By
Bev Eckman-Onyskow
For the Daily News
October 1, 2007
Bees are good things.
"Bees are a very beneficial part of our
environment, because they are pollinators and honey makers," said Ken Hays,
president of New Mexico Beekeepers. "They are essential for the food
chain."
Government agencies agree.
"More than 100 agricultural crops in the United
States are pollinated by bees. About a third of the food Americans eat
comes directly from the pollination honey bees perform," according to a
report from the Mid-Atlantic Apicultural Research & Extension Consortium.
And according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
"Bee pollination is responsible for $15 billion in added crop value each
year."
Joe Bryant started keeping bees on the 5-acre
second-generation family farm he and wife Judy share in La Luz. He said
he's only been doing it himself for a couple of years, but that he apprenticed
with his uncle, H.L. Bryant “who kept a half-dozen hives over the years. I
helped him along, too."
Joe Bryant has the education to back up his bee effort.
"I have a Life Sciences degree from Eastern New Mexico University, so I
learned about insects. And I taught biology at Alamogordo High School for
20 years."
Now he teaches anatomy and physiology, and is the head
track coach at AHS.
He's second-generation in both bees and teaching.
His father, Sid Bryant, kept bees "on and off," and was a teacher and
principal in the Alamogordo Public Schools during his career. He was also
president of the school board at one time.
Bees are threatened. "Twenty-one
states don't have enough bees. Some big companies ship truckloads of bees
all over the country, they have to import them for pollination," Bryant
said.
Bryant keeps six hives on his property. He knows
how to pick up swarms, and gets called on to do it, even if the people have to
wait until his school day is finished.
One he recalls was a hive in the valve box for a
sprinkler system on a home. “They were very calm bees,” he said.
“Bees are a good thing, but they can be a problem for some people.”
Like when they are living in your sprinkler valve box. “I learn
something every time I do an extraction.”
But it’s a sign of how threatened bees are that
Bryant has had far fewer swarm calls this year.
One of the things he said he enjoys is “just watching
them--they are mesmerizing. They are amazing little animals--consider the
symmetry of how they build their combs.
“When it‘s hot, bees will stand at the door of the
hive and flap their wings to cool it off.”
He also farms them out to gardeners, farmers and
orchardists who need bees for pollination. “I’m happy to help them get
their fields pollinated, and I take the honey,” he said.
Bryant sells his honey at the Alamogordo Farmers
Market, but said, “I’ve sold 50-60 pints of honey, and I’m just about
out.” Wife Judy sells her baked goods there, too.
They have three children: daughter Dottie just started
practicing medicine in Fort Worth; daughter Bobi Jo is a nurse in charge of
out-patient surgery at Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center; and son Michael
is a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps, a pilot stationed at Quantico,
Va.
The Bryants grow apples, pomegranates, pears, peaches,
apricots and nectarines, all pollinated by their bees.
Judy retired after 34 years as a teacher in the
Alamogordo Public Schools. “Teaching was my passion,” she said.
“This is our own paradise out here.”
In addition to the hives on their property,
Bryant has five hives in Tularosa, two in Laboracita Canyon and one in Bowes
Acres. That one is on Jim Money's place.
"The bees made our squash and okra and cucumbers,
green beans, all of our blooming crops, made them produce better because they're
pollinated," Money said. "The bees are very efficient, they make
sure every flower is pollinated, and that becomes a fruit."
Money, who is also a member of the Otero County
Master Gardener Association, sells his produce at Alamogordo Farmers Market at
the Otero County Fairgrounds, which opens at 7:30 a.m. Saturdays until frost.
"Joe Bryant knows a lot, he helps me." Money
said. "Everyone who sells at the farmers markets depends on bees to
pollinate their crops, that's why there's such an abundance."
WHY
BEES ARE THREATENED
Humans are a main cause of the demise of bees over the
past several decades because pesticides don't discriminate between beneficial
and damaging insects. "We lose a lot of bees because of
stupidity," Hays said. "We have the technology so that we don't have
to use pesticides."
Varroa bee mites, which kill bees, contribute to the
problem.
Reinforcing these facts is a September 11 statement by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Gale Buchanan, under secretary for
Research, Education and Economics: "Bee populations throughout the
United States are in serious decline. As the threat of Colony Collapse
Disorder (caused by a virus) and other bee health problems increases, it becomes
more necessary that USDA takes the necessary steps to protect these valuable
insects."
