The Myth of the Vanishing Bees

Peter Loring Borst
Ithaca NY; February 2014
PeterLoringBorst.com




The headlines are sensational: one third of bees died again this winter. So, why have bees not vanished by now? Only a few years of successive die-offs of this magnitude should do the trick, right? Well, no. Beekeepers have been recovering from winter die back for many centuries. Prior to the invention of the modern hive, bees were kept in baskets or logs. These were “hefted” in the fall. The light ones were killed and the honey taken, as they probably wouldn’t survive with a short supply of honey. The heavy ones were killed, as they were too good to pass up. So, prior to winter the beekeeper reduced numbers by up to two thirds. Then in the spring, the hives were restocked by catching “swarms” which is the honey bees’ natural method of increasing the number of colonies.

In the 1800s, commercial beekeeping got its start. There was a concerted effort to reduce winter losses. The hives were adequately provisioned with honey, and yet – in cold regions of the US and Canada, losses still ran as high as 50%. Winter is just plain hard on bees. And yet, by simply dividing the hives in spring, these losses could be recouped. Even so, Canadian beekeepers found it more economical to harvest all the honey, and kill the bees in fall, reducing winter losses to zero. By purchasing bees from California, the Canadian beekeepers were able to restock every spring, make a profitable honey crop, and experience zero winter loss by losing all the bees in fall.

How is this possible? The fact is, a package of bees consisting of three pounds of bees and a new queen can under ideal conditions grow into a producing unit in six weeks. This means that bees can be installed into empty hives in May and be storing bumper crops of honey in July, at the height of the summer season. The prime honey regions are the far northern provinces where vast acres are planted to blooming crops such as clover, alfalfa and canola.

This changed in the 1980s, when Canada closed the border to US bees, in order to prevent the importation of damaging honey bee pests including mites and the so-called African bees. Canadian beekeepers had to go back to the old ways of over-wintering bees. As a matter of fact, they have gotten very good at it. The hives are reduced in size and moved with forklifts into cold storage facilities, often repurposed barns designed for storing potatoes. No, the bees don’t need to be warm in winter, they just need to be protected from the very low temperatures, and more importantly, from steep temperature fluctuations which occur when they are housed out of doors.

Since 2006, there have been countless news reports on the demise of the honey bee, the danger to our food supply, and so on. What is usually left out of these scare stories is the resiliency of this industry. Despite higher winter losses, attributable chiefly to the parasites that the border closure attempt to keep out, honey production in Canada is up, and the number beekeepers in Canada is on the rise.

So, the problem must be worse in the US, since that’s the focus of most of the stories. Are there shortages of bees in the US? In February of each year, the largest expanse of almond trees in the world comes into bloom in the Central Valley of California. There are simply not enough bee hives in the valley to pollinate all these trees at the recommended rate of one hive per acre. In fact, there aren’t enough available hives in the whole state; many beekeepers simply are not equipped to move their hives long distances. The solution has been to assembled up to a million and a half colonies from all over the US, to be rented for pollination at ever higher prices. Renting bees has become a major source of income for beekeepers who can truck their hives, far more certain than trying to produce a honey crop, which depends on the vagaries of weather, and can fail to be profitable when global honey prices sag.

As we can see, the beekeeping industry has always had to contend with losses, due to weather, parasites, and sometimes careless application of pesticides. Yet, despite this, the actual number of bee colonies have been steady for decades and is even rising in some areas. The need for pollination in the almond industry is acute, but this is a luxury crop, not a staple. The national food supply is not in danger, not by a long shot.

