Survivor Bee Colonies

I have spent a good part of my summer in 2008 collecting European honeybee colonies from hollow trees in the forest and from man made structures. These colonies usually have one thing in common in that I can document they have been surviving without human management for 2 to 5 years. Now, getting these bees to survive the winter is number one on my priority so I have been feeding them heavily. These bees are going to be an important part of my breeding program for the future. I am committed to non-chemical beekeeping. I strongly believe we need to stop using all chemicals in the hives at all costs, so we can achieve an equilibrium between the mites and bees. Using chemicals only makes the mites stronger and this will never allow us to live with the mites. I am selecting from the survivor bees with natural resistance as well as not using chemicals so the mites will regress to a stable bee and mite relationship. I am breeding for gentleness, propolis production (for assistance against disease), honey production, hardiness in the Southern Appalachians, Honey production, resistance to the mites and disease without chemicals, and hygienic behavior. As you can see from the photos, gentleness is already a trait. I hope to be selling some of this stock, from this years breeding, next summer.

Scarecrow Festival

Today was my third Lake Julian Park Scarecrow festival. I had no honey left to sell, so took the playhouse I constructed for the Buncombe County Beeschool. I built one last year for raffle, and the winner gave it back to us. I was building one just like it for another customer last Christmas. I got sick before the one I was building was finished, so I substituted the one from the bee club in its place. I finished the replacement and am going to sell it outright, instead of raffling it. Lots of children loved playing in it today and I got several good leads on selling it. Hopefully, I will have it sold soon and the bee school will benefit from it. Maybe I will even get a few more orders for my trouble.

Bees and mites

It seems that when the Varroa Mites began damaging our bee population, many of the commercial beekeepers bought into the wisdom of the pesticide industry. This mentality permiated much of the beekeeping world and it was declared that bees could not survive without chemical treatments. Those treatments began selection for a super mite which the bees really could not survive without assistance of some sort.

As real wisdom finally caught on, we realized that not only were we selecting for a super mite by using increasingly more toxic chemicals, we were harming our bees also and now they really are failing even with all the assistance we can give them. I began beekeeping in 2004 and decided to not use chemicals even if I lost my bees. My goal was to find and select for a bee that was tolerant of the mites.

I also began searching the wilds for feral bees that managed to survive without assistance to selectively breed for resistance in my stock. I have now made it until 2008 with no chemicals and I have raised queens from my best stock with great results. I CAN raise bees without chemicals and they are doing better than the bees of my friends who use chemicals.

Many experts believe there are no surviving feral bees and all the bees that were believed to be feral are actually swarms that escaped from managed colonies. A New York forest called the Argone Forest seems to have proven there are feral bees still in existance without management and they are surviving without chemicals.

My first thought was these bees must have naturally adapted to the mites. Studies now show that that may have happened to a degree, but mostly, the mites adapted to the bees. A good parasite does not kill its host, and these mites seem to have regressed to a point that they can live with the bees without killing them.

I find this amazing. Had we allowed this natural process to go on in our colonies instead of using chemicals, we may have actually been able to live with the mites instead of creating a super mite and poisoning our bees. Maybe someday we will learn to think about our interventions before we make matters worse.

I love the Olympics

The Olympics have always been one of my favorite events. As a child I used to listen to the majestic theme song as the prime time telecast came on. I recall seeing the best of the best compete in amateur athletics. It seems there was always a compelling story to tickle my imagination and push me to try harder to be my best in whatever I did myself. These were role models that shaped my being. I even welcomed the addition of professional athletes, because this meant there was no doubt that the competitors really were the best of the best. I only recall two bad tastes in my mouth as I feasted on this epic occasion that only came around every four years in my youth.

The first bad taste came in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City when several American sprinters laughed, joked and disrespected the American flag as they were presented their medals for sprinting victories. I was glad when their medals were stripped from them because my feeling was the best of the best included being the best sportsman also.

The second bad taste came in the 1972 Munich games when the horror of all horrors happened and terrorists captured and killed much of the Israeli team. I had found it very cool that every four years all nations could put aside their differences and become sportsmen that got along while showing their best side in attitude, performance, and etiquette. This traumatic event spoiled the Olympic spirit of those games and the only thing that pulled me through was the resolve to let the games go on even if on a somber note. Mark Spitz winning 7 gold medals while setting 7 world records was an unbelievable event but would be forever overshadowed by the terrorists horrible act. That act shaped my feelings about the lack of humanity in terrorists and the belief that we can only defeat terrorism by not being terrified.

The terrible events of 1972 calloused me to other events that paled in comparison and the steroid scandals went unnoticed by me to a large degree though it did disgust me. I enjoyed most Olympics tremendously after that and came to realize that my single most enjoyable event in the games is also the shortest event. That event only takes a little over nine seconds to complete from start to finish. This event is the 100 meter dash when the title of worlds fastest human is issued.

I found myself enjoying the Beijing Olympics of 2008 tremendously because of the heroics of the dolphin-esque Michael Phelps as he shattered Mark Spitz's 1972 feat by winning 8 gold medals, setting 7 world records and one Olympic record. This was a fantastically marvelous feat and was a nice appetiser to my favorite event the men's 100 meter dash.

