Foundation Funds $25,000 in Varroa Research

Two varroa mite research projects have received funding totaling $25,000 from the Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees.

The Foundation Trustees utilized contributions received mainly from the beekeeping industry to make the grants. Quality proposals were received from several other researchers, and the Trustees expressed regret that the limited Foundation resources prevented their funding all the worthy projects.

The projects being funded in this round of grants are:

• Drs. Zachary Huang and Zhiyong Xi, Department of Entomology, Michigan State University. Research project: “Exploring using RNAi as a method for controlling Varroa destructor.”
• Drs. Jay. D. Evans and Robert S. Cornman, USDA-ARS Bee Research Laboratory, Beltsville, Md. Research project: “Discovery and Characterization of Infectious Agents for Varroa Mite Control.”

In addition to funding research projects as funds become available, the Foundation supports several ongoing programs, including the 4-H Beekeeping Essay Contest, scholarships to graduate students in apiculture, and the Kids and Bees programs.

Contributions toward the Foundation’s programs may be directed to:

The Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees
P.O. Box 1445
Jesup, GA 31598

For more information about the Foundation, call 912-427-4018. Contributions may also be made online.

The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) research and education foundation; contributions are tax deductible to the extent provided by law.

U.S. Honey: A Taste for Every Preference

The taste and color on honey varies according to the flowers where the nectar originates. Each different type of plant will yield honey with a different taste. The same plants, growing in different soils and climates, can yield different honey. The 4-H’ers are encouraged to investigate the local/regional honeys of the United States and see how they differ in taste and color. Is a honey dark with a rich flavor, or light in color and mild-tasting? Actual access to the honey for tasting is not required – just find out about some of the characteristics and write about them.

Students interested in writing should contact their local 4-H offices for contest details. The state selection must be done through the 4-H system. Beekeepers are encouraged to contact their local 4-H offices to see that the essay contest information has been distributed in their states.

The complete announcement and rules are available for download in Adobe PDF format.

May 1, 2010

Essayists Ask: ‘Is My Community Bee-Friendly?’

Beekeepers go about their business, making allowances for a farmer who favors frequent insecticide sprays, or the county road department that mows roadsides, or neighbors who know little or nothing about bees. But, how do all these factors add up? Is your community bee-friendly?

That was the question for the 2010 4-H Beekeeping Essay Contest, sponsored by the Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees. Essayists were to survey their communities to see what is being done, or could be done to help honey bees. Are there classes to attract new beekeepers – or laws that prohibit beekeeping? Entries were received from 22 states.

The top essayist, Shelby Kilpatrick, 16, of Copper Canyon, Texas, did just as suggested: she created a survey form and circulated it around her community, drawing 135 responses. She concluded her essay, entitled, “For Bee or Not For Bee,” saying, “There is no doubt that my community is ‘For Bee’ and wants to be even more bee!” She plans to “reward survey responders with educational tips enabling them to become more honey bee friendly.”

Shelby is a beekeeper herself and a member of the local and state beekeeper groups. Her first place prize is a cash award of $750.00.

The second place essay came from Sean Huss, 15, of Spencer, Ind., who receives $500.00 for his efforts. Sean is also a beekeeper and was named “Young beekeeper of the Year” for 2009 by the Indiana Beekeepers Association. He developed a definition for a bee-friendly community and decided that his fits the bill. His definition is a community “that (1) does not discourage beekeeping and has no legal restrictions to keeping bees; (2) contains good bee habitat – a diverse range of native plants and wildflowers and cultivated crops, fruits and vegetables that can be used by bees as sources of nectar and pollen; (3) has people who care about the environment and limit their uses of pesticides; and (4) has good sources of help and education for farmers and beekeepers.”

There was a tie for third place. Abby Lyons, 11, of Dwight, Neb., and Ann Barlow, 14, of Milford, N.H., each receive $250.00. Abby decided that her community is bee-friendly, while Ann resolved to help her community improve. Abby is a beekeeper and Ann’s 4-H club has bee, giving all four national winners first-hand exposure to honey bees.

Each state winner, including the national winners, will receive a copy of a book about beekeeping.

The essay topic for 2011 is “U.S. Honey: A Taste for Every Preference.” The 4-H’ers are encouraged to investigate the local/regional honeys of the United States and see how they differ in taste and color.

Students interested in writing should contact their local 4-H offices for contest details. The state selection must be done through the 4-H system.

Complete list of the winners (including all the state winners)

First Place - Shelby Kilpatrick, Texas [ read the essay ]

Second Place - Sean Huss, Indiana [ read the essay ]

Third Place (tied) - Abby Lyons, Nebraska [ read the essay ]

Third Place (tied) - Anna Barlow, New Hampshire [ read the essay ]

State Winners

• Rachel Ricchiuto, California
• Kyle Spillane, Delaware
• Mary-Thomas Hart, Florida
• Jessica Jackson, Idaho
• Brooke Lee, Kentucky
• Sarah Theall, Louisiana
• Allison Kaiser, Michigan
• Merry Johnson, Mississippi
• Kalee Emery, New Jersey
• Tevyn Driever, New Mexico
• Liam Sayward, New York
• Matthew Griffis, North Carolina
• Eric Glaze, Ohio
• Sandie Shelton, Oregon
• Dalton Driver, Tennessee
• Jacob Wright, Virginia
• Tynan Gosset, Washington
• Tori Fletcher, Wyoming

Is My Community Honey-Bee Friendly?

