If you can you help me with some information, it would be appreciated. 1. What is the value of honey produced worldwide? 2. What proportion of honey consumed in the US is imported?

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimated world honey production in 2005 to be slightly over 3 billion pounds. It has steadily increased over the last 25 years with most of the increases coming from Asia and South America, while U.S. honey production continues to decline, along with beekeepers and colonies of bees. It is hard to put a dollar-value on world honey production since we do not know what a pound of honey would sell for in the various countries around the world. If you want to use a little imagination, you might estimate an average price of U.S. $1.00 per pound. If you use that figure, total world honey production was worth slightly over $3 billion in 2005. Of course, this does not count the immense value of honey bees to crop and wildflower pollination all over the world.

Figuring the percentage of total U.S. honey consumption that is foreign honey is a little easier. Sixty percent of the honey consumed in the US is foreign honey. That foreign percentage has steadily increased as cheaper imported honey has gradually taken over a larger share of the U.S. honey market. Declining U.S. domestic honey crops also have contributed to this transition.

Is there any evidence cedar wood would repel the wax moth? I know the bottom boards are often cedar, but I am thinking of cedar frames if anyone would make them.. I have such a wax moth problem it is unbelievable—in the extracting supers, the pollen trap drawers, everywhere. I have made screens for the pollen drawers for this summer to keep them out. Perhaps the bees would not like cedar and spend too much time propolizing?

Cedar hive parts generally do not consistently release enough “aroma” to discourage wax moth. If they did, they would also discourage the bees, themselves. Wax moths are only a problem where there are not bees to police and defend an area. Sounds like there is more empty comb than there are bees to cover it. Same with Small Hive Beetles (SHB). SHB is not an SHB problem, it is whatever is causing the population to drop and not cover every inch of comb. If population drops, you have to decrease the volume (size) of the hive and force more bees into a smaller area to protect and defend their home. Then, you have to protect and defend this stored empty equipment with wax moth crystals, a freezer or putting it on a strong colony that can defend it. A pollen trap needs to be emptied and cleaned daily because the colony has no direct access to it and can’t keep wax moths in check.

Hello Jerry, even though I am still struggling with the “beekeeping for dummies” conversation we had from November, I came across something interesting and wanted to ask you...I read something from the book, At the Hive Entrance by H. Storch. He noted that in observing the hive “suddenly you hear the sounds of drones flying...” Is there truly a difference between the sound of the drones flying and the workers? When I am gardening, I can definitely tell the honey bees flying around me from any other bee. I would love to know about the difference...if there indeed is one. Please don’t think I am a dummy with my bees...I am doing my best to take care of them...I truly do love and respect them.

Linda Maureen, you are not a dummy. Anyone who says they know everything about honey bees and can manage them perfectly is delusional. That said, your question is a good one. Drones are larger, their wings are larger and they beat at a different rate than worker wings when flying. When these wings disturb the air when beating, they produce sound waves that are different than the sound waves produced by worker bees flying. This means that the two sounds are different and can be identified by most beekeepers as separate worker and drone noises.

Hello, I wanted to write and thank you for the good article in the latest Countryside magazine. I have been working with bees for only three years and love it. My friends and co-workers love the locally produced wildflower honey instead of the stuff you buy in the store that looks like motor oil. I live in northern Maine and have a question on wintering over. I know of only a few beekeepers in the area, but none of them winter over their bees. They kill them off in the fall and obtain all new each spring. I think they believe they become weaker and more susceptible to mites and diseases, along with the fact you have to leave quite a bit of honey. Do you have any experience with folks living in a colder northern climate and what is your own thought on this? Thank you for your time.

European honey bees are social insects that developed over the millennia in temperate Europe. They collect a surplus of honey to feed themselves over a long European winter. I am surprised to hear that your beekeeper friends kill off their colonies in fall. I haven’t heard of anyone doing that in years. Are you sure they aren’t pulling your leg? Cold does not kill honey bees that are healthy. Mites, disease and lack of stored honey will cause a premature death in winter. Just for fun, you need to Google “beekeeping in ...Poland, Germany Russia, Sweden, Finland, etc. They have a long and rich tradition of beekeeping where winters are certainly as long and harsh as yours. I kept honey bees in Michigan years ago and management techniques are strongly established to allow beekeepers to be successful in Northern climates. Your neighbors to the north in Canada are excellent beekeepers and know how to overwinter their colonies successfully. Gordon, you can do this if you simply are a good partner with your bees. Strong, healthy and 60+ lbs. of food are the keys.

