Another Kind of “Buzz” - the Honey Comb and . . . the Bar Comb?

27 November 2014

THE BEE’S LIFE

            Honeybees really do have it tough these days.  Working bees with commercial beekeepers do get pushed to the limit to produce honey -- if they are lucky.  If a bit less lucky, their service as “pollinators” is rented out to farms and orchards. 

            The “pollinators” are transported sometimes hundreds of miles from large farm to large farm.  The roads can be rough and life in the fields rougher. 

            The farms and orchards needing pollinators are big operations.  So, the bees’ services are carefully coordinated. Not only do the bees have to be in the right place at the right time to pollinate the blossoms to the maximum effect, but their release is, sometimes, carefully timed around pesticide and herbicide applications.  Even small mistakes can be . . .  costly.      

            The number of “pollinators” released into the fields is much larger than the number of blossoms available.  The logic is simple.  If you want the maximum number of blossoms pollinated, make sure that there are fewer nectar bearing blossoms than the bees want or need.  The competition for a meal assures that every blossom gets a visit.  To give the whole process an extra boost, the bees are placed on an enforced fast for a while before they are released into the fields.

            This all makes for an army of successful insect pollinators.  I, also, suspect it makes for a lot of stressed-out honeybees.

ANOTHER KIND OF HONEY?

            I wondered how these poor insects bore up under the strain.  Then, I read an interesting article.  Did you know that honey ferments?  That process produces a light alcoholic . . . “refreshment.”  So, you can harvest honey from a hive and let it ferment to produce a kind of “fortified” honey?  Well, yes, you can, but the bees don’t have to.

            I was surprised to discover that the bees, themselves, leave the caps off of honey cells in some of their honeycombs.  What happens when the bees engage in this puzzling behavior?  The honey ferments to produce a weak liquor.

            Oh, excuse me.  This behavior isn’t puzzling at all.  I’ve read that the poor bees are “forced” to do this because of their reaction to temperature variations as winter approaches.  Translation: When the weather begins to get colder, the bees start producing a kind of honey that makes them feel warmer.  Imagine that?

            Of course, I read about this together with stern warnings about “protecting” the bees from “exposure” to the alcoholic honey.  Several prudent advisers warned that alcohol is toxic to all living creatures.  And I, like most, have . . . ah . . . “inadvertently” experienced this terrible toxicity . . . on an occasion or two.

            Of course, I was concerned.  Bees may be different than humans and, maybe, the consumption of even minute amounts of alcohol by a honeybee might have serious negative effects.  But the same advisers, so concerned about the evils of alcoholic honey, cautioned that it may not be healthy for the bees to consume the spirited honey.  The problem, they pointed out, is that the bees do consume it – if it’s available.

 It Starts With Just a Sip or Two . . .

            Another stern warning was given to beekeepers advising them to try to remove these altogether too refreshing honeycombs if possible.  Presumably, this will keep the hive’s bees on “the straight and narrow” . . . and off “the road to perdition.”

            Generally, beekeepers leave some of these “too refreshing” honeycombs in a single hive – allowing the bees to take an occasional “nip of the sweet stuff.”  I was curious to find out just how much of this “hive honey dew” the bees were “sampling” in a typical hive.  I was surprised to find out that beekeepers often allow 10% to 33% of the honeycombs in a single hive to ferment.  That’s really quite a stash. 

            I’ve heard that some hives are “happier” than others.  But, until now, I never understood why.  Now, I have an idea.

            The adviser warned that, sometimes, bee colonies really “go to town” leaving many, many uncapped honeycombs.  And, sometimes, beekeepers remove some of these “too refreshing” combs and harvest the contents, which can accumulate until the keeper is left with barrels of the stuff on hand.  What happens if the barrels are left open and the bees can get to this much “medicinal” honey?

 . . .  And Ends Up Here!

            The adviser concluded the temperance lecture . . . er . . . I mean . . . "article" by cautioning beekeepers not to give their bees access to barrels of alcoholic honey . . .  because, apparently, if it there, the bees will refresh themselves again and again.  Although no one is actually aware of any ill-effects, consumption of that much “happy-honey” just couldn’t be good for the, probably, already-besotted insects.   

Mark Grossmann of Hazelwood, Missouri & Belleville, Illinois

About the Author

   

 

Honeybees in Paris: “How Ya Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm?”

