Mason's Blue Collar Bees

Calling All Beekeepers!

2012-08-17T13:51:00.002-04:00

Phew! I've been a pretty busy dude lately, hence the lack of new posts. Dare I say, as busy as a bee? Despite a stretch of drought here in good ol' Flint, Michigan, the hives have been faring pretty well. I had a good Summer harvest, and people snatched it right up! Nothing beats the taste of pure, raw honey!

So, enough about me. I know that people from all corners of the globe read the stuff on this website. I request of you, fellow beekeepers, tell me about your beekeeping season. Photos would be great too. Has the weather impacted your honey bees? How is the market for your product where you live? Any great new tips or tricks?

I'd like to include your input in an upcoming post. Not everyone wants to maintain a website, so let me get your voice out there.

Drop me a line at bluecollarbees (at) gmail.com and make sure you include your name and location.

A Fun Way To Learn About The Life Of A Worker Bee: Starring Isabella Rossellini (VIDEO)

2012-06-20T15:05:00.000-04:00

Johnny Mason, June 20, 2012:

Remember the somewhat…alright, very weird video I posted a while back with Isabella Rossellini teaching you about bee sex? Well, she’s back with a new video (in cooperation with Burt’s Bees) about the life of worker bees in the hive. It’s a tad less odd, but even more informative and fun to watch. Check it out and pass it on to increase the awareness about our favorite honey making, pollinating pals!

BONUS: Here’s another great short about the mighty queen bee herself and the continuing saga of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). You check out more at the homepage for the Burt’s Bees initiative, Wild For Bees.

Sticking Some Bare Hands Into A Bee Swarm To Relocate Them (Video)

2012-04-24T08:31:00.001-04:00

Johnny Mason, April 24, 2012:

It’s almost swarm season! Actually, due to the odd weather this year, swarming has already begun in various areas of the United States. I know it has here in Flint, Michigan.

Are you curious what a swarm of honey bees actually looks like? Are they dangerous? The guys over at Town & Country’s Honey Bee Removal shot this video showing how gentle a new swarm of bees really is as they remove it from the branch of a tree.

When a swarm is new, they are gorged on honey, generally confused and disoriented, and only on a mission to find a new place to live. The lack of brood (eggs) to protect also lends to more docile behavior. A cluster like the one in the video will generally move on within a few days to find more suitable digs. Once they've been in the same location for more than three days, they may be a little crankier, but only because they may have decided to stay where they are, and now they will be protecting their new home.

In the video, Daniel plays the role of the uninitiated public who thinks the bees will apparently murder him or something. But, as the cameraman says, “It’s fun!”

Micro RNA Dictates Worker Bee Roles In The Colony

2012-04-18T12:48:00.000-04:00

Johnny Mason, April 18, 2012:

You may or may not know that as a honey bee ages, its role in the colony changes. Generally, after a few days free of the brood comb, a newborn worker bee will go straight to work as a nurse bee, feeding the next generation of larvae and secreting beeswax to seal open cells, and also attend to the queen. I want to see your three day old do that!

After a week or so, the worker will move on to things such as ventilation of the nest, packing pollen in cells, grooming other members of the colony and other tasks as needed. It’s not until toward the end of her own life will a worker venture out to become a forager and start collecting nectar and pollen to bring back to the hive.

This is all fascinating stuff, but how/why do they do it? Yehuda Ben-Shahar, PhD, an assistant professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis wondered that also. He pondered whether or not this behavior was under some sort of genetic control. In his research, it turns out that this division of labor is directly tied the presence of tiny snippets of noncoding RNA (micro RNAs or miRNAs) that suppress the expression of genes in the brains of honey bees.

For example, a forager bee has higher levels of these micro RNAs in their brains than a nurse bee that stays with the colony and tends to the brood. Ben Shahar says that Micro-RNAs are also known to regulate development and disease processes such as cancer.

“We wondered if they weren’t playing a role in regulating social behaviors,” he says, “because recent studies have implicated them in complex nervous-system functions such as neurodevelopment, psychiatric disease, and circadian clocks.”

At Last. Destroying Varroa Destructor?

2012-04-12T13:15:00.000-04:00

Johnny Mason, April 12, 2012:

Ooooooh, could we finally have some good news in the battle against honey bee parasite #1, varroa destructor? Scottish scientists have just made a breakthrough that could prove invaluable in getting rid of the little blood suckers.

Yesterday, the researchers from Aberdeen University and the National Bee Unit (part of the Food and Environment Research Agency), revealed that they have figured out how to “knock down” genes in varroa destructor, actually killing it by turning the parasite’s natural defenses on itself. So far, all of this promising research has only taken place in a controlled lab setting, but the team has just been awarded £250,000 (around $399,000) in funding to develop a product to help beekeepers worldwide in effectively eliminating varroa destructor populations. The money has been provided by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and Vita (Europe) Ltd.

Dr. Alan Bowman who is leading the research states that, “There is an urgent need to develop a varroa-specific, environmentally friendly treatment or some method of overcoming the varroa’s resistance mechanism to existing treatments and that’s what we are now working towards.”