Dear Jerry, I have a few questions for you. 1. How do you get all of the slum gum out of beeswax? I have had a few problems with this. Even running it through a strainer several times will not get it all out. 2. What do you think is the best way to divide a colony? I have read about many different ways, but don’t know which one to do. 3. I am going to try Bee-O-Pac this year and was wondering if you had any tips regarding this product. Also, what thoughts do you have on Bee-O-Pac? Thank you so much. I really enjoy reading all of your information on beekeeping!

Felix, 1. Maybe the question should be, “How do you get all the beeswax out of the other stuff? That other stuff is primarily larval skins. Honey bees are insects and as they go through life stages from larva to pupa to adult, different “skins” are shed. These skins build up layer upon layer, week upon week, month upon month and year upon year. You get the idea. So, now you melt the comb full of this stuff that absorbs the melted wax, kind of like a bunch of paper towels soaked in beeswax. If you really want to get the beeswax out, you have to use physical separation. Oil and water will separate and so will water and beeswax. If you are really serious about this, this is what you can do. Take your comb and put it in a porous cloth bag. Submerge this bag, big or small, in a pot of boiling water. Weigh it down so it will not float to the top. The beeswax will melt. It is lighter than the water, so as it melts, it will flow through the bag and up to the surface of the water. All the junk will be left behind. Let the water cool and you will have a relatively clean block of wax floating on the top. Voila!

2. Take half of everything in one colony (but not the queen) and move it into another hive. Install a queen in the new “divide” and you are there. Pretty simple.

3. I am under some pressure to know everything and to have tried everything. Well, I hope you are not disappointed, but I have not tried Bee-O-Pac. I have not tried it because it is not a new concept. The Hogg Halfcomb Cassette pushed this technology 15-20 years ago. It works if you are prepared to do those things needed to raise “comb honey”. Give it a try. It will work. Honey bees are really cool because they don’t care where they build comb to store surplus honey. Beekeepers in the past have even coaxed bees to build comb and store honey directly into quart jars set on tops of the hives! The main thing to remember is that you need strong colonies to produce honey (especially comb honey). This may require combining, crowding or possibly even stimulating early brood rearing by feeding colonies.

Good morning Jerry. Good article in Countryside magazine and one I will be sure to reference in the future. What do you think of the honey bee Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and its effect on Florida? Thanks.

Thank you for the Countryside compliment Don. Whether it is Florida or Maine or North Dakota, when there are fewer honey bees, there is less pollination potential. Honey bees as the foundational, keystone species of agriculture, are the vital link in producing many fruits, vegetables and nut crops. CCD is probably not just one toxin or pathogen. It may be a combination of several negative inputs that is causing some colonies to collapse. Only time will tell, as the primary researchers look into the situation. For the U.S. it turns into a strategic issue. How much food do we want other “friendly” countries to produce for the growing U.S. population? Will the U.S. be at the whim of other countries for food as in energy? My opinion: We need to maintain control of our own food production and honey bees are a part of this.

I think I remember from several years ago that some beekeepers in Europe or someplace had colonies dying or flying away just like this Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) stuff that has been all over the media.

Yes, the French Beekeepers were quite active in having a pesticide, Imidacloprid, looked at closely. Colonies in France were dwindling and bees were disappearing from colonies similar to reports on CCD that we are receiving. The possible problem with many agricultural pesticides is that they are systemic. They are designed to get into the “system” of the plant and then are transported throughout the plant. When a problem pest eats a plant part or pinches a plant part to suck the juices, it gets a lethal dose of the pesticide or toxin (GMO). This works great for pest insects, but also may create problems for beneficial insects. The problem is that these pesticides, because they are systemic, get transported to the flower and are expressed in the nectar and sometimes the pollen. The quantity of the pesticide in the nectar is generally not lethal to the honey bee that collects it because it is in low doses. The question is what happens to honey bees, larvae, and pupae that feed or are fed on this in chronic low doses?

CCD symptoms are that the colony dwindles as if the bees leave on normal foraging runs and forget how to get back to the colony. The few bees left, when analyzed, have multiple infections of what would be normally occurring organisms. This seems to indicate that their immune systems are breaking down and they cannot fight off “normal” organisms.

