NY Bee Wellness Workshop

NY Bee Wellness Survey

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Initial Survey for the NY Bee Wellness Workshop

The survey is to gauge initial interest and participation in the Workshop. Input will be helpful in determining costs, scheduling, and personnel. Please complete the survey by January 26, 2012.

Registration will be available in a few months.

Please contact PAT@ESHPA.org to receive the survey.

The Empire State Honey Producers Association (ESHPA.org) will be offering intensive 2 day, skills oriented, hands on workshops in 2012. These are part of a 3 year Train the Trainer program to teach beekeepers techniques in diagnosing, treating, and preventing honey bee diseases. Primarily targeting New York beekeepers with less than 10 years experience and women beekeepers, participants from other states are welcome as space permits.

The workshop is divided into 2 levels:

*Tier I (the Trainers), will attend the intensive workshop, should have at least 2 years of beekeeping experience (including Winter), some teaching experience whether it be as a primary instructor or as an assistant, a letter of recommendation from a beekeepers group or a CSA or other agriculture group, write a short essay stating why you wish to join the program, identify a group that you will teach, and complete online reading assignments in preparation for the workshop.

*Tier II are the beekeepers that will be taught by the Tier I trainers at their local club or organization as a group.

The workshops will be held at 3 different locations in New York: North (Albany area), West (Canandaigua) , & South (Catskills or Long Island).

Diseases covered will be American & European Foulbrood, Nosema, Mites, Chalk Brood, Viruses, CCD, and other bee maladies.

Topics include:

• record keeping & use of surveys

• Specimen collection for infield testing

• How to prepare specimens for lab diagnosis

• Microscope use

• accessing resources online

• preparing an outline for teaching a group

• mentoring

The BeeInformed.org Winter Loss and Beekeeper Management surveys will be presented in the workshop and all participants in the workshop are strongly encouraged to complete the surveys as a means to establish

the efficacy of the workshop. The Empire State Honey Producers (ESHPA) will provide teaching tools and follow up mentorship.

Instructors will be experts in the field of apiculture. The Directors and organizers of the workshop are Pat Bono, and Peter Borst, both officers of eshpa.

Costs to be determined. A fee will be required in advance of the class, with a partial refund given after the Tier I teacher completes a group class for Tier II students.

A few scholarships will be available.

Please contact Pat Bono with any questions or for further info : Pat@ESHPA.org

ESHPA is committed to supporting a new generation of beekeepers in New York State that reflects the diversity in our communities.

These workshops are made possible through funding from the USDA NIFA Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program, Grant # 2011-494400-30631, and with matching funds from the Empire State Honey Producers Association.

The Empire State Honey Producers Association is the state organization for beekeepers in New York; it is a not-for-profit group, and welcomes new members. The group has been promoting the interests of New York beekeepers since 1868. ESHPA.org

You too can contribute to Honey Bee Wellness!
 Donations gratefully accepted.

New York Bee Wellness Workshop

Grant to Help NY Beekeepers Improve Colony Health

The USDA awarded a three-year, $59,000 grant to the Empire State Honey Producers Association to help the state's beekeepers address hive problems plaguing honeybees.

The grant will train beekeepers to prevent, diagnose and treat honeybee problems and, in turn, support the training of beginning beekeepers in how to keep their colonies healthy.

"This grant will allow beekeepers to learn and identify honeybee disease," said Greg Kalicin, president of the Empire State Honey Producers Association. "The knowledge that the trainers acquire will continue to benefit New York beekeepers for many years."

Nationwide, bee colonies have experienced large losses which have baffled experts and discouraged beekeepers. But recently, more people have started keeping bees in both urban and rural areas, partly because of the media attention to honeybee losses and also due to the increase in urban and suburban gardening.

Of course more honeybees equals better pollination for crops and plants in general, and more local, New York State honey," said Pat Bono, representing Seaway Trail Honey in Rochester.

Bono and Peter Borst of Ithaca are co-directors of the grant in conjunction with the Empire State Honey Producers, which will provide matching funds. Borst represents the Finger Lakes Bee Keepers Association.

"The underlying causes for the bee decline are complicated and numerous," Borst said. "All the same, bee health is one of the key areas of interest and one which we can address directly."

Other factors that are harder to address may include large mono-cropped areas, loss of natural habitat and exotic foreign parasites that plague honeybees.

Although fewer bees means less honey and a spike in honey prices, producers' low yields make it tough to take advantage of the price swing.

"By restoring vigor to their colonies, they will be able to obtain larger honey crops," Borst said. "Better crops and better financial returns will increase the incentive to treat bees as valuable assets and encourage honey producers to pay close attention to the details which lead to healthy colonies."

Honeybees pollinate about $300 million in value of New York State crops, such as apples, berries, squash, pumpkins and grapes.

"Many growers actually pay beekeepers a handsome fee to bring bees in, so this is an additional source of income for honey producers, provided they have healthy bees early in the season when they are needed," Borst said. "But beyond that, there are many farms that benefit from bees being present locally, even if they do not hire beekeepers directly. Essentially, locally produced bees provide a valuable resource for gardeners and farmers."

Agriculture represents a pillar of New York's economy, so keeping honeybees healthy is important to the state's overall fiscal viability.

"Every single hive of bees is beneficial and can pollinate plants up to a three-mile radius, which is significant not only for farmers and gardeners, but also the diversity of wild plants," Bono said.

She said she hopes that the grant will foster better communication among all beekeepers statewide.

The USDA-NIFA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program will administer the grant. The organization provides funding to support training, education, outreach and technical assistance initiatives for beginning farmers or ranchers.

The Empire State Honey Producers Association, the state beekeeping organization of New York, welcomes new members and presents informational and educational programs twice a year. The group has been promoting the interests of New York beekeepers since 1868.

Online:

Empire State Honey Producers Association: www.eshpa.org 11/2011

You too can contribute to Honey Bee Wellness!
 Donations gratefully accepted.