Let’s all hope that whatever treatment they develop gets rid of varroa, but is still safe for the bees and their honey supply.

Sign The Petition To Ban The Use Of Neonicotinoids To Prevent Further Honey Bee Decline

2012-04-05T10:24:00.000-04:00

Johnny Mason, April 5, 2012:

If you've been paying attention to the news lately, you have probably heard or seen the mounting evidence that directly links the decline of the honey bee population to the use of neonicotinoid insecticides on crops. The use of these chemicals must be stopped! People must realize that honey bees do far more for our world than just provide us with honey to eat. Much of our food supply, entire industries, a huge chunk of our economy can all be directly or indirectly to what the bees do. As people that know about honey bees, it is our duty to educate and inform.

A petition has been started that will be submitted to Lisa P Jackson, the director of the Environmental Protection Agency and to Barack Obama, President of the United States. It's true that petitions to demand the banning of these substances have been started before and have quickly stalled. There needs to be a single, driven, focused effort. Let this petition be the one that goes all the way!

If you are a beekeeper, share this with everyone you know. If you care about bees or the environment, share this with everyone you know. If you enjoy eating apples, onions, okra, strawberries, watermelon, lemons, limes, cherries, cauliflower, etc, share this with everyone you know. If you just like looking at pretty flowers, share this with everyone you know. Spread the word on Facebook, Twitter, other websites and blogs, make fliers...whatever you can think of!

It may be a challenge, and you may think that we may not be heard. Heck, I have as little faith in government as most seem to nowadays. But, I can absolutely promise you that we will not be heard if we don't do something. Sign this petition. Let's get one less honey bee killer out the United States.

Here is the direct link to the petition: https://www.change.org/petitions/environmental-protection-agency-ban-the-use-of-neonicotinoids-to-prevent-further-honey-bee-decline

What The Hex? A Better Beehive?

2012-04-03T08:35:00.000-04:00

Johnny Mason, April 3, 2012:

Just like mousetraps, it seems everyone is also looking to build a better beehive. There have been many, many variations over the years and one of the latest contenders to come down the shoot is called a Hex Hive.

Created by beekeeper Randy Sue Collins, the Hex Hive is an option for those who like to take a more “natural” approach to beekeeping. Built in the shape of a hexagon (hence, Hex) the inside somewhat emulates the inside of a log and features rough cut cedar to encourage propolis creation. I know a lot of beeks think that propolis is a pain in the you-know-what. But, if you keep in mind what the actual function of propolis is, this is a good thing as it promotes a healthier environment for the bees, and fights off various sources of infection. We all like healthy bees, don’t we?

It’s interesting to note the use of the nine frames in this design. The five center frames can be removed and switched around as may be expected, but the four tapered outer frames are actually affixed inside to hold comb. It’s noted that these can be removed if needed. Kind of cool, but I haven’t actually been able to test the management of this hive in the real world, because I don’t have one *cough cough* :).

The bottom of the hive is screened for integrated pest management, each super has its own entrance hole, and the pointed top is covered in copper.

From an esthetic point of view, I really like the look of the Hex Hive, as it kind of looks like a swanky rocket. First class all the way, baby! I bet they would even serve in-flight meals in this sucker!

This is just another example of why beekeepers rule! The thought and innovation that people put into taking care of their honey bees is amazing. Some work better than others, but as long as people are trying, that’s what counts in the end. If you’d like to dive into a Hex Hive, hit Randy Sue up at her website. Go ahead and tell her that Mason’s Blue Collar Bees sent you. I’m not sure that it’ll do you any good, but it’ll make you feel like you’re one of the cool kids.

Another Amazing Honey Bee Skill: They're Good At Creating Art.

2012-03-29T08:40:00.000-04:00

Johnny Mason, March 29, 2012:

Come on! Who says honey bees don't have any taste in art? Nobody? Well, apparently they do, and they are active in the art community.

Canadian artist, Aganetha Dyck has "chosen to collaborate with the honey bees for the past 14 years". She continues to say, "My research has included the bee's use of sound, sight, scent, vibration, and dance. I am studying the bee's use of the earth's magnetic fields as well as their use of the pheromones (chemicals) they produce to communicate with one another, with other species and possibly with the foliage they pollinate." Her collaboration with honey bees (in the form of "beework") is mainly a fusion of naturally formed comb on figurines and other three dimensional objects. Due to a short window of active bee-ness in the summertime, Dyck says that a piece can take years to complete. Now, that's dedication.

It's interesting to note that Aganetha Dyck is not a beekeeper, but began her work due solely to her fascination with the architecture that bees create.

All of us honey bee lovers have known for a while that they are pretty special creatures that do a lot for our world. I guess we can add "artist" to the the list. I wonder if they wear tiny berets.

Check out the video below to see Dyck discuss her art, her experimentation with beeswax, and the bees at work in an art museum installation. A quick Google search for Aganetha Dyck will bring up some more of her impressive imagery.