Termites, another highly social insect similar to honey bees (only they are a destructive pest), can be controlled with Imidacloprid. The two ways it kills termites is that: 1) It affects their nervous system and they forget where home is and 2) it causes the termite’s immune system to collapse and become susceptible to normally occurring organisms. Now, add in varroa mites, viruses, tracheal mites, labeled and unlabelled miticide use, environmental toxins, protozoans like Nosema, unrestricted antibiotic use, agricultural pesticides, a shallow gene pool and then load colonies on a semi and drive them 3000 miles. Talk about stress! I am not sure what stress is in a honey bee, but this might be it. I’m surprised honey bees are alive at all. They are tough, but maybe they have reached their limit.

Because pollen from genetically altered corn was put forth as a probable cause of butterfly, including Monarch Butterfly deaths, I would suggest that you consider the possibility that pollen from genetically altered plants could be a factor in the unexplained deaths (CCD) of bees. Even if genetically altered plants are not grown at the site of bee hive deaths, pollen from genetically altered plants, including corn, has been found in organic fields, which are not located adjacent to those fields. Bees may have traveled to a field or garden with genetically altered plants. Many genetically altered plants have been introduced in recent years. The possible impact of pollen from genetically altered plants was not adequately tested to determine if there were impacts on bees. Certainly, global warming should be considered as a possible factor, but I suggest investigation of the impact from genetically altered plant material. I am not entirely opposed to genetically altered plants, but I do not believe that testing has been adequate.

I grew up on a farm and ranch, which I maintain in Barton, Hodgman and Ness Counties of Kansas. We have utilized beekeepers and their hives on some of our agricultural operations. I continue to spend some time at my farm and ranch in Kansas, but I am not active on a daily basis. I stay up to date on agricultural issues and practices, but I rely more on others for day-to-day operations. Greater time has been devoted to farming operations over the last several months than most. More of my time has been devoted to engineering and sciences in the defense sector for our country and its allies.

Yes, GMO plants that have toxins expressed in the nectar and pollen is a strong possible contributor. Scary.

Hello, I bought several books and just finished reading The Art and Adventure of Beekeeping. I was about to go through the catalogs to begin to order supplies, when I heard a news report about the “colony collapse disorder” yesterday. They said that it was affecting 90% of the bees. In light of this, do you think it will be a rough year for a beginning beekeeper? Should I wait another year? Your advice is appreciated! Thanks.

I am confident that a new beekeeper using new equipment will be fine Colleen. It may be an agricultural residue or viral problem ultimately. Old brood combs (something you wouldn’t have) aggravate both problems. Full speed ahead.

Hi, I have taken a local class on beekeeping and started an exciting new hobby! With the first harvest behind us and our generosity in full bloom, some questions have been brought up. Now that I do in fact own honey bees, I know this is improbable, but possible — what if they are disturbed by something and they swarm and attack? What responsibility in on me? Can I be sued in this event? Someone always ruins the fun! Thanks.

Lisa, unfortunately the national past time in the US is not baseball, football, or soccer. It is, in fact, suing each other for real or imagined negligence. You certainly could be hauled before a court if someone thought that your bees stung him or her, or pooped on their car or were generally causing a nuisance. Real or imagined, you would still have to defend yourself and your homeowner’s insurance would certainly go up. Prudence, professionalism and following all state laws in regards to this effort with honey bees are necessary. Transitioning to Africanized Bees in Florida, we have developed Best Management Practices (BMP’s) to have beekeepers voluntarily participate in if they choose. These are attached for your review. Do your best and sell the story of how important honey bees are to your neighbors and cross your fingers.

Hi Jerry, Annette Werblow here again from sunny, warm Placerville, California.

I went through the whole hive again today—all 30 frames, carefully cleaning up any burr comb and brood they were depositing on top of the frames. Well, the hive was overflowing with bees, pollen, brood and honey. I saw two queen cells on the bottom of some frames in the early stages of development and I cut them out. I then added another super on top of the brood super where I saw the queen. I propped open the inner cover to give more ventilation and now I m praying they do not swarm. What do you think? Should I just wait and keep cutting out queen cells, while keeping any eye on whether to add supers or not? I saw you on TV last week. It was awesome to finally see the person behind the email. Thank you for all the work you have been doing.


