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09 Nov/Dec Vice President’s Report

Thursday, 14 January 2010 12:43 |

by Edward Priest

We are entering what seems to be a wet fall for south Texas, with the weather forecasters predicting a cold, wet, winter. The 2009 Texas Beekeepers Association Convention has come and past. The time in Tyler, Texas was busy, but relaxing. Seeing many friends and acquaintances again was a shot in the arm that boosted new energy for me.
The program this year was great, with lots of new information on pest management. The Rasberry Crazy Ant, our newest pest to deal with, was the topic of many discussions and a panel for questions and answers. Then we have the Small Hive Beetle that has created many new and interesting ideas and products to combat this pest. There is talk about a new lure/bait that is in the works to be used for this pest.
The Honey, Wax, Gift Basket and Photo contest seemed to explode this year with a record number of entries, especially in the photo category. Many contest winners had ribbons to take home and show their family, friends and potential customers. I feel that a ribbon for Prize Winning Honey increases the value and importance of the product.
Over one hundred people attended the banquet this year. Wow, what a good time with beekeepers and friends. The night concluded with an auction that raised money for our 2010 Honey Queen, Allison Adams, to travel around the state representing honey and beekeepers in a positive way.
Make plans now to attend the 2010 Texas Beekeepers Convention in Kerrville, Texas. Located in central Texas, which is convenient for all.
The Winter Delegates Meeting will meet at the new Texas A & M Research Facility in College Station. This will be an open house for the public to see this new facility. We hope to see you there.
Ed Priest

Vice President's Report

Friday, 06 February 2009 21:06 |

WE are in a serious drought here in south Texas. Many "experienced" beekeepers are warning of little to no nectar flows if we do not receive rain soon and in abundance. I talked with a rancher who told me he did not think we could buy an inch of rain if we knew who to pay. That's dry! California is reporting the possibility of a third dry year. They are telling the almond industry that a water shortage in prime almond growing country is here. Many almond producers have cancelled pollination contracts because of the water shortage. This will likely affect us here in south Texas. Many beekeepers here and those planning to migrate here for the spring nectar flows are busy. Many plans were made last year and bees and equipment need to be prepared. While we do not know the future, only God does, we still need to carry on and pray for rain.

Many of you have heard the talk going around about chemicals. Some say chemicals are good and necessary, others say the chemical manufactures and their products are evil. I received an email from a beekeeper with a good chemical background. He has had some good conversation with me about chemicals. I pasted the good content of the email here for you to read and respond to the EPA.

“If you think that imidacloprid has or, may be causing a problem, here is a heads up. EPA is accepting public comments. Spread the word far and wide and let’s let EPA find out that beekeepers aren't always sleeping...

Greetings,

This email is to inform you that the comment period for the registration review of imidacloprid has recently opened. Below you will find a link to the imidacloprid docket. Through this link, you can view the Agency's preliminary work plan and supporting documents for imidacloprid. You are also invited to submit comments regarding these documents and the Agency's plan to review imidacloprid. All comments must be received on or before March 17, 09.

http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0844

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Regards,

Rusty Wasem

Chemical Review Manager

Reregistration Branch I

Special Review & Reregistration Division

703/305-6979”

Don’t Forget!

To be at the Salt Lick BBQ Restaurant in Round Rock, TX Saturday, February 21st at 11am for the TBA Winter Delegate’s Meeting. For all of the details, see page 4 of the 08 Nov/Dec Issue of the TBA Journal.

From the Desk of the Vice President, September/October 2008

Saturday, 18 October 2008 17:41 |

Dear Friends,

I have just returned from College Station for a visit with our friends at TAMU. I will report that progress is being made. It is a slow process, but I have to say that it is moving forward. They have an architect that has been working with Dr.Pankiw and is making sure that what we are designing, will meet her needs. Hurricane Ike has just come ashore and has done extensive damage to the A&M campuses at Galveston and Beaumont. So the architect has been called away to work on those other projects. When he returns, he will be able to finish up the work on the Honey Bee Research Lab. I will stay on top of Dr. Heinz and Chad Wootton to make sure we don’t fall through the crack. As for the ground breaking on the project that Chad had mentioned at last year’s convention, I don’t see that happening this year. I hesitate to even give you a date, but I will go out on a limb and offer the first quarter of 2009. I hope we can keep that, but you know how things progress at TAMU.

