|
Convention details 'what every beekeeper should know' |
||
|
By KRISTY HEMMINGSEN | East Texas Edition |
||
November 28, 2002 -- Beekeepers from around the state came together for an informative and entertaining time during the Nov. 7-10 2002 Texas Beekeepers Association (TBA) Convention in Tyler. The four-day event included various social events, a fund-raising auction, award ceremonies, a banquet, as well as the coronation of the new Texas Honey Queen - Vanessa Bounds of Moody. Several sessions that included a variety of speakers covered everything from pollination, the biology of bees, honey production, and the current bee/honey industry. Kim Flottum of Ohio, editor for Bee Culture Magazine, offered this advice on what every Texas beekeeper should know. Flottum first explained that when it comes to bee and/or honey pests, beekeepers need to know the biology of the pest before treatment of it. "You've got to always know what's going on between the relationship of the brood and the pests and between the brood and the queen," he explained. "These things are vital information that must be understood in order to combat or identify any problems." Honey producers have often seen their bee populations greatly reduced by the exotic bee mite "varroa" which feeds on the honeybee, causing colonies to die, he continued. Major honey-producing areas of the world, including Australia, Canada and Mexico, have not been able to produce as much honey because of pest problems, including the varroa mite and the more aggressive African bee. He stressed a beekeeper should keep a constant awareness of what's going on in each of the colonies, so that when a pest does strike, the presence is obvious and treatment can be quick. Flottum also advised the Texas beekeepers to be aware of "bad wax." He said lots of "junk" could get trapped on the wax. "It may be real expensive to keep clean, but if you got really old comb, what are you exposing your bees too? Another informative session covered helpful hints from four Texas beekeepers association presidents who expressed each of their opinions on what it takes to build a successful, viable local beekeeping association. The association presidents were Clarence Shepherd, Pineywoods Beekeeping Assn.; Dick Counts, East Texas Beekeepers Assn.; John Talbert, Collin County Hobby Beekeepers Assn.; and Jimmie Oakley, Williamson County Beekeepers Assn. The men first stressed the importance of good organization for monthly beekeeper meetings, with the main purpose to inform, educate, and talk about bees, but keep the agenda short. "Just take care of business and keep it brief, yet interesting," they agreed. To build a new beekeeper association in an area, the leaders advised always introducing new people to the art itself and include their parents when possible. "Beekeeping should be a family operation," said Talbert. They also added that high visibility of the growing association is vital to its success and that advertising as much as possible is very important. |