The Weirdest Video About Bee Sex I Have Seen

2012-03-27T09:06:00.002-04:00

Johnny Mason, March 27, 2012:

Stumbled across this one a couple of days ago and it is just what the title of this post says. This is clearly the oddest/most entertaining video that I have seen on honey bee sex. I think the fact that it stars Isabella Rossellini makes it even more of a joy to watch, but you can't help but feel bad for the "drone" at the end. Enjoy.

BTW: The words "penis" and "vagina" are used, so I guess keep your surroundings in mind when watching if that's a concern to you.

For New-Bees: Painting The Queen Bee. What? Why?

2012-03-24T09:03:00.000-04:00

Johnny Mason, March 24, 2012:

Have you ever seen or heard about a queen bee with a bright color painted on her thorax? Well, if the person who did it knew what they were doing, that paint color was most likely not selected at random. Believe it or not, there exists an International Color Code for marking your queens. Yes, international...as in beekeepers all over the world. Why? So that you can find her easier majesty in a crowded hive, keep track of her age, or see if your original queen has maybe been superseded. Beekeepers will sometimes even code the frames (using colored thumbtacks or other means) in a Langstroth hive to keep a visual of when they were introduced, and get rid of old wax that has been in there every few years or so.

A queen is really only expected to live for a couple of years, so the color code cycles through every five years. Here’s how it works:

Years ending in 0 or 5 are blue.
Years ending in 1 or 6 are white.
Years ending in 2 or 7 are yellow.
Years ending in 3 or 8 are red.
Years ending in 4 or 9 are green.

Queen honey bees can be purchased already marked, or you can (carefully) do it yourself using one of those model car paint pens or a 1/16 dowel lightly dipped in paint. Make sure that the paint has dried before allowing her back into the colony. A queen plunger, available from most beekeeper suppliers, makes the job easier to do, and decreases the chances of you injuring or crushing the queen. That would be bad. Very bad.

So, now you know. And knowing is growing. ;)

Thousands Of Honey Bees Shack Up In Man's Car

2012-03-22T08:30:00.001-04:00

Johnny Mason, March 22, 2012:

What would you do if you walked out to your car to go get some breakfast, and found that thousands of bees have decided that your car was the perfect spot to land their swarm? Well, if you're not a beekeeper, call one! If you are a beek....YAY! FREE BEES!!! Check out the video below to see how these men in Washington handled things.

What's the oddest or most difficult place that you have found a swarm of honey bees? Let me know in the comments.

Honey For Diabetes, Part 2. Things To Read.

2012-03-21T08:58:00.000-04:00

Johnny Mason, March 21, 2012:

Recently, a post from this site called "Can Diabetics Eat Honey? Yes, They Can, And They Should!" appeared over at Reddit. Since then, a few people have expressed concern that it was just misinformation that could lead to harmful effects for diabetics. One of them being a fourth year medical student. I assured them that I didn't just throw a bunch of stuff on the website haphazardly, and would post some resources that have been written by people that have done medical research on the topic of using honey for diabetics. As I mentioned in the original post, if you are a diabetic, you should discuss it with your doctor.

Some additional items:

I come from a family of diabetics, including my mother, so I wish no harm on diabetics (or anyone, for that matter). I am not suggesting that a diabetic should discontinue any medications without speaking to their physician first. Honey for use with diabetes should not be seen as a cure for the disease.
I am not dismissing doctors or their advice. I have taken and do take prescription meds at times. I have a doctor that I have seen for years, and he has provided some good care for me in the past. If my appendix explodes, or I break my leg, the first person I want to see is someone with MD or DO after their name. Rest assured, I will not be slathering honey on myself hoping for a miracle.
The use of honey mentioned in the original post was in small doses, not a cup or two which would most likely be detrimental. I'm not diabetic myself, and wouldn't even eat that much at one time!
More research is always being done and breakthroughs are being made, even on things that seem like a no-brainer now. You know, there was a time when physicians didn't even wash their hands between surgeries?
The only thing that is clear here is that there is no 100% agreement on this issue. There is certainly a "medical" train of thought that will be quick to scoff or ridicule some natural treatments, especially in the west. The same is also true for "holistic" people that will speak swiftly to dismiss chemical treatments for illnesses. Traditional medical research done on various topics often disagree with each other and this leads to more discoveries being made. So, as always, I welcome your comments, but please be kind and respectful to anyone that may enter the conversation.

So, here are a few things to read. There are much more, but you can do some research on your own. Take care!

The Honey Revolution. Written by Dr. Ron Fessenden, MD, MPH. There is an entire section on honey for diabetes. Dr. Fessenden spent three years fully researching and writing about the health benefits of honey before writing his book.

The Use of Honey in Diabetes Mellitus: Is It Beneficial or Detrimental? Erejuwa OO. International Journal of Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2012. "In conclusion, the explanations and evidence in this commentary indicate that the use of honey in the treatment of diabetes mellitus is not detrimental, but beneficial, provided that genuine and natural honey is administered at appropriate therapeutic doses."

