Johnson County Fair Signup/IHPA Summer Field Day Notes

 On this page:

--County Fair Sign-up

--Notes from the 2021 IHPA Summer Field Day

--Link to recordings about entering items in the State Fair

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We still have several openings for volunteers for the County Fair.  Please consider helping out and taking a shift.  It's a fun time, and people love to talk about honey bees.

We're going to the fair!  After a year off for the pandemic, the Johnson County Fair is going to be open and running this July.  And again, as in the past, East Central Iowa Beekeepers Association will have a presence at the fair.  Unlike in the past, we will be inside, in one of the exhibition halls.  That should get more traffic past our stand and allow us to engage more with people about bees.  So, if you enjoy talking with people about bees, this is the event for you.  Promoting education about bees and beekeeping is one of our mission statements, and this is a fun way to fulfill that.

The fair runs from Sunday, July 25th through Wednesday, July 28th.  The following schedule shows the available time slots to sign up for.  Ideally, it helps to have two people at a shift, to allow short breaks,  but one person can handle it.  

Check the schedule and email Jim Davis at davisjk@southslope.net and indicate the time slot you wish to work.  Also indicate if you will have anyone with you.  We hope to see you there!

An "X" indicates the time slot has been taken.

Sunday, July 25

9:00-11:00 AM (Set-up)  ( X)  (   )

11:00-3:00 ( X) (X )

3:00-7:00  (X) (X)

Monday, July 26

11:00-3:00  (  X )  ( X )

3:00-7:00  ( X )  (   )

Tuesday, July 27

11:00-3:00  (   )  (   )

3:00-7:00  ( X ) ( X )

Wednesday, July 28

11:00-3:00 ( X )  (   )

3:00-7:00  (  X )  (  X )

8:30-9:30 PM (Takedown)  (  X )  (   )

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Soggy Notes from a Fun Day

Notes from the IHPA Summer Field Day

"It was a dark and stormy night..." No, wait, that's the opening line from Snoopy's great American novel.

"It was a cool and rainy day..." but participants still had an enjoyable time getting together face to face and talking/learning about bees.  Tents with chairs were set up at Adam Ebert's property in Mt. Vernon, which provided shelter enough to stay pretty dry even though drizzle continued throughout most of the day.  Fifty plus people were in attendance, and a nice lunch provided in spite of a mishap that resulted in our original lunch being prepared for Mt. Vernon, Missouri!  Thanks to the coordinators for scrambling to find lunch elsewhere.

IHPA President Roy Kraft opened the activities and kept events running on time.  

First to speak was state apiarist Andy Joseph, who talked about some new changes, particularly for youth participation, in the Iowa State Fair competitions.  Young people will now be able to participate in their own honey bear competition.  Another event is the Best of Iowa honey competition, which the organizers are excited about.

Andy also spoke about chalkbrood, which has been particularly prevalent this season.  Chalkbrood is a fungal parasite that consumes the larval stage of the bee.  Look for a spotty brood pattern, with the larva shrinking to a hardened pellet in the cell.  You may see pellets on the landing board that the bees have drug out.  There is no registered treatment but environmental conditions can be managed to reduce the likelihood of developing the disease, such as keeping the hive out of a shady location, maintaining good air flow throughout the hive, and making sure not to transfer infected frames into another hive.

Entomologist Dr. Matt O'Neal of Iowa State spoke about the STRIPS (Science-based Trails of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips) project, which has a two-fold aim at promoting pollinators by providing nutritional diversity among the rowcrops and helping preserve soil through the planting of perennial prairie plants.

Iowa State Extension Entomologist Randall Cass led the group through a problem solving exercise determining the question of why a given colony was dying.  

Beekeeper Pat Ennis and Randall Cass spoke about mite treatments, oxalic acid in particular.  Both the dribble and vaporization methods were discussed.  Testing for mites is essential in determining when to treat.  Pat continually stressed the importance of following correct procedure and maintaining proper safety measures.

Dr. Matt O'Neal lead the group through an interesting exercise in learning about the ways in which insects are classified.

A beekeeper panel comprised of Tom Hart, Pat Ennis, Ed St. John, Jamie Beyer and Phil Ebert conducted a question and answer.

Breakout sessions in the afternoon included Queen Making (Jason Foley), Mite Checking (Randall Cass), Extraction Tour (Adam Ebert), and Smoker Concerns (Roy Kraft)

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The recordings of the presentations by Andy Joseph, Roy Kraft and Ginny Mitchell are now available for the Iowa Honey Producers Association's sponsored May 29, 2021 State Fair Apiary Zoom meeting:

Link:  https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hmtu89etl2hcutc/AACeLNwC5XF280LBpThO7fDqa?dl=0

 

Password:  20210529

You can stream the individual files or download them and watch on your device at any time.

Minutes from July 12 and Field Day Summary

The meeting was held at the farm north of Iowa City where vice-president Joseph Klingelhutz keeps his apiary. Approximately 20 members attended. Several new members were welcomed.

President Floyd Otdoerfer opened the meeting shortly after ten a.m. Officers were introduced, as was Ed St. John, regional representative of the Iowa Honey Producers Association.

New members were welcomed and introduced themselves.

Treasurer Jean Stallman gave an account of the club’s funds at this point. We have over $1000 currently so are in good shape.

Our Queen Bee, Rachel Vakulich, gave a brief summary of the events she’s participated in and of upcoming events. She is doing this while going to school as well, and we congratulate her on her work and efforts.

