Farmers’ Market: Dark clouds
In the past several years, bees have been in the news as beekeepers all over the world report discouraging goings-on…parasitic mites, pesticide interactions, and most recently, a strange decimating disease syndrome identified as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) that is named, but poorly understood.
The disease or syndrome results in a loss of about 30 percent of domestic bees in any given year. It is not just the honey-sweetened tea drinkers or the lovers of peanut butter and honey sandwiches who should be concerned. We are all of us dependent on the honey bee and other insect pollinators for our daily bread. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates $15 billion worth of agricultural products are at risk in the U.S. alone; the problem is world-wide.
“Bee Dude” Steve Miller, treasurer and vender for the Presque Isle Farmers Market, has been investing his time and considerable intellect seeking solutions, not just for the survival of the honey bee in general, but specifically to the issues that dog apiarists in Maine. One enormous challenge is the control of varroa mites, a tiny parasitic insect that sucks fluids from the bodies of worker bees and hatches offspring in the brood comb to ravage developing nymphs (the future of the hive). Steve distrusts the chemicals that have been used to try to control the scourge, as one by one their effectiveness is lost when mites develop resistance to the drugs. The process is similar to the way pathogenic bacteria “learn” to laugh at penicillin, streptomycin, and other antibiotics that at one time looked like the saving grace in cases of human and animal infection.
“They don’t work and I don’t believe they will even be available in a few years,” he states. Steve is actively pursuing control of varoa mite infection in his hives through natural means. He hopes to develop resistant strains of bees that can also withstand the rigors of Maine’s winters while continuing to thrive and produce during the summer months. This would reduce dependence on the chemicals that are currently being used. It would also provide local beekeepers with varieties more likely to survive in this region.
Miller predicts that the day of packages of bees or even new queens arriving in the mail is likely behind us and that beekeepers need to develop the skills necessary to provide for themselves … queens, comb, increase by “splits” (when a very successful colony is divided to make two hives, each with its own queen), etc. Collaborative efforts with other regional beekeepers is ongoing.
Even if you have no desire for a box or two of bees in your own back yard to pollinate your flowers. to put a few jars of joy in Christmas stockings, or just because they are “wicked interesting,” you will enjoy the opportunity to speak with Steve about his mission. Stop by the Presque Isle Farmers Market in the Aroostook Centre Mall any Saturday morning to engage in a fascinating conversation and head home with a bag or two of fresh fruits and vegetables, delicious results from the bees’ hard work in the fields.
Editor’s note: This weekly column is written by members of the Presque Isle Farmers’ Market. For more information or to join, contact their secretary/treasurer Steve Miller of Westmanland at 896-5860 or via e-mail at beetree@xpressamerica.net.