Effects of natural honey consumption in diabetic patients: an 8-week randomized clinical trial. Bahrami, et al. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. November 2009, Vol. 60, No. 7 , Pages 618-626. "The results of this study demonstrate that 8-week consumption of honey can provide beneficial effects on body weight and blood lipids of diabetic patients. However, since an increase in the hemoglobin A1C levels was observed, cautious consumption of this food by diabetic patients is recommended."

Glycemic Response And Glycemic Index Of Bangladeshi Honey In Type II Diabetic Patients. MD, Ibrahim Khalil et al. Malaysian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vol. 4, No. 1, 13–19 (2006). "Honey produced less postprandial hyperglycemia than glucose and sucrose in normal volunteers and NIDDM patients. Our findings showed that Bangladeshi honey could be beneficial as sugar substitute for type 2 diabetic patients."

Natural honey lowers plasma glucose, C-reactive protein, homocysteine, and blood lipids in healthy, diabetic, and hyperlipidemic subjects: comparison with dextrose and sucrose. Al-Waili NS. Journal of Mediciinal Food. 2004 Spring;7(1):100-7. "Honey compared with dextrose and sucrose caused lower elevation of PGL in diabetics."

Intrapulmonary administration of natural honey solution, hyperosmolar dextrose or hypoosmolar distill water to normal individuals and to patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus or hypertension: their effects on blood glucose level, plasma insulin and C-peptide, blood pressure and peaked expiratory flow rate. Al-Waili NS. European Journal of Medical Research. 2003 Jul 31;8(7):295-303. "The results demonstrated that honey inhalation was safe and effective in reducing blood glucose level, in normal and diabetic subjects, it could improve glucose tolerance test, elevate plasma insulin and C-peptide and PEFR, and reduce elevated blood pressure in hypertensive patients."

Honey and Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. Abduhlrhman, et al. Pediatric Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University. "Honey has a lower glycemic and peak incremental indices compared to glucose and sucrose in both type 1 diabetic patients and non-diabetics. Therefore, we recommend using honey as a sugar substitute in type 1 diabetic patients. In spite of its significantly lower glycemic and peak incremental indices, honey caused significant post- prandial rise of plasma C-peptide levels when compared to glucose and sucrose in non-diabetics; indicating that honey may have a direct stimulatory effect on the healthy beta cells of pancreas. On the other hand, C-peptide levels were not significantly elevated after honey ingestion when compared with either glucose or sucrose in type 1 diabetic patients. Whether or not ingestion of honey in larger doses or/and for an extended period of time would have a significant positive effect on the diseased beta cells, needs further studies."

Holy Hot Honey Bee Balls! AKA: Cooking A Wasp Invader.

2012-03-20T09:00:00.003-04:00

Johnny Mason, March 20, 2012:

What’s a honey bee to do when a hornet comes poking their head where they’re not wanted? The outer shell of a hornet is too dense and thick for a honey bee to penetrate by stinging, so what can they do to defend themselves? Of course! Form a hot bee ball around the critter!

The bees will actually cluster around the invader in a tight spherical formation, engage their brains into “cooking mode” and actually bake that sucker into oblivion! They create heat by vibrating their wings and can actually get the center temperature of the ball up to 117 degrees Fahrenheit…enough to make toasted wasp. There is a slight debate as to whether the death is actually from the heat itself or from suffocation.

Scientists first noted this defensive behavior in 2005, and have been studying it since then. They have now figured out the bee-brain mechanism that regulates this behavior in Japanese honey bees, but not yet in their European counterparts. During bee ball defenses, random honey bees were plucked from the cluster and their brains were examined to see what parts were active. It was found that neurons in the brain center were far more active than when carrying out other activities. It’s theorized that the neurons in the brain’s center are involved in processing thermal information.

This same brain information was seen when the bees were exposed to heat, which supports the researchers’ theory that the bees were working to carefully regulate enough heat to kill the hornet, but not themselves. So far, this neural activity has only been isolated in Japanese honey bees.

In their research paper, the scientists stated, "Because there is only 3 to 5 C difference (5 to 9 degrees F) in the lethal temperature between the Japanese honeybee and the giant hornet, accurate monitoring and precise control of heat generation during forming a hot defensive bee ball seem critical for the Japanese honeybees.”

Can Raw Honey Cure Cancer? Well...

2012-03-18T09:03:00.004-04:00

Johnny Mason, March 18, 2012:

Honey really is pretty miraculous stuff, but can it cure cancer? Well, no. Honey is not a cure for cancer, but it is extremely anti-cancer. Much research now agrees that cancer cells form due to oxidants rampaging through the body. Pure honey is full of bioflavonoids (aka: antioxidants) that have a powerful influence in decreasing the capillary weakness and fragility that an abundance an oxidants can create. The antioxidants literally hunt down the oxidants and prohibit their destruction of collagen in the body.