Johnson County Fair—Members seemed to be in agreement that we should pursue having a presence again at the fair. Joseph volunteered to head the effort. James Miller agreed to assist. There will be a cost of $100 to participate. Jim Davis will set up a sign-up on the web site for people to volunteer to work shifts. Floyd reminded members that those volunteering may sell their honey at our fair location.

Floyd reminded members about the IHPA Field Day, to be held July 10^th at the Ebert apiaries in Mt. Vernon. This is as close to our area as the IHPA has held a field day in recent memory.

Other discussion centered around winter survival and the cause of colony losses; how to respond to suspected poisoning; and possible problems surrounding various mite treatments.

Before breaking into groups for field events, Joseph gave a brief explanation of the farm we were meeting at, where he works after hours for a CSA organization. We give a big thanks to the land owners for allowing us to hold our event at their property.

There were three main events following the business meeting. A brief summary follows:

Floyd Otdoerfer gave a talk ab out using nucs to maintain a sustainable apiary. By making splits, particularly into small nucs, a number of queens and small colonies can be produced which can rapidly build up an apiary. Floyd told how he prepares and develops the nucs and the methods he uses for raising queens.

Floyd talks about making up nucs

Ed St. John gave a demonstration of how to perform a colony inspection, from how to observe a hive before opening, how to open the colony, to how to close it. Numerous frames were examined for assessing how well the colony was growing.

Ed St. John leads a hive inspection

Jim Davis gave a demonstration of several methods of inspecting for mites, including sticky boards, powdered sugar roll and alcohol wash. Both latter methods were performed on two hives, with no mites discovered in either!

For a summary of methods for testing for mites, see below.

Minutes submitted by Jim Davis, Secretary

Sampling for Mites

Select a frame from the brood chamber that ideally has a mixture of capped brood and open brood. Varroa mites will be concentrated near the brood, on nurse bees.

Sticky Board Method

Materials needed: Sticky board or homemade sticky board; colony with screened bottom board

You can buy commercially made sticky boards, usually with a grid printed on them for easier counting, or you can make one from white paper and spray a fine coating of cooking oil on them. Place it under the screened bottom board for three days. After three days, count the number of mites and divide by three to get the average number of mite drop per day.

Advantages: No need to open the hive and stress the bees. It is a quick method of assessing infestation.

Disadvantages: There is no standard quantification of the number of mites in this count that represents a concern. The count will vary dependent upon a number of factors, including the natural hygienic behavior of the colony, the size and age of the colony, the time of year, and other factors. The hive should have a screened bottom board. Requires two trips to the bee yard.

Summary: This method is best used to keep track of the increase in mite drop for a given colony throughout the season. It can be a signal that it is time to assess mite count using another method.

For the following methods, select a frame from the brood chamber that ideally has a mixture of capped brood and open brood. Varroa mites will be concentrated near the brood, on nurse bees.

Powdered Sugar Roll

Materials needed: Half-cup measuring cup or container with one-half cup marked. This is used to measure approximately 300 bees. Powdered sugar. Jar to shake bees in that has a number 8 hardware cloth screen on top. Tub to shake bees into. Spray bottle, towel.

Select a frame from the brood chamber. Be sure the queen is not on it! Shake the bees into the container. Tap the container down and use the measuring cup to scoop a half-cup of bees. Transfer them into the shaking jar and quickly put the screened lid on. Using the hive tool, put approximately two tablespoons of powdered sugar into the jar through the screen. Roll the jar around so all the bees are thoroughly coated. Set the jar in the shade for two minutes. This allows the mites to fall off the bees. After two minutes, shake the jar upside down onto a white surface. Do this for a full minute to make sure all the mites drop out of the jar. Count the mites. You may need to spray to dissolve the sugar in order to see the mites better. Divide the number of mites by three to determine how many per hundred mites are in your count. Return the bees to the colony where they can clean themselves and get back to work.

Advantages: Bees do not need to be killed. Fairly simple procedure that gives an estimate of the extent of infestation. Only one trip to the bee yard is needed. Immediate results.

Disadvantages: Generally not as accurate as the alcohol wash.

Summary: This method may not be as accurate but does not kill the bees. Also, like the sticky board, it can be used to assess the changes in level of infestation of a given hive throughout the season.

Alcohol Wash

Materials needed: Measuring device as above. Alcohol wash jar or quart jar with a screened lid. (If the latter, then an additional jar to pour the alcohol into to count the mites.) Isopropyl or rubbing alcohol

As with the sugar roll method, shake a frame of bees into a container. Scoop half a cup of bees and put them in the testing jar. Add half a cup of the alcohol. Swish the jar around gently for a minute in a circular manner. If using an alcohol wash jar, follow the directions on the jar. If using a jar with a screened lid, pour the alcohol into your second container. Count the number of mites floating in the alcohol. Divide by three to determine how many mites per hundred are in your colony.

Advantages: You can get a much more accurate assessment of infestation using this method. You can actually count the dead bees and divide your mite count by that number, then multiply that result by 100 to get the percentage of mites per hundred bees. For accuracy, you are sacrificing a relatively small number of bees. Only one trip to the bee yard is needed. Immediate results.

Disadvantages: You are killing bees to take your sample.

When to Treat for Mites

Generally, the decision about when to treat for mites depends on the time of the year, the size and apparent health of the colony and the data available to the beekeeper.

In general, in Spring, treat if the number of mites is greater than 2%.

In late summer, treat if the number of mites is greater than 3%.