	The Classroom by Jerry Hayes Please send your questions to Jerry Hayes, 17505 NW Hwy 335, Williston, FL 32696 Email: gwhayes54@yahoo.com

		from the May 2007 American Bee Journal Q World Honey Production If you can you help me with some information, it would be appreciated. 1. What is the value of honey produced worldwide? 2. What proportion of honey consumed in the US is imported? A The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimated world honey production in 2005 to be slightly over 3 billion pounds. It has steadily increased over the last 25 years with most of the increases coming from Asia and South America, while U.S. honey production continues to decline, along with beekeepers and colonies of bees. It is hard to put a dollar-value on world honey production since we do not know what a pound of honey would sell for in the various countries around the world. If you want to use a little imagination, you might estimate an average price of U.S. $1.00 per pound. If you use that figure, total world honey production was worth slightly over $3 billion in 2005. Of course, this does not count the immense value of honey bees to crop and wildflower pollination all over the world. Figuring the percentage of total U.S. honey consumption that is foreign honey is a little easier. Sixty percent of the honey consumed in the US is foreign honey. That foreign percentage has steadily increased as cheaper imported honey has gradually taken over a larger share of the U.S. honey market. Declining U.S. domestic honey crops also have contributed to this transition. Q Cedar Is there any evidence cedar wood would repel the wax moth? I know the bottom boards are often cedar, but I am thinking of cedar frames if anyone would make them.. I have such a wax moth problem it is unbelievable—in the extracting supers, the pollen trap drawers, everywhere. I have made screens for the pollen drawers for this summer to keep them out. Perhaps the bees would not like cedar and spend too much time propolizing? Richard L. Largen A Cedar hive parts generally do not consistently release enough “aroma” to discourage wax moth. If they did, they would also discourage the bees, themselves. Wax moths are only a problem where there are not bees to police and defend an area. Sounds like there is more empty comb than there are bees to cover it. Same with Small Hive Beetles (SHB). SHB is not an SHB problem, it is whatever is causing the population to drop and not cover every inch of comb. If population drops, you have to decrease the volume (size) of the hive and force more bees into a smaller area to protect and defend their home. Then, you have to protect and defend this stored empty equipment with wax moth crystals, a freezer or putting it on a strong colony that can defend it. A pollen trap needs to be emptied and cleaned daily because the colony has no direct access to it and can’t keep wax moths in check. Q Are They Pulling My Wing? Hello Jerry, even though I am still struggling with the “beekeeping for dummies” conversation we had from November, I came across something interesting and wanted to ask you...I read something from the book, At the Hive Entrance by H. Storch. He noted that in observing the hive “suddenly you hear the sounds of drones flying...” Is there truly a difference between the sound of the drones flying and the workers? When I am gardening, I can definitely tell the honey bees flying around me from any other bee. I would love to know about the difference...if there indeed is one. Please don’t think I am a dummy with my bees...I am doing my best to take care of them...I truly do love and respect them. Linda Maureen A Linda Maureen, you are not a dummy. Anyone who says they know everything about honey bees and can manage them perfectly is delusional. That said, your question is a good one. Drones are larger, their wings are larger and they beat at a different rate than worker wings when flying. When these wings disturb the air when beating, they produce sound waves that are different than the sound waves produced by worker bees flying. This means that the two sounds are different and can be identified by most beekeepers as separate worker and drone noises. Q To Kill or Not To Kill Hello, I wanted to write and thank you for the good article in the latest Countryside magazine. I have been working with bees for only three years and love it. My friends and co-workers love the locally produced wildflower honey instead of the stuff you buy in the store that looks like motor oil. I live in northern Maine and have a question on wintering over. I know of only a few beekeepers in the area, but none of them winter over their bees. They kill them off in the fall and obtain all new each spring. I think they believe they become weaker and more susceptible to mites and diseases, along with the fact you have to leave quite a bit of honey. Do you have any experience with folks living in a colder northern climate and what is your own thought on this? Thank you for your time. Gordon D. Anderson Mars Hill, ME A European honey bees are social insects that developed over the millennia in temperate Europe. They collect a surplus of honey to feed themselves over a long European winter. I am surprised to hear that your beekeeper friends kill off their colonies in fall. I haven’t heard of anyone doing that in years. Are you sure they aren’t pulling your leg? Cold does not kill honey bees that are healthy. Mites, disease and lack of stored honey will cause a premature death in winter. Just for fun, you need to Google “beekeeping in ...Poland, Germany Russia, Sweden, Finland, etc. They have a long and rich tradition of beekeeping where