The effect of honey’s antioxidants is so powerful that many chemical drug companies have now invested millions of dollars to replicate these immunity enhancing flora-flavones artificially. Why spend a ton of money and ingest who-knows-what when you can just eat some good local honey?

Of course, raw honey is not a magic bullet and should be incorporated with other healthy diet and lifestyle habits. I know that most of us seem to focus more on treatment than prevention, but incorporating bee products in your daily routine can do quite a bit to ward off the cooties. The caffeic acid in propolis has properties that actually promotes the death of cancer cells.

Propolis has also been reported to directly fight the cells that cause colon cancer and it prevents the protein that causes cancer growth from forming. It also promotes the growth of new blood vessels, which strengthens the area and prevents cancer from forming.

Sound good? Get some!

Have you tried adding bee products to your diet on a regular basis? What are some positive effects that you have noticed? Let me know in the comments.

New-Bee 101: The Basic Components Of A Langstroth Hive

2012-03-16T09:05:00.007-04:00

Johnny Mason, March 16, 2012:

Super body box what? Excluder? What are you excluding?

If you're just looking into beekeeping, chances are this may sound a bit familiar. We've all had questions and have been to embarrassed to ask, or maybe just couldn't find the right info on the internet. That's why I do the goofy videos. I want to help you with answers to basic beekeeping questions.

In this one, I talk about the components of a standard Langstroth bee hive (named after its creator, L.L. Langstroth). Although, I had a temporary brain fart and kept calling the inner cover the "top cover". It's an inner cover. INNER COVER. Anyway, the Langstroth style hive is the most common, but not the answer for everyone. What type of hive you'll want to keep depends on your goals, physical ability, and money/time that you want to invest. I'll have more on various options such as top-bar beekeeping in the future. For now, enjoy.

Honey Bees Thrive In Probiotic Filled Hives

2012-03-14T09:00:00.003-04:00

Johnny Mason, March 14, 2012:

Did you know that greater genetic diversity among honey bee workers lends itself to the greater health of the colony? A new study led by assistant professor Irene L.G. Newton of Indiana University Bloomington and Assistant professor Heather Mattila of Wellesley College on communities of active bacteria harbored by honey bees has shed more light on this fact.

The duo’s research has identified for the first time, important food-processing groups of organisms in honey bee colonies that have previously only been associated with other animals, including humans. The four microbes that stand out are Succinivibrio, Oenococcus, Paralactobacillus, and Bifidodacterium, with the first two being dominant. The presence of these organisms can be directly tied the act of a queen bee mating with many drones.

So, what does this mean? It means that with a larger amount of probiotic activity taking place in a hive, the better the health of the bees.

Newton stated, “What we observed in our work was that there was less likelihood of potentially pathogenic bacteria showing up in genetically diverse honey bee colonies compared to genetically uniform colonies.”

Newton and Mattila were able to sample and classify over 75,000 genetic sequences for bacterial genera from 10 genetically consistent colonies and 12 diverse colonies by examining a specific molecule found in the bees’ RNA.

“What we found was that genetically diverse colonies have a more diverse, healthful, active bacterial community—a greater number and diversity of bacterial sequences affiliated with beneficial genera were found in genetically diverse colonies,” Newton says.

“Conversely, genetically uniform colonies had a higher activity of potential plant and animal pathogens in their digestive tract—127 percent higher than workers from genetically diverse colonies.”

The researchers believe that their finding will have an impact on how bee hives are managed all over the world, but will also explain the advantages that multiple partner breeding has for honey bees.

(EDIT) Can A Diabetic Eat Honey? Yes, They Can, And They Should!

2012-03-12T09:15:00.005-04:00

(Edited March 21, 2012. Since this post originally appeared, there has been some concern about the validity of the content. I have written a second post that gives some things to read that have been written by medical researchers on the positive uses of honey for diabetes. You may want to check it out.)

Johnny Mason, March 12, 2012:

Many doctors will be quick to dismiss honey as a viable sweet option for diabetics. Hold on a sec, Doc! Yes, honey is sweet, but it’s not the same thing as sugar. Unfortunately, most physicians actually have very little training in nutrition. If you’ve been told that it’s a no-no, ask your doctor if fruits are permitted. He or she will probably give the thumbs up. If so, let them know that a tablespoon of raw honey contains about the same amount of carbs as a cup of raw apple. Raw honey is actually kind of a cool mystery in how it breaks down in the body. It is directly converted to liver glycogen and doesn’t raise blood sugar levels like sucrose or high fructose corn syrup does even though it contains the same simple sugars. This fact alone should be reason enough to recommend it over synthetic sweeteners such as Aspartame.

When consumed regularly over weeks or months, raw honey will actually LOWER and help balance a person’s blood sugar and HbA1c (glycosylated or glycated hemoglobin) levels. Research has shown that human consumption of raw honey will result in lower blood sugar levels by as much as 60 to 100 mg/dl at 60 and 90 minutes following consumption compared to a similar amount of sucrose. Due to this, there should be no big surprise that HbA1c levels will be lowered by as much as 2-4%. This factor alone should trigger huge variances in the treatment guidelines recommended by most docs, which means fewer drugs. Actually the worse a person’s glucose intolerance is, the greater the positive impact and control on blood sugar levels from ingesting raw honey.