The 2008 100 meter dash field featured the reigning world record holder, the reigning world champion and the former world record holder. It appeared to be shaping up to be a race of Olympic dreams to tell your grand children about. I watched with intensity as the race shaped up and was already savoring the replay as the starter gun sounded. The field was quick out of the blocks except for 6'5" Usain Bolt of Jamaica, the world record holder. At about the 60 meter mark, Bolt caught the field as his long powerful stride got into rhythm. I was anticipating his smoking the field at this point and he sure was until the 80 meter mark, when he slowed his stride. It was bizarre to watch Bolt actually slowing down while he was still pulling away from the field. He then turned and looked at his nearest competitor and looked at the camera then pounded his chest as he slowed to almost a jog across the finish line setting a new world record and winning a gold medal.

Usain, you robbed us all of seeing you, the greatest 100 meter sprinter of all time, actually perform your best. I could not believe that the best sprinters in the world, giving their best, could be disrespected so by one of their competitors. Then you further insulted us with your childish antics that disrespected you and your country. I have revisited Mexico City by watching you and feel you too deserve to have your gold medal taken. You did not perform your best and you do not deserve this honor.

Fallen Hero

I work with an amazing team of people at Hendersonville NC Social Security. Many of us are personal friends off the job and we care very much about each other as people in addition to working as a well oiled machine on the job. We know how to get things done and complement each other in our strengths and weakness. In short, it is the best group of people, that I have ever worked with in my government career.

One of the universally loved and respected members of that team recently passed away and it has tremendously impacted all of us who loved and respected him. Roger Parker is also known as 1st Sgt Roger Parker and returned from a tour of duty in Iraq just a little more than a year ago. We missed Roger for over a year as he was taken to active duty and deployed to the front lines. Roger was always on our minds as we prayed each day and remembered fond times with our friend and co-worker. The guys at work took Roger to The Outback Steakhouse for his send off and promised to take him there again on his return.

While Roger was in Iraq, we regularly sent him care packages from home with all kinds of goodies and supplies that he may otherwise be doing without. Each package was thoughtfully prepared and sent with the hope he would be blessed by receiving it. When Roger returned, he told me that that package was always a highlight of his week. I laughed as he told me how he took a jar of my Sourwood Knoll honey to the mess hall in his pocket. He was not supposed to take anything into the mess hall, but he bent that rule to enjoy my fresh raw honey on his bread. It made me feel good to know that I could at least provide that small pleasure for a man that had made such a sacrifice to serve my country.

We had Roger back for less than a year when he passed away too young at only 41. He will be missed as a great co-worker who always carried his load, a friend who always had time to talk to people and a people person who loved to share a laugh. I somehow, in my mind, expected Roger to come back in to work until his funeral. At that moment my mind finally resolved that shock and disbelief about his death with the fact he is gone. I felt guilt because I had not been able to find the time to take him back out to eat though we had discussed it. I guess I learned there are no guarantees in life and we should never put off until tomorrow what we could do today. Roger may never know how much he meant to us all, but he was special in that every person in our office had a universal respect and fondness for him.

1st Sgt Roger Parker, you will be missed by everyone who knew you May you be at peace and may we all see you again in a happier place of joy and celebration. Until then, we will all have Roger shaped hole in our souls. We still have our memories and respect for you to hold onto until then.

Happy Birthday

My maternal grandmother, Lula Belle King Wilson, would have been 118 today! She was a sweet and loving person who had much wisdom tempered with unfailing love. She always took care of protecting her "grand youngins" and, though she died in 1979, I still love her and miss her. Nanny grew up and lived in Brunswick County NC and she was only 13 years younger than her mother, who also lived to a ripe old age. Happy Birthday Nanny!

Cradle of Forestry Pollinator Week

I was privileged to be invited to demonstrate and educate the public about honeybees today as part of the grand finale of Pollinator Week at the Cradle of Forestry in America. It is a chance to go full circle, so to speak, for me as I actually graduated from the Biltmore Forest School of Forest Resources at NC State University. This is the place that famous and prestigious school had its humble beginnings as the Vanderbilts began forestry in America by bringing in Carl A Schenck from Germany to begin modern forestry practices in America. If you have not visited this facility, though it is a bit out of the way in the Pisgah National Forest, you need to do so soon! It is a first class facility and is a crown jewel of the US Forest Service.

I took an observation hive, two regular hives, a bee gazebo and lots of honey as well as bee tools and props. The day was spent answering questions from an engaged public, as well as doing demonstrations on beekeeping inside the gazebo. I also got to sell ALOT of my fresh Locust honey. Some people could not wait to taste the honey and instantly proclaimed it to be excellent and unique. Mackenzie helped me with sales when I was busy with education and my friend Burt Hardwick, who volunteers at the facility and is also a beekeeper, lent a hand. I must say I was pleased with honey sales and I believe each customer will be equally pleased with this unique and tasty delight of Locust honey that we only get to experience about once per decade.

I took this opportunity to explain how and why I keep bees without chemicals. I educated about my efforts to locate wild colonies of bees and use these superior genetics of survivors to boost my queen breeding program. After finding I use no chemicals in my beekeeping, a facility employee gladly paid premium prices for some chemical free wax to use in candles and skin care products. I handed out plenty of cards and shared many smiles. Some new friends were made and some old friends were rediscovered. All in all, it was a very good day indeed. I anxiously await my next installment.