2017-2018 NHBA Winter Loss Survey Results

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From the NH Beekeepers Association

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Next KBA Meeting…. Saturday June 9th

SAT., JUNE 9, 2018, 9:00 A.M.

PILLSBURY LIBRARY, MAIN STREET, WARNER

• Club business old and new
• Discuss apiary activities
• Bee talk

KBA Summer Workshop Schedule

HOWS:  (Hands-on Workshop Series) @ KBA Apiary, 223 North Road, Sunapee, NH

All workshops are Wednesday evenings, 6-8 p.m. (Rain postpones to following day)

• Here is the schedule of workshops through Aug. 1:
  • June 6:  Hive inspections/Questions/ Apiary Maintenance
  • June 13: Hive inspections/Questions/ Apiary Maintenance
  • June 20:  Queen Marking and Wing Clipping
  • June 27:  Mid-summer Mite Treatment and Honey Flow/Harvesting Honey
    • Speaker:  Dana Ramspott
  • July 11: Hive Inspections/Questions/ Apiary Maintenance
  • July18:  Honey Harvesting
    • Speaker:  Dana Ramspott
  • July 25: Hive Inspections/Questions/ Apiary Maintenance
  • August 1:  Summer Dearth/What to Do
    • Speaker:  Eric Deking

For map and directions to KBA apiary, please see May 2018 newsletter available on our website.

New Diagnostic Network Helps N.H. Beekeepers Understand Honey Bee Health

Contact:
Matt Coughlan
603-447-3834
matthew.coughlan@unh.edu

NH Honey Bee Diagnostic Network can analyze bees for Nosema infections

Beekeepers in New Hampshire have a new resource to help better understand the health of their honey bees. The NH Honey Bee Diagnostic Network (NHHBDN) is a group of dedicated volunteers who have been trained how to analyze honey bees for infections of Nosema, a disease that contributes to colony losses.

Nosema is a disease that affects the overall health of honey bees by attacking their digestive system. Since the disease lives as microscopic spores in the bee’s gut, where it attacks healthy cells, microscopes are necessary to diagnose this disease properly. Granite State beekeepers can submit samples of their honey bees to NHHBDN for analysis. The diagnostic network’s trained volunteers will look for the presence of Nosema and can recommend treatment, if appropriate. The network also helps N.H. beekeepers and others develop a better picture of Nosema’s presence throughout the state.

“There are so many factors that can negatively affect honey bees, and New Hampshire has seen very high hive loss rates over the past couple years,” says Matt Coughlan, a New Hampshire Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program Assistant for UNH Cooperative Extension. “This new network provides an important tool for beekeepers to understand what’s happening in their hives beyond what they can visually observe.”

NHHBDN offers nosema screenings at no cost. The diagnostic network’s website, www.nh-honeybee-health.com, includes information on how to collect and submit samples.

The NH Honey Bee Diagnostic Network also aims to connect new and established beekeepers with clubs and organizations in their counties and across the state. The network’s website includes information on local beekeeping clubs, “bee schools” for beginners and other resources.

“Connecting with a local club is the best way to learn and expand your resources. It’s more important than ever to manage our bees consistently throughout a region to reduce passing infections from one hive to others nearby,” Coughlan says.

The NH Honey Bee Diagnostic Network is a collaboration between UNH Cooperative Extension and the New Hampshire Beekeepers Association and is made possible by a 2017 Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Professional Development Program grant. SARE offers competitive grants to projects that explore and address key issues affecting the sustainability and future economic viability of agriculture. Northeast SARE is a regional program of the nationwide SARE effort; SARE is part of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Change of date

The hiving of the packages, scheduled for today, April 30, 2018 has been moved to Tuesday May 1 at 4 pm. See you there.

Map to the KBA apiary

Remember! We have a hiving of packages on 4/30/18 at 4 pm. Bring your veils and join in the fun.

 

Found! The Lost March Newsletter!

After the safari across Africa, scaling Mt. Everest, searching every nook and cranny of an active volcano, surviving the cold at the North Pole (with Santa’s permission) I found the March KBA NEWSLETTER!

(Or, perhaps I just didn’t post it when I should have?)

Without Further Ado: KBA newsletter Feb Mar 2018

And next time, I’ll just post it when Barbara sends it my way so I don’t have to scour the entire earth only to find it in my e-mail in-box. OK? OK!

~ Mike Bellino, KBA Webmaster