat pesticides present to bees."

The plan, which is in it's draft form right now, calls for some changes in the state's apiary inspection program, voluntary training in safer use of pesticides by farmers, and some additional regulation from the state which would be used to help track and research bee deaths.

You can download a draft copy of the Pollinator Protection Plan by clicking on this link. I encourage you to do so, and to carefully read the proposal, because the Globe's articles raises some valid questions as well as making a couple points that I just can not seem to find in the document when I read it.

For example, the article says that the Plan "strips beekeepers of their ability to teach others their craft, instead placing the responsibility with state officials." I can't find anything about that in the Plan. Rather, it explicitly says:
  • Attend a bee school and/or work with a mentor to learn about beekeeping practices. Currently, there are opportunities for classroom instruction, field training, and mentoring provided by knowledgeable beekeepers to members of county beekeeping associations. 
  • Work within the local beekeeping community to encourage queen rearing using northern adapted bees, in order to increase vitality and genetics. 
It seems to me that the language as written in the draft is specifically asking aspiring beekeepers to do what they are doing now: Find a club or association, take a beekeeping class from them, and join the associations to take advantage of the resources that club members make available.

The Globe's article also says that the Plan "also imposes 'unfair regulation' and 'unrealistic policies' on beekeepers, preventing them from being able to manage their bees successfully." Here again, what I am finding in the document itself doesn't seem to be that onerous:

  • Register the location of hives with MDAR, so that they can be included on a hive map, used for contacting beekeepers in times of health concerns as well as a resource that pesticide applicators can use to mitigate pesticide exposure. 
  • Work with Mosquito Control Projects to be included on "No Spray" lists. Ensure that hives are visible to users/applicators by using marking flags and/or paints. 
  • Only use pesticides currently registered for hive use, and use them according to label instructions. Obtain a pesticide applicator license for material classified for Section 18/Emergency Exemption Use or Restricted Use. 
  • In the case of "Bee Kills" where pesticide use is suspected, report to MDAR promptly for investigation. 
  • If needed, request an annual inspection from MDAR to evaluate hive health. 
  • Participate in state and national surveys related to hive helath, so that the status of Massachusetts honey bees can be documented.
Most of these items, it seems to me, are things that beekeepers are doing anyway, although that part about the pesticides is probably quite irritating for beekeepers who are successfully using oxalic acid vaporizers to treat varroa mites (oxalic acid is not currently approved in Massachusetts - or Connecticut either, for that matter, so those of us using it against mites in our hives are operating in a grey area here.)

ON THE OTHER HAND...

What I do find bothersome, though, is the way that pesticide applicators and land managers are given practically free rein to continue doing what they're doing, with only a gentle nudge of a suggestion here and there, rather than stricter limitations or an outright ban on pesticides that have been shown to be damaging to all pollinator populations, not just honeybees. Yes, it calls for obtaining proper licensure from MDAR prior to applying pesticides, but isn't a license already required for that? And this wording just doesn't seem strong enough to me:

  • Seek training to learn about the biology, life history, husbandry, and best management practices (BMPs) of managed bee pollinators, in order to better understand methods that avoid non-target impacts.
  • Use an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach to pest control, by utilizing economic thresholds for determining actions. If pesticides are required, seek products that have low toxicity, short residual toxicity, and properties that are repellent to bees.
  • When possible, apply aproducts when managed bee pollinators are less actively foraging (i.e. at night) and when crops attractive to bees for floral resources are not in bloom. Apply pesticides in a manner that they do not drift off target. Do not make applications in areas adjacent to pollinator habitat when the wind is blowing in the direction of hives.

I don't see any strong language there, just "seek," and "when possible." Where are the limitations? Where are the bans on pesticides that have actually been shown to be harmful to pollinators? Why is there no mention of pesticides that become systemic to the plant and which shouldn't be allowed in any quantity?

Although reading the Boston Globe article makes it seem as though nothing we can say or do will change the draft proposal, there is still time to make your voice heard. There will be a public hearing about the proposal right here in our own back yard on Wednesday, March 23rd at the MDAR office in the Slobody Building, 101 University Drive, Amherst MA from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM.



You can also send comments to Kim Skyrm, the Chief Apiary Inspector at Kim.Skyrm@state.ma.us. Read the Plan and however you feel about it, make your voice heard!

The comments section is open if anyone would care to discuss the Boston Globe article or my interpretation of it.

Views expressed in this article are my own and not necessarily those of the Hampden County Beekeepers Association.

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Friday, March 11, 2016

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

HCBA March 10th bee school meeting

Hello fellow bee lovers

March 10th Bee School Meeting 

Our speakers will be Billy Crawford (professional beekeeper)

the topic is Spring and Summer Management

and

Jeff Rys 

with the topic Bears and other Invaders (always a fun one)

Be there for a 7pm start up please.



Willimanset Heights Improvement League, 118 Mt.Vernon Road, Chicopee, MA 01013

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Beekeeping Gear

Now is the time to check your beekeeping gear for the season.

Make certain you have all your boxes and frames ready to go

Paint, Paint.Paint

Wire, Wire, Wire

Get a move on folks!