Deadly Fly Parasite spotted for first time in Honey Bees!

The Parasitic Phorid Fly (Apocephalus borealis) was spotted in San Francisco....read the story published on PLoS one website HERE.

View the 'Dan Rather' video - "Bee Aware"

HERE!

 French Beekeepers hold mass demonstrations in the street to say:

NO! to Syngenta's neonicotinoid insecticide 'Cruiser'.

Read the story HERE.

EPA Hides Data on Pesticide Link to Bee Die-Off

2011 NASS Honey report

Read the latest report of the 2011 honey production statistics from the

National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) here.

Bees in Crisis -- A Comprehensive Situation Report

(November 29th, 2010) Over the last decade, beekeepers, scientists, environmentalists and politicians have been lamenting the alarming unexplained decline in honey bee populations in Europe and North America. Jeremy Garwood reports on the scientific battle to save the bees ... if only we could finally agree on what's actually killing them!(Read the report HERE)

Beekeeping Merit Badge is NOT

reinstated says BSA!

As you may be aware, Christopher Stowell, a Boy Scout and 14 year old beekeeper from Oklahoma, recently led a campaign to reinstate the Beekeeping Merit Badge.
BSA recently announced its response to Christopher's request, and the news is mostly good. While BSA is not agreeing to reinstate the Beekeeping Merit Badge, it is agreeing to incorporate beekeeping activities into several different existing merit badges.
Emphasis of the importance of bees and beekeeping will be added to or enhanced in eight existing merit badge pamphlets: Bird Study, Forestry, Gardening, Nature, Plant Science, Pulp and Paper, Environmental Science, and Insect Study. All of this will be accomplished by the end of 2015. One of those badges, Environmental Science, is needed for a scout to attain Eagle rank. Although the BSA is not reinstating a merit badge specific to beekeeping, it is making changes that provide opportunities to expose over 100,000 boys a year to the joys of beekeeping.
Beekeeping projects, such as working with a colony or harvesting honey, will be considered for addition to one or more of those merit badges so that interested scouts can earn advancement recognition for their beekeeping activities. The BSA believes this will increase the awareness of honeybees and their critical impact on our environment, and training America's young people about caring for this important natural resource.

Need an extractor?

   Is this your first year harvesting a honey crop? If you are a member of L.V.B.A. you can rent the club extractor for a nominal fee and extract your honey harvest without the expense of buying one. To reserve a time slot contact our Vice President,

Bob Milot at: 610-285-6217

First Beehives from Biblical Israel discovered!

Archaeologists find remains of Honey Bees from 3,000 years ago!

Read the complete story here

National Honey Board

The National Honey Board has much to offer beekeepers. Do you market your own Honey by selling at farmers markets or craft shows where you actually meet the customers face to face? If this is the case you can purchase some great marketing items from the NHB. You can download their catalog HERE

Observation Bee Hive

The Lehigh Valley Beekeepers Assoc. maintains an observation bee hive at the Wildlands Conservancy, 3701 Orchid Place, Emmaus, PA.

In the photo at right, L.V.B.A. 2010 V. Pres., Bob Milot, explains the inner workings of the ob-hive.

The photo at right was taken at the Wildlands Conservancy during our Honey Bee Awareness day.

Are you thinking of selling your Honey?

See our REGISTRATIONSpage.

New Demons Found.

The CCD Trail Gets Much Warmer.

  In 2007 a team* was formed to search for the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder. Using mass spectrometry-based proteomics, a technique modified by the military for screening samples for pathogens, they found a fungus and an unusual virus associated with samples from colonies with CCD symptoms.

  An insect iridescent virus (IIV) in bees from CCD colonies is new to the U.S. It shows similarities to an IIV first reported in India 20 years ago, as well as to an IIV found in moths. The method of its introduction to bees in North America remains a mystery but it probably arrived in infected bees, or it crossed over to bees from another insect.

  The entire paper is published in the online Journal Plos One. Find it at:

http://www.plosone.org/home.action

Is Honey Kosher?

 Click here to read the complete story. 

 Honey Labeling Regulations, Info & Tips

   Are you thinking of selling your honey? Do you have a label? Does it have all of the information that is requred? You can find the information you need to know about labeling Honey HERE

60 Minutes

Why are the Honey Bees Disappearing?

This 60 Minutes production is a few years old but not too old to watch again. To view Part 1 of the 60 minutes video on YouTube click HERE continue to view Part 2 HERE