Diabetics are often recommended to increase their intake of vitamins such as B1, B6, B12, C, E and Biotin. Guess what? A good unfiltered summer honey already has all of these! The same people are also often times told that they should lose weight. Did you know that using a small amount of honey (since it’s 3 times sweeter than sugar), can cause you to eat less calories and therefore lose weight? Hard diabetics also are known to have open sores. Honey (sometimes mixed with propolis) applied topically to open wounds works better, faster and with less side effects than most prescriptions.

So, how much honey is sufficient? Generally, you should shoot for 3-5 tablespoons a day. At least 1-2 tablespoons in the morning and 1-2 right before bed (helps improve sleep). You can also have 1-2 tablespoons during the day with a snack or before and after a workout. Just figure out what works for you and get it in.

It must be stressed that a diabetic ONLY uses pure, raw, unadulterated honey and should probably tell their physician that they are consuming it. Just be sure that you are NOT using any of that supermarket stuff that is often combined with fillers such as corn syrup that will do more harm than good.

Submissions Now Being Accepted For BlueCollarBees.com. Be Part Of The Awesome!

2012-03-12T09:14:00.000-04:00

Johnny Mason, March 12, 2012:

Dig what’s been going at BlueCollarBees.com? I hope so. I’ve been having tons of fun with it! Well, would you like a chance to be included?

If you’re someone interested in the well being of bees and would be interested in writing something for the world to see, but don’t want to maintain a website/blog of your own, this could be a great chance. Have a beekeeping tip or trick that you think would be of value? How about an equipment review? Prose on the current state of honey bee health or the beekeeping industry? Maybe you just want to talk about how the weather has treated your colony this year. Think about it.

If you represent a beekeeping equipment supplier or manufacturer, we’d love to get samples for review or press releases to share.

Being a web developer by day, I happen to know a thing or three about websites, and I’d like to reassure you that the site has already obtained both US and international readership with a steady growth incline. This is nerd code for, “people really like this stuff and they keep coming back.”

I want to make the website a great spot for beekeepers and people interested in honey bees to present information in a fun way. The more contributors, the better the education…the bigger of a spark to continue the craft well into the future.

Will everyone and everything that is submitted be posted on the site? Sorry, nope. In order to actually benefit more people than just the contributor, I need to be a tad picky. I’m sure you understand. If you’re interested in spreading the joy, contact me for details.

Some Honey Bees Have Thrill-Seeking Genetic Predisposition

2012-03-10T10:02:00.001-05:00

Johnny Mason, March 10, 2012:

A new study has discovered that some honey bees have a genetic predisposition to thrill seeking, just as some humans do. Is this proof that each bee also has a distinct personality?

“You look at animals and they look really different and they act really different, but when you drill down deeper and look at the genomics, you find these deep commonalities,” said Gene Robinson, an entomologist, geneticist and neuroscientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “When you see this kind of result, you can say that personality is not a human invention.”

We are certainly capable of seeing individual personality traits in dogs, cats, horses and even birds, so why not honey bees? I mean, they are pretty clever creatures, so to dismiss a personality would be quite an insult.

One of the thrill seeking behaviors that the study has uncovered is that some scout bees come back to the hive to inform their sisters about a great source of nectar, but instead of returning to the same flowers over and over, they head off to discover more sources after dispelling the information. One could argue that this is not actually thrill seeking, but just a scout being a scout. Their job is to find as many resources as possible. Seems like a lot of time would be wasted going back to the same place again and again.

To carry out the study, scientists analyzed and compared the genes of the thrill seekers and found more than 1,000 genetic differences than the bees that just went to the same feeders over and over. They also found that the genes and neuro pathways were similar to those known to influence risk taking behavior in other animals, including humans.

Is gambling purely a human vice? Nope. The feel-good chemicals that are released during these activities have been found in other animals, including the bees in this study (make sure to take your cash with you when you leave the apiary). When the researchers manipulated risk-taking genes to increase or decrease their influence, they were able to predict the probability of which bees would become food seeking scouts. This let the team conclude a direct tie between specific genes and novelty-seeking behavior.

Now, it’s difficult to fathom that a honey bee’s personality is as complex or nuanced as that of a human being, or even a dog, but here is some more information to increase the fascination that many have with these little creatures. Myself included.

How To Make An Essential Oil Mixture To Supplement Your Honey Bee Feed

2012-03-09T10:05:00.000-05:00

Johnny Mason, March 9, 2012:

Before I begin, I know that what and whether or not to even feed your bees can be a big debate for some people. That's not what this post is about. Let's just assume that you do feed your bees and everyone else is cool with it. Ok? Ok.

If you want to give a big boost to your colony when feeding, a great way to do that is to make an essential oil mixture/additive that you can sploosh into your syrups, pollen patties, etc. The oils that are in it will naturally inhibit mold growth and stimulate feeding. Remember, a well-fed hive is a happy hive.