The USDA announced a $4 million Coordinated
Agricultural Project for fiscal year 2008 "to improve the health of managed
bee populations in agricultural systems" and to try to explain "the
cause behind dwindling bee populations."
Technically, bees, according to reference works, “are
flying insects closely related to wasps and ants. ... There are slightly fewer
than 20,000 known species of bee, in 9 recognized families ... They are
found on every continent except Antarctica, in every habitat on the planet that
contains flowering dicotyledons,” those are plants with two seed leaves that
appear on germination.
A television program, "Silence of the Bees,"
is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28, on National Public Broadcasting.
Check local listings.
BEE
HISTORY
Both the Bible and the Koran include positive
references to bees, as in "the land of milk and honey."
Prehistoric cave drawings depict people harvesting honey from wild bee colonies,
and Egyptian hieroglyphics show ancient beekeeping activities.
"Honey is mentioned 84 times in the Bible,"
Hays said.
American honeybees came from Europe with the Spaniards.
WHAT
TO DO IF STUNG
Statistics show that lightning is more likely to lead
to death than bee stings.
But here's what the New Mexico Beekeepers advise if you
are stung: First, remove the stinger by gently scraping it with a credit card or
a dull knife.
Don't try to squeeze it out, because it will release
the venom.
Next, get a tablet of Alka-Seltzer and moisten it
slightly so that it starts fizzing when you apply it to the sting.
"Alka-Seltzer contains baking soda, which reduces
inflammation, and aspirin, which relieves pain. And the fizzing allows
both substances to travel beneath your skin, providing immediate relief!"
Hays said raw honey would also mitigate a sting, as
will baking soda and water.
"Most immune deficiencies, like arthritis, gout
and lupus, can be helped by bee stings,” Hays said. “I stung myself 21
times, thee days a week, to get rid of inflammation, and it works perfectly.
Is that cool or what? The Lord gives us a lot of things if we use them
right."
BEES
AS BAD GUYS
There are people who have an irrational fear of bees,
perhaps from having been scared by them, or stung by them, as a child. Or
they've seen scary science fiction movies with Africanized honey bees, a.k.a.
killer bees--in which bees are the bad guys--like "The Swarm,"
"The Savage Bees," and "The Killer Bee Nightmare."
The Mid-Atlantic Apicultural Research and Extension
Consortium states that "Regardless of myths to the contrary, Africanized
honey bees do not fly out in angry swarms to randomly attack unlucky
victims."
My personal experience is that I was always frightened
of bees and wasps, but I'd never been stung. I hated the way they hung
around concession stands at the Detroit Zoo, drawn by the sweet leftover pop.
They scared me.
I'd heard about "anaphylactic reaction" to a
sting, which can kill a person who is sensitive to bee stings.
One day I stuck my arm into the newspaper sleeve in
front of our farm to get the paper, and there was a wasp sitting on top of it,
and it stung me. I survived, and I was never as afraid of bees or wasps on
the same level again.
I used to keep bees. How it came to be known as
"beekeeping," rather than "bee farming," or "bee
raising," I'm not sure.
One keeps bees, but they are not pets. When I had
a hive of bees back in Michigan, I used to delight in standing beside my hive
and watching them come in and land and go into the hive, their back legs heavy
with pollen, and then go back out again for more pollen.
OK, maybe I'm easily entertained.
I have the whole kit--a white jumpsuit (bees seem to
tolerate white better and don't attack it), a hat and veil, long leather gloves
and of course, a smoker. That’s what Bryant takes with him when he goes
out to capture a swarm.
One needs a smoker to handle bees. The beekeeper
puts something like pieces of burlap in the smoker, and lights them. The
resultant smoke, blown onto the bees with the smoker bellows, calms them and
settles them down so one can move around by the hive and into the hive without
being stung.
Oh, I got stung a couple of times, which was my fault,
not the bees'. I didn't have my neck covered by the veil properly, and one
got under the veil and stung me.
I'd learned to put ice on a sting, and it wasn't that
bad.
BEES
AS OUTLAWS
Unfortunately, while one can legally keep bees in
Albuquerque, one cannot do so in Alamogordo.
"We made the public aware of the benefit of having
bees in the city, to pollinate flowers and gardens and fruit trees, or they'd
have no fruit. You can keep bees as long as they are not a nuisance, so
there are tons of bees in the city,” Hays said.
