TH
The BUZZ has invited a well-known beekeeper, Ross Conrad , to visit Bermuda over the weekend of the 27 th March,
2015. Ross owns and operates a “human-scale” beekeeping business, Dancing Bee Gardens, in Middlebury, Vermont and also regularly leads beekeeping workshops and classes throughout North America. His organic bee husbandry methods have proven enormously successful. His hives thrive despite the challenges of Varroa Mite, colony collapse disorder and other maladies that resulted in substantial loss of hives by other beekeepers worldwide. He learned his skills from the beekeeper and api-therapist Charles Mraz and his son, Bill. Ross is a former president of the Vermont
Beekeepers’ Association and he is also the author of Natural Beekeeping: Organic Approaches to Modern Apiculture
( http://www.dancingbeegardens.com/Books.php
) As a regular contributor to Bee Culture, the US magazine on beekeeping, Ross proposes to record his visit and write an article on Bermuda beekeeping for a future edition of Bee
Culture.
Ross arrives late on Thursday, March 26 th and departs on March 29 th WHEN?
WHAT? Friday, 27 th March: Interview on Mix 106 – 10:50 a.m.
Touring the island to visit beehive sites and to meet with local beekeepers
Meeting with representatives from the Department of Environmental
Protection
Two workshops at Horticultural Hall in the Botanical Gardens Saturday, 28 th March:
Morning Session for Professional and Amateur Beekeepers
(3 Hours) 9 am – Noon. Will address:
Varroa and Other Pests and Diseases
Organic Pest/Disease Control
Queens (including Hygienic) and Swarms
Afternoon Session for new Beekeepers and the General Public
(3 Hours) 2 pm – 5 pm. Will address:
Getting Started With Organic Beekeeping
Making Decisions On Beekeeping Equipment and Hive Location
Basics Of Honey Bee Biology
Admission: $10 for adults and $5 for students
For additional information, please email BEST on office@best.org.bm

"Since the honey bee exerts such a powerfully beneficial influence on the natural world around us, it seems logical to assume that our own efforts to help the honey bee thrive can indirectly benefit all of nature. As a result, we beekeepers are, for the most part, a collegial lot; we exist in a kind of friendly competition with one another. We certainly do not have a situation where there are too many beekeepers in the U.S. In fact, I believe that we need more beekeepers in this world, and those beekeepers need to be successful in apiculture. This motivates me to do whatever I can to assist my fellow apiculturists, which includes answering questions, offering advice, and even occasionally providing on-site inspections and evaluations of hives. The most common questions I encounter revolve around how I manage to keep my bees healthy and achieve relatively low winter losses compared to the conventional beekeepers all around our area, who typically experience much larger losses. By sharing what I’ve learned with less experienced folks, I hope to aid them in keeping their bees alive and healthy, and that, through the good work they accomplish with their honey bees, we can all help to leave the world in better condition than we’ve found it.”
“My own experience indicates that there are many threats to bees these days. Mites, diseases, climate change (changing bloom times, drought, floods, shifting seasons, etc.), poor beekeeping, globalization that is moving pests, diseases, etc. around the world, industrial agriculture with its monoculture, pesticides, GMOs, loss of habitat, loss of forage, artificial diets of sugar syrup, antibiotics, and approved and unapproved miticides for Varroa Mites. In many instances bees can handle one or more of these sub-lethal stresses, but as the stresses build up they eventually overwhelm the colony and lead to collapse, death, starvation, etc.”
“Beekeeping today is not rocket science, it just seems to be much harder! However, I find that focusing on reducing as many of the sub-lethal stresses that I have some level of control over, helps the bees to be healthy enough in most cases that they can deal with those stressors that I don't have much direct control over. Since the year 2000, I usually have about 90% or more of my hives survive each winter here in Vermont and I have never had less than 82% of my hives successfully overwinter...not overly great but much better than most all other Beekeepers are reporting, so I figure I am on to something.”
Ross Conrad
The BUZZ is a group of interested people who came together under the auspices of the Bermuda
Environmental Sustainability Task Force (BEST) because they are concerned about the bee situation globally and locally. On the local front we have instituted research into the current condition of bees in Bermuda by talking to stakeholder groups to find out how we might help to highlight or promote their concerns and recommendations. We want to be aware of the major problems facing bees, the impact their collapse will have upon our community and to find solutions. In an effort to bring the issue to the public we put on a
Bee Fair at BUEI in March 2014.
Suite 1518, 48 Par la Ville Road, Hamilton HM 11 Telephone: 292-3782 Email: office@best.org.bm