Welcome new bee school members! It looks as though we have 24 families attending the class this year. It is a pleasure that we can instruct beekeeping to new members and we look forward to getting you hooked on honey for many years to come. We encourage you to attend all the classes because we cover a great deal of ground and it’s difficult to back peddle in the next session.

See you all in February. Geoffrey

1. In a 1-quart or larger microwave dish, mix thoroughly 1 & ½ cups granulated sugar and ½ cup light corn syrup.
2. Microwave on high, stirring every few minutes until the mixture is clear and bubbles become thumbnail -sized (about 10 minutes). STOP immediately if the mixture begins to brown. A wooden spoon is very effective for stirring, as it can be left in the dish while heating.
3. our into a shallow mold made of cardboard or a container lined with paper to cool. The candy will become brittle and can be slipped on top of frames where the bees can consume it.

1. Heat 1 pint of water to boiling in a large pot on stove.
2. Stir in as much sugar as can be dissolved. This will be about 5 pounds.
3. Boil, uncovered, stirring almost constantly until the temperature reaches 234 degrees. It takes awhile.
4. Pour into shallow molds of cardboard or containers lined with waxed paper or butcher paper. The candy will harden as it cools.

We were perusing the bookshelf recently to “bone-up” on pollination for a garden club presentation and came across a copy of “Sex in your Garden” by Angela Overy. What an informative book! Seriously! The pictures are simply gorgeous, but the text rally puts into perspective the relationship between insects and the flower blossom. Can that beautiful sunflower be considered promiscuous as it advertises its availability for pollination? Take a peek!

Speaking of books, “Following the Bloom”, by Douglas Whynott has been updated (available next month) and now features coverage in Andy Card’s Merrimack Valley Apiaries, located in Billerica.

And, finally, as a new season unfolds, we would like to pass on a challenge. At the EAS 2003 conference at Bowdoin College, Dr Marla Spivak, of the University of Minnesota Entomology Department, suggested the following new set of rules: (repeated here courtesy of Bee Culture, Jan 04)

1. Stop right now any preventative feeding of antibiotics.
2. Cull combs to remove AFB spores and pesticide/antibiotic residues.
3. Leave mites in colonies; do not try to eliminate them all; in some cases bees can sustain 10% to 15% infestation with little harm.
4. Pesticides “pamper” bees; let them use their own innate defense mechanisms. Use selective breeding to give bees tools to work with and then leave them on their own. This includes incorporating hygienic behavior, SMR and characteristics of other stocks (Russians).
5. Use IPM now! This means thinking before acting; apply pesticides only as a last resort. Use soft chemicals when possible. Again, leave mites in the colony so bees have a long-term fighting chance on their own.

• Bee Culture - 1yr - $17.00, 2 yr - $32.00
• American Bee Journal - 1 yr - $17.20, 2 yr - $32.75, 3 yr - $46.05