The stuff we're making here is like the commercially available product, Honey-B-Healthy, but being homemade, you can make a ton of the stuff for far cheaper than buying the pre-made liquid. What do you need to kick off this cook-a-thon? Well, I'll tell you!

5 cups of water
2 ½ pounds of sugar (5 ⅝ cups if you don't have a scale lying around)
1/8 teaspoon lecithin granules
15 drops pure spearmint oil
15 drops pure lemongrass oil

A few notes:

Make sure to use cane sugar. Not beet sugar, or even the raw stuff. I know not using organic or unprocessed sugar seems counter intuitive, but the fact that it has not been processed may leave behind spores that can potentially be harmful to your bees. Certain pesticides are also used on sugar beets that are not used on sugar cane. I know we can debate the whole, "Well, you shouldn't give any sugar to the bees" argument all day, but it is what it is.

You can find the lecithin granules at just about any health food or vitamin store. Since you only need 1/8 teaspoon for a batch, maybe you'll want to split a bottle among 1 or 15 of your beekeeping friends.

Essential oils; Get the purest stuff you can find. You do not want fake or mixed with alcohol candy flavoring. Get 100% pure essential oils that you can find at most health food stores.

Ok...let's go! It's pretty simple.

Bring the water to a boil and integrate the sugar until dissolved (not cloudy). Once the sugar is dissolved, turn off the heat and quickly add the lecithin and the essential oils to the mixture. Stir until everything is evenly distributed. (The lecithin granules may take a while to fully dissolve, but they will dissolve. Try smushing them against the side of the pot with your spoon. You can even just shake the container up periodically after bottling.) Once cooled, poor it into an airtight container. Don't leave it sitting around open unless you want more than honey bees invading.

How much to use:

1-2 teaspoons per quart. It takes 4 quarts to make a gallon, so you should use 4-8 teaspoons of this mixture per gallon of sugar syrup made. I think you can do the math beyond this. Keep some of this in your pre-made syrup batches and you'll have it ready to go for feeding and for making goodies such as pollen patties.

I hope this helps the health of your bees and aids your wallet in holding on to a few extra bucks. Enjoy!

How To Turn Crystallized Honey Back Into Liquid

2012-03-07T09:03:00.000-05:00

Johnny Mason, March 6, 2012:

Imagine opening up your cupboard door and pulling out your beloved jar or bottle of honey and finding that the flowing state that it once was, has now been replaced by a stiff, grainy version of its former self. "Oh, crap! It went bad...time to throw it out!" Not so fast, buckaroo!

It hasn't gone bad...it hasn't spoiled...it hasn't been irradiated by martians. Purer forms of honey that have not been overly heated and processed will crystallize sooner than the stuff you find in big grocery stores, but all honey will eventually crystallize. It's just the natural sugars (glucose and fructose) in the honey returning to a more solid state, but rest assured, they can be melted by giving it a bath in some warm water.

Besides processing, there are several other variables that dictate how quickly honey will turn to crystals.

The actual ratio of glucose vs fructose is a big factor.
If the honey is unfiltered, little bits of things such as wax give the crystals a foundation to start building on.
The temperature of where the honey is stored.
The container that the honey is stored in. Plastic is more porous than glass and will allow the exchange of air more readily.

Crystallized honey is still perfectly fine to eat raw, put in your hot tea, bake with, etc.

Check out my video that quickly walks you through the honey de-goopifying process.

Will The Warm Winter Create More Problems For Bees This Spring?

2012-03-07T09:02:00.001-05:00

Johnny Mason, March 7, 2012:

With higher than normal winter temperatures across the country this year, keeping bees may prove to be a challenge this spring. Signaled by the outside warmth, queen bees have begun laying brood earlier than normal, and this has demanded a need for supplemental feeding that many beekeepers may not have expected. While March is infamous for starving hives anyway, if not monitored and maintained properly this could trigger large colony die-offs due solely to lack of sustenance. While it’s fantastic that more bees have probably overwintered better this year, so have pests that may have otherwise perished.

Various beetles and other hungry critters have begun feeding on plants and infesting areas that the weather has not impacted like normal. Will this mean a larger, more robust influx of honey bee invaders such as phorid fly and varroa destructor? Beyond the immediate threat of parasites, the bugs and weeds that will be popping up sooner than later will also get people spraying all of those nasty pesticides and herbicides that much earlier.

Of course, this is just speculation. What do you expect this spring and summer to be like? How have your hives done over the winter? Let me know in the comments.

Can Honey Cure MRSA?

2012-03-06T09:07:00.001-05:00

Johnny Mason, March 6, 2012:

Honey has been used for thousands of years to treat various types of infection, but research for treatment against MRSA, superbugs and antibiotic resistance is really ramping up in Wales. Since last summer, scientists there have been collecting honey samples sent in to the lab at Carriff University’s school of pharmacy and pharmaceutical services from all over the UK.