Honey bees and other pollinators have been in the news lately. Many beekeepers have experienced colony losses to the yet-unexplained Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD. These unexplained losses have caused some people to wonder: What can I do to help? For this essay, you should survey your community to see what is being done, or could be done to help honey bees. Perhaps there are classes to attract new beekeepers – or laws that probibit beekeeping. Does your community allow roadsides and open land to grow up in blooming plants in the spring – or not? Are there resources to help home gardeners make bee-friendly choices? When insecticides are required for pests (for example, mosquito control), are the insecticides chosen or applied with bee protection in mind. Include your state in your survey if there is some reason; for example, your state may have declared the honey bee your state insect, or your state highway department may have a wildflower seeding program.

Students interested in writing should contact their local 4-H offices for contest details. The state selection must be done through the 4-H system. Beekeepers are encouraged to contact their local 4-H offices to see that the essay contest information has been distributed in their states.

The complete announcement and rules are available for download in Adobe PDF format.

May 1, 2009

Essayists Dance with the Honey Bee

Honey bees don’t do the Electric Slide, admits Helen Coats in her first place essay in the 4-H Beekeeping Essay Contest, but their Honey Bee Dance makes them successful at producing honey – “So let’s hear a round of applause for our little friends, who communicate through circles, wiggles, and waggles…in order to create one of the world’s favorite sweeteners – honey.”

The 2009 essay contest, sponsored by the Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees, drew state-winning essays from 27 states. The assigned topic was “The Dance Language of Honey Bees.” Essayists were to learn about the honey bee’s dance language, how it was discovered, how it works and how it provides colonies the ability to find and exploit floral resources.

Helen, 10, lives in Rock Hill, S.C. She combines music with her love of nature and hopes to become an accomplished violinist and singer. She titled her essay: “The Bee Dance – Not Exactly the ‘Electric Slide’!” As first place winner, she receives a $750.00 cash award.

“BZZZZT! BZZZZZT! A honey bee buzzes wildly while walking on the honeycomb. Becoming suddenly quiet, she circles left and downward…” Leslie Pike,11, of Hodgenville, Ky., began her essay with a word-picture of the dance. She won second place and a $500.00 cash prize.

The third place essay earned a cash award of $250.00 for Traci Sirotiak, 18, of Newberg, Ore., who plans to continue in 4-H as a volunteer in her adult years. Because the four best essays were of such good quality, the judges are awarding an honorable mention prize of $100.00 to Solly Burton, 17, of Sullivan, Ind. He has taken beekeeping in 4-H for eight years.

Each state winner, including the national winners, will receive a copy of a book about beekeeping.

Complete list of the winners (including all the state winners)

First Place - Helen Coats, South Carolina [ read the essay ]

Second Place - Leslie Pike, Kentucky [ read the essay ]

Third Place - Traci Sirotiak, Oregon [ read the essay ]

Fourth Place – Honorable Mention - Solly Burton, Indiana [ read the essay ]

State Winners

• Joseph Coleman, Arizona
• Emily Pigeon, Arkansas
• Peter Schafhalter, California
• Brandon Hamon, Colorado
• Ryan Cutts, Florida
• Jessica Jackson, Idaho
• Carlie Calais, Louisiana
• Michael Buscemi, Maryland
• Hannah Miller, Mississippi
• Trevor Koger, Nebraska
• Bailey Jennings, New Hampshire
• Corey Burrows, New Mexico
• Chester Mills, New York
• Sam Christensen, North Carolina
• Casondra Rutschke, North Dakota
• Eric Glaze, Ohio
• Jared Wade, Oklahoma
• Shawn Applegate, Pennsylvania
• Kiera Leddy, South Dakota
• Phillip Adams, Tennessee
• Carlie Shirk, Texas
• Lydia Davis, Virginia
• Kelsey Schoeppler, Wisconsin

“With the sustaining funding available to us, the Trustees are providing the scholarships and other support to educational and kid-oriented activities. The graduate student scholarships are one of the important forward-looking programs we have made into an annual offering,” says George Hansen, chairman of the Foundation Trustees. “The Trustees’ goal is to invest in the future by encouraging by the young emerging honey bee scientists to be involved in the industry.
“The Kids and Bees program and the 4-H Beekeeping Essay Contest attempt to cause children to become interested in honey bees. We provide other incentives to kids all over the country take up beekeeping, and associations and clubs to become mentors of young beekeepers.”

	Geoff Williams Acadia University, Nova Scotia, Canada. M.S. Degree student, David Shutler, advisor. Mr. Williams is investigating the effects of Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae on western honey bees. His research examines both seasonal abundance and control of both species.
	Elina Niño North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C. Ph.D. student, David Tarpy and Christina Grozinger, advisors. Ms. Nino ’s research investigates factors affecting the reproductive quality of honey bee queens. Her research includes behavioral, physiological and molecular approaches to evaluating queen quality.
	Jodi Swanson University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn. Ph.D. student, Marla Spivak, advisor. Ms. Swanson’s research explores the chemical cues associated with diseased brood to determine which of them elicit hygenic behavior. The goal of her work is to provide beekeepers a fast and reliable test to screen stocks and select for hygenic behavior.
	Queenie Chan University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. Ph.D. student, Leonard Foster, advisor. Ms. Chan’s research examines the honey bee immune system at the molecular level, in particular its response to American foulbrood using biochemical and mass spectrometry techniques to identify proteins and protein levels in diseased larvae. She is also involved in annotating the genome of the causative agent of the disease, Paenibacillus larvae.
	Alban Maisonnasse University of Avignon, Avignon, France. Ph.D. student, Yves Le Conte, advisor. Mr. Maisonnasse’s research examines volatile compounds emitted by honey bee larvae that are involved in the communication between nurse bees and brood. He has identified 2 volatile molecules emitted by brood and is currently conducting experiments to explain their role in colony life.
	Katie Lee University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn. M.S. student, Marla Spivak, advisor. Ms. Lee’s research examines how to best sample colonies and apiaries for Varroa mites. The goal of her research is to provide a basis for good IPM practices under migratory beekeeping conditions.