Honey Bee Health Coalition releases two new resources to help beekeepers make informed hive management decisions An expert team of beekeepers, entomologists, extension and regulatory agents, bee suppliers and apiary inspectors produced and reviewed Best Management Practices for Hive Health: A Guide for Beekeepers, which is available for free download. The Coalition also launched a free, mobile-friendly tool to accompany its Tools for Varroa Management guide. The Varroa guide, first released in 2015 and now in its seventh edition, helps beekeepers implement practical techniques to control the Varroa mite, one of the honey bee’s most destructive pests.
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By: Lindsey New, Pulaski/McCreary Co. FSA Office The Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers yield protection for honey producers through its Noninsurable Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). NAP is like crop insurance for honey yield, said Lindsey New, executive director, of the FSA Pulaski/McCreary County office. It is designed to reduce financial losses that occur when eligible natural disasters cause a loss of honey production. Basic NAP coverage offers 50 percent yield protection. A $250 fee (per county) applies to cover honey in the NAP program, but the fee can be waived for Socially Disadvantaged, Beginning, or Limited Resource producers, New […]
By: Tammy Potter The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) is collecting information on honey crops in the Commonwealth, as required by state law. To participate, please file a report including: the beekeeper’s name, county, number of hives, pounds of honey produced by Oct. 1, 2017, and total colonies as of Oct. 1. General definitions: Hobbyist, 1-29 hives; Sideliner, 30-99 hives; Commercial, over 100 hives. Your voluntary participation is appreciated. Please email, fax, or mail this information to: Tammy Potter, State Apiarist Kentucky Department of Agriculture 109 Corporate Drive Frankfort, KY 40601 Fax: (502) 564-7852 Email: tammy.potter@ky.gov
By: Shannon Trimboli I just found out that the Whole Kids foundation in partnership with the Bee Cause Project is accepting grant applications to support an educational hive for a K-12 school or non-profit organization. The application deadline is October 15, 2018. An optional informational webinar about the grant will be held on October 3, 2018 at 3:00 CT / 4:00 ET. More information including the application can be found at https://www.wholekidsfoundation.org/schools/honey-bee-grant.
Kayla Fusselman, the 2018 American Honey Queen, participated in the Honey Booth at this year’s State Fair. Afterwards, she sent the following hand-written thank you note expressing her appreciation to the Kentucky State Beekeepers Association for hosting her.
By: Shannon Trimboli Congratulations to John Benham for becoming Kentucky’s third EAS Certified Master Beekeeper. The other two Master Beekeepers in the state are Kent Williams (2003) and Matt Wilson (2014). According to the Eastern Apicultural Society’s website, “The purpose of the Master Beekeeper certification program is to identify and certify people who have a detailed knowledge of honey bee biology, expertise in the proper practices of beekeeping, and can present this information to the beekeeping and non-beekeeping public in a detailed, accurate, clear and authoritative manner.” In order to apply to be a Master Beekeepers, a beekeeper must have […]
By: Pollinator Partnership Mite-A-Thon is a tri-national effort to collect mite infestation data and to visualize Varroa infestations in honey bee colonies across North America within a one week window. All beekeepers can participate, creating a rich distribution of sampling sites in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Their Varroa monitoring data will be uploaded to www.mitecheck.com. The parasitic mite, Varroa destructor (Varroa), and the viruses it vectors is a significant driver of this honey bee colony mortality. Yet, indicators suggest that many beekeepers are not monitoring honey bee colony Varroa infestations and therefore not able to connect infestation to […]
Beekeepers in Bullitt County have decided to form the Bullitt County Beekeepers Association. The meetings will be held at the Bullitt County Extension Office (384 Halls Ln, Shepherdsville, Ky 40165) on the second Wednesday of each month. The first official meeting of the Bullitt County Beekeepers Association will be August 8 at 7:00 pm. Everyone is welcome to attend. Please contact Betsy Ramey (502-767-7177) or Leanord Davis (502-387-9010) with any questions.
By: American Honey Queen Program Kayla Fusselman, the 2018 American Honey Queen, will visit Louisville, KY August 16-22. She will make appearances at the Kentucky State Fair during her stay, speaking to fairgoers about the importance of honeybees to the public’s daily lives and how honeybee pollination directly shapes our livelihood. She will also share information how honey’s beautiful spectrum provides endless possibilities and the many treats that honeybees provide. Kayla will make appearance throughout the fairgrounds and will be present at the Kentucky State Beekeepers Association exhibit. Kayla is the 23-year-old daughter of Brian and Diane Fusselman of Kempton, […]
By: Tammy Horn Potter For administrative and economic reasons, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) collects information on beekeepers and hives within the Commonwealth, in accordance with state law. The KDA needs an inventory of beekeepers and hive counts by county to accomplish this. Your voluntary help is greatly appreciated. Please email, fax, or mail this form as below. Thank you for your assistance. Name of club: Beekeeper name: Type of beekeeper (pick all that apply): queen producer, hobbyist, sideliner, honey producer, pollination, top bar hive, nuc producer (General definitions: Hobbyist = 1-30 hives; Sideliner = 31-99 hives; Commercial = […]