20 November 2014

 

            After World War I, American soldiers, mostly farm boys before the war, came home from Europe.  After such a long stay in metropolitan France, someone had to ask the question.  And those someone’s were songwriters Donaldson, Young and Lewis with their song . . . “How Ya Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm?”

            The words, in part, go like this:

How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm
After they've seen Paree'

                                                 

YouTube: “How Ya Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm?”

            What does this have to do with honeybees?  Well, . . . same problem, different century. 

            Lately, honeybees have become fashionable guests in the highest circles of high society.  Residing at some of the most exclusive hotels in the world, these working residents produce honey for those same hotels’ finest cuisine.  These guest/resident bees are, also, quite an attraction with guests being allowed limited visits as these bees work and relax in their exclusive accommodations on the highest balconies and rooftops. 

            After a few months enjoying the best views of any of these hotels’ accommodations, well, it’s got to turn the head of even the most “down-to-earth” worker bee.  Bees are residing at the Waldorf in New York.  But imagine the effect of the view from a Paris hotel rooftop. 

 Eiffel Tower

            And a honeybee guest in a Paris hotel would certainly not find themselves alone in the city.  Not only are many, many honeybees also guests in the city’s other hotels, but beekeeping is “all the rage” in Paris this season.  

            Ah, but one might ask – how will these nature-loving, wild insects adapt to the hustle and bustle of city life?  One imagines their beekeeper moving them to the rooftop of a Paris hotel and secretly wondering how his country-bees will fare in the sophisticated and cosmopolitan city.  Do these simple farm-bees really have a chance to thrive and produce the honey they love amid the splendor, but also the decadence, of the any of the largest and oldest cities on earth? 

            They sure do!

            To the surprise of almost everyone, not only have the honeybees in Paris thrived but, in terms of honey, they’re out-producing their country cousins with ease.  If you want productive beekeeping in France, you really must bring your bees to Paris and forget the countryside.

            But the “city”!  Aren’t cities unnatural environments?  Wouldn’t the bees prefer the natural countryside to the sophistication of city life?

            Apparently, not.

            In fact, the best guess is that being “down on the farm” isn’t what it once was.  Why?  Because the farm isn’t what it once was. 

            Modern farming is, in fact, less bee-friendly than it used to be.  With fertilizers, herbicides and fungicides, farms don’t need to leave some of the land fallow (unplanted) anymore.  All the land is planted and, after the harvest, nothing – yes, nothing – is left.  In those fallow fields, wild grasses with wild flowers used to grow.  And the blossoms provided the bees with a source of nectar and pollen. 

             But, no more.

            And modern farms are not only free from the threat of soil depletion and crop disease; they are also free from the threat of insect pests thanks to extremely effective pesticides.  These potent chemicals can, and are, carefully applied to protect bee populations, but any toxin in the environment can still be a hazard for the increasingly marginalized country-bee.

            After that stroll through the battleground of the, once idyllic, countryside, you can guess how you would feel if you were a bee arriving in Paris.  Particularly, if you were one of those privileged bees who was about to make your home on an exclusive hotel rooftop.  Not only will you receive regular, concerned visits from the hotel chefs, but you are a celebrity to the most exclusive of guests who, from time to time, crowd in just to catch a glimpse of you.         

            And if correspondents from the BBC drop by the hotel, they might not be looking for that ambassador, tycoon, or socialite.  They may be checking to see how you are enjoying your stay in Paris.

BBC News reports on bees in Paris

 
M Grossmann of Hazelwood, Missouri

& Belleville, Illinois

About the Author

Zombie Bees in Pennsylvania!

13 November 2014

            Another Night of the Living Dead [but with bees] is upon us.  Zombie bees have been caught in Pennsylvania!  First, zombie bees appeared in California.  It didn’t cause too much commotion because, well, if there were going to be zombie bees anywhere, wouldn’t you expect them to show up in California?

            Then, the zom-bees (I couldn’t resist) moved quietly through Oregon, but splashed into the news cycle when they were discovered in Washington state.  Where next?  Maybe, Canada?  Maybe, Idaho?  Niether.

            South Dakota.

