Friday, February 5, 2016



News you can Use.....5 things Bennington Beekeepers should know about

Hello Beekeepers!  Below are some news items happening at home and abroad.

A.       ALDIS, Home Depot and Lowes are working to eliminate neonicitinoid pesticides from their products.     



B.       Europe is banning neonics  more comprehensively

C.      VT has a new honey bee inspector.
On the agenda at the annual Vermont Beekeepers Association meeting this week was an item about the lack of an apiary inspector since the recent retirement of the former state inspector Steve Parise.
Association president Michael Willard says before any discussion could take place, Agriculture Secretary Chuck Ross told his group that current agency employee David Tremblay will take on the job.
Tremblay works in the pesticide enforcement program at the agency and Willard feels that background will be helpful in light of concerns over the impact of pesticides on bees, particularly a class of insecticides called neonicotinoids.
As with the previous inspector, the job is not full-time and Willard says his members will be watching to see if the new inspector has time to fulfill his responsibilities.
“We were just given the information that they’re going to do the best that they can and it’s going to be an ongoing process in understanding how much time commitment the new inspector will have. We’re hoping it will be equal to what we had before,” says Willard.
Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Diane Bothfeld says the apiary inspector will focus on areas deemed important by beekeepers.
In addition to monitoring diseased hives, “they wanted us to concentrate on bees in and out of state, they wanted us to concentrate on the sale of nuclei [start-up hives],” she said.
Bothfeld says the agency is using a fee collected from beekeepers to hire a seasonal inspector during the summer months, largely to help hobbyists.

D.         HopGuard II Approved For Use in Vermont

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture has received approval from the EPA for the sale and use of HopGuard II in Vermont. 

HopGuard II offers a relatively benign method of varroa control that can be used throughout the beekeeping season,
following the manufacturers recommendations and directions.
HopGuard II is being sold in the USA by Mann Lake.


E.          Southern VT Beekeepers next meeting March 15

7pm at the Manchester Community Library (138 Cemetery Street, Manchester, Vermont). 
Tuesday, March 15. Bee Friendly Plants

F. Biodynamic Beekeeper Gunther Hauk scheduled to speak
Gunther Hauk is a nationally known biodynamic beekeeper and keeps Spikenard Honeybee Sanctuary in Floyd VA. The Lamoille County Beekeepers Club is bringing him to VT to do a full day beekeeping seminar on Sat March 12th from 9-4:30. Cost is $50.00. Please email Michelle Rauch at mprauch179@gmail.com to register. He will also give a free lecture the night before.  This takes place in Stowe Vt.

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