Bee Colony Collapse and Other Ailments
Interview with Honey Ridge Farm Beekeepers - What's Bugging the Bees?
Five generations of beekeeping at Honey Ridge Farms means that 22 year old Ryan T. Lieuallen is keeping the family tradition alive. He started when he was a mere six years old learning from his father and grandfather. In this interview with Food Trends, Lieuallen shares his insights into the delicate yet invaluable contribution bees make to our lives. He also weighs in on what’s making our bees sick today and what can be done about it.
Food Trends (FT): What are colony mite infections and what do they do to the bees?
Ryan Lieuallen (RL): The appearance of Varroa jacobsoni within the U.S. was an obstacle encountered by our beekeeping sector in 1987.This parasitic mitecaused enormous concern and led to the use of additional chemical treatments within the beehive. Quite possibly, the Varroa mite is the most deadly parasite to our colonies to date. Every country that it has entered, has been unsuccessful in quarantining this parasite. The damage it has caused to the apiculture sector in Europe and the U.S. has been astounding. Chemicals such as Apitol, formic acid, thymol, fluvalinate, flumathrin, viz, oxalic acid and perizin have been used to control the mite problems within our colonies.
A major crisis encountered by way of overuse of these pyrethroids is the resistance that V. jacobsoni now displays to most currently approved chemical treatments. The Varroa mite is particularly destructive to our colonies because it attacks both the brood and adult stages of honey bees. Additionally,V. jacobsoni afflicts the colony by laying its eggs within the cells containing honey bee brood. These mites then hatch and feed on developing larvae and pupae and can cause severe weight loss, reduction of lifespan, major deformation of wings and exoskeleton, and death.[i] Selective breeding efforts have been successful in creating a honey bee that shows resistance to these parasites. These resistant strains have the ability to detect the developing mites within capped cells. Once detected, the honey bee uncaps the cell and removes the infected pupae along with the developing Varroa.
[i] Morse, Roger A., and Kim Flottum. Honey Bee Pests, Predators, & Diseases. 3rd ed. Medina, Ohio: The A.I. Root Company, 1997. P.294
FT: What's Bee Colony Collapse?
RL: The cause of this ailment is unclear, although many possible explanations have been proposed. I suspect that mal-beekeeping practices are causing an overwhelming immune-suppression stress on our honey bees. Some mal-beekeeping practices include: overmedicating or under medicating, starvation, the poor nutritional value of synthetic feed, the unintentional harm inflicted during the transportation of colonies and poor queen rearing.
FT: Why is this so important?
RF: Honey bees are vital to the US Agriculture sector and are an important player in the field of economics. Honey bees are responsible for the pollination of many valuable crops such as almonds, apples, cherries, avocados, carrots, squash, cranberries, melons; totaling more than 90 commercial crops. The USDA estimates that the added value of these crops is approximately $15 billion. The pollination of these crops requires the use of strong and healthy colonies that are free of disease and parasites.
FT: What have people done to their environment to bring this about- or is it anything we've done?
RL: The changes in our agricultural practices have created a changed environment for our beekeeping industry that requires large-scale migration and interaction between our honey bee colonies.
FT: What is your family's farm doing to help stop it?
RL: We are breeding our own line of honey bees that show resilience to these ailments. Each year we select our highest performing colonies to use as our breeder stock. Our colonies are monitored throughout the season. Important data such as honey production, spring build-up, temperament, and over-wintering ability is collected from each colony.
FT: What's the best thing about being a beekeeper?
RL: Bee-ing outdoors. You can’t beat the scenery! It is such a delight to have a lifestyle that is so linked with nature. During the summer months, I start work early and finish work early. At the end of my day I swim, fish, mountain bike, or hunt. Just yesterday I caught a 12 lb Chinook out of the Umatilla!
FT: What is it about honey bees you love?
RL: What’s not to love? Besides a few stings every day, those creatures make up the most interesting aspect of my life!
FT: Best remedy for a bee sting?
RL: In fact, I have a magnificent remedy that I am hoping to bring to market one day. Until then, it’s a secret!
Can't wait to hear about it when the word's out! Food Trends promises to share the news!
Ryan and granddad
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Bee and Flower
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