The Big New York State Honey Harvest
By Pat Bono / [email protected]
on September 10, 2013

Shorter days and cooler temperatures herald the traditional honey harvest here in New York State.
Beekeepers are preparing to remove the sweet bounty that the honeybees have collected from the
various flowers that bloom in the state. The sweet and varied flavors of honey differ according to the
type of flower the nectar is gathered from, be it from manged plants like apple blossoms or blueberries,
cultivated garden stock such as honeysuckle, mint, flowering bushes and trees, to the wildflowers of
New York.
The Empire State has some of the best honey in the nation, due to the temperature climate, adequate
rainfall, and the rich limestone soils. The state is geographically diverse, presenting a quiltwork of
fields, meadows, agricultural crops and orchards, swamps, mountains, fallow lands, suburban and
urban gardens – all of which provide bees a variety of nutritious flower nectars and pollens to choose
from.
Generally earlier Spring and Summer honeys tend to be lighter and sweeter, and used as tea honeys.
Later honeys tend to to be darker and more flavorful and are good for baking
Many apiarists are eager to market their Fall honey, one the most abundant and one of the best of the
New York honeys. What makes this honey so special? It is an especially dark rich and robust honey
with an almost butterscotch type flavor. The primary floral source the bees visit to make this honey is
the humble roadside and field weed- Goldenrod (solidago), a native North American species.
This honey can be found at local farm stands, farmers markets, and harvest festivals throughout New
York State. The Empire State State Honey Producers has a listing of beekeepers, many of whom
produce autumn honey, on their website, http://www.eshpa.org/index.php/buy-local-ny-honey/2011-12-
30-19-04-58
September is also National Honey Month, which recognizes the great nationwide honey harvest
across the United States.
New York currently ranks #14 in honey production, with about 2.7 million pounds produced, the
number of managed beehives in NY is 52,000 and increasing.

Honey Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
½ C New York honey
½ C butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 C flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 C chocolate chips
½ C ground walnuts (optional)
Cream honey and butter together. Add egg and vanilla. In bowl, mix flour, soda, powder and salt
together. Add flour mix. Add nuts and chocolate chips. Drop onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 11-
12 minutes.

-Pat Bono is the Project Director for NY Bee Wellness (NYBeeWellness.org), a USDA funded organization to teach beekeepers how to diagnose honey bee disease.

New York Beekeepers Ready for Spring
Author: Pat Bono

“ The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated” - Mark Twain

Many New York beekeepers are all set for pollination and honey production, despite recent headline news warning of a honey bee “apocalypse”. While weather, location, and disease can cause variation in winter survival of bees, overall, local beekeepers are reporting a better than average population of honeybees here in NY. This is good news for both orchardists and new beekeepers, because many of the larger beekeeping operations provide pollination services and sell honeybees and queens locally. Even colonies that are overwintered in the southern states, such as the Carolinas, are in good health and will be migrating to orchards across the Empire State within the next few weeks.
Indeed, the more populous hives are ready to expand and swarm--- this also includes feral bees: honeybees that have taken up residence in hollow trees or abandoned structures. Most NY bee clubs and County Cooperative Extensions have lists of beekeepers eagerly awaiting calls to retrieve the wayward bees. See ESHPA.org for a list of bee clubs.

Interest in beekeeping is at an all time high, with many new beekeepers setting up their first hives this Spring; but while anticipating the sweet liquid harvest, honeybee health should be primary. The biggest threat to honeybees is a parasite, the varroa mite, which saps the bees' strength and transmits viruses--- similar to a tick. Consensus is for beekeepers keep track of the mite numbers, perhaps medicate if really needed, to keep their bees in top form. A quick and easy way for beekeepers to check for these bee killers is on the NYBeeWellness.org site, a website developed for NY beekeepers, which is funded by the USDA and the Empire State Honey Producers Association. It includes a video.

The typical beekeeper of today has several beehives in their backyard, providing pollination to flowers within a 2 mile radius. This contributes to the diversity of both wild and cultivated flora here in New York. With good, responsible beekeeping, everyone can share in the benefits of the flowers and the bees.
New York State has had a longstanding legacy in apiculture and honey production since the early 1800's, due to the variety of flowering plants that flourish in the rich agricultural soils. According to the 2012 USDA Honey Report:

• the number of reported beehives in New York increased by 6% to 52,000
• the value of the NY honey crop increased by 13% to over 6 million dollars
• New York currently ranks #14 in the nation for honey production

NY Bee Wellness Workshops, NYBeeWellness.org,  USDA NIFA Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program, Grant # 2011-494400-30631

-----Pat Bono, Rochester NY, is the Project Director for the NY Bee Wellness Workshops,Contact: [email protected]