            South Dakota?  What does South Dakota have to do with zombies?  I’ve never seen a respectable (or not so respectable) film about zombies set anywhere near the Dakotas.  But, before I recovered from the shock, the zom-bees were discovered – 28 Days Later – in Vermont.  Well, actually, it wasn’t exactly 28 days.  It was a few months.  How did they get from South Dakota to Vermont?  Who knows?  Maybe they took a plane.  All I know is that zom-bees were confirmed in Vermont.

            But who actually confirms the sinister movements of these evil zom-bees.  Well, just as Count Dracula was followed by the Dutch vampire expert Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, so the zom-bees are being followed by San Francisco State University Professor John Hafernik.  Heafernik, together with a team composed of a few other concerned zom-bee researchers, is fighting this Resident Evil with modern tools.

            If Dr. Van Helsing had the Internet, we wouldn’t have the vampire problems we do today.  So, Professor Hafernick is using the web to canvas the nation for any, and every, report of the appearance of zom-bees.  Together with the like-minded members of his team, Hafernick created “ZomBee Watch” (http://www.zombeewatch.org).  With the help of 2,000 citizen bee watchers throughout the country, the team records sightings and keeps track of the movements of zom-bees.

            Meanwhile, in the peaceful, pastoral fields of rural Pennsylvania . . .

            Beekeeper Sherry Grenzberg lived happily with her beloved bees.  But she knew that zom-bees were moving throughout the country.  She lived, first, in apprehension, then, in fear of the looming danger.  Unable to endure the “waiting” any longer, she moved herself and her bees to a mountaintop fortress to keep them far from the threat of zombification.  Gradually, she relaxed and soon settled into what she believed to be a happy and safe life. 

            Then, one dark night, she heard a “plinking” against her window.  An insect seemed to be seeking the light of her chandelier.  The insect didn’t land or fly away.  It just kept bumping its head into the glass of the window over and over again.  Soon, it was joined by more insects plinking against every window.  To her horror she recognized what, at least, used to be her familiar honeybees -- completely zombified and surrounding her home.  She turned, paused, and let out a blood curdling scream. 

            Well, actually, it didn’t happen quite that way.  Grenzberg had always lived and raised bees on the mountaintop.  And, there was no “fortress” involved.  And, she only saw one bee plinging against the window.  And, no, she didn’t actually scream.  Instead, she went outside, took some photos, gathered a sample of bees, and sent them to ZomBee Watch team-member Brian Brown at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. 

            (Yeah, . . . but . . .  it could have happened the other way!)

            Brown confirmed that her bees had been zombified.  But, it isn’t the bees’ fault.  Just as the Haitian version of the human zombie is controlled by a sinister puppet master called a bokor, so, the zombie bee is controlled by a really sinister fly called Apocephalis borealis.  The fly lays its eggs in an individual honeybee’s body.  As the eggs develop, they actually affect the bee’s behavior.  Stranger still, the bee displays behaviors that seem like those of a zombie.

 Evil Zombie-Making Fly

Apacephalis borealis

            Under the influence of the developing fly larvae, the honey bee abandons its exclusively daytime routine and does something bees don’t do  — flies at night  Just before, and during, this “last flight” into the night, (what Hafernik calls “the flight of the living dead,") the bee begins to move erratically.  It ends its flight in death.  Then, the fly larvae eat their way out of the dead bee to continue their growth to maturity.

            If all this isn’t strange enough, there is a genuine mystery involving the zombifing fly.  The Apacephalis borealis has been around for a long time.  In North America, it’s been recognized, since the 1920’s, as a parasite that attaches itself to bumblebees and wasps.  But it never zombified them.  Stranger, still, the fly had always left honeybees alone until the zom-bee outbreak of 2012.  Then, the fly’s parasitic modus operandi turned into a gruesome process of zombification. 

            Beekeepers are cautioned to keep their hives as healthy as possible.  Healthy hives are most likely to resist or repel potential infection.  Hafernik went on to warn beekeepers to check their hives carefully before the onset of winter to assure the absence of infection before the bees retire to the hive and become inactive during the winter season. 

Mark Grossmann of Hazelwood, Missouri

& Belleville, Illinois

About the Author








 

Extinction Interrupted: British Black Bees Found Hiding in a Church

6 November 2014

            Over the centuries, a breed of bee developed in the British Isles.  It’s known by the name the “British Black Bee” to its friends.  But, in scientific circles, its formal name is Apis malifera malifera.  This remarkable bee was destined for great things.