winters are certainly as long and harsh as yours. I kept honey bees in Michigan years ago and management techniques are strongly established to allow beekeepers to be successful in Northern climates. Your neighbors to the north in Canada are excellent beekeepers and know how to overwinter their colonies successfully. Gordon, you can do this if you simply are a good partner with your bees. Strong, healthy and 60+ lbs. of food are the keys. Q Slum Gum, Wax, Etc Dear Jerry, I have a few questions for you. 1. How do you get all of the slum gum out of beeswax? I have had a few problems with this. Even running it through a strainer several times will not get it all out. 2. What do you think is the best way to divide a colony? I have read about many different ways, but don’t know which one to do. 3. I am going to try Bee-O-Pac this year and was wondering if you had any tips regarding this product. Also, what thoughts do you have on Bee-O-Pac? Thank you so much. I really enjoy reading all of your information on beekeeping! Felix Knutson A Felix, 1. Maybe the question should be, “How do you get all the beeswax out of the other stuff? That other stuff is primarily larval skins. Honey bees are insects and as they go through life stages from larva to pupa to adult, different “skins” are shed. These skins build up layer upon layer, week upon week, month upon month and year upon year. You get the idea. So, now you melt the comb full of this stuff that absorbs the melted wax, kind of like a bunch of paper towels soaked in beeswax. If you really want to get the beeswax out, you have to use physical separation. Oil and water will separate and so will water and beeswax. If you are really serious about this, this is what you can do. Take your comb and put it in a porous cloth bag. Submerge this bag, big or small, in a pot of boiling water. Weigh it down so it will not float to the top. The beeswax will melt. It is lighter than the water, so as it melts, it will flow through the bag and up to the surface of the water. All the junk will be left behind. Let the water cool and you will have a relatively clean block of wax floating on the top. Voila! 2. Take half of everything in one colony (but not the queen) and move it into another hive. Install a queen in the new “divide” and you are there. Pretty simple. 3. I am under some pressure to know everything and to have tried everything. Well, I hope you are not disappointed, but I have not tried Bee-O-Pac. I have not tried it because it is not a new concept. The Hogg Halfcomb Cassette pushed this technology 15-20 years ago. It works if you are prepared to do those things needed to raise “comb honey”. Give it a try. It will work. Honey bees are really cool because they don’t care where they build comb to store surplus honey. Beekeepers in the past have even coaxed bees to build comb and store honey directly into quart jars set on tops of the hives! The main thing to remember is that you need strong colonies to produce honey (especially comb honey). This may require combining, crowding or possibly even stimulating early brood rearing by feeding colonies. Q Colony Collapse Disorder Good morning Jerry. Good article in Countryside magazine and one I will be sure to reference in the future. What do you think of the honey bee Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and its effect on Florida? Thanks. Donald Gibbons A Thank you for the Countryside compliment Don. Whether it is Florida or Maine or North Dakota, when there are fewer honey bees, there is less pollination potential. Honey bees as the foundational, keystone species of agriculture, are the vital link in producing many fruits, vegetables and nut crops. CCD is probably not just one toxin or pathogen. It may be a combination of several negative inputs that is causing some colonies to collapse. Only time will tell, as the primary researchers look into the situation. For the U.S. it turns into a strategic issue. How much food do we want other “friendly” countries to produce for the growing U.S. population? Will the U.S. be at the whim of other countries for food as in energy? My opinion: We need to maintain control of our own food production and honey bees are a part of this. Q Stressed Out Honey Bees? I think I remember from several years ago that some beekeepers in Europe or someplace had colonies dying or flying away just like this Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) stuff that has been all over the media. B. Christiansen A Yes, the French Beekeepers were quite active in having a pesticide, Imidacloprid, looked at closely. Colonies in France were dwindling and bees were disappearing from colonies similar to reports on CCD that we are receiving. The possible problem with many agricultural pesticides is that they are systemic. They are designed to get into the “system” of the plant and then are transported throughout the plant. When a problem pest eats a plant part or pinches a plant part to suck the juices, it gets a lethal dose of the pesticide or toxin (GMO). This works great for pest insects, but also may create problems for beneficial insects. The problem is that these pesticides, because they are systemic, get transported to the flower and are expressed in the nectar and sometimes the pollen. The quantity of the pesticide in the nectar is generally not lethal to the honey bee that collects it because it is in low doses. The question is what happens to honey bees, larvae, and pupae that feed or are fed on this in chronic low doses? CCD symptoms are that the colony dwindles as if the bees leave on normal foraging runs and forget how to get back to the colony. The few bees left, when analyzed, have