As I mentioned in my last article, we have raised in excess of $500,000. As you remember, they last asked us to raise $550,000, so we have done our part. The only problem is I am sure the Lab will end up costing somewhat more than this. They are supposed to have a better understanding of cost estimates when the architect gets through with the plans. I will keep you updated in future articles.

Thank You,
Todd Youngblood
Capital Campaign Committee Chair

From the Desk of the Vice President, July 2008

Tuesday, 01 July 2008 00:00 |

Dear Friends,

As I sit down to write this article, the weather has turned hot and dry—typical South Texas summer–time weather. Although we have experienced below average rainfall for 2008, we were still able to make a nice honey crop on the hives that survived the CCD phenomenon. We have been hit pretty hard with this problem that has been affecting a large portion of the beekeeping community. I have been visiting with a lot of beekeepers and the ones who are using supplemental pollen patties seem to be fairing much better than those who are not using anything. We have also switched from using corn syrup to using sugar syrup.

Over the last couple of months, I have also been working on the TBA convention program. We will be hearing a lot about nutrition for honey bees. I have also been in contact with Nancy Gentry, the lady in Florida that has been instrumental in getting the Florida Department of Agriculture to set a standard of identity for honey in Florida. It is their belief that if they can get enough states to set a standard that the FDA will ultimately be forced to accept one. She has agreed to come visit with the membership here in Texas at our November convention, if we can put all the pieces together. We will need to have someone stand up and take the ball after she has filled us in on all the details. So I hope to have a good line–up for the convention. Be sure to make plans to attend.

Another project we have been involved in over the last month or so has been the idea of moving the USDA Honey Bee Lab at Weslaco to College Station. I know what you are thinking, but I was told that the only thing that TAMU and the USDA Lab would have in common is that they would be located in the same city. I have visited with Frank Eischen about the idea and will be in touch with the other players in the coming days. We will probably have made a decision by the time you read this article, so we will fill you in at the convention or in the next TBA Journal.

As for the TAMU Lab, we continue to progress slowly. As Chad Wootton mentioned in the last Journal, we have picked up an additional $100,000 recently. This should put us in the 500,000– 600,000 dollar range. I have visited with Chad and he is working with a new architect and said he would be back in touch with me. I am planning to be in College Station in late July to help spur them along. It has been a challenge to say the least, but I continue to be cautiously optimistic of getting something going before year’s end. As I mentioned, we are close to the dollar range that they originally set for us, but I am also aware that inflation has to be figured into the equation. With that said, we continue to look for additional contributions. Keep this important project in mind when you are in a philanthropic mood.

Thank you,
Todd Youngblood

From the Desk of the Vice President, March 2008

Saturday, 01 March 2008 00:00 |

As I travel around South Texas looking at my beehives that have survived the winter, I am getting more optimistic about the prospects for a decent Brush honey crop. Although we are extremely dry (even drier than last year), the Guajillo is looking better everyday. As many of you know, the Guajillo starts blooming the first week of April and will usually bloom for about three weeks. In this three week period, strong colonies can produce up to 70 pounds of the finest honey produced in the country. With the limited amount of rain we have received, there are not any wild flowers for the bees to work while the Guajillo is blooming, so we should have a very high quality honey when the bees are finished.

In early February, the Texas Beekeepers Association Board of Directors learned that there is an effort by the Bush Administration to close the USDA Honey Bee Lab in Weslaco. During our board meeting at the Winter Delegates Meeting in Dripping Springs, we all agreed as a Board, to work on trying to keep that from happening. With the many challenges facing our industry, it would be a tragedy to lose such a facility. Although they are proposing to relocate all the work that is now taking place in Weslaco to another lab, we would never be in the same position that we are today. If you have an opportunity to talk to someone in a government position who can help us with this issue, be sure to encourage them to support the USDA Weslaco Lab.

We have had some major changes with our director at the TAMU Foundation. Mr. Chad Wootton has been promoted to a Vice President position of development for Texas A&M University. He will continue to serve as our contact for fund raising and will still be a major player in our effort to bring our campaign to a close. I remain as optimistic as ever about the Lab at College Station. We are not that far away from seeing this Lab become a reality. Please continue to keep this fund raising effort in mind. We still need your support.

Thanks,
Todd Youngblood
Vice President TBA Chair
TAMU Honey Bee Lab Capital Campaign