The British Black Bee (Daily Mail Online)

            Beekeeping is older than written history with prehistoric cave paintings showing people harvesting honey from beehives.  Good honey-making bees, honeybees, thrived easily in the warm climates of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, but most didn’t fare so well in the cold winters of Northern Europe

            But the British Black Bee was exceptional.  More or less exclusive to the British Isles, the British Bee was a great honey-maker for commercial beekeepers and it easily tolerated rather cold winters. 

            The value of this treasure of British beekeeping was not lost on North American colonists.  Some British Black Bees landed at Plymouth Rock and arrived in Virginia in the 1620’s.  The British Black bee thrived in New England’s harsh winters.

            Then, the British Bee found its way to Germany where it was a great success.  As the British Black bee spread from Germany throughout northern Europe, it got an inaccurate new name: the “German” Bee. 

            But all honeybees have a weakness: disease.  Any serious card-player might tell us that even the best and greatest streak of luck eventually runs out.  The British Black bee enjoyed centuries of dominance in the British Isles, North America, and Northern Europe.  But, in 1919, that same bee drew another card from the deck: the Ace of Spades.

            Beginning in the late 19th century, something called “Foulbrood” disease and a likely version of the “Isle of Wight disease” slowly wiped out almost all the British Black bees in America. 

            But, in the British Isles, the end came suddenly.  Some say that after smoldering for a decade and a half, “Isle of Wight disease” caught fire.  Others blame the swine flu epidemic, which some believe affected not only people, but Black bees.  Over a period of only about three years, what can only be described as the honeybee version of a plague swept over the British Isles killing every last pure bred British Black bee.  By 1919, in the U.K., the British Black bee was extinct.

            During the Black Plague of the middle ages, survivors would gather in churches to pray for their own safety and to honor those who had already passed.  But there was no time for mourning the complete disappearance of this native British bee. 

            The British Black bee was the only bee used by British beekeepers.  Honey production in the U.K. came to a swift, unexpected, and complete halt.  This wasn’t just a disaster.  It was an emergency.  Fortunately, a replacement was found in the British Black bee’s southern cousin, Apis mellifera ligustica, the Italian honeybee.  The yellow and black honeybee – the one you last saw outdoors -- was an Italian bee.  In the U.K., most have never seen anything more than a picture of the British Black bee. Everyone knew that, for the British Black bee in the U.K., the story was over.

            93 years later. 

            In 2012, the warden of the 19th century Whitfield’s Holy Trinity Church in Northumberland found dead bees all over the church.  Recognizing the obvious signs of a nearby infestation he called for assistance.   

Whitfield's Holy Trinity Church in Northumberland (Daily Mail Online)

            Fortunately, he didn’t get a simple exterminator.  Conservation Officer Dorian Pritchard of the Bee Breeders’ Association arrived and traced the bees to the roof of the Church.  Slates were removed using an electric saw.  The area was found to be filled with one or several large, thriving colonies of honeybees.  In spite of the noise and disruption, the bees never became agitated.  No one was stung.  

            The size of the infestation was so great that Pritchard called in experts for advice on the best method of dealing with problem.  Then, he noticed something strange about these bees.  They looked like a type of bee that he would never have seen outside of old photographs.  At least, not in the UK.   He suspected he’d found something . . . impossible: A surviving wild colony of “extinct” British Black bees. 

            When experts arrived to examine the infestation, they agreed.  But almost doubting their own eyes, they captured a sample of a few bees and sent them to yet another group of experts for identification.  Yes, these were British Black bees.  A surviving colony of British Black bees had been found hiding in the roof of a church in . . .  in the U.K.

            There would be no extermination. 

            Plans for the transfer of the bees began at once.  These British Black bees were scheduled to be “repatriated” throughout their native land.  Johnathan Archer, the estate maintenance manager expressed good wishes for the departing British Bees with the hope that these bees “will go from strength to strength with help from experts who know how to take care of them.”

            A side note: U.K. media reports of the rediscovery of this native bee reintroduced into currency the first and “proper" name for this distinguished breed of A. mellifera, the “British Black bee.”

            Let’s all wish these rescued insects the best of luck. 

Mark Grossmann of Hazelwood, Missouri

& Belleville, Illinois

About the Author