"We educated people through the newspaper about
the benefits of bees and we had very few complaints, and people didn't hassle
the beekeepers
“I’ve sold probably 160, 180 hives, to people in
Albuquerque. We call them 'backyard beekeepers.’
"We taught people that when they have a swarm in
their backyard who to call. Beekeepers know how to catch wild swarms, so
having beekeepers in the city is a benefit.“
However, in Alamogordo, there is a city ordinance,
7-01-020, which makes it "unlawful to keep any livestock, poultry, bees or
exotic animals" except as otherwise provided, which includes veterinarians,
zoos, carnivals, circuses and so on.
The ordinance was passed in the mid-1970s, according to
the City Clerk's office, and why and by whom are lost in the mists of the past.
BUYING HONEY AND BEES
Ken Hays' business is Hays' Honey & Apple Farm in
Bosque Farms 16 miles south of Albuquerque.
He sells in his store, and also ships all over the
country, everything from $2 Honey Lip Balm to $4-100%natural local bee pollen to
a $75 seven-piece beeswax Nativity Set.
A beekeeping starter set includes a hive bottom and
top, six frames on which bees build honeycomb, baby bees and a queen, for $150.
Hays provides beekeeping information free.
He has been keeping bees for 35 years. He has 220
hives, which he has all over the state, from 16 miles south of Williamsburg to
Caballo Dam. He averages 1,500 gallons of honey and beeswax a year from them,
and only sells directly to the public.
Hays is a retired air traffic controller. "I
use to direct airplanes, now I direct bees. This is a hobby gotten out of
hand," he said.
He runs a free all-day seminar the fourth Saturday in
April at Hays Honey and Apple Farm, 400 Esperanza Road, Bosque Farms, 87068.
Call Hays at (505) 869-2369
FALL
IS HERE
It's almost time to start backing off on watering in
preparation for colder weather, but it depends on the temperature and
precipitation.
When it comes to trees, shrubs and woody perennials, if
you have been watering several times a week, start cutting back this month to an
inch of water once a week.
Then, starting in about another month or so, go to
watering every two weeks, so trees will feel it's time to go dormant.
Once an outdoor plant--trees, shrubs, other woody
perennials-- has gone dormant, deep watering once a month is enough.
Important note: Remember that a lot depends on the
temperature and the moisture. If the weather stays warm and there’s no
rain, hold off on cutting back on watering until the temperature goes down into
the 60s and 70s and stays there.
FERTILIZING AND PLANTING
For outdoor plants, stop fertilizing in the fall
because the plants are going dormant. Fertilizer tells the plant to grow,
when Nature is telling the plant to take a winter rest.
This is the fun part of fall gardening.
Autumn is an ideal time to plant trees and shrubs. "The soil is nice
and warm," according to Master Gardener officer Lois Glahn.
“That gives plants time for some root development before the cold weather sets
in.”
When picking plants, remember that we are in Zone 7,
and look at what the plant description says about drought tolerance and its
needs for light and shade. Do not assume that this year's precipitation
will occur next year; it could be greater or less, and this is a desert climate.
And plan before you plant. For example, consider
what a tree’s growth at maturity will be before you put it under power lines,
or a roof overhang.
Pansies can grow all winter, so plant pansies.
You can also plant some crops like lettuce and cabbages--call one of the
reputable nurseries for the best varieties.
Remember it's not an exact science. Your
plants can flourish--or die. Gardeners are still at the mercy of the elements,
unless they build greenhouses.
Generally speaking, late October and early November is
the best time to put in spring-flowering bulbs. That includes crocus,
hyacinth, tulips, snowdrops and daffodils.
I had a remarkable lack of success with spring bulbs,
because I simply bought them and planted them. Silly me.
Lois Glahn told me why. "You need to put
bulbs in the refrigerator (not the freezer) for six weeks. Put them in a
paper bag or a plastic bag, both work. That simulates the (winter) freeze.
“Cold conditioning is required for them to
grow."
Spring bulbs can be planted through the end
of the year, as long as you‘ve simulated that cold temperature, because our
soil does not freeze.
LAWNS
As growth stops, cut no more than one-third of the leaf
blade to prepare for the dormant season.
Weed killer can be applied now, but as always, be sure
that it's a selective herbicide for broad-leaf weeds, or it will kill the grass.