multiple infections of what would be normally occurring organisms. This seems to indicate that their immune systems are breaking down and they cannot fight off “normal” organisms. Termites, another highly social insect similar to honey bees (only they are a destructive pest), can be controlled with Imidacloprid. The two ways it kills termites is that: 1) It affects their nervous system and they forget where home is and 2) it causes the termite’s immune system to collapse and become susceptible to normally occurring organisms. Now, add in varroa mites, viruses, tracheal mites, labeled and unlabelled miticide use, environmental toxins, protozoans like Nosema, unrestricted antibiotic use, agricultural pesticides, a shallow gene pool and then load colonies on a semi and drive them 3000 miles. Talk about stress! I am not sure what stress is in a honey bee, but this might be it. I’m surprised honey bees are alive at all. They are tough, but maybe they have reached their limit. Q Another CCD Theory? Because pollen from genetically altered corn was put forth as a probable cause of butterfly, including Monarch Butterfly deaths, I would suggest that you consider the possibility that pollen from genetically altered plants could be a factor in the unexplained deaths (CCD) of bees. Even if genetically altered plants are not grown at the site of bee hive deaths, pollen from genetically altered plants, including corn, has been found in organic fields, which are not located adjacent to those fields. Bees may have traveled to a field or garden with genetically altered plants. Many genetically altered plants have been introduced in recent years. The possible impact of pollen from genetically altered plants was not adequately tested to determine if there were impacts on bees. Certainly, global warming should be considered as a possible factor, but I suggest investigation of the impact from genetically altered plant material. I am not entirely opposed to genetically altered plants, but I do not believe that testing has been adequate. I grew up on a farm and ranch, which I maintain in Barton, Hodgman and Ness Counties of Kansas. We have utilized beekeepers and their hives on some of our agricultural operations. I continue to spend some time at my farm and ranch in Kansas, but I am not active on a daily basis. I stay up to date on agricultural issues and practices, but I rely more on others for day-to-day operations. Greater time has been devoted to farming operations over the last several months than most. More of my time has been devoted to engineering and sciences in the defense sector for our country and its allies. Royce W. Neuforth A Yes, GMO plants that have toxins expressed in the nectar and pollen is a strong possible contributor. Scary. Q Freaked Out By CCD Hello, I bought several books and just finished reading The Art and Adventure of Beekeeping. I was about to go through the catalogs to begin to order supplies, when I heard a news report about the “colony collapse disorder” yesterday. They said that it was affecting 90% of the bees. In light of this, do you think it will be a rough year for a beginning beekeeper? Should I wait another year? Your advice is appreciated! Thanks. Colleen Cook Berryville, Arkansas A I am confident that a new beekeeper using new equipment will be fine Colleen. It may be an agricultural residue or viral problem ultimately. Old brood combs (something you wouldn’t have) aggravate both problems. Full speed ahead. Q Sue Happy? Hi, I have taken a local class on beekeeping and started an exciting new hobby! With the first harvest behind us and our generosity in full bloom, some questions have been brought up. Now that I do in fact own honey bees, I know this is improbable, but possible — what if they are disturbed by something and they swarm and attack? What responsibility in on me? Can I be sued in this event? Someone always ruins the fun! Thanks. Lisa in Massachusetts A Lisa, unfortunately the national past time in the US is not baseball, football, or soccer. It is, in fact, suing each other for real or imagined negligence. You certainly could be hauled before a court if someone thought that your bees stung him or her, or pooped on their car or were generally causing a nuisance. Real or imagined, you would still have to defend yourself and your homeowner’s insurance would certainly go up. Prudence, professionalism and following all state laws in regards to this effort with honey bees are necessary. Transitioning to Africanized Bees in Florida, we have developed Best Management Practices (BMP’s) to have beekeepers voluntarily participate in if they choose. These are attached for your review. Do your best and sell the story of how important honey bees are to your neighbors and cross your fingers. Q Swarm Worries Hi Jerry, Annette Werblow here again from sunny, warm Placerville, California. I went through the whole hive again today—all 30 frames, carefully cleaning up any burr comb and brood they were depositing on top of the frames. Well, the hive was overflowing with bees, pollen, brood and honey. I saw two queen cells on the bottom of some frames in the early stages of development and I cut them out. I then added another super on top of the brood super where I saw the queen. I propped open the inner cover to give more ventilation and now I m praying they do not swarm. What do you think? Should I just wait and keep cutting out queen cells, while keeping any eye on whether to add supers or not? I saw you on TV last week. It was awesome to finally see the person behind the email. Thank you for all the work you have been doing.

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