The idea is not necessarily to use the honey itself to treat these issues, but they have been analyzing the samples to see which plants may contain useful compounds that they can isolate and turn into new drugs.

It has already been known that a specific type of honey, manuka honey, has proven extremely effective against hard to treat infections that are resistant to antibiotics. Manuka honey (derived from manuka trees/tea trees) works by breaking down the defenses that bacteria use to shield them against powerful antibiotics, making it useful against such aggressive infections as MRSA. Additional lab tests have also shown it to be a great killer of bacteria in festering wounds and on hard surfaces, and may also actually be able to reverse a person’s resistance to antibiotics.

There you go. More reasons to protect and nurture our honey bees, as if you really needed another reason.

Why The Heck Would You Become An Urban/Backyard Beekeeper?

2012-03-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

Johnny Mason, March 5, 2012:

Where I live in Flint, Michigan, when you mention that you’re a beekeeper or interested in honey bees, you either get, “Wow, that’s really cool!” or “Bees creep me out. You’re nuts.” or something along those lines. See, Flint is historically an auto manufacturing town and anything resembling agriculture in the city is few and far between. Although, there has been a recent uptick in green initiatives in Flint such as urban farming that has been amazing to see!

Anyway, why would someone become an urban/backyard beekeeper? Well, I think there are tons of reasons, but here’s a few (in no particular order) off the top of my head…

1. The big picture. This is a big part of why beekeeping appeals to me. The interconnection of it all is awe inspiring. Not just how the bees relate to each other, but the impact tiny little creatures actually have on our environment, the foods we eat and the industries we benefit from. Talk about something bigger than yourself! Pretty amazing stuff.

2. It can be relaxing. When you are managing a hive, you need to be slow and purposeful so that you don’t upset the bees (or squish them) and possibly get stung. This can do wonders for your blood pressure and help you unwind from the stresses of day-to-day life. I guess you could think of it as Tai Chi with bees. Tai Bee?

3. Help your garden! If you take a lot of pride in all of the flowers and trees that you’ve planted on your property, I’m sure that you’d like to see them thrive even more. Bees are amazing pollinators, and that will only make your plants more successful. Since the bees fly for miles away from their hive in search of nectar, you’re also helping the plants in your neighborhood.

4. Want to make a few extra bucks? Sell the surplus honey, wax, propolis, and pollen that the bees provide. Make candles, lip balm, hand creams, etc from the wax. This stuff is all good for you, and much healthier than most commercial alternatives. People also take pride in keeping their money local. Heck, keeping bees a monetary investment…why not make some of it back?

5. You like a challenge. There is a lot to think about, and tons of problem solving in beekeeping. What kind of hive do you want? Langstroth, top bar, Warre, something else? What breed of bees? Why? What are their pros and cons? How do I handle ventilation? What about overwintering? What kind of feeder is best? Do I even want to feed? Pests…what about pests? How do I handle those? What can I do to make my hive more productive than last year? Keep nucs or not? How do I handle swarming? Do I actually even want to try to prevent it? Blah, blah, blah…etc, etc, etc… See? There are all kinds of things for you to analyze.

6. You’re helping to repopulate the bees. It’s no secret that bees are disappearing in large numbers. By keeping a bee hive, you can do your part to help them out.

7. Appreciation for an ancient craft. Beekeeping in various forms and methods has been around for thousands of years. Many ancient skills such as glassblowing and even farming itself has seen a huge decline. Maybe your mother or grandfather was a beekeeper. Why not help to sustain a proud and important tradition?

8. The sense of wonder. The more you watch the bees, the more you read and learn about them, the more you want to know. Trust me. They are amazing.

Well, that’s just a sampling of the many reasons rolling around in my brain. I’m sure you have some of your own to share. Let me know in the comments!

Is The Phorid Fly Responsible For Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)?

2012-03-04T09:03:00.002-05:00

Johnny Mason, March 4, 2012:

With all of the speculation over the root of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), recently a new wrench has been thrown into the machine. You may have heard about the parasite that can turn “bees into zombies”. Well, it’s not quite like that, but the phorid fly (Apocephalus borealis) definitely makes the bees do things that are very creepily uncharacteristic.

The flies embed themselves in the abdomen of a bee. When the eggs hatch (inside the bee), the bee is then compelled to fly out of the hive at nighttime and is attracted to lights. A few hours later, it dies. Five to seven days after death, phorid larvae can be seen exiting the corpse. The phorid fly does not just go after honey bees, counting yellowjackets, black widow spiders and even bumble bees as hosts. Actually, it was discovered in bumble bees first.

Could this explain the, “they were here, and then they just weren’t” that beekeepers all over the world have stammered? Who knows, but it does seem like a compelling argument. I have heard of beekeepers saying that their colonies have disappeared during the daytime also, so if this was motivated by phorid flies, I don’t know.

Last year, approximately 26 percent of beekeepers reported to the Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA) and the US Department of Agriculture that at least some of their colonies had mysteriously died of CCD.

What are your thoughts on the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder and specifically the phorid fly? Will this change your hive management in any way?