What’s the Buzz? Honey bees!

1. What’s the Buzz? Honey bees!

2. Why Pollinators Matter • 75% - 95% of flowering plants need help with pollination • 180,000 different plants and 1200 crops depend on pollinators • 1 of every 3 bites of food is due to pollinators • Honey bees are responsible for 1.2 – 5.4B in agricultural productivity in the US • They visit flowers to drink nectar or feed off of pollen • They transport pollen grains as they move from spot to spot

3. Types of Pollinators • Birds (hummingbirds) • Bats • Butterflies • Flies • Moths • Beetles • Wasps • Bees • Howard County has 700 different types of pollinators • Maryland is home to 400 different species of bees • 95% of bees live solitary lives, 5% live as a colony

4. Honey Bee – Native Pollinator? A honey bee from the Miocene of Nevada – about 14 million years old. Honey bees were re-introduced in Virginia in 1622

5. Native Bees

6. Honey Bee Castes Drone – Male Queen – Queen! Worker – Female

7. The honey bee is the only pollinator to overwinter with brood and food

8. Natural or Feral honey bee colonies

9. Honey Bee Swarms

10. Beekeeping

12. What is happening to Pollinators? • Loss in Habitat and Forage • Pollution • Changes in climate patterns • Misuse of chemicals • Disease

13. Loss of Habitat and Forage • 50% of landmass uninhabitable for bees due to increased dependency on livestock and agriculture • Agriculture monoculture (one crop) – corn, soybeans, wheat • Poor nutrition • Limited nectar/pollen • Heavy industrial, railways, artificial water sources, land dedicated to service (golf, sport, playgrounds) limit native bee habitat

14. Air Pollution/Climate Change • Change in seasonal behavior due to global warming sends mixed signals to pollinators (emerging when no food available) • Pollution affects the ability for bees to “smell” nectar/food sources • Pollinators may have to fly farther to find nectar/food sources shortening their life span • Artificial lights

15. Pesticides • Organophosphates (Chlorpyrifos, Coumaphos, Diazinon…-Brand Name Spectracide) • Neonicotinoids (Merit) • Glyphosphates • Pyrethoid (Black Flag Mosquito Fog, Synthirin, Raid Flying Insect Killer) • Carbamate (Sevin) • Synthetic herbicide (Weed B Gon – contains dicamba)

16. Disease/Pests • Small African Hive Beetle • Varroa Mite • American Foulbrood/European Foulbrood (bacterial) • Chalkbrood (fungus) • Deformed Wing Virus • Parasitic Mite Syndrome • Nosema • Tropilaelaps • Tracheal Mites • Ants • Mice

17. Products of the Hive • Pollen • Beeswax • Honey • Propolis • Royal Jelly • Bee Venom

18. Flying Dust Mop

19. Pollen • Collected from worker bees as they return to the hive • Some people consume pollen • Can be fed back to the bees when there is no pollen available.

20. Beeswax • The most valuable product of the hive. It takes 8 pounds of Honey to make 1 pound of Beeswax • Has been used for centuries for casting metal with the “lost wax” process • Used to make candles of all types • Made into Beeswax foundation • It is used in cosmetics

21. Beeswax Harvested when cappings removed for extracted honey Also obtained from ‘extra’ wax and wax scrapings

22. Where Beeswax comes from

23. Hand Dipped Candles Molded Candles

24. Propolis • Foragers collect plant resins or sap • Bees utilize as anti-microbe or sealant • Beekeepers scrape from frames or hive parts • Minimally process – usually dissolved in solvent

25. Worker Carrying Propolis

26. Royal Jelly • Raise queen cells • Harvest RJ at capping stage • Minimally process or consume direct (often as minor ingredient diluted in liquid such as honey) Capped queen cell Queen larva Royal jelly

27. Bee Venom Has been reported to help sufferers of • Arthritis • Multiple Sclerosis • Carpel Tunnel Syndrome

28. Honey

29. Taking up Nectar

30. Creamed, Cut Comb and Liquid Honey

31. Basswood Section Comb Ross Round Cut Comb Comb Cutter Chunk Honey Creamed Honey

32. Honey Bee Nectar Sources • Trees • Shrubs • Flowers • Herbs

33. Honey Bee Nectar Sources - Trees • Tulip Poplar • Black (Honey) Locust • Fruit Trees • Apricot, Peach, Sweet Cherry, Pear, Apple • Willow • Linden • Basswood • Maple

34. Honey Bee Nectar Sources - Shrubs • American Barberry • Holly • Pussy Willow • Viburnum • Redbud • Fruit Shrubs • Raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, elderberry, chokecherry

35. Honey Bee Nectar Sources - Flowers • Common Milkweed • Lavender • Monarda • Calendula • Verbena • Hellebore • Crocus • Sunflower • Catmint • Mountain Mint • Joe Pye Weed • White Clover • Dandelions • Sedum • Aster • Single Dahlia

36. Honey Bee Nectar Sources - Herbs • Anise Hyssop • Bee Balm • Borage • Chives • Mint • Dill • Thyme

37. Help the Honey Bee • Conservation/Restoration • Plant for the honey bee • Native plants, meadows, dandelions, clover • Leave grass and garden plants uncut after summer to provide habitat for overwintering native bees • Offer nesting areas • Decrease/Stop using Pesticides • Look at alternatives • Change when/where spray

38. Help the Honeybees • Provide a water source • Encourage beneficial bugs • Support local Beekeepers • Out yards • Legislation/HOA • Support local organic farmers

39. Thank You! Questions?