General Meeting (February 2022)

The Capital Regional Beekeepers Association (CRBA) meets on the second Thursday of every month.

This meeting usually starts with a beginners/intermediate beekeeper corner 30 minutes before the regular club proceedings start around 7pm.

Agenda

7:00 PM Welcome – Bill F

               Integrated Pest Management – Paul vW

8:00PM Questions and Updates

8:30PM Meeting end

After 8:30PM     More Olympics

Minutes

• Bill Fosdick started the meeting at 7:04pm
• Bill welcomes everyone
• Paul van Westendorp presentation on IPM
  • Abbotsford lab is currently unavailable.
  • People have different opinions on what IPM is.
  • Pest control products do not disappear immediately after use.
    • Tendency to ignore side effects.
    • May remain as a residue.
  • May kill the good with the bad.
  • ‘Superbugs’ may evolve from overuse of antibiotics.
  • IPM = Only apply treatment when there is evidence of a problem.
  • Principles:
    • Tolerance levels
    • Preventative
    • Mechanical
    • Monitoring
    • Chemical
    • Biological
  • Some treatments can be simple
    • Hospital yards, screened bottom boards, etc.
    • Monitor for the entire season.
    • Keep good records.
  • Use consistent technique for monitoring.
    • Eg., Alcohol wash or sugar shake
  • Don’t use un-approved methods or you could contaminate your honey.
  • Another important aspect is monitoring your results.
  • Questions:
    • Advice about different mite treatments?
      • Mites can evolve resistance to treatments, so mixing treatments may be wise.
    • What services do the province offer?
      • Inspector – Tara Galpin
      • Abbotsford lab analyzes samples
        • You can mail samples
        • Mark the frame you took the sample from
      • As of 2018, Veterinarian prescriptions are required for antibiotics
    • Do we care what the viruses are that varroa vectors?
      • It has been found that these viruses (such as DWV) are naturally present. When bees are under stress, virus becomes more virulent.
    • Registration
      • Legislated requirement to register your hives.
      • The only reason for it is to assist beekeepers to control diseases and pests.
      • The registration is not used for any other purpose.
      • 2 year renewal cycle.
    • Any sense of how long it takes virus levels to drop after mite levels are under control?
      • Highly dynamic relationship between the 3 organisms.
      • If you maintain lower mite levels during the summer season, you will have lower virus levels during the fall/winter.
      • Reinfestation – mites can come in from neighbouring hives.
    • Do viruses spread bee to bee or just mite to bee?
      • Answer is not certain.
      • Is there a significant wild bee population in BC?
      • Essentially after 1990 the feral populations of honey bees in BC disappeared.
    • Where do we find your address?
      • Animal health Centre is currently closed due to floods.
      • Samples cannot currently be accepted.
      • They will let everyone know when they can accept samples again.
      • Need whole bees for Nosema testing
        • Collect 50-100 bees – put in paper bag and freeze for a couple days. Prevents molds from growing during transport.
        • Put in paper towel and padded envelope.
      • For brood cells… put toothpick in saran wrap, then pull out leaving “slimy stuff” behind.
    • Currently waiting for the offices and lab to be reopened. Mainly basement was damaged.
    • About 2,000 colonies have been lost in Fraser valley and Similkameen.
• Sterigenics (Carolyn)
  • Treatment in the Iotron is the best way to destroy the spores that cause AFB.
  • Urban beekeeping means that many different beekeeper’s hives are close to together and can contaminate each other.
  • Traditionally the club has taken a truck over to the mainland with club member’s equipment to be treated (there and back in one day.)
  • Sterigenics is not allowing the one day option anymore. Want us to drop off equipment for at least a week.
  • Fees went up last year due to higher dose levels.
    • $7.50 per box
    • This year could be $11.50 per box
  • It is a stretch on our volunteers.
  • Burning or taking equipment to the dump are the only other options for contaminated equipment.
  • Thinking we may be able to do a bulk buy on jars to fill the returning truck.
  • Delivery truck options are difficult due to loading time.
  • May be able to “tag team” with other clubs or larger scale beekeepers.
  • Other ideas?
  • Iotron facilities are available in other areas, but not universal. Burning and burying are often the only options.
  • Pricing on jars. Want to be competitive with other options. One option is $11/dozen for 375ml (0.5kg) jars.
  • Sterigenics minimum price $2,250.
  • Some research is ongoing with Ozone.
  • Commercial beekeepers are tending toward aggressive culling.
• Swarms
  • Looking for a swarm line coordinator.
• Meeting concluded at 8:42pm