This past Summer our crew here at the magazine put on a meeting. Well, our crew and a whole bunch of other good people who helped out. It was the annual Eastern Apiculture Conference, known mostly as EAS, and it was held the first week of August at the Holiday Valley Resort and Conference Center, in Ellicottville, NY. About 450 beekeepers, speakers, vendors and volunteers showed up for one of the two Short Course sections we had, the Conference, the pig roast, the BBQ, or the banquet. If you’ve read this magazine even once in awhile during the past year, you saw the promotions and advertisements for this week. It turned out far better than expected, for which all of us are grateful. But it wasn’t an accident that it turned out that way, and I’d like to point out some of the good people who made sure it happened that way.

Bob Brachman got all this started a couple of years ago when he invited me to speak to his local beekeeping group. He set up a meeting with the Holiday Valley people and the rest is history. But Bob didn’t quit there. We used his bees during the conference in our beeyard – 20 of his colonies were used and abused for a whole week – and we visited his breeding yard during the week to see how his part of the Russian Breeder’s program worked, and Barbara, Bob’s better half, designed our logo that we used for two years. Bob, and Barbara, thank you for all that you did, and all that happened because you raised your hand and said, sure, we can do that.

Andy, Glenn, Wes, and Crystal Card and Kitty Kiefer and all the crew at Merrimack Valley Apiaries opened their doors, their beeyards, their whole operation for us to explore and experience several times during the week. They also had a crew from the Baton Rouge Bee Lab visiting and taking samples because they are investigating a variety of factors associated with ongoing breeding and honey bee health programs, so we got to listen and learn from them also.

We held a pig roast for 350 people in their parking lot and listened to information on honey production and marketing in their honey house. Andy, Glenn, and Crystal Card and Kitty Keifer all gave talks on aspects of this large commercial operation, while Wes was holding down the fort in their southern location. The entire operation turned out to make our meeting a success and we are indebted to all of them. Thanks guys.

Bob’s local group, the Western NY Honey Producers turned out in force and many helped set up or run the meeting. Steve Mead and his wife Cindy are good examples...helping out wherever and when ever...and there were many more. Thank you all.

There were more of course...speakers, short course instructors, workshop leaders, beeyard masters, Master Beekeepers...when you run a volunteer organization, you have a lot of volunteers. And you need a lot of volunteers. And it all came together this year. With lots and lots of good people.

I hope you get to attend an EAS meeting some time. It’s an experience like no other you will ever have in your beekeeping life. Better yet, I hope you get to volunteer at an EAS meeting at some point. It’s the best time you’ll ever have. I guarantee it.

The next meeting is in Boone, NC next August. Watch for details. Be there.

I also went to the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) meeting in D.C. recently. My first with this almost-ten year old group. The two day meeting covered lots of ground…everything from a bomb scare at the caterer’s to ice cream bars from Hagan Daz. But I want to mention just a few things that rose to the top of the pile.

First, highlights from the opening speech, given by The Honorable David Anderson, the former Canadian Minister of the Environment. One aspect of his talk was the question of where was the 70% increase in demand for food going to come from by 2050, with the global increase in urbanization and population, and the decrease in farmland coupled with the continuing effects of global climate change.

Further, what role do native pollinators play in that food production? Hardly anything is known of these insects, birds and bats, and how can you measure change when you don’t have a baseline to start with. Pollinators are not a glamorous subject, and trade measures to protect pollinators will be restrictive on international trade. See food, above. The upcoming Copenhagen Conference will address these issues…again…to see if anything can be resolved.

There was a report given by Dr. Jamie Ellis, University of Florida, who gave a report on a research project he has been conducting, funded by NAPPC. It has to do with how honey bee larvae react to pesticides commonly found in beehives, including chlorothalonil, mycobutanil, simazine, glyphosate, chlorpyrifos, coumaphos, fluvalinate, imidacloprid and amitraz. Bees showed an erratic response to coumaphos and fluvalinate, so perhaps there’s some resistance going on with those it is thought. Chemicals in pollen and wax were looked at, and combinations of any and all of these are being studied. Many were found to be toxic to the test larvae being raised in the lab when exposed to levels that are commonly found in beehives. 350 beehive pollen samples from hives in Florida found 98 pesticides, with an average of 6.7/sample. Of 259 wax samples taken, 120 pesticides were identified with an average of 8/sample. Most common, not surprisingly, were fluvalinate, coumophos, chlorothalonil (a fungicide), and chlorpyrifos (an ag pesticide). Our bees live, it seems, in a cesspool of chemicals…many of which we are responsible for. But then we knew that, didn’t we.

December. Holidays. Winter. Maybe there’s a new smoker or a hive tool in your stocking this year. In any event, keep your veil tight, that new smoker lit, and your hive tool sharp, in that order. And all of us here at Bee Culture sincerely wish you and yours a wonderful Holiday Season!